Women’s Health has waited long enough for innovation - FemTech World
By Dr Fran Conti-Ramsden, clinician at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, academic at King’s College London, and chief medical officer of MEGI Health. A woman gives birth. A few days later she goes home, often with a bag of medication for her blood pressure, and then, very often, very little structured follow-up for her heart (cardiovascular) health. In…
, MD, CEO OncoGenomX, Allschwil, SwitzerlandFemTech is moving from a promising niche to a foundational part of modern healthcare. Over the next decade and beyond, its real promise will not only be better products, but a more equitable system: one where women’s health is treated as an equal area for innovation, investment, clinical care, and public policy. That shift matters because women’s health has long been under-researched, underfunded, and too often managed through systems that were not designed with female biology and life stages in mind. The opportunity now is to change that trajectory. If stakeholders act deliberately, FemTech can become a category that improves outcomes, expands access, and creates measurable value across the HealthTech ecosystem. From niche to infrastructureThe most important change ahead is a mindset shift. FemTech should no longer be seen as a narrow consumer segment focused only on logging symptoms. It should be understood as health infrastructure spanning puberty, fertility, pregnancy, postpartum recovery, menopause, pelvic health, chronic disease,mental health, and long-term preventive care. This broader framing creates a more durable market and a stronger social case. It also encourages innovation that serves people across the full life course, rather than only at highly visible moments. In practical terms, this means building tools that are clinically relevant, integrated into care pathways, and designed to work for different populations and health systems. What needs to changeFor FemTech to become a truly equal healthcare category and a genuine societal priority, several layers need to move together. First, the evidence base must deepen. More sex-disaggregated data, more women-inclusive clinical studies, and more research on conditions that disproportionately affect women are essential. Without stronger evidence, product development, diagnosis, reimbursement, and clinical adoption all remain constrained. Second, policy and regulation must mature. Privacy protections need to be strong enough to build trust in highly sensitive health data. Regulatory pathways should be clear enough to help innovators bring safe, effective products to market without unnecessary delay. Reimbursement frameworks also need to evolve so that usefuldigital toolsare not limited to those who can pay out of pocket. Third, healthcare systems must become more open to integration. The best FemTech products should not sit outside the care journey as standalone apps. They should connect with clinicians, diagnostics, telehealth, and care coordination so that patients experience continuity rather than fragmentation. Finally, society needs a broader cultural shift. Women’s healthshould be discussed as a mainstream public health and economic issue, not as a side topic or a private concern. That means normalizing conversations aroundmenopause, miscarriage, postpartum health, chronic pain, infertility, and long-term preventive care. The role of each stakeholderA healthier FemTech future depends on the full value chain. Founders and product teamsneed to design for clinical relevance, usability, and trust. The strongest solutions will be those that solve real problems, use data responsibly, and fit into everyday life and care. Investorscan help by backing long-term value creation rather than only consumer growth. FemTech deserves capital that supports rigorous validation, regulatory readiness, and scalable business models. Healthcare providers and systemsplay a critical role in adoption. By integrating FemTech into clinical workflows, they can reduce delays in care, improve monitoring, and make support more continuous and personalised. Payers and insurerscan accelerate access by recognising the downstream value of early intervention, prevention, and better self-management. Coverage decisions will strongly shape which innovations become standard practice. Policymakers and regulatorsshould create environments where safety, innovation, and privacy coexist. Clear standards and supportive reimbursement policy can make the difference between isolated success and category-wide growth. Employers and public institutionsalso have a role. Women’s health affects productivity, retention, and long-term wellbeing, which means workplace benefits and public programs can help expand access and reduce inequity. FemTech is not only “women for women. ” It is “everyone to solve a health and social issue that has been ignored for far too long. ”When stakeholders across the value chain recognise women’s health as a shared responsibility, FemTech moves from a segmented category to a mainstream force for better outcomes, fairer access, and stronger social impact. Why the upside is larger than the marketThe benefit of getting this right is not only commercial. Better women’s health tools can improve early detection, support self-management, reduce avoidable complications, and lower the burden on social and healthcare systems. They can also help close persistent gaps in access and outcomes that affect families, workplaces, and economies. For HealthTech innovators, this is an opportunity to build products that are both mission-driven and scalable. For health systems, it is a chance to improve care quality and efficiency. For society, it is a way to move women’s health from an afterthought to an equal priority. Actions that will move the field forwardThe right direction will not happen automatically. It requires deliberate action across the ecosystem. Build products around real clinical needs, not only consumer engagement. Invest in women-inclusive research and validation from the start. Design privacy and governance into the product architecture. Create reimbursement models that reward prevention and continuity. Integrate FemTech into mainstream care pathways. Expand education for clinicians, employers, and the public. Expand the category to the invisible concerns to cover the full range of women’s health needs. When these actions align, FemTech can mature into something larger than a market category. It can become a model for how health innovation should work: evidence-based, inclusive, trusted, and built to improve lives at scale. A strong FemTech future is not just possible. It is a practical next step if the ecosystem chooses to treat women’s health as what it truly is: a core healthcare priority and a major driver of innovation. Table: FemTech Focus AreasFieldApproximate number of active solutions/companiesReproductive health &fertility120+Pregnancy& maternal care80+Menstrual health60+General women’s health & wellness50+Diagnostics & monitoring45+Menopause & perimenopause40+Pelvic & uterine health30+Chronic women’s health / integrated care30+Sexual health& wellness25+Legend: FemTech is becoming a multi-category healthcare layer. Reports also show that software/apps remain the largest product type overall, whilereproductive healthcontinues to dominate as an application area. Best-effort estimates based on category listings, company directories, and market reports, not audited totals.