Though women constitute half of the world’s population and make the majority of household healthcare spending decisions, FemTech — the use of female technology, products, and services to improve women’s health and include them in clinical trials — is a recent phenomenon.
Despite old-age prejudices and a previous lack of funding and research, the FemTech industry is projected to grow to $97bn (€84bn) by 2035, thanks to a slate of new apps, products, and tech-focused solutions that tap in to the undeveloped women’s health market.
This is important for three reasons. The first is that women-centric issues, like menstruation and menopause, have traditionally been left out of the research space.
Before 1993, women were rarely included in medical trials, and, according to a 2023 paper, women have accounted for less than 35% of participants in early-stage clinical trials.
The second is that a number of health conditions, such as heart disease, Alzheimer’s and mental health, affect women and men differently.
“The reason women were never included was because of the likes of the Thalidomide scandal; women of childbearing age were banned from trials,” says Dr Tanya Mulcahy, FemTech Ireland founder and Health Innovation Hub Ireland (HIHI) director.
“That was done to protect mothers and children, but it also resulted in companies not bothering with women’s health solutions, because their product would have never been approved.”
The third is that women are regularly subjected to medical misogyny, a pervasive stigma associated with women’s health. Women of all ages endure pain, disrespect, and subpar medical practices.
“Women have absolutely been gaslit as a result of medical misogyny,” according to GP and female health specialist Dr Máire Finn.
“I’ve regularly had patients tell me their GP didn’t believe in menopause. I don’t think it’s intentional; it’s more so a reflection of poor training and a lack of experience.”
The narrative on women’s health research has been changed by a number of start-ups, many of which are founded on personal stories, like Justyna Strzeszynska and her company, Joii.
Strzeszynska had previously worked in investments, yet her heavy periods routinely left her bedridden for a week. Upon being diagnosed with fibroids, something clicked: There is zero standardisation with how periods are tracked.
Joii attempts to counteract this with menstrual pads designed for period tracking, as well as an AI-powered app that measures and assesses menstrual flow: “The current distinction for heavy periods is anything over 80ml, but that was dictated in 1966, so much has changed since then. People are getting periods earlier than ever, and if they don’t have the information they need for the 15-minute appointment with their GP, they might never know what exactly is causing them these symptoms.”
Joii’s product measures clot size, volume, colour, and symptoms to help women on their journey to seek correct and applicable medical advice: “I was always asked how regularly I would change my pad. But that is so personal — some people change every hour, others don’t. This will now allow people to feel empowered going into a doctor’s office as they will be able to track exactly.”
The FemTech wave is down to several factors.
According to HIHI’s new report, exclusively seen by the Irish Examiner, an increased advocacy for funding and innovation in women’s health has been seen by way of advancements in digital health, AI, as well as recent economic reports emphasising FemTech as a rapidly growing industry.
According to the World Economic Forum, closing the women’s health gap could generate $1tn (€870bn) in annual global GDP by 2040.
“And yet, we’re still only scratching the surface in finding out what happens in women compared to men,” Dr Mulcahy says.
“For example, hormone cycles impact lots of things; they can impact your cardiac health for the better. It would make anyone think: Could we figure out other things in the future?”
Among the high-potential areas for FemTech start-ups is menstrual health, something researchers at ETH Zürich considered when developing MenstruAI, a first-of-its-kind device that detects disease biomarkers through menstrual blood.
Like Joii, MenstruAI’s technology is also built into a sanitary pad, but differs in that its sensors change colour if certain biomarkers are present.
“To date, menstrual blood has been regarded as waste,” said PhD student Lucas Dosnon, the 2024 study’s lead author.
“And we are trying to show, much the same way that heart rate and temperature works with wearable sensors, that it is a valuable source of information.”
Dosnon, under Professor Inge K Herrmann, found menstrual blood to be a niche scentific gap unexplored by the medical industry, and a way to test blood non-invasively. “It’s comparable to venous blood,” he says.
“But it can also give us information about mucus, cell debris, and lots of other things, too.”
MenstruAI, which Dosnon hopes will be available to the public in “two to five years”, works similarly to a covid test, in that a visual marker is produced upon certain protein detection.
In time, the team hopes it will provide accessible solutions to detect everything from inflammation to tumour development, with diseases that are hard to screen early, such as ovarian cancer, front and centre of their minds.
With such high stakes at play, the consideration of false positives and negatives is central to their research.
“So far, we’ve reached key benchmarks, in terms of validating the fact that we can detect these proteins, measure their quantity, and properly test our technology with a centralised lab,” Dosnon says.
“But, of course, to fully validate the device, we need to undergo larger field studies and reach certain benchmarks for regulatory approval.
“We’re also constantly discussing with designers and doctors how to communicate results in a way that doesn’t generate more fear or stress. It’s critical to get right.”
Perhaps the greatest promise of FemTech right now is simply more dialogue around women’s health, says Dr Finn.
However, like with any new change, personal caution should be exercised when using new products: “Any improvement or work in this area has to be applauded. But something these companies have to be aware of is the sharing of sensitive medical data.
“That said, intimate details have been shared by people for the likes of 23andMe for years now, and people don’t seem to care, but I would suggest proceeding with caution on what information you give, to whom you give it, what information you receive, and how to interpret it.
“The best way to use it, in my opinion, is to do so in tandem with a trusted medical person. Don’t forget, we gain insights from some of this as well.”
The HIHI survey identified that the biggest challenges FemTech companies face relate to investment and regulatory requirements, a lack of specialised expertise, market access, and direct specialised access to clinicians and patients. As a result, they are calling on the Irish Government to include women’s health research and FemTech innovation in the National Life Science Strategy, and for innovators, investors, and enablers to invest in the 51%.
“Investing in women’s health research and innovation isn’t just about equity — it’s a catalyst for better healthcare for all,” Dr Mulcahy says.
“Conditions that affect women differently or disproportionately often hold the key to breakthroughs that benefit everyone. The start-ups and new technologies emerging in FemTech are addressing long-overlooked needs, unlocking insights that improve diagnostics, treatments, and system-wide efficiency.
“When we back these innovations, we’re not just supporting women — we are supporting indigenous enterprise and we’re building a healthier society.”
