# FemTechnology Systems Lab - Full Context ## Pages ### Gender Data Health Gap URL: https://femtechnology.org/gender-data-health-gap/ Read The Full Report TL; DR What can I do to help close the gender data health gap? Are you a patient experiencing these gaps in care?  Fill Out Survey About Gaps In Care Are you a clinician who has a perspective to contribute about what tools you feel are missing for you to adequately serve your patients?  Fill Out Survey About Gaps In Care Are you a researcher? And have been studying novel links between different women’s health conditions or reproductive health and ‘general health’? We’d love to learn more about it!Are you a start-up who is interested in collaborating/conducting further research on novel data sets you have collected.   Get In Touch Contact form 1 Your name Your email Subject Your message (optional) Full Workshop Booklet --- ### Financing Innovation in Women’s Health URL: https://femtechnology.org/financing-innovation-in-womens-health/ Financing Innovation In Women's Health How Can We Address Disparities & Accelerate Innovation? Read The Full Report Excerpts from Workshop Full Workshop Booklet --- ### ESG Alignment for Women’s Health URL: https://femtechnology.org/esg-alignment-for-womens-health/ Read The Report Workshop Excerpts --- ### Women Centric Cancer Care URL: https://femtechnology.org/women-centric-cancer-care/ Read The Women Centric Cancer Care Report Read the Workshop Pre-Read Read The key takeaways --- ### Role of Media and the Clinician In Women’s Health URL: https://femtechnology.org/role-of-media-and-the-clinician-in-womens-health/ Excerpts from the Workshop Read The Workshop Booklet Guest Presentation by EqualVoice by Ringier full EqualVoice Presentation Behind The Scenes Podcast Report of What Was Discussed --- ### Redesigning Healthcare with Women In Mind URL: https://femtechnology.org/redesigning-healthcare-with-women-in-mind/ Click to read The Workshop Pack Learn About Next Steps --- ### Sponsorship Opportunities URL: https://femtechnology.org/femtechnology-summit-2023/sponsorship-opportunities/ Our FemTechnology Summit is just the beginning of an ongoing conversation. In our goal to catalyse innovation in the women’s health space, collaboration is key to driving the industry forward. If you’re interested in sponsoring a future event or would like to know more details, let us know more about yourself and we’ll be in touch soon!  Get in Touch --- ### Previous Speakers URL: https://femtechnology.org/previous-speakers/ Priyanka Jain CEO + Co-Founder, Evvy --- ### FemTechnology Summit 2023 URL: https://femtechnology.org/2023-summit/ FemTechnology Summit 2023Show Me ClipsFemTechnology Summit brings together the most exciting innovators in women's health for a 360 degree perspective on innovation in women's health to solve collective pain-points and catalyze change.FemTechnology Summit 2023 took place in person at Roche Tower in Basel as an invite-only catalyzer for 150 innovators in women's health aimed at leveraging the diversity of experience and expertise of attendees to tackle pressing issues in women's health together.FemTechnology Summit '22ETH Zurich FemTechnology Summit '21TopicsRole of Media and the ClinicianFinancing Innovation in Women's HealthGender Data Health GapWomen Centric Cancer CareRedesigning Healthcare with Women in MindESG Alignment for Women's Health --- ### 2021 Summit URL: https://femtechnology.org/2021-summit/ Origin Story of the FemTechnology Summit100+ attendees | 15+ countriesOriana Kraft conceived, curated and produced the first edition of the FemTechnology Summit as her Bachelor's Research Project at ETH Zurich as a reaction to the shocking statistics in women's health she was introduced to in gynecology class. Since then she's become passionate about improving women's health; from startup ecosystems, to medical education and convinced of the need to connect the great innovations happening in FemTech with the huge remaining gaps in medicine for women, particularly connecting innovative solutions directly with the patients who need them most.Hosted annually, the FemTechnology Summit features top Startups, Researchers and Medical Doctors working in the field of women's health – bringing them together to showcase innovations happening in the field and highlight where work still needs to be done.PartnersETH Zurich Human MedicineThe path via ETH Zurich (for the Bachelor's degree) and one of its partner universities (for the Master's degree) lays the foundations for an education in human medicine that will go on to open up opportunities for exchange with the world of science and pave the way towards new developments and technologies. ETH Zurich was a FemTechnology partner for the first edition of the Summit.Women at the TableFounded and based in International Geneva, is the first Civil Society Organization to focus on feminist systems change. Co-founders of the A+ Alliance for Inclusive Algorithms, they focus on correcting algorithmic bias in medical research and outcomes.2021 SpeakersEric DyCo-Founder and CEO, BloomlifeLeon A. BostonSpeakerProf. Sarah SpringmanRector, ETH ZurichEirini RaptiSpeakerDr. Lynae BrayboyChief Medical Officer, ClueDr. Carole ClairSpeakerFrederik Petursson MadsenSpeakerChantelle BellSpeakerPascal KoenigCEO, AvaSarah KerruishDirector, Picture a ScientistMarina Pavlovic RivasSpeakerDr. Sonali Mohanty QuantiusSpeakerDr. Sari Prutchi SagivSpeakerAlexandra AlvergneProfessor, University of OxfordDr. Brigitte LeenersProfessor, University Hospital ZurichCécile RealFounder, TiliaDr. med. h.c. Vera Regitz-ZagrosekFounder, Gender Medicine BerlinLaura SymulResearcher, Stanford UniversityAnya RoyCEO, UnfabledSummit Video2021 ScheduleDay 1Opening RemarksDr. med. h.c. Vera Regitz-ZagrosekRoundTable: Innovative Screening + Tracking TechnologiesLeon A. Boston, Dr. Sonali Mohanty QuantiusRoundTable: Gathering Female Specific Data by Innovative MeansEric Dy, Sarah Kerruish, Marina Pavlovic Rivas, Laura SymulClosing RemarksDr. Carole ClairDay 2Opening RemarksDr. Brigitte LeenersRoundTable: The Future of Contraception and FertilityEirini Rapti, Dr. Lynae Brayboy, Frederik Petursson Madsen, Pascal KoenigRoundTable: Pain and Symptom ManagementChantelle Bell, Cécile Real, Alexandra Alvergne, Dr. Sari Prutchi Sagiv, Anya RoyClosing RemarksProf. Sarah Springman --- ### 2023 Workshop Topics URL: https://femtechnology.org/femtechnology-summit-2023/2023-workshop-topics/ AI & the Gender Data Gap:Facilitated by Lisa Falco The gender data gap is a deadly one. Discover innovative ways companies are collecting gender specific medical data to close the gap and better understand female specific metrics.  Help us tackle the following questions? – Will AI perpetuate the gender data gap even further? Or can it accelerate women’s health? – Which crucial data sets in women’s health should be prioritised?  – By which innovative means might they be collected?  – What are the most effective ways to incorporate these findings into research, clinical practice and corporate settings? The Business Case for Women’s Health Solutions:​Facilitated by Anula Jayasuriya 85% of working-age women have experienced 4 or more women’s health conditions. 60% of employers say they are facing challenges with attracting/retaining female talent. 25% of women said a women’s health issue or condition had affected their opportunities for promotion. What is the cost to corporations/businesses in failing to support women’s health? How can businesses better support women’s health going forward? Which FemTech solutions & disease areas should be a priority to incorporate? Women-Centric Cancer Care:Facilitated by Jennifer Cain Women are 34% more likely than men to experience severe side effects from cancer treatments. Different emphasis is placed on what is prioritized in care between women and men, for example a high-volume cancer center, 9 of 10 men undergoing brachytherapy for prostate cancer were asked about their sexual health, compared with 1 of 10 women having brachytherapy for cervical cancer. It is also known that patient centric care leads to better outcomes for patients, yet women are less likely to receive patient-centric care or women centric care. There is a growing momentum to develop national Women’s Health strategy and policies to define Women-Centered Care though no clear, universally accepted definition of Women Centric Care (WCC) exists and few studies examine how to implement or measure WCC.Cancer treatment often fails to take into account the personal needs of women.  There is both a need and opportunity for Women Centric Care and specifically in Cancer to jointly as a healthcare ecosystem shape the global understanding of what Women Centric Cancer Care means and how it can be delivered.  How might we together improve the lives and health experiences of women by empowering them to make educated decisions and by delivering equitable and tailored cancer prevention and care? Financing Innovation In Women’s Health: Facilitated by Dr. Ana Costa & Pascal Joly Approximately 1% of healthcare research and innovation is invested in female-specific conditions beyond oncology. As of 2018, just 4% of overall funding for research and development went to products and services specifically addressing women’s healthcare. What strategies can be put in place to share the burden of development for novel innovative medicines in women’s health? How can multi-stakeholders come together and clearly outline hurdles to build new workable paths and innovate on endpoints in underserved women’s health conditions such as endometriosis, PCOS and fibroids? ESG Alignment in Women's HealthFacilitated by Claudia Navarro How can we make women’s health a priority in ESG frameworks? Ever since ESG became a governmental priority, people have increasingly started thinking about the under-representation of women in business, science and clinical trials. How can this be leveraged to make women’s health a priority within governance and provision frameworks, especially given the passing of the EU’s ‘landmark’ 40% quota for women on corporate boards? Redesigning Healthcare with Women in Mind: a Lifecycle Perspective to Women’s HealthFacilitated by Paula Bellostas Muguerza Modern medicine was not designed with women in mind. A notable example? Women’s ‘reproductive’ health -puberty, pregnancy, menopause and beyond – is often treated in isolation from other organ system/ conditions with problematic implications. How can we ensure these monumental transitions are better integrated. Furthermore, if the prevalence and manifestation of diseases differs between men and women logically it should impact : the diagnostic tolls that are used, how care is accessed, what is considered a ‘vital sign’, what our definition of the baseline is what we screen for. Healthcare is undergoing a radical transformation – how should it be reimagined to cater for the needs of women as well? The Role of the Clinician and Social Media in Women’s HealthFacilitated byDr. Mitzi Krockover According to the Women’s Health Strategy for England, 84% of women responding to their survey felt healthcare professionals were not listening to them. This comes at a moment in time when Social Media is increasingly relied upon as a source of health information (33% Of Gen Zers now Trust TikTok More Than Doctors).How can we use media (social, traditional or otherwise) as an effective educational tool? And what can be done to restore public faith in clinicians? --- ### FemTechnology Summit 2023 URL: https://femtechnology.org/femtechnology-summit-2023/ Show Me Clips FemTechnology Summit, brings together the most exciting innovators in women’s health for a 360 degree perspective on innovation in women’s health to solve collective pain-points and catalyze change. FemTechnology Summit 2023 took place in person at Roche Tower in Basel as an invite-only catalyzer  for 150 innovators in women’s health aimed at leveraging the diversity of experience and  expertise of attendees to tackle pressing issues in women’s health together.   FemTechnology Summit '22 ETHZurich FemTechnology Summit '21 Topics Find Out More Find Out More Find Out More Find Out More Find Out More about This Workshop Find Out More about This Workshop Inspired? Support Our Work Contact form 1 Ticket 1Ticket 2Ticket 3Ticket 4 register now Partner with Us Join Us Some Of Our Fabulous Innovators We're building an integrated platform How are we doing this? To start with, by bringing together the most exciting innovators in women’s health for a 360 degree perspective on innovation to solve collective painpoints and catalyze change. Learn More About Attendees Explore Workshop Topics + Facilitators Silver Sponsors Sponsorship Opportunities Sponsored By --- ### The Future of FemTech (Think Pieces) URL: https://femtechnology.org/the-future-of-femtech-think-pieces/ August 2, 2025 Deep Dives, FemTech Blog, FemTech Think Pieces, Founder Interviews, Health care, medical system, Top FemTech Startups, UncategorizedBy Oriana Kraft The Female Longevity Paradox – why do women live longer? Read More “The Female Longevity Paradox – why do women live longer?” August 1, 2025 Deep Dives, Endometriosis, FemTech Blog, FemTech Think Pieces, Founder Interviews, Health care, medical system, Top FemTech Startups, Uncategorized, White SpaceBy Oriana Kraft The Gender Health Gap: Uncovering the Shocking Statistics Read More “The Gender Health Gap: Uncovering the Shocking Statistics” July 31, 2025July 31, 2025 Deep Dives, FemTech Blog, FemTech Think Pieces, Founder Interviews, Health care, medical system, Top FemTech Startups, UncategorizedBy Oriana Kraft Our (FemTechnology) Nature Commentary on a Holistic Approach to Women’s Health Check out our piece in Nature Reviews Bioengineering titled: “A Holistic Approach to Advancing Women’s Health.” This isn’t just a call for more research into “female-specific” conditions, it’s an argument that women’s health is foundational to advancing biomedicine as a whole. Too often, women’s health is sidelined as niche, underfunded, and under-researched. We propose a different lens: one that treats women’s health as a driver of innovation that can unlock better care and new scientific breakthroughs across the board. Key themes from the piece: Read More “Our (FemTechnology) Nature Commentary on a Holistic Approach to Women’s Health” July 31, 2025 Deep Dives, FemTech Blog, FemTech Think Pieces, Founder Interviews, Health care, medical system, Top FemTech Startups, UncategorizedBy Oriana Kraft How ORI Works – Slash Costs, Boost Productivity Read More “How ORI Works – Slash Costs, Boost Productivity” July 30, 2025July 30, 2025 Deep Dives, FemTech Blog, FemTech Think Pieces, Founder Interviews, Health care, medical system, Top FemTech Startups, Uncategorized, White SpaceBy Oriana Kraft Unlocking Productivity & Saving Costs: How ORI is Revolutionising Women’s Health in the Workplace Read More “Unlocking Productivity & Saving Costs: How ORI is Revolutionising Women’s Health in the Workplace” July 30, 2025 Deep Dives, Endometriosis, FemTech Blog, FemTech Think Pieces, Founder Interviews, Health care, medical system, Top FemTech Startups, Uncategorized, White SpaceBy Oriana Kraft Built to Fail Her? AI’s Invisible Bias in Women’s Health (and How We Fix It for Everyone) AI is rapidly reshaping healthcare, promising a future of precision and personalization. Yet, for over half the global population—women—this future is dangerously unclear. Read More “Built to Fail Her? AI’s Invisible Bias in Women’s Health (and How We Fix It for Everyone)” July 30, 2025 Deep Dives, FemTech Blog, FemTech Think Pieces, Founder Interviews, Health care, medical system, Top FemTech Startups, UncategorizedBy Oriana Kraft The SHOCKING TRUTH: Why Women’s Health Is Being Overlooked & Misdiagnosed! Read More “The SHOCKING TRUTH: Why Women’s Health Is Being Overlooked & Misdiagnosed!” July 30, 2025 Deep Dives, FemTech Blog, FemTech Think Pieces, Founder Interviews, Health care, medical system, Top FemTech Startups, Uncategorized, White SpaceBy Oriana Kraft Why Women’s Health Is Costing Your Business Millions Per Year (And What To Do About It!) Is your company bleeding money without even knowing it?   Read More “Why Women’s Health Is Costing Your Business Millions Per Year (And What To Do About It!)” July 24, 2025July 24, 2025 Deep Dives, FemTech Blog, FemTech Think Pieces, Health care, medical system, Top FemTech Startups, Uncategorized, White SpaceBy Oriana Kraft What If a Book Knew You? Introducing Empire of Memories: The AI-Personalized Novel Reimagining Storytelling Empire of Memories: The AI-Personalized Novel Reimagining Storytelling In a world where health systems, apps, and platforms all claim to be “personalized,” we still rarely encounter experiences that truly see us.  Which is part of the thesis behind, Empire of Memories: a Book That Remembers You : orianakraft.com/empire Read More “What If a Book Knew You? Introducing Empire of Memories: The AI-Personalized Novel Reimagining Storytelling” July 17, 2025July 17, 2025 Deep Dives, FemTech Think Pieces, Health care, medical system, Top FemTech StartupsBy Oriana Kraft The system wasn’t broken. It was designed that way. Ever wonder why women’s health “malfunctions” so consistently? Why reproductive care, mental health treatment, and medical research seem to fail women in predictable patterns? What if these aren’t bugs – they’re features? Empire of Memories is an interactive novel where you become a character with a secret history. Set in a fractured world where choices manifest as threads of energy, this isn’t a story you just read – you live it. https://femtechnology.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/u9585258493_httpss.mj_.runfbF9nscHzxM_the_eye_blinks_and_lips__1abe228e-c82b-4283-8569-d11aaeac4f3c_0-1.mp4 Read More “The system wasn’t broken. It was designed that way.” July 17, 2025July 17, 2025 Deep Dives, FemTech Think Pieces, Founder Interviews, Health care, medical system, Top FemTech StartupsBy Oriana Kraft Empire of Memories: The Interactive Novel That Changes You Not About Women’s Health — But Everything to Do With It Before I built FemTechnology and ORI, I wrote Empire of Memories a book about power, memory, and what happens when choices become visible. Read More “Empire of Memories: The Interactive Novel That Changes You” July 17, 2025July 17, 2025 Deep Dives, FemTech Think Pieces, Health care, medical system, UncategorizedBy Oriana Kraft Because Who Tells the Story Shapes the System (In Women’s Health & In Society) Empire of Memories is a personalized, interactive novel that lets readers shape the plot, blending speculative fiction, memory science, and power dynamics. Read More “Because Who Tells the Story Shapes the System (In Women’s Health & In Society)” November 29, 2023December 19, 2023 Deep Dives, FemTech Blog, FemTech Think Pieces, Founder Interviews, Health care, medical system, Top FemTech Startups, Uncategorized, White SpaceBy Oriana Kraft How do the stories we tell shape the technology we create? – WebSummit Why is it so important to talk about content at a tech conference? Because, although technology powers our modern society, it is the stories we tell, and content we create, that drives how that technology is applied and what we choose to use tech for.  Think about it: would Instagram or TikTok or Facebook or even OpenAi (especially OpenAi and their large language models (LLMs)) be anything without content, without stories? No. Read More “How do the stories we tell shape the technology we create? – WebSummit” August 30, 2022September 25, 2022 Deep Dives, FemTech Think Pieces, Health care, medical system, UncategorizedBy Oriana Kraft Women’s health is seen as a luxury: what does that mean? In the UK, gynaecology waiting lists faced the biggest increase in delays of all medical specialities post pandemic: growing by 60%. Women with conditions like endometriosis, prolapse and heavy bleeding waited more than a year to receive NHS care in England – because the surgeries were classified as elective procedures for benign conditions. Read More “Women’s health is seen as a luxury: what does that mean?” August 2, 2022September 25, 2022 Deep Dives, FemTech Think Pieces, Health care, medical systemBy Oriana Kraft Opportunities for improving the PCOS experience Did you know that approximately 75% of individuals with PCOS remain undiagnosed when visiting their doctor? Despite PCOS being the most common endocrine disease in women of reproductive age – we still don’t have standard diagnostic criteria. Read More “Opportunities for improving the PCOS experience” August 2, 2022September 25, 2022 Deep Dives, FemTech Think Pieces, Health care, medical systemBy Oriana Kraft Why PCOS is about more than just fertility Did you know that children of mothers with PCOS are 31% more likely to be admitted to the hospital for infectious diseases and 47% more likely to be admitted for allergy-related problems? Read More “Why PCOS is about more than just fertility” July 27, 2022September 25, 2022 Deep Dives, FemTech Think Pieces, Health care, medical systemBy Oriana Kraft Why are we ignoring the health of young women?   Aka Why there should be more FemTech solutions focussed on college-age students: College-aged women are one of the least-serviced demographics when it comes to women’s healthcare, yet they are also the age range that would make most sense to target first. It is the age when many conditions first manifest: Read More “Why are we ignoring the health of young women?  “ July 21, 2022September 25, 2022 Deep Dives, FemTech Think Pieces, Health care, medical systemBy Oriana Kraft Barriers to Innovation In Women’s Health (A Series). Healthcare wasn’t designed with women in mind. Read More “Barriers to Innovation In Women’s Health (A Series).” July 14, 2022July 23, 2022 FemTech Think Pieces, Health care, medical systemBy Oriana Kraft FemTech and Data – what does the future of women’s health look like? There is a fundamental and foundational lack of data when it comes to women’s health. A quick primer: In the U.S., women were not required to be included in clinical research until 1993, when Congress passed the NIH Revitalization Act. As a direct consequence, the medication used and prescribed to this day was not tested, nor created with the female physiology in mind – with devastating consequences. Unsurprisingly, a study published in 2020 from UC Berkeley and the University of Chicago found that women experienced worse side effects in 90% of cases from medication as compared to men, and the “sex difference was not explained by sex differences in body weight.” Read More “FemTech and Data – what does the future of women’s health look like?” May 26, 2022July 23, 2022 FemTech Think Pieces, Health care, medical systemBy Oriana Kraft Our Keynote Speakers Read More “Our Keynote Speakers” May 26, 2022July 23, 2022 FemTech Think Pieces, medical systemBy Oriana Kraft Why We’re Talking About The Gender Data Health Gap Read More “Why We’re Talking About The Gender Data Health Gap” May 26, 2022July 23, 2022 FemTech Think Pieces, medical systemBy Oriana Kraft What Does The Future Of Care Look Like? Read More “What Does The Future Of Care Look Like?” May 19, 2022July 23, 2022 Deep Dives, FemTech Think PiecesBy Francesca Rosa The systemic problem with the lack of education in women’s health and its consequences We live in our bodies but, as women, we are not taught much about it. We rely on doctors’ expertise or advice from our friends to bridge the gaps in our knowledge. Is that all we need, though? We are, after all, truly the ones in charge of our health and our bodies. We have the right to be armed with the knowledge we need to be able to make educated and informed decisions about our health – and that is where the systemic lack of education in women’s health has failed us. Here we list 7 aspects of our health that are often overlooked when it comes to learn how our body works.  Read More “The systemic problem with the lack of education in women’s health and its consequences” --- ### Top FemTech Startups URL: https://femtechnology.org/top-femtech-startups/ August 2, 2025 Deep Dives, FemTech Blog, FemTech Think Pieces, Founder Interviews, Health care, medical system, Top FemTech Startups, UncategorizedBy Oriana Kraft The Female Longevity Paradox – why do women live longer? Read More “The Female Longevity Paradox – why do women live longer?” August 1, 2025 Deep Dives, Endometriosis, FemTech Blog, FemTech Think Pieces, Founder Interviews, Health care, medical system, Top FemTech Startups, Uncategorized, White SpaceBy Oriana Kraft The Gender Health Gap: Uncovering the Shocking Statistics Read More “The Gender Health Gap: Uncovering the Shocking Statistics” July 31, 2025July 31, 2025 Deep Dives, FemTech Blog, FemTech Think Pieces, Founder Interviews, Health care, medical system, Top FemTech Startups, UncategorizedBy Oriana Kraft Our (FemTechnology) Nature Commentary on a Holistic Approach to Women’s Health Check out our piece in Nature Reviews Bioengineering titled: “A Holistic Approach to Advancing Women’s Health.” This isn’t just a call for more research into “female-specific” conditions, it’s an argument that women’s health is foundational to advancing biomedicine as a whole. Too often, women’s health is sidelined as niche, underfunded, and under-researched. We propose a different lens: one that treats women’s health as a driver of innovation that can unlock better care and new scientific breakthroughs across the board. Key themes from the piece: Read More “Our (FemTechnology) Nature Commentary on a Holistic Approach to Women’s Health” July 31, 2025 Deep Dives, FemTech Blog, FemTech Think Pieces, Founder Interviews, Health care, medical system, Top FemTech Startups, UncategorizedBy Oriana Kraft How ORI Works – Slash Costs, Boost Productivity Read More “How ORI Works – Slash Costs, Boost Productivity” July 30, 2025July 30, 2025 Deep Dives, FemTech Blog, FemTech Think Pieces, Founder Interviews, Health care, medical system, Top FemTech Startups, Uncategorized, White SpaceBy Oriana Kraft Unlocking Productivity & Saving Costs: How ORI is Revolutionising Women’s Health in the Workplace Read More “Unlocking Productivity & Saving Costs: How ORI is Revolutionising Women’s Health in the Workplace” July 30, 2025 Deep Dives, Endometriosis, FemTech Blog, FemTech Think Pieces, Founder Interviews, Health care, medical system, Top FemTech Startups, Uncategorized, White SpaceBy Oriana Kraft Built to Fail Her? AI’s Invisible Bias in Women’s Health (and How We Fix It for Everyone) AI is rapidly reshaping healthcare, promising a future of precision and personalization. Yet, for over half the global population—women—this future is dangerously unclear. Read More “Built to Fail Her? AI’s Invisible Bias in Women’s Health (and How We Fix It for Everyone)” July 30, 2025 Deep Dives, FemTech Blog, FemTech Think Pieces, Founder Interviews, Health care, medical system, Top FemTech Startups, UncategorizedBy Oriana Kraft The SHOCKING TRUTH: Why Women’s Health Is Being Overlooked & Misdiagnosed! Read More “The SHOCKING TRUTH: Why Women’s Health Is Being Overlooked & Misdiagnosed!” July 30, 2025 Deep Dives, FemTech Blog, FemTech Think Pieces, Founder Interviews, Health care, medical system, Top FemTech Startups, Uncategorized, White SpaceBy Oriana Kraft Why Women’s Health Is Costing Your Business Millions Per Year (And What To Do About It!) Is your company bleeding money without even knowing it?   Read More “Why Women’s Health Is Costing Your Business Millions Per Year (And What To Do About It!)” July 24, 2025July 24, 2025 Deep Dives, FemTech Blog, FemTech Think Pieces, Health care, medical system, Top FemTech Startups, Uncategorized, White SpaceBy Oriana Kraft What If a Book Knew You? Introducing Empire of Memories: The AI-Personalized Novel Reimagining Storytelling Empire of Memories: The AI-Personalized Novel Reimagining Storytelling In a world where health systems, apps, and platforms all claim to be “personalized,” we still rarely encounter experiences that truly see us.  Which is part of the thesis behind, Empire of Memories: a Book That Remembers You : orianakraft.com/empire Read More “What If a Book Knew You? Introducing Empire of Memories: The AI-Personalized Novel Reimagining Storytelling” July 17, 2025July 17, 2025 Deep Dives, FemTech Think Pieces, Health care, medical system, Top FemTech StartupsBy Oriana Kraft The system wasn’t broken. It was designed that way. Ever wonder why women’s health “malfunctions” so consistently? Why reproductive care, mental health treatment, and medical research seem to fail women in predictable patterns? What if these aren’t bugs – they’re features? Empire of Memories is an interactive novel where you become a character with a secret history. Set in a fractured world where choices manifest as threads of energy, this isn’t a story you just read – you live it. https://femtechnology.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/u9585258493_httpss.mj_.runfbF9nscHzxM_the_eye_blinks_and_lips__1abe228e-c82b-4283-8569-d11aaeac4f3c_0-1.mp4 Read More “The system wasn’t broken. It was designed that way.” July 17, 2025July 17, 2025 Deep Dives, FemTech Think Pieces, Founder Interviews, Health care, medical system, Top FemTech StartupsBy Oriana Kraft Empire of Memories: The Interactive Novel That Changes You Not About Women’s Health — But Everything to Do With It Before I built FemTechnology and ORI, I wrote Empire of Memories a book about power, memory, and what happens when choices become visible. Read More “Empire of Memories: The Interactive Novel That Changes You” November 29, 2023December 19, 2023 Deep Dives, FemTech Blog, FemTech Think Pieces, Founder Interviews, Health care, medical system, Top FemTech Startups, Uncategorized, White SpaceBy Oriana Kraft How do the stories we tell shape the technology we create? – WebSummit Why is it so important to talk about content at a tech conference? Because, although technology powers our modern society, it is the stories we tell, and content we create, that drives how that technology is applied and what we choose to use tech for.  Think about it: would Instagram or TikTok or Facebook or even OpenAi (especially OpenAi and their large language models (LLMs)) be anything without content, without stories? No. Read More “How do the stories we tell shape the technology we create? – WebSummit” May 1, 2023September 5, 2023 Top FemTech StartupsBy Laetitia Von Planta April 7, 2023 Health care, medical system, Top FemTech StartupsBy Laetitia Von Planta Who Is Looking To Close The Gender Data Gap? Let’s take a look at a few companies that are taking action to close the gender data gap in healthcare. Read More “Who Is Looking To Close The Gender Data Gap?” --- ### Founder/ Researcher Interviews URL: https://femtechnology.org/blog/founder-researcher-interviews/ August 2, 2025 Deep Dives, FemTech Blog, FemTech Think Pieces, Founder Interviews, Health care, medical system, Top FemTech Startups, UncategorizedBy Oriana Kraft The Female Longevity Paradox – why do women live longer? Read More “The Female Longevity Paradox – why do women live longer?” August 1, 2025 Deep Dives, Endometriosis, FemTech Blog, FemTech Think Pieces, Founder Interviews, Health care, medical system, Top FemTech Startups, Uncategorized, White SpaceBy Oriana Kraft The Gender Health Gap: Uncovering the Shocking Statistics Read More “The Gender Health Gap: Uncovering the Shocking Statistics” July 31, 2025July 31, 2025 Deep Dives, FemTech Blog, FemTech Think Pieces, Founder Interviews, Health care, medical system, Top FemTech Startups, UncategorizedBy Oriana Kraft Our (FemTechnology) Nature Commentary on a Holistic Approach to Women’s Health Check out our piece in Nature Reviews Bioengineering titled: “A Holistic Approach to Advancing Women’s Health.” This isn’t just a call for more research into “female-specific” conditions, it’s an argument that women’s health is foundational to advancing biomedicine as a whole. Too often, women’s health is sidelined as niche, underfunded, and under-researched. We propose a different lens: one that treats women’s health as a driver of innovation that can unlock better care and new scientific breakthroughs across the board. Key themes from the piece: Read More “Our (FemTechnology) Nature Commentary on a Holistic Approach to Women’s Health” July 31, 2025 Deep Dives, FemTech Blog, FemTech Think Pieces, Founder Interviews, Health care, medical system, Top FemTech Startups, UncategorizedBy Oriana Kraft How ORI Works – Slash Costs, Boost Productivity Read More “How ORI Works – Slash Costs, Boost Productivity” July 31, 2025 Deep Dives, FemTech Blog, Founder Interviews, Health care, medical system, Uncategorized, White SpaceBy Oriana Kraft AI & The Gender Health Data Gap: Why Women’s Health Is Invisible (and How to Fix It!) Read More “AI & The Gender Health Data Gap: Why Women’s Health Is Invisible (and How to Fix It!)” July 30, 2025July 30, 2025 Deep Dives, FemTech Blog, FemTech Think Pieces, Founder Interviews, Health care, medical system, Top FemTech Startups, Uncategorized, White SpaceBy Oriana Kraft Unlocking Productivity & Saving Costs: How ORI is Revolutionising Women’s Health in the Workplace Read More “Unlocking Productivity & Saving Costs: How ORI is Revolutionising Women’s Health in the Workplace” July 30, 2025 Deep Dives, Endometriosis, FemTech Blog, FemTech Think Pieces, Founder Interviews, Health care, medical system, Top FemTech Startups, Uncategorized, White SpaceBy Oriana Kraft Built to Fail Her? AI’s Invisible Bias in Women’s Health (and How We Fix It for Everyone) AI is rapidly reshaping healthcare, promising a future of precision and personalization. Yet, for over half the global population—women—this future is dangerously unclear. Read More “Built to Fail Her? AI’s Invisible Bias in Women’s Health (and How We Fix It for Everyone)” July 30, 2025 Deep Dives, FemTech Blog, FemTech Think Pieces, Founder Interviews, Health care, medical system, Top FemTech Startups, UncategorizedBy Oriana Kraft The SHOCKING TRUTH: Why Women’s Health Is Being Overlooked & Misdiagnosed! Read More “The SHOCKING TRUTH: Why Women’s Health Is Being Overlooked & Misdiagnosed!” July 30, 2025 Deep Dives, FemTech Blog, FemTech Think Pieces, Founder Interviews, Health care, medical system, Top FemTech Startups, Uncategorized, White SpaceBy Oriana Kraft Why Women’s Health Is Costing Your Business Millions Per Year (And What To Do About It!) Is your company bleeding money without even knowing it?   Read More “Why Women’s Health Is Costing Your Business Millions Per Year (And What To Do About It!)” July 17, 2025July 17, 2025 Deep Dives, FemTech Think Pieces, Founder Interviews, Health care, medical system, Top FemTech StartupsBy Oriana Kraft Empire of Memories: The Interactive Novel That Changes You Not About Women’s Health — But Everything to Do With It Before I built FemTechnology and ORI, I wrote Empire of Memories a book about power, memory, and what happens when choices become visible. Read More “Empire of Memories: The Interactive Novel That Changes You” November 29, 2023December 19, 2023 Deep Dives, FemTech Blog, FemTech Think Pieces, Founder Interviews, Health care, medical system, Top FemTech Startups, Uncategorized, White SpaceBy Oriana Kraft How do the stories we tell shape the technology we create? – WebSummit Why is it so important to talk about content at a tech conference? Because, although technology powers our modern society, it is the stories we tell, and content we create, that drives how that technology is applied and what we choose to use tech for.  Think about it: would Instagram or TikTok or Facebook or even OpenAi (especially OpenAi and their large language models (LLMs)) be anything without content, without stories? No. Read More “How do the stories we tell shape the technology we create? – WebSummit” December 12, 2022September 5, 2023 Founder Interviews, Health care, medical system, Top FemTech StartupsBy Oriana Kraft FemTech in London: Samphire Neuroscience https://femtechnology.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Samphire.mp4 Read More “FemTech in London: Samphire Neuroscience” September 25, 2022March 5, 2023 Deep Dives, Founder Interviews, Health care, medical system, Top FemTech StartupsBy Oriana Kraft What does the future of contraception & fertility look like in 2022?     Read More “What does the future of contraception & fertility look like in 2022?” August 24, 2022August 31, 2022 Founder Interviews, Health care, medical systemBy Oriana Kraft What doe the future of women’s mental health look like? In the U.S. 41 million women have mental health struggles. 23 million of those women will go untreated. Read More “What doe the future of women’s mental health look like?” --- ### Resources/ FUN URL: https://femtechnology.org/fun/ What's FUN? Femtech University Network (FUN) is the first-ever professional interest group that brings together university students and affiliates interested in pursuing careers in #femtech across the world.A joint initiative between Oriana Kraft Lesley Farrah Dorwling-Carter Emily Otterbeck Nancy Li Madelyn Knowles Nicole Anderson  — Our shared mission is to promote education, future innovation, investment, and research in technology that addresses unmet needs in women’s health by facilitating inter-university collaboration.Why join? · To access a network and pipeline of career opportunities for entering the femtech industry· To share knowledge on femtech and related news in an open environment· To facilitate interuniversity collaboration on entrepreneurial and academic projects related to women’s health· To connect with motivated students, faculty, researchers and university-affiliates and maybe create femtech societies clubs / groups at your unis!Apply to join our Slack channel (or share with someone you know who may be interested): https://lnkd.in/gbwbNbU4   FemTech provides a lens through which to examine the way care is currently delivered. These statistics and slides aim to showcase why innovation in FemTech is crucial to start closing the gap in quality of care between sexes. Women wait 4 years longer on average to receive a diagnosis for the same disease as men. Women receive pain medication 16 minutes later in emergency settings. Women experience worse side-effects from medication in 90% of cases. There are 5x as many studies into erectile dysfunction as PMS. Despite the fact that only 19% of men suffer from Erectile Dysfunction versus 90% of women that experience symptoms of Pre Menstrual Syndrome. In 2019 there were 1003 studies related to male sexual performance. There were only 178 studies dedicated to female infertility. Male prevalent diseases get two times the research funding dollars when compared to female prevalent ones. The risk of a heart attack misdiagnosis is twice as high in women. --- ### Startup Features URL: https://femtechnology.org/startup-features/ August 2, 2025 Deep Dives, FemTech Blog, FemTech Think Pieces, Founder Interviews, Health care, medical system, Top FemTech Startups, UncategorizedBy Oriana Kraft The Female Longevity Paradox – why do women live longer? Read More “The Female Longevity Paradox – why do women live longer?” August 1, 2025 Deep Dives, Endometriosis, FemTech Blog, FemTech Think Pieces, Founder Interviews, Health care, medical system, Top FemTech Startups, Uncategorized, White SpaceBy Oriana Kraft The Gender Health Gap: Uncovering the Shocking Statistics Read More “The Gender Health Gap: Uncovering the Shocking Statistics” July 31, 2025July 31, 2025 Deep Dives, FemTech Blog, FemTech Think Pieces, Founder Interviews, Health care, medical system, Top FemTech Startups, UncategorizedBy Oriana Kraft Our (FemTechnology) Nature Commentary on a Holistic Approach to Women’s Health Check out our piece in Nature Reviews Bioengineering titled: “A Holistic Approach to Advancing Women’s Health.” This isn’t just a call for more research into “female-specific” conditions, it’s an argument that women’s health is foundational to advancing biomedicine as a whole. Too often, women’s health is sidelined as niche, underfunded, and under-researched. We propose a different lens: one that treats women’s health as a driver of innovation that can unlock better care and new scientific breakthroughs across the board. Key themes from the piece: Read More “Our (FemTechnology) Nature Commentary on a Holistic Approach to Women’s Health” July 31, 2025 Deep Dives, FemTech Blog, FemTech Think Pieces, Founder Interviews, Health care, medical system, Top FemTech Startups, UncategorizedBy Oriana Kraft How ORI Works – Slash Costs, Boost Productivity Read More “How ORI Works – Slash Costs, Boost Productivity” July 30, 2025July 30, 2025 Deep Dives, FemTech Blog, FemTech Think Pieces, Founder Interviews, Health care, medical system, Top FemTech Startups, Uncategorized, White SpaceBy Oriana Kraft Unlocking Productivity & Saving Costs: How ORI is Revolutionising Women’s Health in the Workplace Read More “Unlocking Productivity & Saving Costs: How ORI is Revolutionising Women’s Health in the Workplace” July 30, 2025 Deep Dives, Endometriosis, FemTech Blog, FemTech Think Pieces, Founder Interviews, Health care, medical system, Top FemTech Startups, Uncategorized, White SpaceBy Oriana Kraft Built to Fail Her? AI’s Invisible Bias in Women’s Health (and How We Fix It for Everyone) AI is rapidly reshaping healthcare, promising a future of precision and personalization. Yet, for over half the global population—women—this future is dangerously unclear. Read More “Built to Fail Her? AI’s Invisible Bias in Women’s Health (and How We Fix It for Everyone)” July 30, 2025 Deep Dives, FemTech Blog, FemTech Think Pieces, Founder Interviews, Health care, medical system, Top FemTech Startups, UncategorizedBy Oriana Kraft The SHOCKING TRUTH: Why Women’s Health Is Being Overlooked & Misdiagnosed! Read More “The SHOCKING TRUTH: Why Women’s Health Is Being Overlooked & Misdiagnosed!” July 30, 2025 Deep Dives, FemTech Blog, FemTech Think Pieces, Founder Interviews, Health care, medical system, Top FemTech Startups, Uncategorized, White SpaceBy Oriana Kraft Why Women’s Health Is Costing Your Business Millions Per Year (And What To Do About It!) Is your company bleeding money without even knowing it?   Read More “Why Women’s Health Is Costing Your Business Millions Per Year (And What To Do About It!)” July 24, 2025July 24, 2025 Deep Dives, FemTech Blog, FemTech Think Pieces, Health care, medical system, Top FemTech Startups, Uncategorized, White SpaceBy Oriana Kraft What If a Book Knew You? Introducing Empire of Memories: The AI-Personalized Novel Reimagining Storytelling Empire of Memories: The AI-Personalized Novel Reimagining Storytelling In a world where health systems, apps, and platforms all claim to be “personalized,” we still rarely encounter experiences that truly see us.  Which is part of the thesis behind, Empire of Memories: a Book That Remembers You : orianakraft.com/empire Read More “What If a Book Knew You? Introducing Empire of Memories: The AI-Personalized Novel Reimagining Storytelling” July 17, 2025July 17, 2025 Deep Dives, FemTech Think Pieces, Health care, medical system, Top FemTech StartupsBy Oriana Kraft The system wasn’t broken. It was designed that way. Ever wonder why women’s health “malfunctions” so consistently? Why reproductive care, mental health treatment, and medical research seem to fail women in predictable patterns? What if these aren’t bugs – they’re features? Empire of Memories is an interactive novel where you become a character with a secret history. Set in a fractured world where choices manifest as threads of energy, this isn’t a story you just read – you live it. https://femtechnology.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/u9585258493_httpss.mj_.runfbF9nscHzxM_the_eye_blinks_and_lips__1abe228e-c82b-4283-8569-d11aaeac4f3c_0-1.mp4 Read More “The system wasn’t broken. It was designed that way.” July 17, 2025July 17, 2025 Deep Dives, FemTech Think Pieces, Founder Interviews, Health care, medical system, Top FemTech StartupsBy Oriana Kraft Empire of Memories: The Interactive Novel That Changes You Not About Women’s Health — But Everything to Do With It Before I built FemTechnology and ORI, I wrote Empire of Memories a book about power, memory, and what happens when choices become visible. Read More “Empire of Memories: The Interactive Novel That Changes You” November 29, 2023December 19, 2023 Deep Dives, FemTech Blog, FemTech Think Pieces, Founder Interviews, Health care, medical system, Top FemTech Startups, Uncategorized, White SpaceBy Oriana Kraft How do the stories we tell shape the technology we create? – WebSummit Why is it so important to talk about content at a tech conference? Because, although technology powers our modern society, it is the stories we tell, and content we create, that drives how that technology is applied and what we choose to use tech for.  Think about it: would Instagram or TikTok or Facebook or even OpenAi (especially OpenAi and their large language models (LLMs)) be anything without content, without stories? No. Read More “How do the stories we tell shape the technology we create? – WebSummit” May 1, 2023September 5, 2023 Top FemTech StartupsBy Laetitia Von Planta April 7, 2023 Health care, medical system, Top FemTech StartupsBy Laetitia Von Planta Who Is Looking To Close The Gender Data Gap? Let’s take a look at a few companies that are taking action to close the gender data gap in healthcare. Read More “Who Is Looking To Close The Gender Data Gap?” March 20, 2023September 5, 2023 Health care, Top FemTech StartupsBy Laetitia Von Planta --- ### Deep Dives URL: https://femtechnology.org/deep-dives/     The following is a transcript of an interview by Oriana Kraft with Priyanka Jain, Co-Founder and CEO of Evvy, an at home vaginal microbiome test designed to help get to the root of recurrent vaginal infections and other symptoms.   This is Part 4 of a series of Deep Dives on Sex Specific Topics in Medicine, in the aim of connecting students with research being done in the field. Hi Priyanka! Can you tell me a little bit about your background and how it is you came to work in the field of women’s health?  I come at this from the data science and AI side. My life-long interest has been in making life better for women across the globe. I started in the non-profit sector and worked with the UN to launch the ‘Girl Up’ campaign. I’ve done a lot of work around women’s access to education and healthcare. But it’s only when I started to look at the percolation of data into the healthcare system, that I really began to notice how the algorithms we use don’t take into account all the ways in which the female body might be different. On a personal level, I became curious about how we could use data to make informed decisions about women’s health. In particular, I wanted to investigate which biomarkers of health are sitting in the female body unused – biomarkers that we never tracked or measured because we never studied women. There are many things that the female body does uniquely that could be incredible measurements of women’s health. These biomarkers could help us predict diagnose, treat or stratify the risk of disease as it manifests differently in the female body. The problem is we don’t typically use any of those biomarkers because they don’t exist in men so we never studied them. How did you settle on the idea of the vaginal microbiome? I interviewed 200 researchers, scientists, doctors, women, investors, founders and I just kept coming back to the vaginal microbiome as an area that was in desperate need of innovation – which was shocking to me because I didn’t even know the vaginal microbiome was a term. And yet, it turns out the vaginal microbiome is the cause of a lot of the most common reproductive health issues women face. The number one reason women go to the OBGYN are vaginal infections: yeast infections, UTIs, bacterial vaginosis. It’s incredibly prevalent. Simultaneously, I couldn’t believe the amount of research coming out saying the composition of the vaginal microbiome is associated to everything from fertility challenges, to cervical cancer, to preterm birth, to STI acquisition. It made me wonder why I don’t have access to that type of information about my own body and, more importantly, why no one in the healthcare system was using this data to make better decisions about my health. It just became clear to me that the vaginal microbiome was the most obvious starting point to make a dent in women’s healthcare experience. Consumers want to be able to access the information because of the vaginal microbiome’s link to UTIs and yeast infections. And the vaginal microbiome also provides value on the provider side because of its link to some of the most expensive health outcomes for women. How do you see Evvy as being a part of helping bridge the gender data gap?  I firmly believe that women can be a part of our own solution. We can move towards bridging the data gap by giving consumers access to this type of information about themselves. That’s how it becomes common place to have this sort of information in the first place. Are you finding that women understand the value of testing their vaginal microbiome?  Definitely. Recurrent UTIs, yeast infections, STDs – these are all things women have struggled with for so long but there’s never been a brand or a movement attached to it before. There are so many women who have been dying for answers, living in these Facebook communities where it’s the blind leading the blind and there’s a lack of answers. Now that they have the possibility to get real answers they definitely understand the value of being able to test themselves. And Evvy gives women actionable insights to work off, right? How does that work?  Most of our customers take the vaginal microbiome test every three months. They track what they do in-between for themselves. They track things like whether they had a new sexual partner between tests, whether they tried out a new diet, used a new probiotic. At Evvy, we’re able to show them; ‘you started here’, ‘this is what you did in between’, ‘this is where your vaginal microbiome is now’. We can also then show other users what worked and didn’t work for users who started out in a similar place to them. What sort of information can Evvy provide to women going through menopause?  One of the main things that happens in menopause is a decline in estrogen. As estrogen goes down so does glycogen. Glycogen is what feeds a lot of the protective bacteria in the vaginal microbiome. As a lot of women enter menopause they get vaginal infections for the first time because they’re losing a lot of the healthy bacteria in their vaginal microbiome. At Evvy, we can help women suffering from vaginal infections during menopause to understand whether the reason they are having an increase in vaginal infections is that the number of their lactobacilli is going down and if it is how they can promote an increase in the quantity of lactobacilli they have. _________________________________________________________ Innovations like Evvy’s at home vaginal microbiome test is why we need Femtech. (And a FemTech Summit like this one of course). Want to hear more about how the vaginal microbiome could be the key to cracking women’s health? Sign up for the 2022 femtech conference  here.  __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ The following is a transcript of an interview by Oriana Kraft with Mette Dyhrberg, the founder of Mymee, a data-powered digital care program for people with autoimmunity and COVID long haul.   Could you give me some background on Mymee and the work you do?   I’m the founder of Mymee a digital coaching program for people with autoimmune disorders. Autoimmune diseases have a prevalence that skews over eighty percent female. It’s an issue that impacted one in four hundred people in our parents’ generation but now impacts one in five people instead. Today autoimmune diseases are the leading cause of death in women between fifteen to forty-five years old. And how do you use data to improve health outcomes at Mymee?  Mymee is a data driven program. The data is the driver of any intervention that people are being given. Studies have shown that 80%  of the immune system is determined by lifestyle and the environment. At a high level, our program collects and analyzes self-reported data about these different variables using a simple app to create a highly personalized health plan. The app is custom-tailored to each individual so whether you’re recording what food you ate, reporting your symptoms or tracking a runny nose – self-reporting becomes very easy. We take this body signaling and turn that noise into understanding by pinpointing the causalities between what you do and how it impacts your symptoms. Mymee’s approach is led by independently certified health coaches that have all been trained on how to use Mymee’s data platform to turn machine insights into a personalized plan. Our coaches are able to help you successfully pinpoint and then avoid your triggers through small doable changes made over time. Could you give me some examples of what triggers could be?  Eighty-two percent of triggers are dietary. The remainder is environmental and lifestyle factors like toxins and stress. To date we have reversed symptoms in sixty-seven autoimmune diseases based on our protocol. When COVID came about it became very clear to us that for some people COVID acted as an accelerator of autoimmunity, resulting in such familiar, persistent symptoms like fatigue, brain fog, joint pain and aches. Could you elaborate a bit on your work with COVID?  Essentially, we use our methodology to jump start the recovery process for COVID long haul.  One of the things that’s come to light in our work with COVID long haulers since June 2020 is the role real-world evidence can have in targeting and reducing autoimmunity-related symptoms. Interventions based on real-world evidence can deliver immediate benefit and we’ve seen some great success using this approach to guide interventions based on finding personal food and lifestyle triggers. For example, we noticed that protein intake impacted the severity of symptoms for a lot of patients. As a trusted performance partner of Mount Sinai, we’re also working with patients at their post-COVID Recovery Clinic to help with recovery. Do you believe the fact that autoimmune disorders primarily impact women has had an impact on the lack of innovation in curing autoimmune disorders?  Unfortunately, I do believe that it is very much linked. I’m astounded that we could have diseases in the US go from impacting one in four hundred people to one in five and have no alarm bells go off. We are in a position where women are being told it’s all in their head for five to seven years before they receive a diagnosis. Even after they receive a diagnosis, medication fails for three out of four people. And it’s not just the women we are failing. We are failing their children also. Autoimmune disease costs our society a lot more than cancer does, yet the research dollars allocated to autoimmune diseases account for only a sliver of the research dollars dedicated to cancer. You can’t tell me that has nothing to do with the demographic break-down of autoimmune disorders. How do you believe we can start to personalize women’s health?  Well, a nice place to start would be to test drugs on women as well as men. The fact that metformin, which is very loosely given to treat insulin disorders, has only been tested in men is outrageous to me. There are so many pockets of healthcare where personalization has completely missed the boat. To be quite frank as a society we have often not thought about health in a full picture way. If you have an autoimmune disease, it gets taken apart. You go to the doctor and have brain fog, stomach pain, joint issues – and the doctor tells you: “That’s three different specialists. What’s your biggest problem right now?” At that point, we fail the patient. Joints are not a separate issue from the brain fog or from stomach pain. It’s all interrelated. When women seek help for fertility issues that’s a pre-autoimmune problem. You are in a position where your body is not working and these are the first signs. As a society we just figure out how to manipulate the body to actually give birth instead of taking a look at the underlying issues. Infertility is inflammatory driven. Autoimmunity is inflammatory driven. Many issues are driven by the same underlying cause but we separate them into six different buckets and say they all have different treatment methodologies. How do you think we can get a more holistic picture of patients?  By companies like ours going directly to the consumer in need. There are enough women out there that know there is something wrong with the treatment they are being given. I think it is going to be a grassroots movement. I think doctors will be referring in. It has to be an interplay between the disruptive methodologies, the data and the doctors – but it will begin with women themselves. We’ve never had customer service in healthcare be as good as if you were buying a pair of sneakers. Do you find doctors are responsive to Mymee?  When the data started backing what we do, doctors became very responsive. We’re an adjunct therapy to the care doctors deliver after all. We are a tool for the rheumatologist, the same way the electric toothbrush is a tool for the dentist. Whatever it is doctors need, we help them provide that. I believe doctors understand how a data-driven solution can be helpful, but they’ve had limited experience seeing how effective the type of personalized interventions we suggest can be until they have patients come back with exponentially improved symptoms. We are giving people the blueprint to their own bodies. ______________ Innovations like Mymee’s data tracking to understand autoimmune diseases are why we need Femtech. (And a FemTech Summit like this one of course). Want to hear more about how data could be the key to long-term recovery from autoimmune diseases? Sign up for the 2022 femtech conference  here.  ____ What Can A Smart Vibrator Tell Us About The Link Between Women’s Sexual Pleasure And Women’s Health?  The following is a transcript of an interview by Oriana Kraft with Anna Lee, Co-Founder of Lioness and Head of Engineering. This is Part 3 of a series of Deep Dives on Sex Specific Topics in Medicine, in the aim of connecting students with research being done in the field.   What does Lioness do?  We’re a women led female sexual wellness company. We built the first and only smart vibrator that helps people learn about their bodies through biofeedback data. We measure pelvic floor movements which is a great indicator of arousal and orgasms. People can use it like a normal, rabbit-style vibrator while the sensors and technology work in the background. Through the mobile app, we visualize the data to show them what’s working, what’s changing and how different external factors could be affecting pleasure and arousal. Our app allows you to track the impact of environmental changes—everything from caffeine to sleep quality. Via Bluetooth we’re also able to chart a user’s session or orgasm in real time.   Do you feel people inherently understand what the implications of having that data is?  Being able to visualize what the data looks like helps. With Lioness you can visualize what arousal looks like normally and compare it to what it looks like when you don’t get enough sleep or when you’re stressed. Being able to see that gets people in the mindset of how they can see arousal as a quantified data point versus arousal ‘just being a feeling’. In sex therapy, the biggest recommendation they’ll give you is to keep a sex log of what’s working for you and what’s not so you can be mindful of what changed and what impact external factors had on your experience. We try to piggy-back off that concept by adding biofeedback. Sexual function is just like eating, breathing and sleeping after all. In our day and age, it’s not that uncommon to track what you eat and how you sleep. So, why wouldn’t you track something as intimately a part of your life as sexual function to see if you can improve it? And you collaborate with researchers surrounding the data you gather, right?   Yes, that’s right. We have the world’s largest data set in terms of female physiological sexual function. Which brings up a whole set of possibilities. What can you do with a dataset like that when you take out the barrier of there not being enough researchers or funding? If you think about it, in terms of men’s health there has been billions of dollars pumped into researching men’s sexual pleasure. We know so much about sexual health and how that’s connected to men’s well-being but that research hasn’t really been done when it comes to women. It’s a very outdated notion that there are still so many unknowns regarding women’s sexual pleasure. We know a lot of the causes of erectile dysfunction for example. We know that erectile dysfunction can be caused by underlying conditions like diabetes, excessive smoking, heart disease – so wouldn’t it be interesting to examine whether there are underlying health conditions when women have difficulty orgasming ? Anecdotally, we had a user, an athlete, write to us saying: ‘Hey, I think something’s wrong with your vibrator it hasn’t been working these past few days’. We looked at her data then and we saw that the last two days when she used Lioness the biofeedback line was flat. We got back to her and asked if something happened to her two days ago. She thought about it and it turned out that two days ago she had a concussion. It’s examining links like that. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ The following is a transcript of an interview by Oriana Kraft with Lina Chan, Founder and CEO of Parla, a digital health platform putting data and knowledge back in women’s hands so they can be an informed agent in managing their own bodies proactively.   Can you describe in your own words what Parla does? Parla is a digital health platform helping communities of women with specific fertility challenges connect with experts and each other to find the support they need. Could you elaborate on how women connect with these experts and the communities? There is no one-size fits all approach. The way women connect with their issues in fertility is inherently specific to their own pain points. It’s dependent on what the origin of their fertility struggles are. For example, many women with PCOS or Endometriosis end up struggling with their fertility. Other women may have faced multiple pregnancy losses during their fertility journey. What each woman needs can be very different and personal. As FemTech evolves – and we’ve already started to see that happen – there will inherently be more start-ups targeting very specific pain points (such as PCOS or Endometriosis-related infertility) because it connects with the user and their user journey a lot more. Do you have specific fertility streams in Parla? When we initially launched Parla we started it off as supporting women with any fertility struggle they had, but when COVID came we began to understand that our users bucket around certain pain points. One big category we have for example is pregnancy loss, another is PCOS and another major one is Endometriosis. That’s why one of the main projects we launched last year are courses to specifically target how to manage the symptoms of these specific pain points. For example, for pregnancy loss how to manage the emotional distress that comes with pregnancy loss. We also have nutrition and lifestyle interventions to manage PCOS. How do you see Parla personalizing women’s healthcare experience? When women come to us we do a lengthy onboarding questionnaire so that afterwards the content they see is personalized to them. If we know the women faced pregnancy loss in the past then the they wind up seeing a lot more content around mental health support. A women with PCOS will get a lot more content around period health and lifestyle intervention for instance. Why do you perform these interventions in a community format? There’s an emerging body of research that supports grouping women in cohorts for long-term support. They learn just as much from each other as from the expert. You wouldn’t believe the amount of ‘aha’ moments women have where they hear each other’s stories.  They often think they are alone but then realise others have had similar experiences. With both our pregnancy loss courses and period health courses we ask women to make everyday changes to their lifestyle and the fact that they meet with experts and each other every week makes them much more likely to actually try the change and stick to it. You mentioned you offer pregnancy loss courses. You are one of the few startups we came across that offer support for pregnancy loss. Why do you think there’s been such a lack of innovation in that respect when it’s so common? Probably because it’s one of the biggest taboos we have in our society. I mean if you take a step back to untangle it: the twelve-week rule is crazy* (*The Twelve-week rule is the unwritten rule that says you should not share your pregnancy news until you hit the 12-week mark, the point at which most pregnancies are considered safe and likely to be successful). Yes, that’s when the highest rates of miscarriage happen. But look at it from the reverse perspective, if someone has been taught to shut out their entire support system in the first twelve weeks that makes them even more vulnerable if they do miscarry because they can’t go to someone and tell them they’re struggling if they never told them they were pregnant in the first place. We also just don’t talk about miscarriages. When you learn about Sex in Sex Ed we don’t talk about how precarious the first trimester is. We don’t say that one in four pregnancies end in miscarriage. This is not just a Femtech revolution – we need a societal revolution. This is a missed opportunity for innovation in women’s health because it has such an impact on physical and mental health. The medical community needs to realize this is a big issue that impacts women years later. No one ever prepares you to think about death when you are trying to conceive. But unfortunately the rates of pregnancy loss are high and increasing as women choose to have children later. And there’s also a lot of misconception around pregnancy loss in general. We tend to think of it as being exclusively miscarriages but abortion is also pregnancy loss, having to terminate for medical reasons is also pregnancy loss, stillbirth is also pregnancy loss. It’s a risk category when it comes to mental health. How do you see Parla evolving in the future? When I launched Parla one of my main goals was to help women be more proactive about their health. As a platform we want to start flagging things that might be of consequence for the future. So even if we’re a fertility platform we start talking about things like menopause.   We have information about the general stages they might be dealing with down the line. We start flagging other things they might want to look out for: from nutrition to lifestyle. Reproductive health is so siloed in our society. And yet there are so many interdependencies: women who have issues with pregnancy and infertility tend to have poorer health and mental health outcomes later on. At Parla we firmly believe in the intersection of physical and mental health. Innovations like Parla’s digital communities that help women feel less alone in their fertility journey are why we need Femtech. (And a FemTech Summit like this one of course). Want to hear more about how digitising the fertility journey could be key to providing more holistic care for women everywhere? Sign up for the 2022 femtech conference  here.  __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ How Do Gendered Practices In Medicine Impact The Care Patients Receive ? The following is a transcript of an interview by Oriana Kraft with Dr. Marjorie Jenkins, MD, MEdHP FACP, dean of UofSC School of Medicine Greenville, Chief Academic Office for Prisma Health-Upstate. This is Part 2 of a series of Deep Dives on Sex Specific Topics in Medicine, in the aim of connecting students with research being done in the field. Could you tell me a little bit about how you came to be involved in sex and gender specific medicine?  I became involved in the sex and gender specific medicine movement fairly early on – in 2002. Due to the NIH and the National Centers Of Excellence In Women’s Health programs, data on women’s health beyond just breast and pregnancy and lactation (so-called “bikini medicine) began in earnest in the late ‘90s. The Centers Of Excellence In Women’s Health were grant awarded to provide fund to academic health centers and community-based health centers for them to enhance their women’s health programs by conducting research into women’s health, develop training and educational programs or improve the sex specific clinical care they delivered. The program was defunded in 2005 but the work of the Centers of Excellence really started to get the ball rolling in terms of the collection of  research data in both men and women for diseases like Alzheimer’s and cardiovascular disease. Have we made progress in terms of the research we conduct on women’s health since 2005?  Although more women are participating in clinical research, there are no requirements regarding the reporting of research data by sex and/or gender outcomes in most scientific journals. Even in basic science research, considering every single cell in the human body has a sex, it is still not a requirement in most journals to report the sex of the cells involved in the research studies. There is an NIH policy of Sex as a Biological Variable which was implemented in 2017. This policy required researchers to justify lack of inclusion of both sexes in research, if they are provided funding to research a disease that applies to both sexes and genders. However, this policy falls short in that it does not require analysis and reporting of outcomes by sex. What can doctors do to improve the care they deliver to their patients, given the biased nature of the research they are basing a lot of their practices upon?  Practicing clinicians need to avail themselves of the clinically relevant sex differences data that is already out there. There is a new textbook on clinically applicable sex differences which I edited with Dr Connie Newman. It is titled How Sex and Gender Impact Clinical Practice: An Evidence-based Guide to Patient Care, published by Elsevier in early 2020. It’s very case-based and applicable to primary care providers. We don’t have all of the answers regarding sex differences,  but that doesn’t mean we don’t have a good amount of clinically meaningful data to improve the health of men and women already. Make no mistake: one-sex, gender-blind medicine isn’t just about women. Men are marginalized in some diseases processes and do not receive optimal care as well. Could you give examples of conditions where men get poor care due to the gendered nature of the care we deliver? I would imagine it happens a lot in diseases like Alzheimer’s or autoimmune disorders… Not Alzheimer’s. The majority of participants in Alzheimer’s studies are men, even though it eventually becomes a women’s health issue because women live longer with Alzheimer’s and are diagnosed later in life. Here are a few examples of how society often genders health conditions. When an elderly man comes into the emergency room and has fallen down and broken his wrist, emergency physicians will often send the patient home without an order for a scan for osteoporosis. If he fell down just walking across the yard, that’s a fragility fracture, and by definition he has clinical osteoporosis, so normally appropriate follow-up would be to prescribe a bone density scan for osteoporosis. And yet, less than 20% of men seen in the emergency room for fractures actually get the appropriate follow-up they deserve. Yet, men have a much higher likelihood of dying at one year after a fracture than women do. They are also much less likely to return home to independent living. We think of osteoporosis as your grandmother’s disease and this impacts the care men receive. If you look up osteoporosis online, the majority of images you receive are of women. In addition, the majority of bone density scans a located in breast imaging centers which further prevents men from seeking appropriate screening. So, men walk in, see all this information surrounding breast health and breast awareness and are given a pink slip to put on to in order to take the scan The second example where men are marginalized is urinary incontinence. It’s the number two reason why elderly men are institutionalized because their family cannot take care of them. And yet, guess where urinary incontinence pads are located in the neighborhood drug store? Next to the feminine products. This implicit bias dissuades men from purchasing the products they need. It’s all so gendered and marginalizes men’s healthcare. What about the reverse cases? What is an example, in your opinion, where the healthcare system is missing an opportunity to pursue gendered innovation?  Pharmaceutical companies are definitely missing the boat. Women are much more likely to engage with the healthcare system, take medication and see physicians than men. And yet, the vast majority of medication we commonly use while tested in both sexes do not have the data analyzed by sex. This is much like we discussed in the earlier question.  By not testing medication to see if it is  more efficacious in women, pharmaceutical companies are losing the opportunity to market to half the global market. This as a real issue. It’s why, when women receive treatment they should ask if the treatment has been adequately  studied for safety and efficacy in women. Women need to be their own advocates and begin expecting and demanding personalized treatment. They should ask questions like: “Has this been studied in women? What did the studies show? Is it more or less efficacious? Are there more side-effects?” Roughly 70% of drugs which can be used in women who are pregnant, or lactating have no human data in the drug label. That may seem difficult to believe, but in an audit of over 570 medications, this was born out to be true. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ This interview is part 1 of a series of Deep Dives on Sex Specific Topics in Medicine, in the aim of connecting students with research being done in the field. How do hormonal transition periods impact female mental health? The following is a transcript of an interview by Oriana Kraft with Claudia Barth, PhD, postdoctoral researcher at Diakonhjemmet Hospital and the Norwegian Centre for Mental Disorders Research, University of Oslo. Some of the questions and answers have been edited for brevity and clarity. Hi Claudia! It’s so great to have you here – first off could you give a brief summary of the research you do? I focus on how hormonal transition periods across the human lifespan impact the brain and mood in healthy women versus women with depression. So you try to identify whether there are moments in time when women are particularly vulnerable to depression – could you elaborate on that a bit? We know that women are particularly susceptible to depression during adolescence, post–partum and the transition to menopause when there are intense hormonal fluctuations– but what’s really interesting to study is why woman A develops post partum depression after giving birth, and not woman B? What role do hormones play in it? And what role do these normal hormonal fluctuations stemming from reproductive events play in brain ageing later in life? Our research has shown that pregnancy, for instance, might have a positive impact on brain ageing. We are still trying to figure out why that might be exactly but we have a couple of hypotheses. Do you have an example of a hypothesis? They still need to be tested – but one potential hypothesis is that there are quite extensive changes in inflammatory profiles during pregnancy. For instance, there is an increase in regulatory T cells which suppress inflammation so that the fetus can exist. This upregulation of regulatory T cells may persist in women after birth, which can help to positively arrest immune responses when no longer needed. Ageing is associated with low grade inflammation. So if you have an upregulation of regulatory T cells that may suppress this mechanism, you can imagine that it could be beneficial for brain ageing later in life. So if we know that women are particularly susceptible during hormonal transitions – do you have an example of how that might trickle down to clinical practice? The knowledge that women are more vulnerable to mood disturbances during hormonal transitions has been out there for a while. So one easy way to account for it, would be to incorporate it into questionnaires. For instance, trying to ascertain whether a woman’s depressive symptoms are exacerbated pre-menstrually, can inform treatment decisions. Because what’s interesting about reproductive subtypes of depression is that they seem to be a stable trait. For instance, a woman with a history of premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD, a severe form of premenstrual syndrome) has a greater risk for developing postpartum depression. Simply by knowing that, we can put frameworks in place to educate the partner andalert the midwife, in case this woman plans to get pregnant. Another example would be that a rocky perimenopausal transition with depression, insomnia and night sweats might give rise to an accelerated neurological decline afterwards. So intervening earlier on, for instance with targeted hormonal therapy,  might improve the woman’s outcome in the long term. There is also evidence that commonly used antidepressants such as SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) may work differently by reproductive stage. SSRIs are less effective during menopause, but may act faster in women with PMDD during reproductive years. So really just asking patientssex–specific questions can lead to better quality of care. And you’ve started looking into how that can be done, right ? Yes, I’m currently working with a local psychiatry clinic to incorporate pre-written, structured women-specific questions to better inform treatment decisions for women with depression . It’s an easy thing for a clinician to ask (among many other questions):  “Do you use hormonal contraception?” or  “Do you experience any physical or emotional symptoms before onset of menses?”. It is relevant information for assessing potential causes for depressive symptoms and subsequently for improving therapeutic approaches. I mean, the funny thing when it comes to research is that everyone focuses on precision medicine. It’s such a hyped word, but then a lot of researchers don’t even stratify their study sample by sex. It is a long way to precision medicine if you don’t start there. It doesn’t mean that there are always sex differences between men and women in diseases. But certain conditions might have different implications for men or women. And if you don’t check for it – you’ll never know. ________________________________________________________________ The following is a transcript of an interview with Rachel Zsido, PhD student at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Science, currently studying sex hormones and how they influence brain structure, cognitive health and depression susceptibility.   Hi Rachel! Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your research interests? My background is in neuroscience. I’m interested in how ovarian hormones and other biological factors interact to influence the brain, and what implications those interactions have for cognitive health and emotional wellbeing. One of the studies I’m working on is ‘menstrual cycle plasticity’ . We’re looking at how subtle fluctuations in hormones across the menstrual cycle influence brain plasticity –  specifically structural brain plasticity. We have women come in six times over the course of their menstrual cycle to assess how cycle-related fluctuations in hormones relate to brain volume, focusing on brain regions involved in emotion and cognitive processes. We also have a premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) project, where we look at how ovarian hormones influence the serotonergic system across the menstrual cycle in PMDD patients. For context: we know that 800 million people menstruate daily, of which roughly 75% of them will experience premenstrual symptoms. Roughly 8% of menstruating women will experience the more severe form, PMDD, which is characterized by severe symptoms of anxiety, depressed mood, mood swings and irritability. As the symptoms occur exclusively in the late luteal phase right before menstruation, and only during ovulatory cycles where we have these fluctuations in hormones, the immediate thought might be that there is a hormonal difference in these women. But a decent amount of research has shown that there’s no difference in absolute levels of hormones in women with and without PMDD. So it seems that, although hormones are clearly involved, women suffering from PMDD have a sensitivity to normal cyclical, hormonal changes rather than abnormal hormone levels. That’s why PMDD is now discussed as a reproductive subtype of depression. It’s not the same as major depressive disorder. The symptoms may overlap but are not the same – the most important aspect being that the symptoms are phase-locked. From a clinical perspective, we do know that antidepressants that slow the reuptake of serotonin, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), vastly improve symptoms within hours to days for patients with PMDD, compared to patients with major depressive disorder or anxiety disorder where antidepressants typically take two to three weeks to alleviate symptoms. That, alongside the important role of serotonin in mood regulation, suggests that PMDD symptoms may be driven by a hormone-induced change in serotonergic function – this is what we’re looking into. And the last study examines inflammatory and immune marker patterns across the menstrual cycle to look at the cyclical nature of female immunity, which could have really important implications for healthcare. If you know how inflammatory patterns vary cyclically, maybe medical intervention timing could be optimized by cycle phase, especially when treating inflammation-related disorders. Maybe a better understanding of menstrual cycle regulation of the immune system could inform your decision of when to make a vaccination appointment. And perhaps more related to my field, if your menstrual cycle information can be used to calculate inflammatory load over the lifetime, this could influence the way we think about brain aging and risk trajectories over the female lifespan. How do you see FemTech intersecting with research? I love that FemTech not only focuses on new software and technologies for improving women’s healthcare but is also providing ways to close the data gap – we’re finally collecting datasets that address uniquely female experiences, such as the menstrual cycle, postpartum, and menopause transition. FemTech is simultaneously improving healthcare standards for women as well as advancing research on people typically excluded from studies. Neuroscience is notably guilty of this systematic bias, with the male brain often implicitly treated as the default model. As I study susceptibility and resilience to depression, cognitive decline and dementia, this still shocks me. We know that women make up 2/3 of Alzheimer’s disease patients and are twice as likely to suffer from a depressive illness. So the population that is at greatest risk for these disorders is actually understudied, and we’re not talking about a small group of individuals – we’re talking about over half the world’s population. I think FemTech and research can intersect by combining interactive digital health technology and personalized healthcare options with neuroscience and clinical research to determine neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative disease risk over the female lifespan, and then to optimize medical intervention timing and development. Do you have an example of how FemTech could be used to improve healthcare? For PMDD, aside from a medical history and psychological interviews, there are currently very few diagnostic tests and treatment options. A lot of women use birth control or antidepressants to help with PMDD symptoms. But these may not be ideal options for many women, given that symptoms only occur a few days out of the month, and these medications are really designed to be taken chronically. FemTech is already helping by providing better ways to track your menstrual cycle and record any related changes in mood and body. By tracking your cycle, you start to see the patterns, you gain control, you may be able to predict upcoming changes in mood, and you can almost ‘biohack’ the menstrual cycle. It’s just more data! You can walk into your doctor’s office and show them data. Also our hormones are so much more than just our reproductive organs! Hormones influence the brain, our mood, our cognition, cardiovascular health… the list goes on. I think FemTech has the capacity to connect our reproductive health to full body health. So beyond developing medical intervention on a largescale, I love the idea that, by integrating in an individual’s own data, you can create personalized programs for improving one’s own health. FemTech could also be used to leverage information from one hormonal transition period to inform later hormonal transition periods in life. Back to the PMDD example that we’ve talked about earlier – studies have shown that you have an increased risk of experiencing postpartum depression if you experienced PMDD earlier in life. So this sensitivity to the drop in hormones that occurs at the end of the menstrual cycle might be informative for more pronounced shifts in hormones later in life, such as during the postpartum period or perimenopause. If you think about that in terms of synergies with FemTech, it could be particularly powerful if we developed technologies to build longitudinal datasets for monitoring reproductive health measures over the lifespan, to be used to better understand potential risks trajectories for brain health or whatever you’re interested in. It could inform preventative care and prepare women for upcoming changes in the body and brain in a proactive, de-stigmatizing fashion. I’m really interested in brain aging in particular – because brain aging is the result of little steps that you take across your whole lifespan. If we could develop a tool that would allow you to conveniently record and assess the impact of all these little steps on your brain – in the context of accessible reproductive health measures – I think that would be really interesting. ________________________________________________ The following is a transcript of an interview by Oriana Kraft with Chloe Bird, PhD, senior sociologist at RAND.  Chloe Bird served as senior advisor in the National Institutes of Health’s Office for Research on Women’s Health and editor-in-chief of Women’s Health Issues, where she is now associate editor. Could you briefly describe the work you do? I study sex and gender differences in health and healthcare as well as women’s health. I look at differences in the determinants of health and analyze how you get exacerbations between biologically and socially created differences. I look at quality of care in healthcare delivery and how we can make it better. Part of my work involves looking at female specific problems and the lower level of attention that they get in most cases and how those are impacted by biases in the science. By female specific problems what do you mean exactly? Health conditions that only affect biological female bodies such as certain reproductive cancers as well as those which disproportionately affect women like rheumatoid arthritis, breast cancer or osteoporosis. Those are all very useful cases for studying what the implications of being an understudied group are. We don’t have any good interventions for men who develop osteoporosis. Developing severe osteoporosis puts you at risk of a hip fracture that is likely to be immediately or long-term fatal. WHAM (Women’s Health Access Matters) published a report on “The case to fund women’s health research” that showed that if we were to invest only $6 million in rheumatoid arthritis research we would get $10.5 billion in returns to our economy. If we invest $20 million in coronary artery disease research focused on women, we would get $2 billion in returns to our economy. Those numbers are shocking on their own but I’m curious, why do you think the return on investment is so much larger for rheumatoid arthritis when compared to coronary artery disease? The return on investment is larger in rheumatoid arthritis than coronary artery disease because rheumatoid arthritis is more heavily female and has an earlier onset than cardiovascular disease. Women tend to be over sixty-five when they experience a cardiovascular incident, so it has a smaller impact on the years they’re able to spend in the workforce. Rheumatoid arthritis tends to manifest when women are in their forties or early fifties which can be debilitating and take them out of the workforce for many years. When you skew what you study and prioritize, relative to the actual burden of the disease, you end up not optimizing what you could be doing in terms of reducing disease and disability. Part of it is we initially prioritized studying life-threatening diseases in men. And then overfit our understanding of those diseases (like coronary artery disease) for what they looked like on men – without understanding very well the way they work in women. As a consequence, our measures of understanding, of diagnosis and treatment – all of our research is on the basis of what we’ve observed and studied in men. But that means we end up missing and not dealing with a lot of the issues that are unique to women. It’s as if you had a Venn diagram. A portion of what we know from our studies on men can definitely be applied to women – but the rest of the circle that doesn’t overlap with men? That’s largely or completely uncharted territory. Could you elaborate a bit on why that might be? The gold standard for studying health is a clinical trial. You want a homogenous enough population where it’s a simple enough condition that you know you’re acting on disease A and not disease B, C, D or E instead. So we tend to study people who only have one condition and aren’t more complicated. So clinical trials skew a little bit younger within the population with the disease. So even if you’re just analyzing what kind of men we’ve actually researched you end up with a Venn diagram between the men you studied and what the male population in the real world looks like who actually have the disease.   But the overlap in the Venn diagram is much, much smaller for women. Because women tend to have multiple comorbidities (much more so than men) which means that what you find out from the clinical trial is much less applicable to women. The consequences for treating the world that actually experiences the disease, the entire population, is different because of the comorbidities, the polypharmacy, the need to integrate information from other specialties because many medications don’t just impact one organ or disease. So if we started studying women, what we’ve done for men in terms of studying them in clinical trials – which we are a long, long way away from – that won’t be good enough. The entire population is different because of the comorbidities, the polypharmacy, the need to integrate information from different specialties because of the ways things interact.   It makes total sense when you explain it that way but for a clinical trial you want to isolate and distill what you are studying to the smallest possible variable – so how can we go about fixing the way clinical trials are conducted for them to better reflect women’s medical situations? It seems unlikely that we’ll start studying multiple variables at once even though the medical reality is that women face multiple issues at once.     If we went at it from the perspective of ‘what have we already answered, what is it we know, what is it we don’t know’. If we actually did a topography of the burden of disease and mapped onto it ‘what have we already asked, where have we gotten answers?’ We could start to look at where we haven’t looked. We could start to look at what we need to do to improve population health and that alone could use objective data. That would start to tell us where there are opportunities that we haven’t pursued. Part of what I’m pushing for is the science hasn’t been objective. It isn’t objective. By failing to be responsible for looking at it is that we don’t know we are falling short.   We have these series of assumptions in science. For example, RAND did a systematic review for the Veterans administration. They were interested in knowing: ‘Is there evidence for evidence-based treatment for alcohol and drug abuse disorders?’ When I read the report, it talked about there not being any evidence of sex and gender differences – but it was written up wrong, or at least incompletely. How so?   Well, the report said there was no evidence of evidence-based treatment for alcohol and drug abuse disorders between men and women – but that wasn’t the case. The reality was no one asked. There was no evidence for evidence-based treatment because no one conducted studies on the topic.   The systematic ‘not having looked’ is a big problem in science. It influences how we categorize what we know. Logical decisions dictated that we simplify science. But because of hubris we decided that what we learnt from our studies on men was information we could generalize for women, even though we know we got different results in women. We just decided that we got different results because of the menstrual cycle or later onset of disease.   Since that time, we have much more evidence that the differences are due to differences in biology down to the cellular level. We have much more evidence that there are sex and gender differences but we are still conducting our studies in the same way: as if we can apply what we learnt in men to women. Which is a justification that is purely based on agreement not on evidence.   I’m working on a piece on the statistical models we use in medicine. In statistics, we generally say : “here’s how complex the problem is. In all the cases that are simplified to this standard we can do this much simpler statistics. But in order to use simplified statistical models you need to show results that say that your data fits that assumption for the simplified model and acknowledges it’s an assumption. But we haven’t put that standard in place for statistical models in medicine that says: “do you have any evidence that the underlying correlation matrix for male-bodied people and female-bodied female is actually similar enough to justify the use the admitted oversimplification of applying what we learn in men directly to women?” We could raise the bar on science by doing science as science is intended instead of following the familiar short-cuts by saying they’re good. ________________________________________________________________________ That’s why we need Femtech. And FemTech Summit’s like this one. Want to hear more about why investing in women’s health just makes economic sense? Sign up for the 2022 femtech conference  here.    What would happen if we decided that the assumptions we made about medical practices could not be justifiably generalised to women. Would it cause us to throw out a lot of the medicine we use for women – if it’s all based on this assumption that was never proven?   I’m not arguing that we throw it out. I’m arguing that we study how useful is this? We don’t know how much of our evidence generalizes. And we should know that. If we are interested in studying human health. We actually need to study humans and the diverse populations they are composed of. We routinely generalize beyond data. After studying ten thousand people – we generalize the results of the trial for beyond that. We still act as if females are just smaller males. We treat the organs in a women’s body as if they’re just plug and play. We treat pregnancy the same way when, in fact, it’s a window into cardiovascular disease.   What do you mean?  You can think of pregnancy as a nine-month stress test on the cardiovascular system. During pregnancy a woman might get gestational diabetes or gestational hypertension. These are likely to resolve after pregnancy when you don’t have the additional stress of the fetus in your system – and so it’s often treated as a resolved issue once the woman has given birth but it’s a missed opportunity. It would be an opportunity for us to have window to be able to look at how the woman is doing. The vast majority of women with gestational diabetes go on to develop diabetes eight years later. That’s a missed opportunity. We could have used when the woman got it during her pregnancy as a treatable moment.   Are you saying we don’t routinely include the fact that a woman developed gestational diabetes during her pregnancy when we look at a woman’s long-term risk of developing cardiovascular disease?  No – reproductive health is completely siloed from the rest of healthcare. The woman is seen over in obstetrics and then it’s treated as if you went and did this thing and now it’s over. It’s like you ran a marathon and that was that. You’re back to being ‘normal’ again and we’re not going to incorporate it in your patient file. Although we could and should flag it and track it. It’s a highly teachable moment. When you’re younger you have an immediate desire to be present and healthy for ten, twenty years for your child. So one possibility is while you have this person with a concern for how am I going to make this all work and stay around and be healthy. One possibility is that you help make the case that it’s going to be more important in your life to incorporate these behavioral changes. It would be consistent with the ways we do other types of medicine.   Why do we think of cardiovascular disease as a male disease? Men were dying of heart attacks. That’s what was visible. That was the concern. There were odd theories like if women went into the workforce they would have heart attacks like men. So they defined the case on the visible part of the problem. They defined the diagnostic approach, the levels of intervention but that doesn’t mean that’s the disease that just means that’s what you see. We did the same thing for ADHD. It wasn’t that girls didn’t have the problem it was just that it wasn’t as visible. They didn’t act out in the same way. It’s the same thing with men and heart attacks. We saw men dying of heart attacks so that’s what we built the model on. The problem is: women have far, far higher rates of ‘silent’ heart-attacks. They’ve usually sought care a lot of times before their heart attack and it’s dismissed – because our diagnostic measures don’t reflect the way women’s heart attacks manifest.   As a result, medicine is a house on stilts. There are a few foundational pieces that we’re right on but beyond that we don’t know. And the problem is not that it’s a house on stilts but that it’s a house on stilts pretending it’s not a house on stilts. Which means we never do the hard work of evaluating what we actually know objectively and what we don’t.   We’ll learn a lot more by studying diverse populations. If you believe that it’s always been okay that we studied men, that it was good enough, this has worked – not a problem. Let’s just take thirty years – study women and generalize to men – while we get more information, because we will learn more by studying women than men, and even it out. If you have a problem with that answer than your first response wasn’t accurate.   I don’t think it’s necessary or desirable to stop studying men. I think we just need to do complete work in analyzing the data. For example, offering on-site child care benefits women a lot more than men. It can impact breastfeeding. It can impact a woman’s experience of parenting because of the oxytocin or her risk of breast cancer. It’s not going to do that for men. It’s a social intervention. But we need to understand that our lives accumulate and build differences that are not inherent or inherited. They’re created and they always will be.   Healthcare in the US was designed for catastrophic care. It covers catastrophic care much better than comorbidities and chronic diseases. But women have more comorbidities and doctors’ visits. But because we set it up to treat everybody the same, it costs women a lot more out of pocket. We created a formula that rests on the assumption that men and women are the same, even though women’s circumstances, health and life expectancy aren’t the same. Our definition of what is equal and fair is way more expensive for women.   I fundamentally believe that we will do a better job of validating the science that we have by studying the populations that we haven’t studied. Shockingly that means studying the majority group: women. And that’s where breakthrough science is going to happen. We are going to learn more about being human by studying populations that we haven’t studied and recognizing where we made assumptions and shortcuts.   The following was a continuation of the interview Oriana Kraft conducted with Chloe Bird, PhD, senior sociologist at RAND. Chloe Bird served as senior advisor in the National Institutes of Health’s Office for Research on Women’s Health and editor-in-chief of Women’s Health Issues, where she is now associate editor. We wanted to close off this interview with a stat: Did you know that investing 26 million dollars in women’s health adds back nearly 40 000 years of full-time employment for both women and men? 40 000 years – can you imagine that? That’s why we need femtech to shine the spotlight on the fact that we need more women’s health research (and a femtech summit like this one to showcase the innovation that’s happening in this burgeoning space). Want to hear more about why investing in women’s health just makes economic sense? Sign up for the Summit here.  --- ### Aggregator - FemTechnology Summit 2023 URL: https://femtechnology.org/aggregator/ PostPartum Solutions PostPartum is the transitional period after pregnant women give birth. Women are highly vulnerable during this transition and rarely receive the care and support they require.40 percent of women in the U.S. don’t see their maternity provider at all after discharge from the hospital.  When mothers do get care, it is often fragmented and centred on the newborn infant, rather than the mother herself – leading to subpar outcomes: raining from postpartum haemorrhaging, undetected postpartum depression to weaning off breastfeeding earlier than desired. 30-50% of new mothers report experiencing a wide range of health problems and being unprepared to face them. Mothers deserve better.  Thankfully, there are more and more startups in the space. We have the goal of connecting new mothers to the care solutions they need. Endometriosis Solutions Click edit button to change this text. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo. --- ### Home - FemTechnology Summit 2023 URL: https://femtechnology.org/ Join The Ecosystem. FemTechnology Of Tomorrow. 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Learn More FemTechnology Summit Brings together the most exciting innovators in women’s health for a 360 degree perspective on innovation to solve collective pain-points and catalyze change.   Learn More about 2023 Summit Reach Out About partnerships Contact form 1 Your name Your email Subject Your message (optional) Sample Contributors: Read The Report Watch The Take homes Read The Report Watch The Take Homes A blueprint for transformative change in women’s health, tackling: AI & THE GENDER HEALTH GAP, FINANCING INNOVATION IN WOMEN'S HEALTH, WOMEN-CENTRIC CANCER CARE, ESG ALIGNMENT For WOMEN'S HEALTH, REDESIGNING HEALTHCARE WITH WOMEN IN MIND, ROLE OF THE MEDIA IN WOMEN'S HEALTH Read The Reports & Outcomes Learn More about 2023 Summit Building the pipeline of innovation in women’s health:We scout and connect the next generation of researchers and founders in women’s health at academic institutions to support their work & disseminate their insights to a larger audience. Contact form 1 Your name Your email Subject Your message (optional) Show Me Clips Contact form 1 Ticket 1Ticket 2Ticket 3Ticket 4 register now Are you an innovator? Work With Us Contact form 1 Your name Your email Subject Your message (optional) Why do we exist? 01 History Throughout history women have been considered ‘aberrations’ from the norm, rather than a crucial and vital part of the population to be included in medical trials and long-term studies. 02 Participants Women of reproductive age were often excluded out of the fear that menstrual cycles and changes in hormones could pose unnecessary complications and act as unpredictable variables. 03 Data This has resulted in missing data sets and a lack of understanding, diagnosis and treatment of many gynecological conditions that impact large swaths of the female population, as well as unwanted pharmaceutical side effects for non-gynecological diseases, delays in care, underdiagnoses or undertreatment. 04 Future However – be it by wearables, mobile apps, home testing devices or kits – this is beginning to change, with the emergence of companies beginning to collect large amounts of new data, conduct subsequent research studies and develop new means of treatment. Join Us To Shape The Future of Women's Health. Contact form 1 Your name Your email Subject Your message (optional) --- ### In Person Viewing Parties URL: https://femtechnology.org/sample-page/ FemTech’s exponential growth during the pandemic is undeniable. Not only have the numbers of Start-Ups in the industry sky-rocketed, but researchers, clinicians and communities interested in the topic have as well! (About time!) Unfortunately, because most of FemTech’s growth took place during COVID, most of us never got the chance to connect face to face and are therefore unaware of the industry leaders, investors, other start-upers or even doctors present within our vicinity willing and able to help.    In person connections (especially in a burgeoning industry with so many different stake-holders) are vital. There are local FemTech clusters scattered across the globe – from Cambridge, UK to Cambridge, Masachussetts, Singapore – the list goes on.  We could all benefit from connecting with our local FemTech community. And so, with the pandemic hopefully winding down, we would like to use the summit as a springboard to let people connect.  With the global collection of speakers, researchers and chief clinicians speaking at the FemTechnology Summit we want to foster connections in the FemTech space – whether it’s between the next generation (students!) or established FemTech veterans, we could all benefit from getting to know each other more. There will be an allotted mingling time online – as the panels themselves will be fully virtual. But for those of us who have the desire and can manage to make meeting in-person work, we wanted to organize in-person viewing parties so those in the femtech industry could gather to watch the panels in a common place and then mingle during the allotted mingling times.   Essentially: come for the content  – stay for the connections! We would suggest that every viewing party invite one (or several) local FemTech entrepreneurs to be ‘featured’ at their event as a nice way to showcase and support and even larger number of FemTech founders. The ‘featured’ startups at the local viewing parties would also be showcased on the Summit webpage and socials so they would have exposure to the wider Summit audience.    We currently know of events being hosted in the UK, North Carolina and California – but the list is expanding. So if you are interested in attending an in-person event or hosting one or just finding out more about them in general — Get in Touch!      Berlin FemTechnology Summit Viewing Party -- want to join too ? Fill Out The Form Below. London FemTechnology Summit Viewing Party -- want to join too? Fill Out The Form Below. Zurich FemTechnology Summit Viewing Party -- want to join too? Fill Out The Form Below. Los Angeles FemTechnology Summit Viewing Party -- want to join too? Fill Out The Form Below. Geneva FemTechnology Summit Viewing Party -- want to join too? Fill Out The Form Below. Your message * Submit --- ### FemTech Blog - FemTechnology Summit 2023 URL: https://femtechnology.org/blog/ Read More “The Female Longevity Paradox – why do women live longer?” --- ### Consulting URL: https://femtechnology.org/femtechconsulting/ Consulting Why we're here  As society begins to understand how women’s health is neglected – with devastating economic, health and social consequences – innovation in women’s health is burgeoning.  Women’s health is at an inflection point. We’re here to help you shape it.A ‘one-size fits all’ approach in medicine fits no one.Healthcare has to be reimagined. Opportunities abound.      What makes us unique: We’re Gen Z.  Building the future of women’s health for the next generations:  creating a pipeline for innovation in FemTech .  We catalyze, connect and shine a spotlight on key stakeholders to build the modern medicine we all deserve.   What we do: Shape the conversation.Identify the latest trends and innovation happening in FemTech and explain how you can leverage them to help shape the future of health. Connect key stakeholders to catalyze collaboration and innovation.   Is this for you? Do you need an overview of innovation in women’s health? Want to understand who key players are and how you can tap into FemTech?  Would you like to see what potential synergies exist?  Are you looking for strategic advice and insights from people on the ground, living and working in FemTech?    Are you trying to figure out how to leverage and collaborate with researchers?  Would you like to reach, catalyse and energise a college-age demographic? Get In Touch: Your name Your email Subject Your message (optional)   Activities developed in partnership with clients to address challenges specific to their companiesRED THREADInvitation-only, topic-specific events exploring topics our networks highlight as urgent --- ### Photo Gallery URL: https://femtechnology.org/gallery/ --- ### speakers style 2 URL: https://femtechnology.org/speaker-style-2/ Laura Symul Postdoctoral Fellow Statistics, Stanford University --- ### speakers style 1 URL: https://femtechnology.org/speakers-style-1/ Paula Bellostas Muguerza Partner, Kearney --- ### schedules liststyle URL: https://femtechnology.org/schedules-liststyle/ Day 1 Day 2 May 26, 2021 3:45 pm Opening Remarks Dr. Vera Regitz-Zagrosek is a Cardiologist and Founder, Institute of Gender in Medicine at Charité Berlin and of the International Society Gender Medicine (IGM) Dr. med. h.c. Vera Regitz-Zagrosek 26 May Time:  3:45 pm - 4:00 pm Location:  Dr. Vera Regitz-Zagrosek is a Cardiologist and Founder, Institute of Gender in Medicine at Charité Berlin and of the International Society Gender Medicine (IGM) Speaker:  Dr. med. h.c. Vera Regitz-Zagrosek 4:00 pm RoundTable: Innovative Screening +Tracking Technologies One of the largest innovations in the medical sphere has been changing the point of Care for Patients … giving the patients themselves access to the knowledge and tools needed to monitor their conditions remotely and have a better understanding of their health. This Panel will explore how certain companies are doing just that for gynecological issues: .... Leon A. Boston, CEO of Mobile ODT: using artificial intelligence for cervical screening, evaluation, and sexual assault forensics......... Siew-Veena, Founder of Testmate Health: at home STD Kits....... Dr. Sonali Mohanty Quantius, Founder of Haplomind: supporting perinatal depression and anxiety. Leon A. BostonDr. Sonali Mohanty Quantius 26 May Time:  4:00 pm - 5:30 pm Location:  One of the largest innovations in the medical sphere has been changing the point of Care for Patients … giving the patients themselves access to the knowledge and tools needed to monitor their conditions remotely and have a better understanding of their health. This Panel will explore how certain companies are doing just that for gynecological issues: .... Leon A. Boston, CEO of Mobile ODT: using artificial intelligence for cervical screening, evaluation, and sexual assault forensics......... Siew-Veena, Founder of Testmate Health: at home STD Kits....... Dr. Sonali Mohanty Quantius, Founder of Haplomind: supporting perinatal depression and anxiety. Speaker:  Leon A. BostonDr. Sonali Mohanty Quantius 5:45 pm RoundTable: Gathering Female Specific Data by Innovative Means This session will cover the innovative ways companies are going about collecting gender specific data in order to: close the data gap and have a better understanding of female specific metrics; ....Eric Dy, CEO + Co-Founder of Bloom Life: remote personalised maternal and fetal healthcare....... Marina Pavlovic Rivas, CEO + Co-Founder of Eli Health: a product monitoring hormones in saliva at home to enable women to make informed decisions about their reproductive and general health........ Dr. Shruthi Mahalingaiah, Principle Investigator on the Apple Women’s Health Study: the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health has teamed up with Apple and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) to gain a deeper understanding of how certain demographic and lifestyle factors could have an impact on menstrual cycles and gynecologic conditions.................... Laura Symul, Postdoctoral Fellow at Stanford, whose research focuses on women’s health and menstrual health, using a combination of self-tracked data from mobile phone apps and devices and clinical multi-omics data. Eric DySarah KerruishMarina Pavlovic RivasLaura Symul 26 May Time:  5:45 pm - 7:15 pm Location:  This session will cover the innovative ways companies are going about collecting gender specific data in order to: close the data gap and have a better understanding of female specific metrics; ....Eric Dy, CEO + Co-Founder of Bloom Life: remote personalised maternal and fetal healthcare....... Marina Pavlovic Rivas, CEO + Co-Founder of Eli Health: a product monitoring hormones in saliva at home to enable women to make informed decisions about their reproductive and general health........ Dr. Shruthi Mahalingaiah, Principle Investigator on the Apple Women’s Health Study: the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health has teamed up with Apple and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) to gain a deeper understanding of how certain demographic and lifestyle factors could have an impact on menstrual cycles and gynecologic conditions.................... Laura Symul, Postdoctoral Fellow at Stanford, whose research focuses on women’s health and menstrual health, using a combination of self-tracked data from mobile phone apps and devices and clinical multi-omics data. Speaker:  Eric DySarah KerruishMarina Pavlovic RivasLaura Symul 7:15 pm Closing Remarks Dr. Carole Clair specialises in the differences in clinical management induced by the gender of patients. She is also co-head of the department of training, research and innovation at the Center of general medicine and public health. She is a doctor who graduated from the University of Lausanne, FMH specialist in general internal medicine, Master in Science in Epidemiology at Harvard School of Public Health. Dr. Carole Clair 26 May Time:  7:15 pm - 12:00 am Location:  Dr. Carole Clair specialises in the differences in clinical management induced by the gender of patients. She is also co-head of the department of training, research and innovation at the Center of general medicine and public health. She is a doctor who graduated from the University of Lausanne, FMH specialist in general internal medicine, Master in Science in Epidemiology at Harvard School of Public Health. Speaker:  Dr. Carole Clair 7:30 pm FemTech Summit Virtual Mingling Connect w/ other attendees to discuss what you've listened to, learned + what other innovations you think are needed in the field of FemTech. Need an Ice-Breaker? How about discussing the way YOU think women w/ gynaecological conditions could best be matched to the appropriate care. 26 May Time:  7:30 pm - 8:30 pm Location:  Connect w/ other attendees to discuss what you've listened to, learned + what other innovations you think are needed in the field of FemTech. Need an Ice-Breaker? How about discussing the way YOU think women w/ gynaecological conditions could best be matched to the appropriate care. May 27, 2021 4:45 pm Opening Remarks Dr. Brigitte Leeners, Director of the Clinic for Reproductive Endocrinology at the University Hospital Zurich who will speak about what the daily life of a patient that comes to her looks like/ the issues they face and how innovative technologies can help with treatment/ facilitate their daily life Dr. Brigitte Leeners 27 May Time:  4:45 pm - 5:00 pm Location:  Dr. Brigitte Leeners, Director of the Clinic for Reproductive Endocrinology at the University Hospital Zurich who will speak about what the daily life of a patient that comes to her looks like/ the issues they face and how innovative technologies can help with treatment/ facilitate their daily life Speaker:  Dr. Brigitte Leeners 5:00 pm RoundTable: The future of Contraception and Fertility The field of Fertility and Contraception has long been opaque and difficult to navigate, not mention a field rife with unpleasant and unforeseen Side Effects. Medicine as a whole, however, is entering an era of personalization – this panel will explore in what ways this will revolutionize female contraception (is it impossible to envision a future where female contraception is more specifically tailored to the user?) and fertility....... Pascal Koenig, CEO + Co-Founder of AVA: a bracelet that tracks multiple physiological parameters, including pulse rate, breathing rate, and temperature in order to detect the five most fertile days of a woman’s cycle in real time, while also delivering personalized insight about reproductive health and pregnancy .........Frederik Petursson Madsen, CEO + Co-Founder of Oui: a new approach to contraception that works by topically engineering the cervical mucus to provide effective contraception with minimal side-effects....... Dr. Lynae Brayboy, Chief Medical Officer of Clue: an FDA approved menstrual tracking app........ Eirini Rapti, CEO + Founder of Inne: which uses the hormones found in saliva to determine a woman’s most fertile window thus acting as both a fertility aid or a form of contraception Eirini RaptiDr. Lynae BrayboyFrederik Petursson MadsenPascal Koenig 27 May Time:  5:00 pm - 6:30 pm Location:  The field of Fertility and Contraception has long been opaque and difficult to navigate, not mention a field rife with unpleasant and unforeseen Side Effects. Medicine as a whole, however, is entering an era of personalization – this panel will explore in what ways this will revolutionize female contraception (is it impossible to envision a future where female contraception is more specifically tailored to the user?) and fertility....... Pascal Koenig, CEO + Co-Founder of AVA: a bracelet that tracks multiple physiological parameters, including pulse rate, breathing rate, and temperature in order to detect the five most fertile days of a woman’s cycle in real time, while also delivering personalized insight about reproductive health and pregnancy .........Frederik Petursson Madsen, CEO + Co-Founder of Oui: a new approach to contraception that works by topically engineering the cervical mucus to provide effective contraception with minimal side-effects....... Dr. Lynae Brayboy, Chief Medical Officer of Clue: an FDA approved menstrual tracking app........ Eirini Rapti, CEO + Founder of Inne: which uses the hormones found in saliva to determine a woman’s most fertile window thus acting as both a fertility aid or a form of contraception Speaker:  Eirini RaptiDr. Lynae BrayboyFrederik Petursson MadsenPascal Koenig 6:45 pm RoundTable: Pain and Symptom Management From as far back as Ancient Egypt medicine has been rife with recorded descriptions of gynecological conditions and the physiological pain they cause. In fact, ancient Egypt has the first recorded use of the term ‘wandering uterus’ – but it was not until ancient Greece and then Rome after it that the term ‘hysteria’ was coined, often used to dismiss a vast array of symptoms exhibited by women, attributed to their physiological abnormalities. And yet a disturbing lack of innovation to help track, manage and perhaps even cure the pain caused by gynecological conditions has been historically achieved – until today. In this panel we explore the innovative technologies being put forth to treat gynecological conditions: from pre-empting menopausal symptoms, to treating endometriosis with cannaboids to the all importance of tracking the symptoms to help manage them......Alexandra Alvergne; an Oxford Fellow and CNRS researcher whose research focuses on understanding the relationship between reproduction and female health, including working on contraceptive dynamics, infection and menstrual health, diversity in age at menopause and the impact of reproduction on ageing......... Dr, Sari Prutchi Sagiv, VP of R&D at Gynica : a medical company researching and developing cannabinoid solutions to target gynaecological symptoms and diseases......... Cécile Real, Co-Founder + CEO of EndoDiag: company developing new endometriosis diagnostic solutions for healthcare professionals. These solutions are intended to contribute to a better endometriosis diagnosis, a more personalized patient management, more efficient treatment options and fertility strategy.......... Chantelle Bell & Anya Roy, Co-Founders of Syrona Health : a startup that tracks endo and health symptoms, and allows users to access a community of patients with similar symptoms as well as providing doctor approved insights. Chantelle BellCécile RealAlexandra AlvergneDr. Sari Prutchi SagivAnya Roy 27 May Time:  6:45 pm - 8:15 pm Location:  From as far back as Ancient Egypt medicine has been rife with recorded descriptions of gynecological conditions and the physiological pain they cause. In fact, ancient Egypt has the first recorded use of the term ‘wandering uterus’ – but it was not until ancient Greece and then Rome after it that the term ‘hysteria’ was coined, often used to dismiss a vast array of symptoms exhibited by women, attributed to their physiological abnormalities. And yet a disturbing lack of innovation to help track, manage and perhaps even cure the pain caused by gynecological conditions has been historically achieved – until today. In this panel we explore the innovative technologies being put forth to treat gynecological conditions: from pre-empting menopausal symptoms, to treating endometriosis with cannaboids to the all importance of tracking the symptoms to help manage them......Alexandra Alvergne; an Oxford Fellow and CNRS researcher whose research focuses on understanding the relationship between reproduction and female health, including working on contraceptive dynamics, infection and menstrual health, diversity in age at menopause and the impact of reproduction on ageing......... Dr, Sari Prutchi Sagiv, VP of R&D at Gynica : a medical company researching and developing cannabinoid solutions to target gynaecological symptoms and diseases......... Cécile Real, Co-Founder + CEO of EndoDiag: company developing new endometriosis diagnostic solutions for healthcare professionals. These solutions are intended to contribute to a better endometriosis diagnosis, a more personalized patient management, more efficient treatment options and fertility strategy.......... Chantelle Bell & Anya Roy, Co-Founders of Syrona Health : a startup that tracks endo and health symptoms, and allows users to access a community of patients with similar symptoms as well as providing doctor approved insights. Speaker:  Chantelle BellCécile RealAlexandra AlvergneDr. Sari Prutchi SagivAnya Roy 8:15 pm Closing Remarks The Rector of ETH Zurich will deliver the closing remarks to the ETH Zurich FemTech Summit Prof. Sarah Springman 27 May Time:  8:15 pm - 8:30 pm Location:  The Rector of ETH Zurich will deliver the closing remarks to the ETH Zurich FemTech Summit Speaker:  Prof. Sarah Springman 8:30 pm FemTech Summit Virtual Mingling Connect w/ other attendees to discuss what you listened to + learned today. Need an Ice-Breaker? Try coming up with what YOU think the biggest data set missing for female health is + how you think one might go about finding it. 27 May Time:  8:30 pm - 9:30 pm Location:  Connect w/ other attendees to discuss what you listened to + learned today. Need an Ice-Breaker? Try coming up with what YOU think the biggest data set missing for female health is + how you think one might go about finding it. --- ### schedules tabstyle URL: https://femtechnology.org/schedules_tabstyle/ Day 1 Day 2 Day 1 May 26, 2021 3:45 pm Opening Remarks Dr. Vera Regitz-Zagrosek is a Cardiologist and Founder, Institute of Gender in Medicine at Charité Berlin and of the International Society Gender Medicine (IGM) Dr. med. h.c. Vera Regitz-Zagrosek 26 May Time:  3:45 pm - 4:00 pm Location:  Dr. Vera Regitz-Zagrosek is a Cardiologist and Founder, Institute of Gender in Medicine at Charité Berlin and of the International Society Gender Medicine (IGM) Speaker:  Dr. med. h.c. Vera Regitz-Zagrosek 4:00 pm RoundTable: Innovative Screening +Tracking Technologies One of the largest innovations in the medical sphere has been changing the point of Care for Patients … giving the patients themselves access to the knowledge and tools needed to monitor their conditions remotely and have a better understanding of their health. This Panel will explore how certain companies are doing just that for gynecological issues: .... Leon A. Boston, CEO of Mobile ODT: using artificial intelligence for cervical screening, evaluation, and sexual assault forensics......... Siew-Veena, Founder of Testmate Health: at home STD Kits....... Dr. Sonali Mohanty Quantius, Founder of Haplomind: supporting perinatal depression and anxiety. Leon A. BostonDr. Sonali Mohanty Quantius 26 May Time:  4:00 pm - 5:30 pm Location:  One of the largest innovations in the medical sphere has been changing the point of Care for Patients … giving the patients themselves access to the knowledge and tools needed to monitor their conditions remotely and have a better understanding of their health. This Panel will explore how certain companies are doing just that for gynecological issues: .... Leon A. Boston, CEO of Mobile ODT: using artificial intelligence for cervical screening, evaluation, and sexual assault forensics......... Siew-Veena, Founder of Testmate Health: at home STD Kits....... Dr. Sonali Mohanty Quantius, Founder of Haplomind: supporting perinatal depression and anxiety. Speaker:  Leon A. BostonDr. Sonali Mohanty Quantius 5:45 pm RoundTable: Gathering Female Specific Data by Innovative Means This session will cover the innovative ways companies are going about collecting gender specific data in order to: close the data gap and have a better understanding of female specific metrics; ....Eric Dy, CEO + Co-Founder of Bloom Life: remote personalised maternal and fetal healthcare....... Marina Pavlovic Rivas, CEO + Co-Founder of Eli Health: a product monitoring hormones in saliva at home to enable women to make informed decisions about their reproductive and general health........ Dr. Shruthi Mahalingaiah, Principle Investigator on the Apple Women’s Health Study: the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health has teamed up with Apple and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) to gain a deeper understanding of how certain demographic and lifestyle factors could have an impact on menstrual cycles and gynecologic conditions.................... Laura Symul, Postdoctoral Fellow at Stanford, whose research focuses on women’s health and menstrual health, using a combination of self-tracked data from mobile phone apps and devices and clinical multi-omics data. Eric DySarah KerruishMarina Pavlovic RivasLaura Symul 26 May Time:  5:45 pm - 7:15 pm Location:  This session will cover the innovative ways companies are going about collecting gender specific data in order to: close the data gap and have a better understanding of female specific metrics; ....Eric Dy, CEO + Co-Founder of Bloom Life: remote personalised maternal and fetal healthcare....... Marina Pavlovic Rivas, CEO + Co-Founder of Eli Health: a product monitoring hormones in saliva at home to enable women to make informed decisions about their reproductive and general health........ Dr. Shruthi Mahalingaiah, Principle Investigator on the Apple Women’s Health Study: the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health has teamed up with Apple and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) to gain a deeper understanding of how certain demographic and lifestyle factors could have an impact on menstrual cycles and gynecologic conditions.................... Laura Symul, Postdoctoral Fellow at Stanford, whose research focuses on women’s health and menstrual health, using a combination of self-tracked data from mobile phone apps and devices and clinical multi-omics data. Speaker:  Eric DySarah KerruishMarina Pavlovic RivasLaura Symul 7:15 pm Closing Remarks Dr. Carole Clair specialises in the differences in clinical management induced by the gender of patients. She is also co-head of the department of training, research and innovation at the Center of general medicine and public health. She is a doctor who graduated from the University of Lausanne, FMH specialist in general internal medicine, Master in Science in Epidemiology at Harvard School of Public Health. Dr. Carole Clair 26 May Time:  7:15 pm - 12:00 am Location:  Dr. Carole Clair specialises in the differences in clinical management induced by the gender of patients. She is also co-head of the department of training, research and innovation at the Center of general medicine and public health. She is a doctor who graduated from the University of Lausanne, FMH specialist in general internal medicine, Master in Science in Epidemiology at Harvard School of Public Health. Speaker:  Dr. Carole Clair 7:30 pm FemTech Summit Virtual Mingling Connect w/ other attendees to discuss what you've listened to, learned + what other innovations you think are needed in the field of FemTech. Need an Ice-Breaker? How about discussing the way YOU think women w/ gynaecological conditions could best be matched to the appropriate care. 26 May Time:  7:30 pm - 8:30 pm Location:  Connect w/ other attendees to discuss what you've listened to, learned + what other innovations you think are needed in the field of FemTech. Need an Ice-Breaker? How about discussing the way YOU think women w/ gynaecological conditions could best be matched to the appropriate care. Day 2 May 27, 2021 4:45 pm Opening Remarks Dr. Brigitte Leeners, Director of the Clinic for Reproductive Endocrinology at the University Hospital Zurich who will speak about what the daily life of a patient that comes to her looks like/ the issues they face and how innovative technologies can help with treatment/ facilitate their daily life Dr. Brigitte Leeners 27 May Time:  4:45 pm - 5:00 pm Location:  Dr. Brigitte Leeners, Director of the Clinic for Reproductive Endocrinology at the University Hospital Zurich who will speak about what the daily life of a patient that comes to her looks like/ the issues they face and how innovative technologies can help with treatment/ facilitate their daily life Speaker:  Dr. Brigitte Leeners 5:00 pm RoundTable: The future of Contraception and Fertility The field of Fertility and Contraception has long been opaque and difficult to navigate, not mention a field rife with unpleasant and unforeseen Side Effects. Medicine as a whole, however, is entering an era of personalization – this panel will explore in what ways this will revolutionize female contraception (is it impossible to envision a future where female contraception is more specifically tailored to the user?) and fertility....... Pascal Koenig, CEO + Co-Founder of AVA: a bracelet that tracks multiple physiological parameters, including pulse rate, breathing rate, and temperature in order to detect the five most fertile days of a woman’s cycle in real time, while also delivering personalized insight about reproductive health and pregnancy .........Frederik Petursson Madsen, CEO + Co-Founder of Oui: a new approach to contraception that works by topically engineering the cervical mucus to provide effective contraception with minimal side-effects....... Dr. Lynae Brayboy, Chief Medical Officer of Clue: an FDA approved menstrual tracking app........ Eirini Rapti, CEO + Founder of Inne: which uses the hormones found in saliva to determine a woman’s most fertile window thus acting as both a fertility aid or a form of contraception Eirini RaptiDr. Lynae BrayboyFrederik Petursson MadsenPascal Koenig 27 May Time:  5:00 pm - 6:30 pm Location:  The field of Fertility and Contraception has long been opaque and difficult to navigate, not mention a field rife with unpleasant and unforeseen Side Effects. Medicine as a whole, however, is entering an era of personalization – this panel will explore in what ways this will revolutionize female contraception (is it impossible to envision a future where female contraception is more specifically tailored to the user?) and fertility....... Pascal Koenig, CEO + Co-Founder of AVA: a bracelet that tracks multiple physiological parameters, including pulse rate, breathing rate, and temperature in order to detect the five most fertile days of a woman’s cycle in real time, while also delivering personalized insight about reproductive health and pregnancy .........Frederik Petursson Madsen, CEO + Co-Founder of Oui: a new approach to contraception that works by topically engineering the cervical mucus to provide effective contraception with minimal side-effects....... Dr. Lynae Brayboy, Chief Medical Officer of Clue: an FDA approved menstrual tracking app........ Eirini Rapti, CEO + Founder of Inne: which uses the hormones found in saliva to determine a woman’s most fertile window thus acting as both a fertility aid or a form of contraception Speaker:  Eirini RaptiDr. Lynae BrayboyFrederik Petursson MadsenPascal Koenig 6:45 pm RoundTable: Pain and Symptom Management From as far back as Ancient Egypt medicine has been rife with recorded descriptions of gynecological conditions and the physiological pain they cause. In fact, ancient Egypt has the first recorded use of the term ‘wandering uterus’ – but it was not until ancient Greece and then Rome after it that the term ‘hysteria’ was coined, often used to dismiss a vast array of symptoms exhibited by women, attributed to their physiological abnormalities. And yet a disturbing lack of innovation to help track, manage and perhaps even cure the pain caused by gynecological conditions has been historically achieved – until today. In this panel we explore the innovative technologies being put forth to treat gynecological conditions: from pre-empting menopausal symptoms, to treating endometriosis with cannaboids to the all importance of tracking the symptoms to help manage them......Alexandra Alvergne; an Oxford Fellow and CNRS researcher whose research focuses on understanding the relationship between reproduction and female health, including working on contraceptive dynamics, infection and menstrual health, diversity in age at menopause and the impact of reproduction on ageing......... Dr, Sari Prutchi Sagiv, VP of R&D at Gynica : a medical company researching and developing cannabinoid solutions to target gynaecological symptoms and diseases......... Cécile Real, Co-Founder + CEO of EndoDiag: company developing new endometriosis diagnostic solutions for healthcare professionals. These solutions are intended to contribute to a better endometriosis diagnosis, a more personalized patient management, more efficient treatment options and fertility strategy.......... Chantelle Bell & Anya Roy, Co-Founders of Syrona Health : a startup that tracks endo and health symptoms, and allows users to access a community of patients with similar symptoms as well as providing doctor approved insights. Chantelle BellCécile RealAlexandra AlvergneDr. Sari Prutchi SagivAnya Roy 27 May Time:  6:45 pm - 8:15 pm Location:  From as far back as Ancient Egypt medicine has been rife with recorded descriptions of gynecological conditions and the physiological pain they cause. In fact, ancient Egypt has the first recorded use of the term ‘wandering uterus’ – but it was not until ancient Greece and then Rome after it that the term ‘hysteria’ was coined, often used to dismiss a vast array of symptoms exhibited by women, attributed to their physiological abnormalities. And yet a disturbing lack of innovation to help track, manage and perhaps even cure the pain caused by gynecological conditions has been historically achieved – until today. In this panel we explore the innovative technologies being put forth to treat gynecological conditions: from pre-empting menopausal symptoms, to treating endometriosis with cannaboids to the all importance of tracking the symptoms to help manage them......Alexandra Alvergne; an Oxford Fellow and CNRS researcher whose research focuses on understanding the relationship between reproduction and female health, including working on contraceptive dynamics, infection and menstrual health, diversity in age at menopause and the impact of reproduction on ageing......... Dr, Sari Prutchi Sagiv, VP of R&D at Gynica : a medical company researching and developing cannabinoid solutions to target gynaecological symptoms and diseases......... Cécile Real, Co-Founder + CEO of EndoDiag: company developing new endometriosis diagnostic solutions for healthcare professionals. These solutions are intended to contribute to a better endometriosis diagnosis, a more personalized patient management, more efficient treatment options and fertility strategy.......... Chantelle Bell & Anya Roy, Co-Founders of Syrona Health : a startup that tracks endo and health symptoms, and allows users to access a community of patients with similar symptoms as well as providing doctor approved insights. Speaker:  Chantelle BellCécile RealAlexandra AlvergneDr. Sari Prutchi SagivAnya Roy 8:15 pm Closing Remarks The Rector of ETH Zurich will deliver the closing remarks to the ETH Zurich FemTech Summit Prof. Sarah Springman 27 May Time:  8:15 pm - 8:30 pm Location:  The Rector of ETH Zurich will deliver the closing remarks to the ETH Zurich FemTech Summit Speaker:  Prof. Sarah Springman 8:30 pm FemTech Summit Virtual Mingling Connect w/ other attendees to discuss what you listened to + learned today. Need an Ice-Breaker? Try coming up with what YOU think the biggest data set missing for female health is + how you think one might go about finding it. 27 May Time:  8:30 pm - 9:30 pm Location:  Connect w/ other attendees to discuss what you listened to + learned today. Need an Ice-Breaker? Try coming up with what YOU think the biggest data set missing for female health is + how you think one might go about finding it. --- ### schedules carousel URL: https://femtechnology.org/schedules-carousel/ Day 1 May 26, 2021 3:45 pm Opening Remarks Dr. Vera Regitz-Zagrosek is a Cardiologist and Founder, Institute of Gender in Medicine at Charité Berlin and of the International Society Gender Medicine (IGM) Dr. med. h.c. Vera Regitz-Zagrosek 26 May Time:  3:45 pm - 4:00 pm Location:  Dr. Vera Regitz-Zagrosek is a Cardiologist and Founder, Institute of Gender in Medicine at Charité Berlin and of the International Society Gender Medicine (IGM) Speaker:  Dr. med. h.c. Vera Regitz-Zagrosek 4:00 pm RoundTable: Innovative Screening +Tracking Technologies One of the largest innovations in the medical sphere has been changing the point of Care for Patients … giving the patients themselves access to the knowledge and tools needed to monitor their conditions remotely and have a better understanding of their health. This Panel will explore how certain companies are doing just that for gynecological issues: .... Leon A. Boston, CEO of Mobile ODT: using artificial intelligence for cervical screening, evaluation, and sexual assault forensics......... Siew-Veena, Founder of Testmate Health: at home STD Kits....... Dr. Sonali Mohanty Quantius, Founder of Haplomind: supporting perinatal depression and anxiety. Leon A. BostonDr. Sonali Mohanty Quantius 26 May Time:  4:00 pm - 5:30 pm Location:  One of the largest innovations in the medical sphere has been changing the point of Care for Patients … giving the patients themselves access to the knowledge and tools needed to monitor their conditions remotely and have a better understanding of their health. This Panel will explore how certain companies are doing just that for gynecological issues: .... Leon A. Boston, CEO of Mobile ODT: using artificial intelligence for cervical screening, evaluation, and sexual assault forensics......... Siew-Veena, Founder of Testmate Health: at home STD Kits....... Dr. Sonali Mohanty Quantius, Founder of Haplomind: supporting perinatal depression and anxiety. Speaker:  Leon A. BostonDr. Sonali Mohanty Quantius 5:45 pm RoundTable: Gathering Female Specific Data by Innovative Means This session will cover the innovative ways companies are going about collecting gender specific data in order to: close the data gap and have a better understanding of female specific metrics; ....Eric Dy, CEO + Co-Founder of Bloom Life: remote personalised maternal and fetal healthcare....... Marina Pavlovic Rivas, CEO + Co-Founder of Eli Health: a product monitoring hormones in saliva at home to enable women to make informed decisions about their reproductive and general health........ Dr. Shruthi Mahalingaiah, Principle Investigator on the Apple Women’s Health Study: the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health has teamed up with Apple and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) to gain a deeper understanding of how certain demographic and lifestyle factors could have an impact on menstrual cycles and gynecologic conditions.................... Laura Symul, Postdoctoral Fellow at Stanford, whose research focuses on women’s health and menstrual health, using a combination of self-tracked data from mobile phone apps and devices and clinical multi-omics data. Eric DySarah KerruishMarina Pavlovic RivasLaura Symul 26 May Time:  5:45 pm - 7:15 pm Location:  This session will cover the innovative ways companies are going about collecting gender specific data in order to: close the data gap and have a better understanding of female specific metrics; ....Eric Dy, CEO + Co-Founder of Bloom Life: remote personalised maternal and fetal healthcare....... Marina Pavlovic Rivas, CEO + Co-Founder of Eli Health: a product monitoring hormones in saliva at home to enable women to make informed decisions about their reproductive and general health........ Dr. Shruthi Mahalingaiah, Principle Investigator on the Apple Women’s Health Study: the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health has teamed up with Apple and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) to gain a deeper understanding of how certain demographic and lifestyle factors could have an impact on menstrual cycles and gynecologic conditions.................... Laura Symul, Postdoctoral Fellow at Stanford, whose research focuses on women’s health and menstrual health, using a combination of self-tracked data from mobile phone apps and devices and clinical multi-omics data. Speaker:  Eric DySarah KerruishMarina Pavlovic RivasLaura Symul 7:15 pm Closing Remarks Dr. Carole Clair specialises in the differences in clinical management induced by the gender of patients. She is also co-head of the department of training, research and innovation at the Center of general medicine and public health. She is a doctor who graduated from the University of Lausanne, FMH specialist in general internal medicine, Master in Science in Epidemiology at Harvard School of Public Health. Dr. Carole Clair 26 May Time:  7:15 pm - 12:00 am Location:  Dr. Carole Clair specialises in the differences in clinical management induced by the gender of patients. She is also co-head of the department of training, research and innovation at the Center of general medicine and public health. She is a doctor who graduated from the University of Lausanne, FMH specialist in general internal medicine, Master in Science in Epidemiology at Harvard School of Public Health. Speaker:  Dr. Carole Clair 7:30 pm FemTech Summit Virtual Mingling Connect w/ other attendees to discuss what you've listened to, learned + what other innovations you think are needed in the field of FemTech. Need an Ice-Breaker? How about discussing the way YOU think women w/ gynaecological conditions could best be matched to the appropriate care. 26 May Time:  7:30 pm - 8:30 pm Location:  Connect w/ other attendees to discuss what you've listened to, learned + what other innovations you think are needed in the field of FemTech. Need an Ice-Breaker? How about discussing the way YOU think women w/ gynaecological conditions could best be matched to the appropriate care. Day 2 May 27, 2021 4:45 pm Opening Remarks Dr. Brigitte Leeners, Director of the Clinic for Reproductive Endocrinology at the University Hospital Zurich who will speak about what the daily life of a patient that comes to her looks like/ the issues they face and how innovative technologies can help with treatment/ facilitate their daily life Dr. Brigitte Leeners 27 May Time:  4:45 pm - 5:00 pm Location:  Dr. Brigitte Leeners, Director of the Clinic for Reproductive Endocrinology at the University Hospital Zurich who will speak about what the daily life of a patient that comes to her looks like/ the issues they face and how innovative technologies can help with treatment/ facilitate their daily life Speaker:  Dr. Brigitte Leeners 5:00 pm RoundTable: The future of Contraception and Fertility The field of Fertility and Contraception has long been opaque and difficult to navigate, not mention a field rife with unpleasant and unforeseen Side Effects. Medicine as a whole, however, is entering an era of personalization – this panel will explore in what ways this will revolutionize female contraception (is it impossible to envision a future where female contraception is more specifically tailored to the user?) and fertility....... Pascal Koenig, CEO + Co-Founder of AVA: a bracelet that tracks multiple physiological parameters, including pulse rate, breathing rate, and temperature in order to detect the five most fertile days of a woman’s cycle in real time, while also delivering personalized insight about reproductive health and pregnancy .........Frederik Petursson Madsen, CEO + Co-Founder of Oui: a new approach to contraception that works by topically engineering the cervical mucus to provide effective contraception with minimal side-effects....... Dr. Lynae Brayboy, Chief Medical Officer of Clue: an FDA approved menstrual tracking app........ Eirini Rapti, CEO + Founder of Inne: which uses the hormones found in saliva to determine a woman’s most fertile window thus acting as both a fertility aid or a form of contraception Eirini RaptiDr. Lynae BrayboyFrederik Petursson MadsenPascal Koenig 27 May Time:  5:00 pm - 6:30 pm Location:  The field of Fertility and Contraception has long been opaque and difficult to navigate, not mention a field rife with unpleasant and unforeseen Side Effects. Medicine as a whole, however, is entering an era of personalization – this panel will explore in what ways this will revolutionize female contraception (is it impossible to envision a future where female contraception is more specifically tailored to the user?) and fertility....... Pascal Koenig, CEO + Co-Founder of AVA: a bracelet that tracks multiple physiological parameters, including pulse rate, breathing rate, and temperature in order to detect the five most fertile days of a woman’s cycle in real time, while also delivering personalized insight about reproductive health and pregnancy .........Frederik Petursson Madsen, CEO + Co-Founder of Oui: a new approach to contraception that works by topically engineering the cervical mucus to provide effective contraception with minimal side-effects....... Dr. Lynae Brayboy, Chief Medical Officer of Clue: an FDA approved menstrual tracking app........ Eirini Rapti, CEO + Founder of Inne: which uses the hormones found in saliva to determine a woman’s most fertile window thus acting as both a fertility aid or a form of contraception Speaker:  Eirini RaptiDr. Lynae BrayboyFrederik Petursson MadsenPascal Koenig 6:45 pm RoundTable: Pain and Symptom Management From as far back as Ancient Egypt medicine has been rife with recorded descriptions of gynecological conditions and the physiological pain they cause. In fact, ancient Egypt has the first recorded use of the term ‘wandering uterus’ – but it was not until ancient Greece and then Rome after it that the term ‘hysteria’ was coined, often used to dismiss a vast array of symptoms exhibited by women, attributed to their physiological abnormalities. And yet a disturbing lack of innovation to help track, manage and perhaps even cure the pain caused by gynecological conditions has been historically achieved – until today. In this panel we explore the innovative technologies being put forth to treat gynecological conditions: from pre-empting menopausal symptoms, to treating endometriosis with cannaboids to the all importance of tracking the symptoms to help manage them......Alexandra Alvergne; an Oxford Fellow and CNRS researcher whose research focuses on understanding the relationship between reproduction and female health, including working on contraceptive dynamics, infection and menstrual health, diversity in age at menopause and the impact of reproduction on ageing......... Dr, Sari Prutchi Sagiv, VP of R&D at Gynica : a medical company researching and developing cannabinoid solutions to target gynaecological symptoms and diseases......... Cécile Real, Co-Founder + CEO of EndoDiag: company developing new endometriosis diagnostic solutions for healthcare professionals. These solutions are intended to contribute to a better endometriosis diagnosis, a more personalized patient management, more efficient treatment options and fertility strategy.......... Chantelle Bell & Anya Roy, Co-Founders of Syrona Health : a startup that tracks endo and health symptoms, and allows users to access a community of patients with similar symptoms as well as providing doctor approved insights. Chantelle BellCécile RealAlexandra AlvergneDr. Sari Prutchi SagivAnya Roy 27 May Time:  6:45 pm - 8:15 pm Location:  From as far back as Ancient Egypt medicine has been rife with recorded descriptions of gynecological conditions and the physiological pain they cause. In fact, ancient Egypt has the first recorded use of the term ‘wandering uterus’ – but it was not until ancient Greece and then Rome after it that the term ‘hysteria’ was coined, often used to dismiss a vast array of symptoms exhibited by women, attributed to their physiological abnormalities. And yet a disturbing lack of innovation to help track, manage and perhaps even cure the pain caused by gynecological conditions has been historically achieved – until today. In this panel we explore the innovative technologies being put forth to treat gynecological conditions: from pre-empting menopausal symptoms, to treating endometriosis with cannaboids to the all importance of tracking the symptoms to help manage them......Alexandra Alvergne; an Oxford Fellow and CNRS researcher whose research focuses on understanding the relationship between reproduction and female health, including working on contraceptive dynamics, infection and menstrual health, diversity in age at menopause and the impact of reproduction on ageing......... Dr, Sari Prutchi Sagiv, VP of R&D at Gynica : a medical company researching and developing cannabinoid solutions to target gynaecological symptoms and diseases......... Cécile Real, Co-Founder + CEO of EndoDiag: company developing new endometriosis diagnostic solutions for healthcare professionals. These solutions are intended to contribute to a better endometriosis diagnosis, a more personalized patient management, more efficient treatment options and fertility strategy.......... Chantelle Bell & Anya Roy, Co-Founders of Syrona Health : a startup that tracks endo and health symptoms, and allows users to access a community of patients with similar symptoms as well as providing doctor approved insights. Speaker:  Chantelle BellCécile RealAlexandra AlvergneDr. Sari Prutchi SagivAnya Roy 8:15 pm Closing Remarks The Rector of ETH Zurich will deliver the closing remarks to the ETH Zurich FemTech Summit Prof. Sarah Springman 27 May Time:  8:15 pm - 8:30 pm Location:  The Rector of ETH Zurich will deliver the closing remarks to the ETH Zurich FemTech Summit Speaker:  Prof. Sarah Springman 8:30 pm FemTech Summit Virtual Mingling Connect w/ other attendees to discuss what you listened to + learned today. Need an Ice-Breaker? Try coming up with what YOU think the biggest data set missing for female health is + how you think one might go about finding it. 27 May Time:  8:30 pm - 9:30 pm Location:  Connect w/ other attendees to discuss what you listened to + learned today. Need an Ice-Breaker? Try coming up with what YOU think the biggest data set missing for female health is + how you think one might go about finding it. --- ### Landing Page - FemTechnology Summit 2023 URL: https://femtechnology.org/landing-page/ Oops... Slider with alias slide landingpage not found. var rs_eslider = document.getElementById("rev_slider_error_1"); rs_eslider.style.display = "none"; console.log("Slider with alias slide landingpage not found."); 4+ unique demos Home 1 View Demo Home 2 View Demo Home 3 View Demo Home 4 View Demo speaker layouts Speaker style 1 View Demo Speaker style 2 View Demo Speaker style 3 View Demo Speaker style profile View Demo modern schedule layouts Schedules liststyle View Demo Schedules tabstyle View Demo Schedules carousel View Demo import template with one-click Completely synergize resource taxing relationships via premier niche markets. Professionally cultivate customer service. leading page builder Completely synergize resource taxing relationships via premier niche markets. Professionally cultivate customer service. --- ### About URL: https://femtechnology.org/about-us/ In The Press: Buzzfeed: Tech Companies Working On Contraception Face A New Landscape After Roe EPFL: FemTech, Taboo Breaking Innovations Handelszeitung: Femtech: Investoren entdecken die Frauenmedizin und orten grosses Potenzial Roche: Harnessing the power of technology for women's health. Giddy: Technology Created by Women, for Women Is Changing the Health Game EWHA VOICE: The future of healthcare is female : could femtech break down gender barriers in medicine? FemTechInsider: FemTechnology: An Interview with FemTech Summit Organizer and Medical Student Oriana Kraft SwissInfo: How technology can help with perinatal depression Play Video Partner with Us Contact form 1 Your name Your email Subject Your message (optional) Volunteer Women’s health has been historically neglected, side-lined by society, viewed as an after-thought in research, medical practices and innovation as a whole – resulting in drastic real-world consequences.Women wait 4 years longer on average to receive a diagnosis for the same disease as men.Women get pain meds 16 minutes later in emergency settings.Women experience worse side-effects from meds in 90% of cases. To this day – women’s health is under-researched, under-invested, and under-taught in medicine.A ‘one-size fits all’ approach in medicine fits no one.It’s time for that to change.Modern medicine was not designed with women in mind. --- ### Our Mission URL: https://femtechnology.org/mission/ To Build The Future of Women's Health. Women’s health has been historically neglected, side-lined by society, viewed as an after-thought in research, medical practices and innovation as a whole – resulting in drastic real-world consequences. Women wait 4 years longer on average to receive a diagnosis for the same disease as men. Women get pain meds 16 minutes later in emergency settings. Women experience worse side-effects from meds in 90% of cases. To this day – women’s health is under-researched, under-invested, and under-taught in medicine. A ‘one-size fits all’ approach in medicine fits no one.It’s time for that to change. Modern medicine was not designed with women in mind. What We Do: Interested In Our Work? Get In Touch --- ### Sponsors URL: https://femtechnology.org/sponsors/ --- ### Summit Archives - FemTechnology Summit 2023 URL: https://femtechnology.org/summit/ Priyanka Jain CEO + Co-Founder, Evvy --- ## Blog Posts ### The Female Longevity Paradox – why do women live longer? URL: https://femtechnology.org/2025/08/02/the-female-longevity-paradox-why-do-women-live-longer/ Date: 2025-08-02T08:55:07+00:00 August 2, 2025 Deep Dives, FemTech Blog, FemTech Think Pieces, Founder Interviews, Health care, medical system, Top FemTech Startups, UncategorizedBy Oriana Kraft The Female Longevity Paradox – why do women live longer? (Only taking into account biological hypotheses and not social ones) 1. Why do women generally live longer than men, and what biological factors contribute to this? Women generally have a longer lifespan than men, a phenomenon rooted in multifactorial biological differences. Scientific research indicates that female biology offers intrinsic cellular resilience. For example, analysis of DNA methylation (“epigenetic clock”) signatures reveals that by mid-life, women’s tissues appear biologically “younger” than men’s of the same chronological age across various organs, suggesting slower epigenetic ageing and cellular decline in females. A significant contributor to this longevity advantage lies in women’s double X chromosomes. Studies in mice demonstrate that simply possessing two X chromosomes, even if the animal develops testes, extends lifespan and enhances memory compared to XY counterparts. An X-linked gene called KDM6A, expressed at higher levels in females, appears to protect brain cells from toxins and cognitive decline. Boosting KDM6A in male mice improved their memory and resilience to Alzheimer’s-like pathology, while reducing it in females worsened their neural vulnerability. These findings underscore that female longevity benefits stem from both genetic (e.g., X-linked factors) and endocrine differences. 2. How does menopause uniquely impact women’s ageing and overall healthspan? Menopause, driven by the rapid ageing of the ovaries (which age 2.5 times faster than other organs), is a defining feature of female ageing and significantly impacts healthspan. The cessation of oestrogen and progesterone production accelerates ageing in the rest of the body, leading to increased risks of cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, and cognitive decline. On average, a woman’s ageing accelerates by approximately 6% after menopause. Epidemiological studies consistently show a correlation between the length of a woman’s reproductive span and her overall lifespan. Later age at natural menopause is associated with greater longevity; for each three-year delay in natural menopause, overall mortality risk drops by about 1.6%. Women who naturally reach menopause between 50 and 55 years old have a 15-20% higher chance of living to 90+ compared to those who stop cycling in their early 40s. This suggests that extending ovarian function could potentially extend overall healthspan. Oestrogen, in particular, has pervasive protective effects on metabolism, immunity, and brain function, promoting longevity-associated genes and antioxidant enzymes. The loss of this “oestrogen shield” post-menopause contributes to surges in heart disease and cognitive ageing. 3. What is the “cognitive resilience paradox” in women, and how can women’s brain health be supported during ageing? The “cognitive resilience paradox” refers to the observation that while women have a higher incidence of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia (comprising about two-thirds of patients), population studies suggest their average cognitive decline in normal ageing is slower than men’s. This resilience likely stems from women’s longer exposure to oestrogen and the protective effects of the extra X chromosome. Female brains appear metabolically “younger,” with a glucose metabolism pattern indicative of brains about three years younger than chronologically-matched male brains. New findings even suggest that the “silent” second X chromosome might partially reactivate in some cells in older women, providing a late-life genetic boost to cognitive function. However, the advantages can diminish post-menopause due to hormonal loss, leading to increased inflammatory load (“inflammaging”) and sex-specific patterns of neuroinflammation. Supporting women’s brain health involves understanding these unique protective factors and vulnerabilities. Strategies include revisiting hormone replacement therapy (HRT) initiated around menopause for its potential neuroprotective benefits, developing gender-tailored cognitive training, and exploring novel drug targets that amplify beneficial X-linked genes. Early detection tools for cognitive decline tailored to women, and social/intellectual engagement solutions, are also crucial. 4. How does women’s cardiometabolic health change with ageing, and what tailored interventions are emerging? Women typically develop heart disease about 10 years later than men due to the protective effects of pre-menopausal oestrogen. However, after menopause, their risk accelerates and eventually surpasses men’s. Women also exhibit distinct patterns, such as a higher propensity for microvascular angina and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, which were historically understudied. Midlife hormonal changes often lead to weight gain, particularly increased visceral fat, raising the risk of diabetes, hypertension, and fatty liver. Traditional weight loss and cardiac rehab advice, often based on male physiology, may not be optimal for women. Emerging interventions include the use of GLP-1 agonist drugs (e.g., Ozempic) for obesity and metabolic issues in peri- and post-menopausal women. However, these require careful management to mitigate muscle loss, often by combining them with resistance exercise and adequate protein. Research is also focusing on female-specific risk algorithms for heart disease that incorporate factors like pregnancy history (e.g., preeclampsia), autoimmune conditions, and menopause age. Personalised cardiometabolic programmes could integrate these insights, offering tailored dietary recommendations (e.g., higher protein post-menopause), adapted time-restricted eating, and the use of Continuous Glucose Monitors (CGMs) interpreted through a female physiological lens. Female-focused strength training programmes are also vital for combating sarcopenia and maintaining functional independence. 5. Why are women more prone to autoimmune and inflammatory conditions, and how can this be addressed for longevity? Women exhibit more robust immune responses than men, which is a double-edged sword: while they may clear infections faster, they also suffer significantly higher rates of autoimmune diseases (about 80% of all autoimmune patients are women) and chronic inflammatory conditions. These conditions, such as lupus, thyroid disorders, and rheumatoid arthritis, often emerge in midlife or earlier, impacting quality of life and accelerating biological ageing (“inflammaging”). Autoimmune diseases, even when managed, can accelerate cardiovascular ageing and cognitive decline due to persistent inflammation. Emerging science suggests that as women age, their predisposition to autoimmunity might increase relative to men, with older female immune cells showing more autoimmune-type activity. Oestrogen also modulates immune responses. Addressing this for longevity involves integrated autoimmune care platforms that help women track inflammation markers, adhere to medication, and incorporate lifestyle interventions like diet, stress reduction, and gut health. Routine “Women’s Inflammation Panels” could screen for simmering issues, allowing for preventive regimens. Nutraceuticals targeting women’s immune balance (e.g., blends of vitamin D, omega-3, phytoestrogens) and microbiome interventions customised for women’s gut health (e.g., probiotics considering menopause-related changes) are also promising. Reframing autoimmunity as a longevity issue rather than just symptom management is key to extending women’s healthspan. 6. What unique musculoskeletal challenges do women face with ageing, and how can these be proactively managed? Women face distinct musculoskeletal challenges as they age, primarily due to lower peak bone mass and rapid bone density loss after menopause. This leads to high rates of osteopenia and osteoporosis, with almost half of women over 50 experiencing an osteoporotic fracture in their lifetime. Sarcopenia (age-related muscle loss) is also significant, compounded by women often having less muscle mass to begin with, and hormonal changes accelerating atrophy. These issues contribute to frailty, balance problems, and joint pain, critically impacting functional independence.   Furthermore, while women generally outlive men, their healthspan (the period of life spent in good health) is significantly impacted by unique biological factors, particularly ovarian ageing and menopause. Decades of research bias, primarily focusing on male models, have created significant data gaps and a lack of tailored interventions for women. However, a “pivotal moment” is emerging, driven by scientific advancements, cultural shifts, and market opportunities. This document highlights key scientific foundations, current narratives and gaps, and proposes concrete opportunities for innovation, investment, and policy change to extend women’s healthy lifespan. Current Narratives and Gaps in Women’s Longevity The public discourse on longevity has largely ignored sex differences, often focusing on “biohacking” protocols developed by men. Women’s health has been siloed into reproductive health or symptom management, particularly around menopause. Menopause as a Starting Point: “Menopause is the ‘door’ through which many women first engage with aging health – expanding offerings to truly holistic longevity care is a win-win for women and businesses.” Addressing the Neglect: There’s a need to move beyond symptom management to “prevention and longevity” in the menopause market, projected to reach $27B. Brain Health Focus: Given women’s higher Alzheimer’s incidence, brain ageing is a critical area. “Scientists like Dr. Lisa Mosconi (author of “The XX Brain”) are researching how metabolic and hormonal factors in menopause influence women’s brain aging.” Cardiometabolic Health: Cardiovascular disease, the #1 killer of women, has been under-recognised as a women’s issue. Post-menopause, women’s risk accelerates significantly. Traditional advice and programmes were based on men, highlighting a need for female-tailored approaches, particularly regarding weight gain and visceral fat. Autoimmune and Inflammatory Health: Women have more robust immune responses but also higher rates of autoimmune diseases (80% of all autoimmune patients are women). Chronic inflammation (“inflammaging”) drives biological ageing. “The intersection of autoimmunity and aging is rarely framed as a women’s longevity issue.” Musculoskeletal Health: Women experience rapid bone density loss post-menopause, leading to high rates of osteoporosis and sarcopenia (muscle loss). This impacts functional independence, yet is often siloed, overlooking its broader longevity implications. Mental Wellness and Social Resilience: Chronic stress, depression, and loneliness significantly impact ageing. Women are twice as likely to experience depression and anxiety, and midlife can be particularly vulnerable. Strong social ties and purpose are crucial resilience factors. “A positive view of aging can extend lifespan by years.” Data and Technology: The “femtech boom” is generating vast amounts of women-specific data, presenting “tremendous potential to aggregate and analyze these datasets to yield new insights and develop personalized algorithms for women’s health.”   Post navigation Previous Post --- ### The Gender Health Gap: Uncovering the Shocking Statistics URL: https://femtechnology.org/2025/08/01/the-gender-health-gap-uncovering-the-shocking-statistics/ Date: 2025-08-01T12:17:25+00:00 August 1, 2025 Deep Dives, Endometriosis, FemTech Blog, FemTech Think Pieces, Founder Interviews, Health care, medical system, Top FemTech Startups, Uncategorized, White SpaceBy Oriana Kraft What is the gender health gap, and how does it manifest in diagnosis and treatment? The gender health gap refers to disparities in healthcare outcomes and experiences between different genders, predominantly impacting women. This gap manifests in several ways, including significant delays in diagnosis for women across a wide range of conditions. For instance, women are diagnosed, on average, four years later than men across 770 diseases, and 2.5 years later with cancer. They are also twice as likely to need to report symptoms five or more times before a cancer diagnosis. Furthermore, women spend 25% more of their lives in debilitating health compared to men. In terms of treatment, women are twice as likely to suffer adverse side effects from medication, partly due to historical exclusion from pharma research. They are also more likely to be given sedatives instead of painkillers when experiencing pain. How does the lack of female-specific research and historical exclusion impact women’s health? The underinvestment and historical exclusion of women from research have profound impacts. Only 1% of global healthcare research and innovation is invested in female-specific conditions beyond cancer. Women were not even required in U.S. clinical research until 1993. This lack of research means that conditions more prevalent in women, such as autoimmune conditions (some are 16x more common in women, with women 2x more likely to develop multiple sclerosis and 9x more likely to get lupus), are often misunderstood or misdiagnosed. This deficit in understanding also contributes to women experiencing twice as many adverse side effects from medication. Even in areas like fertility, where male factor infertility accounts for 50% of cases, research still primarily focuses on female infertility. Moreover, there is five times more research on erectile dysfunction (affecting 19% of men) than on PMS (affecting 90% of women). What specific challenges do women face regarding heart health? Women face unique and severe challenges in heart health. Heart disease is the leading cause of death for women, yet only one-third of clinical trial participants are women. This disparity in research translates to worse outcomes, as women are more than twice as likely to die after a heart attack than men. Alarmingly, women presenting with heart attack symptoms are often misdiagnosed with stress or panic disorder instead of receiving a full cardiovascular diagnostic workup. Additionally, women who visit emergency departments with chest pain wait 29% longer than men to be evaluated for a possible heart attack. What are some examples of misdiagnosis and medical gaslighting experienced by women? Misdiagnosis and medical gaslighting are prevalent issues. Women are 33% more likely than men to be misdiagnosed after a stroke. Patients with hypothyroidism are more likely to be misdiagnosed with depression and anxiety or have their symptoms attributed to menopause. In the context of autoimmune conditions, 45% of patients (the large majority being women) are labelled as “chronic complainers” during their diagnosis journey. For endometriosis, which affects 1 in 10 women, diagnosis can take up to 10 years (even longer for Black women), and 75% of patients report being misdiagnosed with a physical or mental health problem before receiving a proper diagnosis. Furthermore, 72% of female patients report experiencing medical gaslighting. Patients with vaginitis are more likely to be misdiagnosed than correctly diagnosed, and up to 61% of bacterial vaginosis cases are misdiagnosed. Nearly half of women diagnosed with an uncomplicated UTI were given the wrong antibiotics. How does the gender health gap affect reproductive health beyond specific conditions? The gender health gap significantly impacts reproductive health in broader ways. Infertility is often primarily attributed to women in research, despite male factor infertility accounting for 50% of cases, and over 70% of internal medicine residency programs did not include infertility in their curriculum in 2016. There’s also a striking lack of fundamental anatomical understanding; a full anatomical understanding of the clitoris wasn’t achieved until 2005, and the NIH didn’t have a research branch dedicated to female sexual organs beyond their reproductive role until 2012. Historically, women have faced reproductive control abuses, such as the sterilization of one-third of women in Puerto Rico between 1930 and 1970 to address “surplus population” concerns. In contemporary terms, over 19 million women in the U.S. live in a “contraceptive desert” requiring publicly funded birth control, and 29% live in states with severely restricted or unavailable abortion access. The feeling of being unheard is also prevalent, with women, trans men, and non-binary people being five times more likely to feel unheard when seeking medical help for their reproductive health. What are the challenges in diagnosing and treating specific female health conditions like PCOS and PMDD? Specific female health conditions like Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) and Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) face significant diagnostic and treatment hurdles. PCOS is a common hormonal condition in women of reproductive age, yet up to 70% of cases are undiagnosed. PCOS patients, on average, have to consult three different health professionals over two years before receiving a proper diagnosis, and nearly 40% of internal medicine residency programs in 2016 didn’t include PCOS in their curriculum. For PMDD, patients, on average, have to see six different providers and wait 12 years to receive an accurate diagnosis. Endometriosis also suffers from long diagnostic delays, sometimes up to a decade, with less than half of patients having a documented diagnosis. What issues are highlighted regarding maternal mental health and its support? Maternal mental health faces critical challenges, with severe consequences. The number of people dying in the U.S. from pregnancy-related causes has more than doubled in the last 20 years, with the worst outcomes seen among Black, Native American, and Alaska Native people. Despite these dire statistics, only 1% of pharmaceutical R&D spending goes to maternal health. Approximately 14% of people experience postpartum depression, with higher rates among Asian and Black women compared to white women. A concerning 75% of women experiencing maternal mental health conditions are left untreated and undiagnosed. While paid maternity leave is linked to lower rates of postpartum depression, only 13 U.S. states currently offer it. What broader societal and systemic issues contribute to the gender health gap? The gender health gap is exacerbated by several broader societal and systemic issues. A pervasive lack of education about the female body is evident, with 76% of students believing they are taught more about the biology of frogs than the female body. This contributes to a general lack of understanding and potentially a reluctance to seek care, as only 54% of women seek medical input for menopause symptoms because they worry it isn’t a valid reason to seek help. The design of medical instruments also reflects a lack of innovation focused on women, as the speculum has not had a widespread design update since the 1800s. The disproportionate misdiagnosis and dismissal of women’s symptoms, often labelling them as “chronic complainers,” further highlights a systemic bias that contributes to delayed or incorrect diagnoses and a feeling of being unheard in the healthcare system. Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### Our (FemTechnology) Nature Commentary on a Holistic Approach to Women’s Health URL: https://femtechnology.org/2025/07/31/our-femtechnology-nature-commentary-on-a-holistic-approach-to-womens-health/ Date: 2025-07-31T09:15:14+00:00 July 31, 2025July 31, 2025 Deep Dives, FemTech Blog, FemTech Think Pieces, Founder Interviews, Health care, medical system, Top FemTech Startups, UncategorizedBy Oriana Kraft Check out our piece in Nature Reviews Bioengineering titled: “A Holistic Approach to Advancing Women’s Health.” This isn’t just a call for more research into “female-specific” conditions, it’s an argument that women’s health is foundational to advancing biomedicine as a whole. Too often, women’s health is sidelined as niche, underfunded, and under-researched. We propose a different lens: one that treats women’s health as a driver of innovation that can unlock better care and new scientific breakthroughs across the board. Key themes from the piece: A broader definition of women’s healthWomen’s health must move beyond reproduction to include systemic conditions like cardiovascular disease, metabolic dysfunction, chronic pain, autoimmune disorders, and mental health; areas where biological sex and gender both play crucial roles. These are also areas that are severely under‑researched and under‑diagnosed Inclusive tools, not just inclusive trialsEquity can’t be achieved by retrofitting biased tools. We need models (like sex-specific organoids and engineered tissues) and data systems that reflect biological and lived diversity from the start, not as an afterthought. We advocate for leveraging femtech, AI, wearable biosensors (e.g. ŌURA ring for menstrual and perimenopausal tracking), and data science, while maintaining transparency and equity in algorithm design Patient experience as a driver of insightReal-world symptom tracking, community-based evidence, and feedback loops from patients can surface blind spots in traditional research and and are essential to making research and care actually work for women. Bias in, bias outTechnologies like AI and wearables offer potential, but without addressing skewed inputs and exclusionary design, they risk entrenching bias further. Transparency, accountability, and real representation are non-negotiable. From patchwork to systems changeFragmented efforts won’t solve systemic neglect. We call for integrated strategies across funding bodies, institutions, and industry—including women in leadership, longer funding timelines, and cross-sector coalitions that prioritize longitudinal impact. Holistic Framework for Innovation:Success requires integrating patient input, clinical expertise, and research into innovation cycles. Real‑world symptom tracking, inclusive datasets, and better preclinical models (such as organoids and tissue‑engineered systems) are essential You can read the full commentary here:A Holistic Approach to Advancing Women’s Health – Nature Reviews Bioengineering More soon on how we’re building on this vision, especially when it comes to turning theory into tools, like with ori.care. Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### How ORI Works – Slash Costs, Boost Productivity URL: https://femtechnology.org/2025/07/31/how-ori-works-slash-costs-boost-productivity/ Date: 2025-07-31T09:06:33+00:00 July 31, 2025 Deep Dives, FemTech Blog, FemTech Think Pieces, Founder Interviews, Health care, medical system, Top FemTech Startups, UncategorizedBy Oriana Kraft For Employers: Transform your workplace and boost your bottom line with ORI, a personalised care navigator, designed to address the unique health needs of your female employees. Women are 20-30% more likely to be misdiagnosed and endure four years longer for a diagnosis, leading to them spending a week more per year in poor health. This contributes to significant productivity losses, with 70% of respondents losing 1-5 days per month due to women’s health issues, costing organisations millions annually in lost productivity. ORI, a personalised care navigator, offers a groundbreaking solution by: • Reducing Productivity Losses: By improving symptom management and guiding employees to the right interventions, ORI, a personalised care navigator, can conservatively reduce productivity losses by 15-25%, saving your organisation $960–$8,936 per employee annually. • Lowering Healthcare Costs: It helps reduce direct healthcare costs by flagging early symptoms and supporting effective health interventions, addressing conditions like endometriosis (costing $12,118 per patient annually) and PCOS ($1,330–$2,500 per woman per year). • Streamlining Benefits Utilisation: With up to 50% of employees unaware of their benefits, ORI, a personalised care navigator, centralises all internal and external health resources, allowing easy search by symptom, condition, or life stage, and reducing HR queries. • Providing Actionable Data: Gain dynamic, nuanced data on women’s health trends within your workforce, including condition prevalence, comorbidities, employee feedback, and challenges in accessing care, enabling informed decisions on future healthcare spending. For Governments & Public Health Initiatives: Address systemic healthcare inefficiencies and close the critical gender health data gap with ORI, a personalised care navigator. The current healthcare model often fails women, with diagnostic thresholds for major conditions like cardiovascular disease and diabetes often based on male physiology, leading to 50% more misdiagnoses for women after a heart attack. Furthermore, for every one woman diagnosed with a women’s health condition, four go undiagnosed. ORI, a personalised care navigator, champions a new model of care by: • Starting with Women’s Health: It’s the first step toward truly personalised care, designed around individual preferences and realities, ensuring the system finally aligns care with women’s unique needs. • Closing the Gender Health Data Gap: ORI, a personalised care navigator, systematically collects and applies detailed data (quantitative and qualitative) to identify patterns and gaps in women’s health, thus contributing to closing the gender data health gap. • Promoting Proactive Health: By flagging potential concerns through structured symptom assessments and proactive prompts for common yet under-diagnosed conditions (e.g., mental health screenings for women with PCOS), it supports earlier intervention and improved public health outcomes. • Informing Policy & Intervention: The platform’s ability to highlight unmet needs from user queries and provide comprehensive gap assessments empowers organisations (and by extension, informs broader policy makers) to proactively address critical healthcare deficiencies. For individuals: Navigate your health journey with confidence using ORI, which captures your unique medical context and priorities to connect you to the most relevant care and resources. • Spotlighting Underlying Causes: ORI, a personalised care navigator, guides you through structured symptom assessments, helping you connect the dots between symptoms (like the 34 possible signs of perimenopause) and potential underlying conditions. • Exploring Tailored Solutions: For complex conditions like endometriosis and PCOS, ORI, a personalised care navigator, provides personalised recommendations based on your quality of life, preferences, and priorities. • Encouraging Proactive Screening: It prompts you to screen for common, yet under-diagnosed conditions, ensuring you’re aware of and can address potential issues proactively. It covers a wide range of conditions including (Peri)Menopause, Urinary Incontinence, PCOS, Endometriosis, PMDD/PMS, and provides proactive cancer screening recommendations. Be a trailblazing partner in redesigning healthcare with women in mind by joining here : ori.care #womenshealth #healthcare #ai #benefits Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### AI & The Gender Health Data Gap: Why Women’s Health Is Invisible (and How to Fix It!) URL: https://femtechnology.org/2025/07/31/ai-the-gender-health-data-gap-why-womens-health-is-invisible-and-how-to-fix-it/ Date: 2025-07-31T09:04:03+00:00 July 31, 2025 Deep Dives, FemTech Blog, Founder Interviews, Health care, medical system, Uncategorized, White SpaceBy Oriana Kraft The digital age promises revolutionary advancements in healthcare through AI, but we are facing a critical challenge: a glaring void in women’s health data. This video uncovers the profound “Gender Data Health Gap”—the difference in quality and quantity of health data collected and analysed between women and men. Why is women’s health data missing? • Historical exclusion: Until 1993, women were not mandatorily included in US clinical research. Even 30 years later, there’s a significant 17-year lag for this research to reach patient care. • Ongoing biases: A majority of biomedical research continues to predominantly rely on male mice. • Underrepresentation: Women’s participation in clinical trials, especially early phases, remains low, and pregnant/lactating women are often excluded entirely. Studies often don’t report sex distribution among participants or provide sex-disaggregated effectiveness estimates. The alarming implications of this gap: • Misdiagnosis and Suboptimal Treatments: Current diagnostic and treatment paradigms are largely based on male-centric data, leading to women waiting an average of 4 years longer for a diagnosis for the same disease as men. Women are less likely to receive appropriate pain medication, yet more likely to be prescribed anti-anxiety drugs like benzodiazepines. • Patient Dismissal: A staggering 84% of women report feeling dismissed by their GP in the UK, and nearly 1 in 4 women feel their pain isn’t taken seriously by clinicians. • Limited Treatment Options: There are only 2 FDA-approved treatments for female sexual dysfunction (impacting ~40% of women) compared to 27 for men. • AI’s Magnifying Effect: Existing AI models are trained on these limited and biased datasets. The rapid adoption of AI without rectifying these foundational gaps threatens to perpetuate and even amplify these disparities at an unprecedented scale, making women “invisible” or misrepresented in data. This leads to algorithmic bias, where AI compounds existing inequities. How bias enters AI in healthcare: Bias can be inherent, stem from unrepresentative sampling (e.g., genomics research focusing on European males), data proxies, generalisation of models, or flawed evaluation. Bridging the Gap: The Path Forward We need a multifaceted approach. While collecting new real-world data is crucial, strategies include: • Acknowledging limitations: AI solutions must clearly communicate data biases. • Collaboration: Working with gender researchers and clinicians. • Crowdsourcing & Citizen Science: Engaging women to contribute health data, for example, through wearables or apps like Clue. • FemTech’s Role: Startups like Impli, Daye, and TheBlood are uniquely poised to collect novel, previously neglected datasets and reimagine care. • Ethical Oversight: Establishing ethics committees for AI in healthcare. • Policy Change: Advocating for more inclusive and diverse data collection in future clinical trials. Learn more about the urgent need to redesign healthcare for inclusivity and ensure women’s health is not relegated to the periphery! #GenderHealthGap #WomenInHealthcare #AIinHealthcare #HealthEquity #FemTech #HealthcareBias #MedicalResearch #ClinicalTrials #DataScience #ArtificialIntelligence #WomensHealth #HealthDisparities #DigitalHealth #Innovation   Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### Unlocking Productivity & Saving Costs: How ORI is Revolutionising Women’s Health in the Workplace URL: https://femtechnology.org/2025/07/30/unlocking-productivity-saving-costs-how-ori-is-revolutionising-womens-health-in-the-workplace/ Date: 2025-07-30T10:55:53+00:00 July 30, 2025July 30, 2025 Deep Dives, FemTech Blog, FemTech Think Pieces, Founder Interviews, Health care, medical system, Top FemTech Startups, Uncategorized, White SpaceBy Oriana Kraft The modern workplace is grappling with a hidden challenge: the disproportionate impact of women’s health issues on productivity, healthcare costs, and employee engagement. The current healthcare system, largely designed around male physiology, routinely fails women, leading to significant business consequences. Women are 20-30% more likely than men to be misdiagnosed and typically wait four years longer for the same diagnosis. This isn’t merely an inconvenience; it translates into tangible financial burdens. For major conditions like cardiovascular disease, women are 50% more likely to be misdiagnosed after a heart attack, and 17% of premenopausal women may miss a diabetes diagnosis altogether due to male-centric diagnostic thresholds. The diagnostic gap for sex-specific conditions is even more staggering: for every one woman diagnosed, four go undiagnosed. These systemic failures culminate in substantial productivity losses, ranging from $7,021 to $34,465 per affected employee annually. Scaled across an organisation, this can mean a colossal $70 million to $340 million in lost productivity per year for every 10,000 female employees. Beyond productivity, direct healthcare costs are equally significant, with conditions like endometriosis costing $12,118 per patient annually, and Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) incurring $1,330–$2,500 per woman per year. Introducing ORI: A New Model of Care, Designed for Women Recognising these critical gaps, ORI emerges as a pioneering web-based chatbot that delivers personalised health navigation. It represents a new model of care, fundamentally flipping the traditional one-size-fits-all approach by starting with women’s health needs. This isn’t about excluding men, but about creating a system that finally aligns care with the realities of women’s health, capturing the unique transitions and overlaps in their health journeys, such as menopause, endometriosis, and cardiovascular risks linked to reproductive changes. How ORI Transforms Healthcare for Your Workforce ORI bridges the current fragmentation in healthcare by empowering female employees and enabling benefits managers to deliver tailored, impactful solutions. Here’s how it works: • Streamlined Benefits Access: Astonishingly, as many as 50% of employees are unaware of their specific health benefits. ORI centralises all internal and external health resources, allowing employees to easily search by symptom, condition, or life stage to redeem benefits in real-time. This significantly reduces the administrative burden on HR teams. • Spotlighting Underlying Causes of Symptoms: Many women don’t realise their symptoms are common or linked to treatable conditions, often due to a lack of awareness and the normalisation of women’s pain. ORI guides users through structured symptom assessments, flagging potential conditions and directing them toward appropriate care options. • Exploring Personalised Solutions for Conditions: For conditions like endometriosis and PCOS, which are primarily managed by symptomatic control, ORI provides tailored recommendations for symptom management based on individual preferences and priorities. • Proactive Screening for Under-Diagnosed Conditions: Many easily addressable conditions go unrecognised due to lack of knowledge and time. ORI addresses this by using questionnaires to flag potential concerns (e.g., mental health and cardiometabolic issues in women with PCOS), ensuring proactive screening often missed in practice. • Providing Safe Feedback Channels: ORI offers an intermediary platform for women to share feedback on health benefits and policies, overcoming the stigma surrounding certain health topics and empowering benefits managers to gather valuable insights to address unmet needs. The Unrivalled Value ORI Brings to Employers The implementation of ORI offers clear, quantifiable benefits: • Dramatic Reduction in Productivity Loss: By improving symptom management and guiding effective interventions, ORI has the potential to conservatively reduce productivity losses by 15–25%, translating into annual savings of $960–$8,936 per employee. • Significant Direct Cost Savings: By flagging early symptoms and preventing expenses from delayed or misdiagnoses, ORI helps mitigate the substantial direct healthcare costs associated with women’s health conditions. For instance, women with diabetes incur an additional $1,720 in annual medical costs compared to men. • Actionable Data & Insights: Gain valuable, real-time data on condition prevalence, comorbidities, employee feedback, challenges in accessing care, and unmet needs within your workforce. This empowers informed decisions on healthcare spending and interventions. • Enhanced Employer Branding: Position your company as an innovator in women’s health, attracting and retaining top talent with comprehensive, tailored health benefits. Comprehensive Coverage for Diverse Needs ORI covers a wide array of conditions, including: • (Peri)menopause • Urinary Incontinence • PCOS • Endometriosis • PMDD/PMS • Bacterial Vaginosis/UTI • Vaginitis • Vulvodynia • Chronic Pelvic Pain • Postpartum Depression • Differences in Cardiovascular Care • Differences in Diabetes Care • Hypo/Hyperthyroidism • Migraines • Holistic Informational Resources for Female Cancer Survivors • Proactive Cancer Screening Recommendations (Breast, Cervical, Colorectal) The platform is powered by gold-standard clinical guidelines from reputable medical organisations, integrates your company’s existing benefits and policies, and connects users to best-in-class external femtech solutions where existing benefits fall short. Seamless Integration & Flexible Investment Rolling out ORI is designed to be effortless for your team, requiring only your benefits and policy information and communication assistance to your employees. ORI handles everything else, from integration to ongoing maintenance and updates. Join us in this trailblazing mission to redesign healthcare with women in mind. Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### Built to Fail Her? AI’s Invisible Bias in Women’s Health (and How We Fix It for Everyone) URL: https://femtechnology.org/2025/07/30/built-to-fail-her-ais-invisible-bias-in-womens-health-and-how-we-fix-it-for-everyone/ Date: 2025-07-30T10:47:28+00:00 July 30, 2025 Deep Dives, Endometriosis, FemTech Blog, FemTech Think Pieces, Founder Interviews, Health care, medical system, Top FemTech Startups, Uncategorized, White SpaceBy Oriana Kraft AI is rapidly reshaping healthcare, promising a future of precision and personalization. Yet, for over half the global population—women—this future is dangerously unclear. Decades of systemic neglect have left women underrepresented and under-researched in healthcare data, creating critical gaps in diagnosis, treatment, and quality of life. Now, AI systems, often trained on these male-centric datasets, risk mirroring and amplifying entrenched biases, leading to misdiagnoses, ineffective treatments, and a profound erosion of trust. The Problem: Why AI is Failing Women (and Costs Us All) The current state of AI in healthcare for women isn’t merely a technical glitch; it’s a structural failure with significant human and economic costs. • Pervasive Bias in Algorithms: 76% of respondents agree that biased AI tools can lead to misdiagnoses or ineffective treatments. Despite this, a startling 58% are unsure how this bias arises in these systems. For instance, AI algorithms, trained on male-dominant data, often misclassify women’s heart attack symptoms—like nausea, fatigue, or back pain—as psychological distress, leading to fatal delays in care. Similarly, algorithms designed for mental health often overlook how conditions like depression or ADHD uniquely manifest in women. This isn’t an AI problem per se, but a human one, reflecting historical inequities. • Critical Data Gaps: AI’s foundational flaw lies in its training data. Historically, women were excluded from U.S. clinical trials until 1993. Even today, much of modern medicine’s data is based on male physiology, lacking crucial “thick” data like patient-reported outcomes (PROs), social determinants of health (SDH), and nuanced biomarkers. This “thin data” leads to diagnostic blind spots; for example, conditions like endometriosis, PCOS, and adenomyosis have historically been sparse or biased by predominantly male reference ranges. For example, Natural Language Processing (NLP) tools only recently revealed that adenomyosis prevalence is likely ten times higher than previously assumed due to the lack of an ICD code for tracking. • Economic Sinkhole of Inaction: Failing to address women’s health isn’t just a moral imperative; it’s an economic crisis. Unmet women’s health needs cost employers between $3,000 and $15,000 per female employee annually in lost productivity. For an organization with just 500 female employees, this translates to a minimum annual loss of $1.5 million. Globally, addressing these gender health gaps could unlock a staggering $1 trillion in GDP. • Erosion of Confidence and Exclusion from Design: A significant 66% of women lack confidence that AI tools truly address their unique healthcare needs. This skepticism stems from lived experiences where 80% of women feel dismissed by providers. Despite making 80% of healthcare decisions and comprising 70% of the global healthcare workforce, women remain profoundly underrepresented in the design and governance of these crucial AI systems. This lack of diversity in AI development teams leads to blind spots and deprioritization of women’s health due to perceived lower profitability. The Opportunity: How AI Can Transform Healthcare for All Despite these challenges, AI offers an unprecedented opportunity to close gender data gaps and usher in a new era of precision medicine. By intentionally designing AI with women’s health at its core, we can create a system that is inclusive, equitable, and benefits everyone • Building a Deeper, More Inclusive Data Ecosystem:     ◦ Alternative Data Collection: AI can leverage citizen science, wearable data, and patient advocacy groups to fill gaps in traditional clinical datasets. Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) can be actively sought out and incorporated, ensuring AI learns from real-world experiences, not just clinical metrics.     ◦ Privacy-Preserving Approaches: Techniques like federated learning allow AI models to train across multiple local datasets without centralizing sensitive patient data, preserving confidentiality while refining algorithms to be more accurate and representative. • Advancing Standardization in Clinical Assessments:     ◦ Sex-Specific Standards: AI can mandate sex-specific diagnostic standards to be built into models, incorporating hormonal cycles, reproductive health, and sex-specific biomarkers. This can reduce subjective variation and the historical tendency to label women’s symptoms as psychosomatic.     ◦ Evidence-Based Updating: Machine learning models can continuously update with new evidence, ensuring practices align with the latest research, such as updated cardiovascular risk factors for women or revised diagnostic guidelines for gestational diabetes. • Implementing Continuous Feedback Loops:     ◦ Real-Time Monitoring: AI-integrated wearables can track daily metrics (heart rate, sleep, hormonal data) that signal treatment efficacy or impending flare-ups, enabling adaptive protocols that adjust based on real-world patient responses.     ◦ Patient-Reported Outcomes (PROs) as Central Data: Integrating PROs ensures clinicians consider not just biomarker changes but also day-to-day experiences, emotional well-being, and social determinants of health for holistic, patient-centered care. This is especially critical for conditions like menopause, endometriosis, or postpartum depression. • Elevating Quality of Life (QoL) Within Clinical Practice:     ◦ Holistic Approaches: AI-enabled platforms can create dynamic dashboards blending objective metrics with subjective experiences like pain scores, anxiety levels, and the impact of caregiving burdens or financial stress.     ◦ Redefining Success: AI models can normalize and prioritize metrics like vaginal health, pain during intercourse, family planning goals, and postpartum recovery, recognizing their real-life impact and moving beyond generic disease remission metrics. • Ensuring Transparency and Model Explainability:     ◦ Explainable AI (XAI) Principles: Building user-friendly interfaces that show which data or metrics inform a recommendation can bolster patient trust. This allows patients and clinicians to understand and challenge AI recommendations, fostering autonomy over care.     ◦ Mandating Bias Audits: AI systems can be required to demonstrate equal performance across different populations before deployment, with continuous real-time monitoring post-deployment. Case Studies and Innovations: Bridging the Gap AI is already demonstrating its potential to transform women’s health: • Endometriosis & Adenomyosis: NLP systems analyzing patient narratives and unstructured data have reduced diagnosis timelines for endometriosis by up to 50% and uncovered adenomyosis prevalence ten times higher than previously thought. This can save $12,000 annually per patient by reducing ineffective treatments. • Fertility & Hormonal Health: Tools like Natural Cycles use AI to analyze menstrual cycles, empowering women with reproductive health insights and contributing to longitudinal datasets. AI can predict and manage thyroid disorders during pregnancy, improving outcomes for mothers and infants. • Chronic Pain Management: Platforms like Curable integrate user-reported data to offer personalized pain management, reducing opioid dependency and improving quality of life. AI-powered tools like Migraine Buddy have shown to reduce severe migraine frequency by 40%. • Cardiovascular Care: AI is being adapted to detect female-specific heart conditions like non-obstructive coronary artery disease, improving diagnostic accuracy by 30%. • Mental Health Support: AI-driven chatbots provide accessible and personalized mental health support to women, leading to significant improvements in outcomes. • PCOS Treatment: Federated learning models can predict optimal drug treatments for PCOS patients without compromising sensitive health data, enabling personalized care. Lessons from Adjacent Industries provide a blueprint: • Finance: Companies like Zest AI apply fairness constraints in credit scoring to reduce discriminatory outcomes, a model healthcare can adopt for algorithms. • Retail: Platforms like Amazon refine customer experiences through continuous feedback loops based on real-time user input. Healthcare must emulate this for patient-reported outcomes. • Oncology: Precision oncology platforms integrate genomic data to recommend individualized therapies, improving survival rates and reducing side effects by accounting for sex-specific variables. A Call to Action: Shaping the Future Together Women’s health is not a niche issue; it is the cornerstone of advancing personalized medicine for all. The decisions made now will shape healthcare systems for decades. • For Policymakers: Mandate the inclusion of sex-specific and intersectional data in all AI training datasets and incentivize research into underfunded women’s health areas. • For Tech Developers: Build AI systems that are adaptable to real-world patient data through dynamic feedback loops, standardize diagnostic thresholds for sex-based differences, and prioritize transparency in algorithm design. • For Employers: Leverage platforms that provide anonymized, aggregated workforce health data to identify trends, optimize benefits, and reduce the $3,000–$15,000 annual productivity loss per female employee. • For Researchers: Prioritize non-invasive diagnostics and wearable technologies, and foster cross-disciplinary collaboration to understand the interconnected nature of women’s health conditions. • Empowering Women: Actively involve women—as patients, clinicians, and innovators—in the design, testing, and implementation of AI tools, ensuring their lived realities inform system development. This will build AI literacy and transform women from passive recipients to active contributors. Conclusion: The Future of Precision Medicine, Starting with Women The current path risks cementing historical biases into the digital fabric of our healthcare systems. However, an optimistic scenario sees AI becoming a tool for equity, not disparity. By placing women’s health at the center of precision medicine, we unlock a cascade of innovation that transforms how we understand, treat, and prevent disease for everyone. Women’s unique biology, from hormonal cycles to the rapid aging of the ovary (the fastest-aging organ), holds the key to understanding broader human health patterns like longevity, immune resilience, and chronic disease progression. Investing in nuanced women-specific data will advance medicine for all genders, as seen in the protective role of estrogen in cardiovascular health. This is a pivotal moment to redefine healthcare. The question isn’t whether women’s health deserves attention, but why we’ve waited this long to recognize it as the key to unlocking the future of healthcare. Let us seize this opportunity to build a healthcare system where equity is inherent, innovation is transformative, and every individual has access to the care they deserve Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### The SHOCKING TRUTH: Why Women’s Health Is Being Overlooked & Misdiagnosed! URL: https://femtechnology.org/2025/07/30/the-shocking-truth-why-womens-health-is-being-overlooked-misdiagnosed/ Date: 2025-07-30T09:18:42+00:00 July 30, 2025 Deep Dives, FemTech Blog, FemTech Think Pieces, Founder Interviews, Health care, medical system, Top FemTech Startups, UncategorizedBy Oriana Kraft Did you know that despite medical breakthroughs, a massive gap in women’s healthcare remains? FemTechnology.org’s (Oriana Kraft) & HBA (Mary Stutts) latest survey reveals the startling reality: physicians are struggling to deliver equitable, personalised care because the system lacks the data and protocols necessary for women’s distinct health needs (Read the full report here : https://femtechnology.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/ThinkTank_The-Hidden-Gaps_White-Paper_Final4.pdf) This isn’t just an inconvenience; it’s a systemic failure leading to uncertainty in clinical decision-making, exacerbated disparities in treatment outcomes, and placing an undue burden on providers to fill critical gaps on their own. The numbers are alarming: 84% of women in the U.K. report feeling dismissed by their healthcare providers, and nearly half (46%) of women aged 18 to 35 in the U.S. have reported negative experiences in the past two years. As a result, women spend 25% more time in poor health than men. Physicians themselves are sounding the alarm: • Over 53% cited insufficient sex and gender-specific research and treatment guidelines as a major concern in their ability to deliver clinical care. • Nearly 47% acknowledged that systemic biases, including unconscious gender stereotypes, undermine the quality of care their patients receive. • Inadequate knowledge of sex-specific symptoms often results in missed referrals, a critical gap flagged by 45% of physicians. This crisis spans every medical specialty: • Oncology: Women face a 34% higher risk of severe side effects from cancer treatments compared to men. Crucial discussions about fertility preservation are often inequitable (e.g., 84% of men informed vs. 40% of women), and sexual side effects of cancer treatment are significantly overlooked for female patients (e.g., only 10% of women asked compared to 90% of men in one study). Limited research on women’s cancers hampers effective diagnosis and treatment. • Endocrinology: 90% of respondents identified research gaps in endocrine disorders as having a moderate to significant impact on patient outcomes. Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) affects 10% of women of reproductive age, with 70% going undiagnosed. Thyroid dysfunction and osteoporosis also reveal critical gaps in sex-specific care, particularly for postmenopausal women. • Cardiology: Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death among women worldwide, yet heart attacks in women often present with atypical symptoms like nausea, fatigue, and shortness of breath, which are frequently dismissed. Women are 1.5 to 2 times more likely than men to experience adverse drug reactions (ADRs) and are more frequently hospitalised due to drug toxicity. For instance, a cardiovascular drug approved via expedited pathways saw women account for only 32% of pre-approval trial participants, but 66% of severe arrhythmia cases post-approval. • Neurology: Migraines are three times more common in women than men, with hormonal fluctuations during menstruation, pregnancy, and menopause frequently acting as triggers. Multiple Sclerosis (MS) disproportionately affects women, a high-priority area for sex-specific research. Women account for nearly two-thirds of Alzheimer’s disease patients and experience faster cognitive decline. • Ophthalmology: Dry eye disease (DED) is twice as common in women, particularly post-menopause. Women are also more prone to age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of irreversible vision loss in older adults. This systemic disregard leads to misdiagnoses, delayed treatments, and suboptimal outcomes. It’s time for a fundamental shift in healthcare. Physicians are ready for change, and addressing these disparities is the first step towards truly personalised medicine, unlocking unprecedented breakthroughs for everyone. We must collect missing data, redefine healthcare baselines beyond ‘bikini medicine’, and incentivise systemic change. Don’t let hidden gaps in women’s health affect you or your loved ones. Learn how to get the comprehensive, personalised care you deserve. Visit ori.care today to discover a platform designed to close these critical gaps in women’s healthcare, connect you with best-in-class solutions, and ensure your unique health needs are met effectively and efficiently Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### Why Women’s Health Is Costing Your Business Millions Per Year (And What To Do About It!) URL: https://femtechnology.org/2025/07/30/why-womens-health-is-costing-your-business-millions-per-year-and-what-to-do-about-it/ Date: 2025-07-30T08:49:19+00:00 July 30, 2025 Deep Dives, FemTech Blog, FemTech Think Pieces, Founder Interviews, Health care, medical system, Top FemTech Startups, Uncategorized, White SpaceBy Oriana Kraft Is your company bleeding money without even knowing it?   A groundbreaking new report by FemTechnology.org, ORI in collaboration with the HBA (Healthcare Businesswomen’s association) exposes the systemic issues in women’s healthcare that are costing businesses millions in lost productivity, increased healthcare expenditure, and reduced employee engagement. Read the full report here: https://femtechnology.org/wp-content/… The Problem: A System Built on a “Male-Centric Norm” is Failing Women & Your Bottom Line In the healthcare sector, where women constitute 80% of the workforce, their unique health needs are often overlooked, leading to staggering consequences. 1. Misdiagnosis & Diagnostic Delay: Women are 20-30% more likely to be misdiagnosed and are diagnosed on average four years later than men across 770 diseases. This includes critical conditions like heart attacks, where women are 50% more likely to be misdiagnosed due to differing symptoms. 2. Ineffective Treatment: Clinical trials frequently exclude or minimise female-specific responses. Research shows women metabolise 86 common drugs more slowly than men, leading to higher drug exposure and more adverse reactions. Many treatments are less effective due to unaddressed hormonal differences. 3. Dismissed Pain & Psychological Labelling: Women’s pain is often minimised or labelled as emotional, with studies showing they are more likely to be prescribed sedatives than pain relievers. Middle-aged women with chest pain, for example, were twice as likely to be diagnosed with a mental illness than men. 4. Massive Productivity Losses: Conditions like severe menstrual pain, migraines, endometriosis, and menopause significantly impact work effectiveness. A shocking 69% of survey respondents reported losing 1-5 days of productivity in just the past month due to women’s health issues. This translates to thousands of dollars in productivity losses per employee annually, accumulating to millions in hidden costs for companies. 5. The “Gender Health Tax”: Single women in the U.S. spend 6.8% of their income on health insurance, compared to 3.9% for single men. Between ages 45-64, women’s direct healthcare expenditures are 21% higher than men’s. This inequality exacerbates the gender pay gap and creates barriers to career advancement. 6. Fear & Under-Reporting: Many women feel pressured to work while sick to avoid being perceived as less committed, with only 10.14% strongly agreeing their employer provides adequate support and education.  The Solution: Three Strategic Actions Your Company Can Take Now:  The report identifies actionable steps for employers to become pioneers in supporting women’s health, transforming their workforce and bottom line. 1. Centralise Resources to Create a New Care Model for Women’s Health: 76% of women expressed interest in an employer-provided tool to navigate their health benefits. A single, easy-to-access hub for all women’s health benefits reduces complexity, improves access, and ensures employees feel supported. 2. Reconsider How ‘Women’s Health’ Is Defined and Addressed: Go beyond fertility and menopause. Support for conditions like IBS, pelvic floor issues, Factor V, PCOS, and endometriosis, alongside chronic issues that present differently in women, will directly reduce hidden costs and productivity losses. 3. Invest in Listening to Women: 74% of women are interested in a tool that aligns their specific symptoms with employer-provided benefits. Collecting direct feedback allows companies to tailor benefits to meet pressing needs, close care gaps, and foster a more engaged, satisfied, and resilient workforce. The Strategic Imperative: Prioritising women’s health is more than a benefits upgrade; it’s a strategic investment that lowers overall healthcare costs, boosts productivity, and enhances wellbeing.   By addressing these critical gaps, companies can unlock new levels of productivity, engagement, and innovation, distinguishing themselves as true leaders in workplace well-being. Drive better outcomes and lower costs—partner with ORI today: ori.care #WomensHealth #EmployeeBenefits #Productivity #HiddenCosts #HealthcareInnovation Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### What If a Book Knew You? Introducing Empire of Memories: The AI-Personalized Novel Reimagining Storytelling URL: https://femtechnology.org/2025/07/24/what-if-a-book-knew-you-introducing-empire-of-memories-the-ai-personalized-novel-reimagining-storytelling/ Date: 2025-07-24T13:44:30+00:00 July 24, 2025July 24, 2025 Deep Dives, FemTech Blog, FemTech Think Pieces, Health care, medical system, Top FemTech Startups, Uncategorized, White SpaceBy Oriana Kraft Empire of Memories: The AI-Personalized Novel Reimagining Storytelling In a world where health systems, apps, and platforms all claim to be “personalized,” we still rarely encounter experiences that truly see us.  Which is part of the thesis behind, Empire of Memories: a Book That Remembers You : orianakraft.com/empire Empire of Memories is an AI-powered, immersive novel that rewrites itself around you. The story changes based on your character, your choices, and even your emotions. Before reading, each user answers a short quiz, creating a custom character that becomes embedded in the narrative. From there, certain sentences, visuals, soundtrack, and even hidden scenes shift based on your identity. It’s speculative fiction meets responsive narrative meets emotional mirror. Set in the fractured empire of Valens, the story explores what happens when perfection is sustained through invisible threads, and what it costs to unravel them. At the center is Lucraezia, the empire’s engineered heir, and Jax, a rogue memory thief whose touch can rewrite the past. What unfolds is both a high-stakes journey and a metaphor for climate collapse, power, and the price of curated reality. Why Build a Personalized Novel? Empire of Memories was born from the same core question that drives  work at ORI.care and FemTechnology: What happens when systems are designed to truly know us and not just track us? As I built ORI (a personalized health navigator for women), I kept thinking: what would it look like to apply the same principles to storytelling? Could a novel listen, reflect, and shift? Could it give readers the sense of being seen, not by an algorithm, but by a world? The Market Need for Immersive, Identity-Driven Stories We’re seeing a massive shift in how readers engage with fiction: BookTok is exploding. Fan fiction and avatar-based experiences (like Replika or visual novels on Steam) are booming. Younger audiences in particular want stories that reflect them: their identities, dilemmas, and desires. But most so-called personalized content is shallow: quiz results, character name swaps, or algorithmic feeds. Empire of Memories bridges that gap with deep narrative architecture, designed to adapt meaningfully to each reader. It taps into the emotional hunger for agency in storytelling, especially among people historically sidelined in traditional narratives. A New Type of Narrative Infrastructure Empire is a prototype of what personalized storytelling systems can become, much like how ORI is a prototype of what personalized healthcare systems should be. In both, the underlying structure matters: For Empire, it’s narrative logic, reader psychology, and creative AI orchestration. For ORI, it’s clinical guidelines and contextual reasoning. Both aim to solve the same problem: how do we make complex systems feel personal, trustworthy, and empowering? EmpireAds Try It for Yourself 🔗 Enter the world of Empire of MemoriesIt’s part book, part world, part emotional technology. And the more people who enter it, the more alive it becomes. Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### The system wasn’t broken. It was designed that way. URL: https://femtechnology.org/2025/07/17/the-system-wasnt-broken-it-was-designed-that-way/ Date: 2025-07-17T13:01:39+00:00 July 17, 2025July 17, 2025 Deep Dives, FemTech Think Pieces, Health care, medical system, Top FemTech StartupsBy Oriana Kraft Ever wonder why women’s health “malfunctions” so consistently? Why reproductive care, mental health treatment, and medical research seem to fail women in predictable patterns? What if these aren’t bugs – they’re features? Empire of Memories is an interactive novel where you become a character with a secret history. Set in a fractured world where choices manifest as threads of energy, this isn’t a story you just read – you live it. https://femtechnology.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/u9585258493_httpss.mj_.runfbF9nscHzxM_the_eye_blinks_and_lips__1abe228e-c82b-4283-8569-d11aaeac4f3c_0-1.mp4 The world: In Valens, choices aren’t abstract – they’re threads of energy, woven into a vast, living network that sustains the empire’s reality. Every decision is visible, every mistake, a ripple. The revelation: What looks like perfection is actually extraction. What appears broken elsewhere was designed that way.   When Perfect Systems Show Their Design Lucraezia, Valens’ engineered heir, has been groomed to wield this intricate power – until a message from her presumed-dead father reveals cracks in the perfect façade. Her search for answers leads her to Jax, a Memory Thief whose touch can unravel the past. In the fractured territories beyond Valens’ gilded core, memories are a currency as potent as power, traded and stolen by those who control the empire’s future. Interactive Fiction That Reveals Architecture – Enter the Empire 🧬 Become a character with your own secret history embedded in the text 🎧 Visible choice-threads that sustain empires through extraction 📖 Interactive experience where no two readers get the same story 🔗 Experience Empire of Memories here  💬 “What happens when you can see exactly how the empire sustains itself?” Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### Empire of Memories: The Interactive Novel That Changes You URL: https://femtechnology.org/2025/07/17/empire-of-memories-the-interactive-novel-that-changes-you/ Date: 2025-07-17T12:29:35+00:00 July 17, 2025July 17, 2025 Deep Dives, FemTech Think Pieces, Founder Interviews, Health care, medical system, Top FemTech StartupsBy Oriana Kraft Not About Women’s Health — But Everything to Do With It Before I built FemTechnology and ORI, I wrote Empire of Memories a book about power, memory, and what happens when choices become visible. Empire of Memories is an interactive novel where you choose your character and step into a world where every decision creates physical threads you can see and touch. I wrote it to explore systems. It accidentally became my blueprint for changing healthcare.   PSA: This World Will Mess With Your Head The setup: Choices manifest as literal threads – cerulean wool for obligation, satin sashes for seduction, barbed wire for anger. Three nations: Valens (perfect but fake), Xaemera (drowning in environmental chaos), and Fellorne (drugged into virtual reality labor). Some of the characters:  Jax – A memory thief who can summon people’s memories to their skin like bruises. He’s lost his sister and can’t tell his own memories from the ones he’s stolen. https://femtechnology.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/storm.mp4 Yara – Jax’s sister, now a priestess on a secret mission to steal the technology that keeps one nation perfect while others suffer. https://femtechnology.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/ma.mp4 Lucraezia – The brilliant inventor who built the “glamor” that makes her city look perfect and the “net” that protects it from environmental collapse. https://femtechnology.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/joy.mp4 The twist: Memory thief who can’t tell his own thoughts from stolen ones. Perfect city that literally drains life from dying nations. Brilliant inventor discovers her “dead” father has been a prisoner for years. Sister infiltrates a religious cult to steal world-saving technology. Even twistier? Every choice creates visible threads others can manipulate. Memories bubble to your skin like bruises when summoned. Environmental collapse gets hidden behind technological glamor.. Interactive Fiction That Actually Matters What makes this different: YOU are a character – and no two experiences are the same.  A magic system based on visible choice-threads Environmental sci-fi that feels terrifyingly real Original soundtrack for each character’s perspective – 🎧 Soundtrack on Spotify here Political intrigue wrapped in speculative fiction The result: A story about power that shows you how systems really work. Step Into Empire of Memories: 🔗 Experience Empire of Memories here   Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### Because Who Tells the Story Shapes the System (In Women’s Health & In Society) URL: https://femtechnology.org/2025/07/17/because-who-tells-the-story-shapes-the-system-in-womens-health-in-society/ Date: 2025-07-17T12:05:17+00:00 July 17, 2025July 17, 2025 Deep Dives, FemTech Think Pieces, Health care, medical system, UncategorizedBy Oriana Kraft Empire of Memories is a personalized, interactive novel that lets readers shape the plot, blending speculative fiction, memory science, and power dynamics. Written by Oriana Kraft (founder of FemTechnology.org), this immersive experience explores what happens when decision-making is literal, when every choice becomes a visible thread of energy, shaping your identity and society itself. If you’re interested in: Narrative games like Life is Strange or Detroit: Become Human Books like The Power, Atlas Six, or This Is How You Lose the Time War AI, storytelling, and women’s health as systems of control… …then Empire of Memories belongs on your radar. 🔍 What Makes It Unique: Visual storytelling: Embedded world art, character memory threads, and thematic collages. Original soundtrack: Available on Spotify, each track deepens the emotional arc of your experience. Health systems allegory: Without ever saying “healthcare,” it reveals how systems ignore those without power — until they start pulling back. Start reading for free: https://empire.orianakraft.com Pick your character. Rewrite your story. This isn’t a game. It’s a book that reacts to you.   https://femtechnology.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/themesong.mp3 https://femtechnology.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/storm.mp3 https://femtechnology.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/u9585258493_httpss.mj_.runfbF9nscHzxM_the_eye_blinks_and_lips__1abe228e-c82b-4283-8569-d11aaeac4f3c_0.mp4 https://www.youtube.com/shorts/BADW8vPvuWI Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### How do the stories we tell shape the technology we create? – WebSummit URL: https://femtechnology.org/2023/11/29/how-do-the-stories-we-tell-shape-the-technology-we-create-websummit/ Date: 2023-11-29T16:05:43+00:00 November 29, 2023December 19, 2023 Deep Dives, FemTech Blog, FemTech Think Pieces, Founder Interviews, Health care, medical system, Top FemTech Startups, Uncategorized, White SpaceBy Oriana Kraft Why is it so important to talk about content at a tech conference? Because, although technology powers our modern society, it is the stories we tell, and content we create, that drives how that technology is applied and what we choose to use tech for.  Think about it: would Instagram or TikTok or Facebook or even OpenAi (especially OpenAi and their large language models (LLMs)) be anything without content, without stories? No. The stories we don’t tell are just as important as the stories we do. In no arena is the impact of omitting stories (in this case the stories of women) more obvious than in the field of women’s health. For example, did you know that there are only 400 studies on periods compared to 15’000 studies on semen? Or that in 2020, only 10.7% of the U.S. government’s basic scientific research funding was allocated to women’s health? That in the UK, less than 2.5% of publicly funded research focuses on female reproductive health, even though one in three women will face significant reproductive health challenges.  That women are 20-30% more likely to be misdiagnosed than men and often wait an average of 4 years longer for the same diagnosis That for every 1 woman diagnosed with a women’s health condition, approximately 4 remain undiagnosed? These are shocking statistics but the point of these statistics is not to shock you, it is to reflect on why that might be – why is there such a discrepancy? And the answer to that lies in … Stories. Because stories, whether told or untold, shape our society and mould our understanding of the world. They’re more than narratives; they are the unseen forces that influence our lives and beliefs. And we, historically, have not listened to women when it comes to their health. We have seen women’s health conditions as being uncomfortable or taboo.  When women do dare to speak up, we dismiss them as being hysterical – in fact women with heart disease symptoms are twice as likely to be diagnosed with a mental illness than men with similar symptoms. And are twice as likely to die following a heart attack as well.  Women are even unseen in the data we collect – in fact, women of childbearing potential were excluded from clinical trials until 1993 in the US. And unseen in the textbooks clinicians use in school: In anatomy textbooks only 36% of the anatomical images with an identifiable sex were female. Too many stories of women’s health remain untold, obscured by cultural norms, taboos, and even algorithms. And This omission skews our societal dialogues and perceptions of ‘normalcy.’ In the UK, an overwhelming 84% of women report feeling unheard by their healthcare providers, a direct result of the invisibility of women’s health issues in mainstream discourse. Which is why we’re building FemTechGuide – a platform designed to create a foundational database for future innovations in women’s health by centralizing best in class solutions in women’s health to match women to their personalized healthcare solution and close the gender data health gap.  So let us reflect on a profound truth: What we talk about, is what we innovate and solve for. The stories we share don’t just entertain; they shape the frontier of scientific innovation. They ignite our imagination, open us to new perspectives, and profoundly influence our understanding of emerging technologies. Stories – those we tell and those we leave untold – have the power to reshape our society. They are the unseen forces moulding our perceptions, guiding our technologies, and influencing our collective future. Stories are the tools through which we redefine narratives and drive positive societal change. In the end, what we all seek is to be seen and heard. This is the essence of what content and stories should achieve. They should be the catalysts that not only inspire how we use technology but also influence the kind of technology we create; to make sure everyone is seen and heard and reflected in the technology we are crafting. (Excerpt from WebSummit speech by Oriana Kraft) Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### Why is women-Centric-Cancer-Care a prime case study for redesigning healthcare with women in mind? URL: https://femtechnology.org/2023/07/17/why-is-women-centric-cancer-care-a-prime-case-study-for-redesigning-healthcare-with-women-in-mind/ Date: 2023-07-17T07:24:25+00:00 July 17, 2023 Deep Dives, Health care, medical system, UncategorizedBy Kryza Women are 34% more likely than men to experience severe side effects from cancer treatments (for immunotherapy that number rises to a 50% increased risk of serious side effects). A study conducted by a major cancer centre found that cancer treatment often fails to take into account the personal needs of women: 90% of men undergoing brachytherapy for prostate cancer were asked about their sexual health vs 10% of the women undergoing brachytherapy for cervical cancer. Sexual function was discussed with 89% of men versus only 13% of women at their initial radiation therapy consultation. 81% of men with prostate cancer had their sexual health assessed using a patient-reported outcome tool, compared to 0% of women. Next to medical decisions, the way women tend to choose to fight cancer may differ. In a study of differences in attitudes of breast cancer vs prostate cancer, women often chose the most aggressive therapy, while men weighed the cost-benefit ratio. Women also tended to seek guidance from others who had gone through cancer treatment, building up a social support network, something men undergoing cancer treatment tended to lack. Investigating these differences is essential to design a system that better serves the needs of patients. At this year’s FemTechnology Summit in collaboration with Roche, we explored what women-centric cancer care might look like: including the perspective of clinicians, Pharma, researchers and Femtech Startups (both as the innovators in the space and as the patients impacted themselves) in the discussion. Here we’re highlighting the exceptional achievements of three inspiring leaders who recently attended the FemTechnology Summit. These remarkable individuals are redefining the landscape of Cancer Care and empowerment through groundbreaking technological advancements: MiMARK: specializing in the discovery, verification and validation of biomarkers to develop new solutions for gynaecological patients AOA Dx: developing first accurate early-stage ovarian cancer diagnostic test Prosoma: developing digital therapeutics for mental health for women undergoing cancer treatment. Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### How The Stories We Tell Shape Our Society (in Women’s Health and Beyond) URL: https://femtechnology.org/2023/07/17/how-the-stories-we-tell-shape-our-society-in-womens-health-and-beyond/ Date: 2023-07-17T07:22:55+00:00 July 17, 2023July 17, 2023 Deep Dives, Health care, medical system, UncategorizedBy Oriana Kraft As children, we absorb the stories we are told.  Fairytales. Marvel superheroes. We soak up their meanings and structures as facts and organizing principles. As a society we function in the same way: we live guided by unseen codes and hidden systems. The problem with hidden systems? They hold us back without our ever even knowing it. That’s certainly the case with #womenshealth — what we fund impacts what we know, what we study and the therapies that come to market. The lack of funding in women’s health is why, even today, we still don’t have answers about so much of the basic physiology of 50% of the world’s population. For example, did you know that there are approximately 400 studies on menstrual effluent compared with 15’000 studies on semen? Or that in 2020, only 10.7% of the basic scientific research funding provided by the United States government went towards women’s health research? The lack of funding in women’s health has dire real-world consequences. ❓ Did you know that middle-aged women with chest pain and other symptoms of heart disease are 2x as likely to be diagnosed with a mental illness compared with men with the same symptoms? ❓ Or that male patients are administered pain relief medication more frequently than female patients vs their female counterparts who are administered sedative medication more frequently in postoperative coronary bypass settings? For too long women have been unseen and unheard when it comes to their health: ????They are unseen in the data we collect: Women of childbearing potential were excluded from clinical trials until 1993 in the US. ????They are unseen in the textbooks clinicians use in school: In a study of more than 6,000 images from 17 anatomy textbooks published between 2008 and 2013, only 36% of the anatomical images with an identifiable sex were female. So, how do we change things? If stories form a backbone for our society — how can we weave stories that incentivise – no, demands — innovation in women’s health? At this year’s FemTechnology Summit in collaboration with Roche, we tackled exactly that topic. We explored how, for many years, biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies did not invest much in developing drugs and biologics for rare diseases or conditions because “there [was] no reasonable expectation [that] the sales of the drug[s would] recover the costs”. And why did that change? Due to Public Investment and changes in Policy that suddenly made an attractive investment case. Disease patient advocacy groups formed a coalition that became the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) to highlight the need for Public Investment and a change in Policy. And it worked. So why couldn’t — why shouldn’t — something similar be the case in women’s health? It requires a movement — and that movement starts with us. We need to tell these stories, spread the word about them and listen to them to understand that the symptoms women experience are not anomalies, but the ’norm’ as well. Some Institutions that are doing Awesome Work in terms of reshaping the narrative/ telling women’s stories are : EqualVoice, AsEquals Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### Femtechnology Summit Interview with Roche Digital Innolab URL: https://femtechnology.org/2023/06/04/femtechnology-summit-interview-with-roche-digital-innolab/ Date: 2023-06-04T12:42:58+00:00 June 4, 2023June 4, 2023 Health care, Uncategorized, White SpaceBy Oriana Kraft   Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### ESG Alignment on Women’s Health URL: https://femtechnology.org/2023/05/28/esg-alignment-on-womens-health/ Date: 2023-05-28T09:27:28+00:00 May 28, 2023 UncategorizedBy Laetitia Von Planta Ever since ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) became a governmental priority, people have increasingly started thinking about the under-representation of women in business, science and clinical trials, resulting for instance in the passing of the EU’s landmark 40% quota for women on corporate boards. However there are still no frameworks for quantifying how much and who supports women’s health. This is a missed opportunity. Working women can boost productivity, increase economic diversification and income equality, and support economic resilience. For example, if all women did not or could not work for a day, the resulting GDP loss in the US would amount to $21 billion. Families rely on women, who make up 66% of family caregivers, as caregivers. However, unhealthy women, such as those struggling with endometriosis (1 in 10), PCOS (1 in 2-25), and menopause (all women who have menstruated), may struggle to keep others healthy. The new focus on ESG alignment can and should be leveraged to make women’s health a priority within governance and provision frameworks. So how should companies approach this? We cannot improve what we do not measure. Therefore, when collecting and analyzing data in the context of ESG analysis, there are a few considerations that should be made, including: Measure what matters: ensure that measurements reflect corporate priorities that are explicitly tied to health outcomes. Standardize measures: adopting existing measurement systems can reduce the overall cost of data collection, allow for comparability, benchmarking, and the creation of learning communities. Metrics should align with specific programs and anticipated results to achieve the targeted health equity outcome. Identify current data sources to inform the metrics, and then determine what key data may be missing. Explore low-lift ways to obtain that data. FemTechnology Summit – ESG Alignment on Women’s Health In collaboration with Roche, the FemTechnology Workshop on ESG Alignment on Women’s Health raises the question of why there are no frameworks for quantifying the amount and type of support for women’s health, and how we can prioritize women’s health in ESG frameworks. We are excited to announce that Claudia Navarro Padilla, the Chief of Staff for Life Sciences and Healthcare at Deloitte, will facilitate the FemTechnology Summit Workshop on ESG. Join us in Basel, Switzerland June 6th and 7th! Sign up here! Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### Women-Centric Cancer Care URL: https://femtechnology.org/2023/05/19/women-centric-cancer-care/ Date: 2023-05-19T09:33:32+00:00 May 19, 2023 UncategorizedBy Laetitia Von Planta Women are 34% more likely than men to experience severe side effects from cancer treatments. But why is this the case? Research suggests that gender stereotypes may play a role in the cancer experience. A study conducted by a major cancer center found that cancer treatment often fails to take into account the personal needs of women. To improve support and recovery, the holistic and unique needs of women must be considered. Let’s look at some numbers: In a high-volume cancer center, 9 out of 10 men undergoing brachytherapy for prostate cancer were asked about their sexual health, compared to only 1 out of 10 women having brachytherapy for cervical cancer. Sexual function was discussed with 89% of men and only 13% of women at their initial radiation therapy consultation. In addition, 81% of men with prostate cancer had their sexual health assessed using a patient-reported outcome tool, compared to 0% of women. Next to medical decisions, the way women tend to choose to fight cancer differs significantly from men. For instance, women often choose the most aggressive therapy, while men tend to approach the disease in a more deliberative and analytical way, considering the data first and then weighing the cost-benefit ratio. Women also tend to seek guidance from others who have gone through cancer treatment, building up a social support network, which men undergoing cancer treatment tend to lack. FemTechnology Summit – Workshop on Women-Centric Cancer Care For the Women-Centric Cancer Care Workshop at the #FemTechnologySummit in collaboration with Roche, we aim to explore how to shape cancer treatment and care after diagnosis. We are thrilled to announce that Jennifer Cain Birkmose will be facilitating this FemTechnology Summit workshop. Jennifer is a health tech co-founder, pharmaceutical executive, and TEDx speaker. Currently, she is the Principal of IQVIA, a leading global provider of advanced analytics, technology solutions, and clinical research services to the life sciences industry. Join us in Basel, Switzerland June 6th and 7th! Sign up here! Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### The Link Between Gender and Effective Therapy URL: https://femtechnology.org/2023/05/14/the-link-between-gender-and-effective-therapy/ Date: 2023-05-14T13:02:34+00:00 May 14, 2023 UncategorizedBy Laetitia Von Planta Gender is a crucial factor in determining health and illness. Doctors who are aware of gender can contribute to equity and equality in health, ultimately aiming towards better health for both men and women. However, gender has been largely ignored in medicine, which is still largely based on the white, 70 kg male model. This lack of gender awareness can be felt in research and education, severely impacting women’s health worldwide. For example, optimal doses of heart failure medication differ between women and men. Women typically require half the dose of men, and increasing the dosage can lead to more adverse drug reactions. Unfortunately, these differences are not usually included in guidelines, and women have 1.5 times more adverse drug reactions compared to men. Despite this common issue, gender concepts are not typically integrated into most medical education. Surveys show that over 70% of post-graduate physician trainees rarely encounter gender concepts in didactic lectures or clinical teaching, even though over 65% feel that gender medicine concepts are important. More than 60% of respondents believe that gender medicine curriculum should be implemented and taught in clinical programs. FemTechnology Summit – Workshop on the Link Between Gender and Effective Therapy For the FemTechnology Summit Workshop on the Link Between Gender and Effective Therapy in Medicine, in collaboration with Roche, we would like to explore the following questions: What are the most underrated differences that should be accounted for in physician practices, insurance models, and research? Going forward, how can we ensure gender is more effectively incorporated into therapeutic and diagnostic strategies? Introducing Celina Gorre We are thrilled to announce that Celina Gorre, CEO of WomenHeart: The National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease, will be the facilitator for the FemTechnology Summit Workshop on the Link Between Gender and Effective Therapy in Medicine in collaboration with Roche. Celina has more than 15 years of experience in global health, corporate social responsibility, and research funding. She served as executive director of the Global Alliance for Chronic Diseases (GACD) and managing director of the Foundation for the United Nations Global Compact. She also worked in the field with United Nations Populations Fund and UNICEF in Angola as a senior HIV/AIDS advisor. Gorre consulted the government of Angola on its HIV strategy, child survival, and nutrition programs, and local companies on their social and community investments. Gorre also has extensive experience developing health and social programs for multinational companies. She has worked for the Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria (now GBCHealth), guiding companies such as Nike, Volkswagen, Colgate, American Express, and Chevron, on their strategy implementation for employees, consumers, and communities. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in psychology and a Master’s in Public Health in epidemiology, both from UCLA, and a Master’s in Public Administration from Harvard University. Join us in Basel, Switzerland June 6th and 7th! Sign up here! Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### Financing Innovation in Women’s Health URL: https://femtechnology.org/2023/05/09/financing-innovation-in-womens-health/ Date: 2023-05-09T18:18:09+00:00 May 9, 2023 UncategorizedBy Laetitia Von Planta Due to underrepresentation in health research, our understanding of women’s health is limited. The value of research investment on women’s health is not widely accepted, which has far reaching consequences. Accelerating and increasing funding for women’s health research is likely to have a significant impact on the health and well-being of everyone. Understanding this impact would provide vital information to funders, researchers, and policymakers to help them plan investments that can yield the greatest public health benefits. Without information on the potential return on investment (ROI) for women’s health research, research funders, policymakers, and business leaders lack a basis for altering research investments to improve knowledge of women’s health. The results show that investing in women’s health research can generate gains beyond those achieved through general research. For instance, investing $300 million in women’s health research yields a return of $13 billion to the economy. Furthermore, even slight health improvements resulting from increased funding for women’s health research can lead to significant returns, such as increased life years, reduced years with disease, fewer years of functional dependence, and less disruption to work productivity. Femtechnology Summit 2023 Workshop For the Workshop on Financing Innovation in Women’s Health at the Femtechnology Summit this year, in collaboration with Roche, we want to bring attention to the current funding situation in women’s health. We aim to explore what strategies can be put in place to share the burden of development for novel innovative medicines in women’s health, and how multi-stakeholders can come together to clearly outline hurdles and build new workable paths to innovate on endpoints in underserved women’s health conditions such as endometriosis, PCOS, and fibroids. We invite everyone to join us in this important discussion. Join us in Basel, Switzerland June 6th and 7th! Sign up here!   Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### 5 Influencers Drawing Attention to Women’s Health You Need to Know URL: https://femtechnology.org/2023/05/01/5-influencers-drawing-attention-to-womens-health-you-need-to-know/ Date: 2023-05-01T11:21:18+00:00 May 1, 2023 UncategorizedBy Laetitia Von Planta Let’s take a look at some of the influencers who are taking advantage of people using social media as a source of health information and actively drawing attention to the needs in women’s health! Francesca Milani (@gravizanda_andmore) Francesca Milani is a Registered Midwife with over 10 years of hands-on clinical experience in childbirth and women’s care. She is an IBCLC International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant with strong expertise in breastfeeding management, education, and support.  Driven by her passion for promoting women’s reproductive health, she is excited about Femtech and eager to bring her creativity and efficiency to improve the health and well-being of women and their babies through personalized and comprehensive care. She is using her platform to educate about pregnancy, motherhood, and breastfeeding. Saru Bala (@drsarabala) Saru Bala is a naturopathic doctor who specializes in women’s health and pediatrics. Her focus is on helping women regulate their hormones, providing pre- and post-partum care, and improving fertility health.She uses her platform to raise awareness about period health, PMS, and pain management.   Brittney Ellers (@b.ellers) Brittney Ellers, PT, DP is a holistic pelvic physical therapist, women’s mentor, and yoga instructor. She offers holistic, accessible, and personalized pelvic care and coaching in person or online. She uses her platform to help people feel confident and free in their bodies through pelvic healthcare. Zoya Ali (@uteropedia) Zoya Ali is a Senior Scientific Research Associate at Hertility Health. In her role as a researcher, she primarily focuses on PCOS, patient information, support and counseling, LGBTQIA+ healthcare, and the influence of sexually transmitted infections on reproductive health. On her platform @uteropedia, she educates about sex, periods, and simplifies and demystifies fertility. Kathryn King (@periodtalk) Kathryn King is the Branding Account Manager for global FMCG brands at Epoch. In addition to her full-time job, she also runs Bloody Honest, a platform that opens up conversations about periods and menstrual health through various channels and formats, including TikTok, where she has a following of over 500k people. We will be discussing the Role of Media in Women’s Health and more at the Femtechnology Summit on June 6 & 7 in Basel, Switzerland!     Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### Femtechnology Summit 2023 – The Role of the Media in Women’s Health Workshop URL: https://femtechnology.org/2023/05/01/femtechnology-summit-2023-the-role-of-the-media-in-womens-health-workshop/ Date: 2023-05-01T06:50:57+00:00 May 1, 2023 UncategorizedBy Laetitia Von Planta During the FemTechnology Summit Workshop on The Role of the Media in Women’s Health, we wanted to discuss the many uses of social media for health-related purposes (e.g., interventions, health campaigns, medical education, and disease outbreak surveillance) as well as the potential risks patients and healthcare professionals (e.g., poor-quality information, damage to professional image, breaches of patient privacy, and legal issues), and in particular in relation to women’s health. We’re thrilled to announce our finspiring facilitator for the FemTechnology Summit Workshop on The Role of the Media in Women’s Health, Mitzi Krockover, MD! Mitzi Krockover, MD is the Founder and CEO of Woman Centered, LLC a company dedicated to improving the health of women. Most recently she launched the Beyond the Paper Gown podcast, which aims to inform, inspire and engage women so that they can achieve optimal health. She also supports and mentors other women’s entrepreneurs as a Managing Director of Golden Seeds, an angel investment organization dedicated to funding early-stage women-led companies. Dr. Krockover has long been a leader in the area of women’s health and women’s issues. She was the founding Medical Director of the Iris Cantor-UCLA Women’s Health Center, designated a Center of Excellence by the Department of Health and Human Services. She then served as Vice President of Women’s Health for Humana Inc. where she was the company’s chief healthcare strategist and spokesperson for women’s health. Currently, she serves as a member of the Council of the Women’s Health Innovation Coalition of Springboard, an accelerator for entrepreneurial life science and technology companies led by women and as an Ambassador of HITLab’s Women’s Health Initiative. Join us in Basel, Switzerland June 6th and 7th! Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### The Role of Social Media in Women’s Health URL: https://femtechnology.org/2023/05/01/the-role-of-social-media-in-womens-health/ Date: 2023-05-01T06:43:20+00:00 May 1, 2023 UncategorizedBy Laetitia Von Planta According to the Women’s Health Strategy for England, more than 84% of women responding to their survey felt that their healthcare  professionals were not listening to them. This comes at a time when (independant from the former) it’s becoming increasingly common to rely on Social Media as a source of health Information. Already 1 in 5 Americans turn to Influencers before seeking  advice from a medical professional.  There are three main reasons why people tend to seek medical advice on social media:  Accessibility Affordability  Approachability Although it might seem risky to rely on social media for information about one’s health, the new presence of social media in the health sphere creates opportunities for how we approach health interventions, medical education, health campaigns, and disease outbreak surveillance. For example, social media can be used to disseminate health information to a wide audience quickly and efficiently. This can include information about new treatments, disease prevention strategies, and public health initiatives.Social media can also be used to educate medical professionals and students about the latest developments in medical research and practice, as well as to provide a platform for networking and collaboration.Additionally, social media can be used to mobilize communities to support health campaigns and initiatives, and to gather data on disease outbreaks to inform public health responses. However, it is important to acknowledge that this trend also poses potential risks to patients and healthcare professionals that should not be ignored. These risks can manifest in various forms, including poor-quality information, damage to professional image, breaches of patient privacy, and legal issues. For instance, poor-quality information disseminated through social media can lead to patients being misinformed or misled, which can be detrimental to their health. Breaches of patient privacy on social media can also lead to legal issues for healthcare professionals and institutions, as well as harm to patient trust and confidence.   The Role of the Media in Women’s Health Workshop Although the role of social media in health is an important topic for everyone, we would like to focus specifically on the role of the media in women’s health. There is a long history of women mistrusting their doctors, and we believe that exploring the opportunities and risks associated with the media’s role in women’s health can shed light on this issue.  We will be discussing the Role of Media in Women’s Health and more at the Femtechnology Summit on June 6 & 7 in Basel, Switzerland.  We’re thrilled to announce our inspiring facilitator for the FemTechnology Summit Workshop on The Role of the Media in Women’s Health, Mitzi Krockover, MD, the Founder and CEO of Women Centered. Join us in Basel, Switzerland June 6th and 7th! Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### Women’s Health, Productivity and Equity URL: https://femtechnology.org/2023/04/27/womens-health-productivity-and-equity/ Date: 2023-04-27T17:41:52+00:00 April 27, 2023September 4, 2023 FemTech BlogBy Oriana Kraft Women’s health is a crucial component of overall wellbeing and productivity. Unfortunately, there is still a significant data gap when it comes to understanding and addressing women’s health needs. The gender data gap refers to the lack of accurate and comprehensive data on the experiences of women and girls in a variety of areas, including health. This data gap has serious implications for women’s health outcomes, as it can lead to a lack of understanding of the unique health needs and challenges faced by women. It can also limit the effectiveness of healthcare interventions and policies aimed at improving women’s health. There are a number of health benefits that can be achieved by addressing women’s health needs. For example, improving access to reproductive health services can lead to improved maternal and infant health outcomes, as well as a decrease in unintended pregnancies. Addressing women’s mental health needs can also have significant benefits, including improving overall quality of life and reducing the risk of chronic conditions like heart disease. However, achieving these health benefits requires a commitment to equity and a focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). This means addressing the unique challenges faced by women from diverse backgrounds, including those who face barriers to accessing healthcare and those who experience discrimination or bias in healthcare settings. It also entails recognizing and addressing systemic barriers to healthcare access and quality, such as bias and discrimination, and working to create a more inclusive and welcoming healthcare environment for all patients. To achieve equity in women’s health, it is necessary to address the gender data gap and work towards a more comprehensive understanding of women’s health needs. This can involve collecting more data on women’s health experiences, including information on their healthcare access, utilization, and outcomes. It can also involve ensuring that healthcare providers receive adequate training on gender and cultural competence to ensure that they are able to provide high-quality care to all patients, regardless of their background. Ultimately, improving women’s health outcomes requires a multi-faceted approach that addresses the unique health needs of women from diverse backgrounds, and works towards equity and inclusion in all aspects of healthcare delivery. By addressing the gender data gap and prioritizing DEI in healthcare, we can improve health outcomes for women and promote overall productivity and wellbeing. By providing women with tools to track and manage their own health, FemTechnology can empower women to take a more active role in their own care and improve their health outcomes. However, there is a risk that femtech solutions may exacerbate the gender data gap if they are not designed with diversity, equity, and inclusion in mind. For example, if femtech solutions are only designed for a narrow demographic of women, they may not accurately reflect the experiences and health needs of women from diverse backgrounds. To ensure that femtech solutions are effective and equitable, it is important to prioritize diversity and inclusion in the development and deployment of these technologies. This means involving diverse groups of women in the design and testing of femtech products, and ensuring that they are accessible and affordable for all women. Overall, femtech has the potential to play a crucial role in promoting women’s health and productivity. By addressing the gender data gap and prioritizing equity and inclusion in the development of these technologies, we can ensure that femtech solutions are effective and accessible for all women, regardless of their background. Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### How does DEI fit into FemTech space? URL: https://femtechnology.org/2023/04/27/how-does-dei-fit-into-femtech-space/ Date: 2023-04-27T17:34:06+00:00 April 27, 2023September 4, 2023 FemTech BlogBy Oriana Kraft Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is an essential aspect of any industry or field, and the FemTech space is no exception. FemTech is a growing market that focuses on developing and innovating technology solutions for women’s health and wellness. This industry has the potential to significantly impact the lives of women worldwide, particularly those from diverse backgrounds who often face additional barriers to accessing quality healthcare. In recent years, there has been a push for greater DEI in the tech industry as a whole, and this push has extended to the FemTech space as well. There are several ways in which DEI fits into the FemTech space: Firstly, it is important to note that women from diverse backgrounds often face unique challenges when it comes to healthcare. These challenges may include cultural barriers, lack of access to healthcare providers, and systemic discrimination. FemTech companies that prioritize DEI can help bridge this gap by creating products and services that are specifically designed to address these challenges. For example, a FemTech company might develop an app that offers multilingual support and culturally sensitive content to cater to women from diverse backgrounds. By doing so, the company can ensure that its product is accessible to women who might otherwise be excluded from the market. Secondly, DEI can also help promote innovation in the FemTech space. When companies prioritize diversity, they bring in a variety of perspectives and experiences, which can lead to more creative solutions. This can result in products that are more inclusive, effective, and better suited to meet the needs of a diverse population. Thirdly, promoting DEI can also help foster trust between FemTech companies and their users. Women want to know that the companies they are trusting with their health and wellness are committed to supporting and advocating for them. By prioritizing DEI, companies can demonstrate this commitment and build stronger relationships with their users. Lastly, DEI is crucial for the long-term success of the FemTech industry. The industry is growing rapidly, and companies that prioritize DEI now will be better positioned to compete and succeed in the future. By building diverse teams, creating inclusive products, and prioritizing equity and inclusion, FemTech companies can establish themselves as leaders in the industry and drive meaningful change in the world of women’s health and wellness. In conclusion, DEI is an essential aspect of the FemTech space. By prioritizing diversity, equity, and inclusion, FemTech companies can develop more innovative products, promote trust with their users, and establish themselves as leaders in the industry. As the FemTech industry continues to grow and evolve, it is essential that DEI remains a priority to ensure that the benefits of this industry are accessible to all women, regardless of their background or circumstances.   Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### The Business Case for Women’s Health Solutions URL: https://femtechnology.org/2023/04/18/the-business-case-for-womens-health-solutions/ Date: 2023-04-18T17:51:55+00:00 April 18, 2023 FemTech Blog, UncategorizedBy Laetitia Von Planta For every female director who is promoted, two women at the same level of seniority choose to quit. This exodus of female leaders is partly due to the persistent pay gap between men and women, but also to companies’ failure to deliver the cultural elements of work that are critically important to women. For every female director who is promoted, two women at the same level of seniority choose to quit. This exodus of female leaders is partly due to the persistent pay gap between men and women, but also to companies’ failure to deliver the cultural elements of work that are critically important to women. The absence of such cultural elements necessary for a healthy workplace can lead to sexual bias, discrimination, or gender-related exclusion in the workplace. Let’s take a look at some numbers…. 1 in 10 women in the UK leave the workforce due to menopause symptoms  85% of working age women have experienced 4 or more women’s health conditions  95% of employers have no menopause support policy in place  60%  of women feel uncomfortable talking to their manager if symptoms of menopause are impacting their work performance  60% of employers say they are facing challenges with attracting and retaining female talent  25% of women said a women’s health issue had affected their opportunities for promotion  Confronted with these numbers it becomes obvious that we should prioritize incorporating FemTech solutions and disease areas to make women feel comfortable discussing these sensitive issues with their bosses. Or in the words of Alan Price (CEO at BrightHR, responsible for the global rollout of HR tech supporting over 44,000 organizations):  “We need to do better. Having an open and supportive work environment is a good place to start, a place where conversations around sensitive topics are encouraged and normalized and nobody is made to feel unwanted. It’s crucial that managers lead by example. To do this effectively, we need to educate ourselves. The more knowledgeable we are, the better we can listen and be confident discussing the support available” –  The Business Case for Women’s Health Solutions Workshop  At this year’s FemTechnology Summit, we will be shedding light on the business case for women’s health solutions. The workshop is facilitated by Anula Jayasuriya, partner at DigitalDx Ventures. This majority woman-owned impact fund comprises a team of successful Silicon Valley digital health investors, medical professionals, and legal professionals. They leverage AI and big data technologies to diagnose major global health issues.   What questions will we be addressing in our workshop? We’re calling into question business’ policies, benefits, support and all around culture around women’s health. What is the cost to corporations/businesses in failing to support women’s health?  How can businesses better support women’s health going forward?  Which femtech solutions & disease areas should be a priority to incorporate? Join us in Basel, Switzerland June 6th and 7th! Sign up here! Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### Why Do We Need To Redesign Healthcare With Women in Mind? URL: https://femtechnology.org/2023/04/13/why-do-we-need-to-redesign-healthcare-with-women-in-mind/ Date: 2023-04-13T07:29:44+00:00 April 13, 2023 FemTech Blog, UncategorizedBy Laetitia Von Planta Modern medicine was not designed with women in mind. It was designed by men, for men, and specifically for a 70 kg white man. However, most of us do not fit that description. As a result, the healthcare system we rely on does not have the tools it needs to fully meet our needs. What does that mean concretely for women’s health? Let’s take a look at a few examples:  Doctors discussed sexual health with 89% of men compared to 13% of women  Women with Type one diabetes are 37% more likely to die from secondary complications than men  On average, women wait 4 years longer to receive a diagnosis for the same disease as men  Women receive pain medication 16 minutes later than men in emergency settings We can see that the “one size fits all” approach to medicine, which completely ignores the fact that prevalence and manifestation of diseases differs between men and women, makes women feel unheard and has catastrophic consequences for women’s health.  The different prevalences  and manifestation of diseases between men and women logically should have an the diagnostic  tools that are used how care is accessed,  what is considered a ‘vital sign’ what our definition of the baseline is what we screen for. This is where FemTech comes into play, our tool to redesign healthcare. How will FemTech redesign healthcare?  FemTech will transform the way we collect healthcare data and how we use it. The Gender Data Gap in healthcare is well-documented. For example, 70% of people impacted by chronic pain are women, yet 80% of pain studies are conducted on male mice or human men.. This large and glaring gap in our knowledge of women and their bodies is why it’s unsurprising that women are 20–30% more likely to be misdiagnosed than men. FemTech startups allow for the collection of important health datasets in real time, as well as the collection of data from a much wider and more diverse sample set of people than would otherwise be represented in clinical trials. This renders the information collected more insightful and widely applicable. FemTech will revolutionize how patients communicate with doctors More than 40 percent of women who were eventually diagnosed with a serious autoimmune disease had been dismissed by doctors who said they were “just too concerned with their health or they’re a hypochondriac.” This dismissal of women by doctors is a fundamental problem that can lead to delayed diagnosis and treatment. One reason why women feel dismissed by doctors is that physicians are often not taught to recognize how symptoms of many diseases manifest in women, and they may lack the diagnostic tools to diagnose women correctly. By presenting doctors with data that supports their concerns, women may face less resistance in convincing doctors that something is wrong. FemTech is redefining inter-patient communication The driving force behind the success of most FemTech startups is their effective communities. These are patient communities where women can gather to discuss similar challenges, share insights, and ways in which they have felt dismissed by the healthcare system. Patient communities are not unique to women’s reproductive health, but an integral part of healthcare as a whole. They allow patients to connect with others undergoing the same thing, learn from each other, and crowdsource solutions that can provide much-needed relief. FemTech startups play an interesting role in the space. They straddle the line between being healthcare providers and delivering a consumer good as a brand. The applications of FemTech vary from chronic syndromes (e.g. endometriosis to sexual wellness, mental health and beyond.  Do you want to redesign healthcare with women in mind? Join us in Basel, Switzerland June 6th and 7th!  Sign up here! Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### FemTechnology Summit 2023 – Gender Data Gap Workshop URL: https://femtechnology.org/2023/04/11/femtechnology-summit-2023-gender-data-gap-workshop/ Date: 2023-04-11T10:26:40+00:00 April 11, 2023 FemTech Blog, UncategorizedBy Laetitia Von Planta Researchers found that a state of the art approach to Al used in hospitals has a 70% success rate in predicting liver disease from blood tests They also uncovered a wide gender gap – with 44% of cases in women missed, compared with 23% cases among men This is one of the many collective pain points in women’s health that we’re addressing in our workshops at the FemTechnology Summit 2023! We’re thrilled to present The Weber Shandwick Collective as our Partner for our Gender Data Gap Workshop! The Weber Shandwick Collective is a strategic communications and consulting network composed of specialist creative, marketing, communications, and consulting firms. It is designed for the convergence of society, media, policy, and technology. What questions will we be tackling in our workshop? We will be tackling these questions and more in our workshop on the Gender Data Health Gap: Which crucial data sets in women’s health should be prioritised? By which innovative means might they be collected? What are the most effective ways to incorporate these findings into research, clinical practice and corporate settings? What’s unique about the workshops? Want to close the gender data gap? Join us in Basel, Switzerland June 6th and 7th! Sign up here!   Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### Who Is Looking To Close The Gender Data Gap? URL: https://femtechnology.org/2023/04/07/who-is-looking-to-close-the-gender-data-gap/ Date: 2023-04-07T09:07:41+00:00 April 7, 2023 Health care, medical system, Top FemTech StartupsBy Laetitia Von Planta Let’s take a look at a few companies that are taking action to close the gender data gap in healthcare. By collecting and analyzing data, they aim to improve women’s health and move away from the outdated understanding that men are the default human. This will ultimately help prevent misdiagnosis and underdiagnosis. Women at the Table Women at the Table is a global civil society organization based in Geneva, Switzerland. Their goal is to expose the systematic exclusion of women from defining rules and to identify strategic changes to laws, regulations, and norms. They highlight the problem of biased data sets, including the “missing data” of women, girls, and other historically marginalized groups that render them invisible in the data. This issue is becoming increasingly relevant in a world with machine learning. The organization has several projects addressing this, including the A+ Alliance and the Gender Gap App. theblood theblood is a FemTech company based in Berlin, with a mission to help people access, understand, and benefit from unprecedented data. To achieve this, they have developed a new approach to blood analysis using menstrual blood, which has not been used in the past. This non-invasive and uncomplicated procedure allows people to regularly measure health data and detect early abnormalities. DotLab  DotLab is a women’s healthcare technology company that aims to improve the diagnosis of active endometriosis. Currently, it can take up to eleven years to diagnose endometriosis, despite the fact that 1 in 10 women suffer from the condition. To address this diagnostic gap that is over a century old, DotLab has developed a blood test called DotEndo. This test measures specific biomarkers that help to identify active endometriosis across all stages of the disease, regardless of hormones, cycle, or symptoms. Dama Health  Dama Health aims to advance the field of personalized and precision medicine by focusing on contraception fit. Contraceptives are frequently prescribed in a fast, inaccurate, and non-personalized manner, which can result in unwanted and burdensome side effects. Dama Health’s technology takes into account a user’s preferences, medical history, previous experience, and specific requirements. It searches through a vast database to find the most suitable type and brand of contraception. Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### Why We Need To Talk About The Gender Data Gap URL: https://femtechnology.org/2023/04/03/why-we-need-to-talk-about-the-gender-data-gap/ Date: 2023-04-03T18:34:38+00:00 April 3, 2023April 3, 2023 Health care, medical system, UncategorizedBy Laetitia Von Planta Viewing men as the default human has been human society. This habit is deeply set, from language – where the word “man” stands for both men and the entire species – to healthcare, where medical education has focused on a “male” norm that assumes the male body is representative of the human body. This male-centric thinking has left a “female shaped” gap in human history– the gender data gap – and  its impact can be felt in women’s lives every day. In a world where humanity is becoming increasingly reliant on data, the impact of the gender data gaps will be even greater. If the data we use is corrupted by gaps, the information we are trying to uncover will always be flawed, especially for women. But how is the gender data gap affecting health care?   Gender data gaps can be found every step of the process that shapes health care: from discovery and testing to clinical practice to outcomes.  Females are often excluded or underrepresented in the cells, animals, and humans studied in biomedical, clinical, and public health research. Only 30%, 43%, and 54% of the 11.5 million papers published between 1980 and 2016 reported on both male and female populations. Even when females are included in studies, researchers rarely analyze or report results by sex (biological characteristics) or gender (societal norms and behavior). Clinical guidelines and practice often ignore sex and gender differences, using men as proxies for women. When measuring effectiveness, it is again not the norm to disaggregate outcomes for women. Unsurprisingly, the lack of information about women’s health is putting women’s lives at risk in countless ways. This includes care delays and errors, adverse drug reactions, and lower survival rates in certain diseases. Care delays and error Doctors tend to misdiagnose, underdiagnose, or undertreat diseases that predominantly affect women, or in situations where women present with different symptoms for common diseases, because men are seen as the default human. For example, heart attacks are more likely to be misdiagnosed in women because they don’t always experience the typical (male) symptom of chest pain.  Adverse drug reactions As previously described, women are often excluded or underrepresented in health research. This has led to more adverse effects, with women’s risk being 1.5-1.7 times higher than that of men. One of the risks is that the standard (male) dose may be too high for women. To illustrate this: Eight out of 10 prescription drugs taken off the market between 1997 and 2001 were more dangerous for women.  Lower survival rates: Women have different heart disease (among others) which is the leading cause of death globally for both sexes. In the United States, more women than men die within a year of a heart attack (26% versus 19%, respectively). This pattern persists within five years (47% versus 36%), perhaps because women are less likely to receive a correct diagnosis or be prescribed medications to lower their risk of heart attacks.    What risks does the newfound significance of data pose to women’s health? Algorithms have the potential to amplify historical biases, including those based on gender and race, which can put female patients at risk of misdiagnosis and poorer outcomes. For instance, an algorithm trained on male-biased data to recognize “typical” heart attack symptoms could misdiagnose many women. Physicians and patients may then assume that algorithms are unbiased and infallible, which can lead them to ignore contradictory information and result in automation bias. This makes it harder to prevent or detect mistakes, which can further erode the trust of women who already struggle to get accurate diagnoses and effective treatments.   Who is looking to close the gender data gap? Let’s take a look at a few key players that are actively working to close the gender data gap.  Women at the Table is a global civil society organization based in Geneva, Switzerland. Their goal is to expose the systematic exclusion of women from defining rules and to identify strategic changes to laws, regulations, and norms. theblood is a FemTech company based in Berlin, that developed a new approach to blood analysis using menstrual blood helping people access, understand, and benefit from unprecedented data. DotLab is a women’s healthcare technology company that aims to improve the diagnosis of active endometriosis by developing a blood test called that measures specific biomarkers.  Dama Health aims to advance the field of contraception fit. By taking into account a user’s preferences, medical history, and previous experience, their technology finds the most suitable type and brand of contraception. Want to close the gender data gap? Join us in Basel, Switzerland June 6th and 7th! Sign up here! Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### Collaborating with Roche at the FemTechnology Summit 2023 URL: https://femtechnology.org/2023/03/25/collaborating-with-roche-at-the-femtechnology-summit-2023/ Date: 2023-03-25T17:14:55+00:00 March 25, 2023September 5, 2023 Health care, medical system, UncategorizedBy Laetitia Von Planta https://femtechnology.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Xavier-Mundet.mp4 We asked Roche why they wanted to collaborate on this year’s FemTechnology Summit. Check out their answer and take a look at the beautiful venue for the FemTechnology Summit 2023! Next to the Gender Data Gap we will be discussing the following topics in our workshops:  Link Between Gender and Effective Therapy in Medicine Women-Centric Cancer Care Financing Innovation In Women’s Health  Business Case for Women’s Health  Redesigning Healthcare with Women in Mind: a Lifecycle Perspective to Women’s Health ESG alignment on women’s health We’re trying to make this year’s Summit as impactful as possible – we would love to hear: What are you most excited about regarding women’s health? This could be a particularly promising research field, a shift in attitudes, or upcoming policy changes. What are the biggest challenges you face when it comes to innovating in women’s health? Who are the most impactful stakeholders that we should invite to the summit? Should we focus on policy makers, insurance companies, or heads of clinics? If we could help you overcome ONE obstacle in terms of innovating in women’s health, what would it be? Tell us your thoughts here! If you’re interested in partnering or have any questions, please contact us at: contact@femtechnology.org     Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### FemTechnology Summit is Back: Save the Date! URL: https://femtechnology.org/2023/03/09/femtechnology-summit-is-back-save-the-date/ Date: 2023-03-09T16:01:43+00:00 March 9, 2023March 9, 2023 Health care, medical system, UncategorizedBy Laetitia Von Planta We are thrilled to be collaborating with Roche on our earliest initiative, the FemTechnology Summit, where we connect innovators in women’s health for thought-provoking discussions in order to catalyze the change that has been needed for a long time!  This year’s summit will be held this June 6th and 7th at Roche in Basel, Switzerland so save the date!  FemTechnology Summit will bring together 150 innovators in women’s health for workshops designed to tackle collective pain points effectively. We’ll be connecting startups, clinicians, researchers, corporates, designers, payers and discuss:  The Gender Data Gap Link Between Gender and Effective Therapy in Medicine Women-Centric Cancer Care Financing Innovation In Women’s Health  Business Case for Women’s Health  Redesigning Healthcare with Women in Mind: a Lifecycle Perspective to Women’s Health ESG alignment on women’s health Role of the Clinician and Social Media in Women’s Health We want to hear from you to make the most out of this FemTechnology Summit! Who’s research inspires you the most?  Are there any startups you have your eye on?  What pain points are they specifically addressing, and are there any blockers in women’s health you think aren’t getting the attention it deserves?  We encourage you to take a moment to fill out the form below. This will help us ensure that our content covers ALL the necessary topics. Tell us your thoughts … and stay tuned for more information and opportunities to participate!  For more information please reach out to: contact@femtechnology.org Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### Women’s Health Innovation Summit returns to Basel! URL: https://femtechnology.org/2023/02/08/womens-health-innovation-summit-returns-to-basel/ Date: 2023-02-08T15:44:23+00:00 February 8, 2023February 8, 2023 Health care, medical system, UncategorizedBy Oriana Kraft Building on the success of the 2022 conference, #WHISEU returns to Switzerland on 26-27 April to drive the mission of improving the access to and quality of healthcare for women across the globe. Whilst the distribution of FemTech companies in Europe currently sits at 27% (in comparison to North America’s 51%), there is the potential for huge growth in the market. The event aims to act as the catalyst for this growth in the development of solutions in this underserved area. The summit will offer the opportunity for connection and partnership, bringing together the leaders and innovators from Europe and Israel, from large pharmaceutical companies and biotechs to start-ups, investors, academics and service providers, to collectively drive forward the women’s health market. Join WHIS in Basel to help drive this change through sparking innovation, sharing research and forging essential partnerships. View the agenda: https://hubs.ly/Q01BDHMz0 Speakers include: Marija Butkovic, Founder & CEO, Women of Wearables Wendy Anderson, Co-Founder & Investing Partner, The Case for Her Tania Boler, Founder & CEO, Elvie Therese Lichtenstein, Principal, M Ventures Valentina Sartori, Partner, McKinsey & Co Cristina Bescos, Director of Innovation, EIT Health Alia El-Yassir, Regional Director for, Europe and Central Asia, UN Women Shirley Sylvester, Medical Affairs Leader, Global Public Health, Johnson & Johnson Stephanie Kuku, MD, Angel Investor & Senior Consultant, Hardian Health 2023 Innovation Showcase The Summit is bursting with opportunities to showcase your organisation and expertise in the field. The Innovation Showcase at the first Women’s Health Innovation Summit Europe saw a group of start-ups from across the women’s health industry take to the stage to highlight their technology, device, service, or product that is driving the future of care. This year, 15 start-up companies, selected by the expanded Selection Committee, will present in front of an audience of over 350 potential partners and investors for the chance to win a brand-new prize bundle, as well as gain exposure and be placed at the forefront of driving solutions in the industry. All applications are stage agnostic and can relate to all solutions across women’s health. Apply for the showcase here: https://hubs.ly/Q01BDLwN0 An offer for you All FemTechnology Summit audience members are entitled to 15% off their ticket price. Please enter code FEMTECHNOLOGY15 at the checkout: https://womenshealthinnovationeurope.com/events/womenshealthinnovationeurope#register Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### Roche InnoLab Digital Innovation Week URL: https://femtechnology.org/2023/01/09/roche-innolab-digital-innovation-week/ Date: 2023-01-09T14:29:31+00:00 January 9, 2023 Health care, medical systemBy Oriana Kraft On November 8th 2022, Roche InnoLab hosted their digital innovation week- and FemTechnology Summit was a proud participant! The second day of the week focussed on patient-centric care. FemTechnology Summit moderated the panel on “a comprehensive look at every stage of women’s life and digital opportunities to improve their health”. With this panel, the intention was to shift the focus from the prism of oncology to consider women’s life in a holistic view. To analyse where digital health solutions can help support and improve health outcomes. The panel’s aim was to explore the different stages and unmet medical needs for women’s health. The panel fused how to improve the patient journey with examining the dire landscape of women’s health, showcasing the tremendous opportunity that exists at the moment to radically transform the way care is delivered – because healthcare is not static. Healthcare at this moment in time in particular is radically evolving. With the cost of genetic testing going down radically, the more widespread adoption of telehealth (due to COVID representing an enduring paradigm shift in the way care is delivered), digital therapeutics and the implementation of DIGA in Germany. The very structure of our model of care delivery is changing – by necessity. The healthcare system is going to be forced to adapt because of a shrinking and increasingly burnt out healthcare workforce, an ageing population. Healthcare is  being reimagined as we speak. This presents a tremendous opportunity to design a more equitable system of care. Because his one size fits all approach that healthcare has been taking – doesn’t fit most of the population, doesn’t fit 50% of the population in fact. So why not use it as an opportunity to reimagine the way things are done? This was the prism and perspective this panel aimed to bring: looking at the patient journey, women’s health, recognising the fact that women are faced with different diseases (or present differently: manifest different symptoms, experience different side-effects, have different needs and priorities) and challenging the audience to reflect on how an experience that works for 50% of the population might be re-imagined. With panelists: Dr. Lyndsey Harper: a Board Certified Ob/Gyn, Associate Professor of Ob/Gyn for Texas A&M COM, a Fellow of The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and a Fellow of the International Society for the Study of Women’s Sexual Health.  Dr. Harper is the Founder and CEO of Rosy, a multi-award-winning women’s health technology company that connects women who have sexual health concerns with community, and research-backed solutions. It is now recommended by nearly 5000 US healthcare professionals. Keren Leshem: the CEO and a Director/Board Member at OCON healthcare. An innovative women’s health company with a mission to introduce safer intrauterine drug-delivery technology to improve and impact women’s health and quality of life She has recently invited to the World Economic Forum as a technology pioneer. Martin Hund: the Director, Clinical Development Lead and Indication Lead Women’s Health in Roche Diagnostics Solutions. He develops the clinical strategy in Women’s Health driving the Medical Value development of the preeclampsia sFlt-1/PlGF test and the first serum companion diagnostic Elecsys AMH Plus, endometriosis and Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS). Carmen Eleta: representative of ASACO, a patient association for those affected by Ovarian Cancer. She was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2005 and ovarian cancer in 2019 –Lynch Syndrome. She used her experience with cancer as a  process as a leverage for a new way of living from a better knowledge and connection of herself. And moderator Oriana Kraft, Founder + Producer of FemTechnology Summit.     Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### 📣 FemTechnology Summit 2023: June 7 URL: https://femtechnology.org/2022/12/20/%f0%9f%93%a3-femtechnology-summit-2023-june-7/ Date: 2022-12-20T09:06:22+00:00 December 20, 2022December 20, 2022 Health care, medical systemBy Oriana Kraft FEMTECHNOLOGY SUMMIT is back! The first in-person edition of FemTechnology Summit will be held on Roche Campus in Basel, Switzerland June 7th 2023.  This edition of FemTechnology Summit we intend to do things differently. Women’s health is broken: + Innovators within Women’s Health struggle with navigating a fragmented & silo-ed system + Lack of investment, Lack of Research, Lack of Awareness + Existing solutions & players are difficult to find and access –> Resulting in a lack of connectivity, inefficiency and missed synergies Summits and conferences are designed to serve as a counterpoint to this. Summits bring people together, highlighting leaders in the field to showcase the most cutting-edge innovation – or at least they should. Currently, summits are a wasted opportunity. They are: #1 Inefficient #2 Fail to utilize potential #3 Ephemeral: Content produced is neither creative nor concrete and so does not endure to produce the lasting change it should. Summits fail to catalyze as much change as they should. They fail to fundamentally change the status quo. Given the current state of women’s health another wasted opportunity in this space is simply unacceptable. This JUNE 7th 2023 we intend to change things.  FemTechnology Summit brings together Femtech startups, researchers, chief clinicians & key players for a 360 degree perspective on innovation in women’s health – as it always has. This year’s Summit (rather than the beginning) will be the culmination of our ongoing work. Gathering the most cutting-edge innovators in women’s health to solve collective painpoints, we will connect actors for lasting partnerships, catalyze change and raise awareness for Women’s Health How do we intend to do this ?  For more information reach out to : contact@femtechnology.org    Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### The Patient Journey and Women’s Health URL: https://femtechnology.org/2022/12/13/the-patient-journey-and-womens-health/ Date: 2022-12-13T09:30:35+00:00 December 13, 2022December 13, 2022 Deep Dives, Health care, medical systemBy Oriana Kraft Why do we need to innovate in women’s health? And what does it mean to reimagine the patient journey with women in mind? First some context: did you know that prior to 1993, “women with childbearing potential” were actively excluded from the early phases of most clinical trials. Even female mice were almost entirely excluded from research due to their hormonal cycle.  Modern medicine (not just the medication we prescribe, but diagnostic technology and systems of care) is unfortunately mostly entirely based on white male bodies. The effects of this gap in research and design can be lethal: women are more likely to die from heart attacks, react poorly to prescription drugs, and have our pain and symptoms dismissed by doctors. Of the 10 drugs the FDA removed from the market between 1997 and 2000, 8 posed greater risks to women. Women’s Health Research at Yale drew attention to a study on a drug only intended for women where 23 of the 25 participants were men. Women are diagnosed significantly later than men on average across over 700 diseases.  Another example? The diagnostic criteria for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is based on how the disorder is manifested in young boys. Young girls often present different symptoms, and are therefore often undiagnosed or under-diagnosed. Men are 6 percent more likely to receive bystander CPR when suffering from an apparent heart attack in a public setting than women, resulting in 29 percent increased odds of survival. Women who suffer heart attacks are also half as likely as men to receive the recommended medical treatment for cardiovascular issues. Those statistics are somewhat depressing but it also presents a tremendous opportunity – as well as a wake-up call. Healthcare is not static. And healthcare at this moment in time is radically evolving – is being redesigned around us as we speak. With the cost of genetic testing going down radically, the more widespread adoption of telehealth (due to COVID but a paradigm shift in the way care is delivered), digital therapeutics and the implementation of DIGA in Germany. The very structure of our healthcare system is changing – by necessity. The healthcare system is going to be forced to adapt because we have a shrinking healthcare workforce, an ageing population – healthcare is going to be forced to be reimagined, is in fact being reimagined as we speak, so what might that look like? Well, the optimist in us would hope that it presents a tremendous opportunity to design a more equitable system of care. Because this one-size fits all approach that healthcare has been taking – doesn’t fit most of the population, doesn’t fit 50% of the population  – so why not use it as an opportunity to reimagine the way we do things. We need to look at the patient journey, examine women’s health and seeing that women are faced with different diseases, or when they have the same diseases as men they have different symptoms, different side-effects, different needs and priorities and looking at that and thinking how can we design an experience that works for 50% of the population. There are of course, some things we will need to be mindful of. Opportunities to close the gap in care that, if not carefully assessed beforehand, could present a tremendous pitfall/ danger. For example: AI-integrated healthcare system. Some hope that it will be able to construct a more just, less random healthcare system. But, unfortunately, one of the best examples of a medical service extrapolating seemingly sound conclusions from biased data sets (ultimately leading to a biased and therefore wrong conclusion) came from an algorithm. Babylon  was discovered to be giving different medical advice regarding chest pain to men and women. The system advised a 60-year-old male smoker reporting sudden chest pains and nausea to go to the emergency room with a suspected heart attack. A woman inputting exactly the same information was told she was likely having a panic attack. AI ran into the same problem as our healthcare system and medical professionals do: they put out what we put in. If we do not input the correct data sets, we will inevitably get bias back. Bias presents a very present danger in algorithmic design. Most of the currently used biomedical AI technologies do not account for sex and gender bias detection. A recent study showed machine learning models could discern a patient’s self-reported race by analysing only the clinician’s notes in which all references to race had been redacted. The EU’s clinical trial regulations can serve as a model: they require that participants in clinical trials represent the population groups that are likely to use the intervention under study, and non-inclusion must be justified. Outcomes must be analysed and results presented by age groups as well as sex. Similarly, to obtain funding under the Horizon Europe Strategic Plan or the Innovative Health Initiative,  researchers must include sex and gender analysis in research design. The United States’ Women’s Health Research Roadmap and England’s Women’s Health Strategy have also taken steps toward sex- and gender-specific research and care.  In order to achieve equality of care between men and women, we will truly need to take an ecosystem and big picture approach. All innovation in medicine requires a multi-stakeholder approach to be truly effective regardless, but since since the inequities present in medicine are so persistent and present at every echelon, it will take innovators at every level from the get-go: researchers, clinicians, pharmaceutical companies, startups, Big Tech and women, the patients themselves to move medicine where it should be: providing equal access of care to the entire population. It will take an Ecosystem for women’s heath. It will take a FemTech movement. To work with us/ use our services to help your organization work towards achieving this :  To attend our flagship FemTechnology Summit (bringing together the most innovative payers and players in women’s health together – aka Femtech Startups, researchers, chief clinicians and more) in person? Apply to attend here :  Apply To Join our Innovation Hub:    If you have an idea for a startup or researcher in women’s health / FemTech you think we should feature– we’d love to hear from you. If you’d like to be actively involved in what we’re building : as a volunteer or as a Beta Tester — FemTechGuide translates these innovations (research, solutions and services) to enable direct access to patients and physicians to help bridge the gap in care. Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### FemTech in Copenhagen: WawaFertility URL: https://femtechnology.org/2022/12/12/femtech-in-copenhagen-wawafertility/ Date: 2022-12-12T18:37:36+00:00 December 12, 2022September 5, 2023 Health care, medical system, Top FemTech StartupsBy Oriana Kraft https://femtechnology.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Wawa-Veed-SD-480p.mp4 Did you know that 1 in 6 couples experience infertility worldwide? The painfully low success rates of fertility treatments undoubtedly have a large part to play: IVF has a success rate of 32% for women under 35. And the success rate of IVF only declines with age: ranging from 4–11% for women over 40. The uncertainty that comes with such odds can have a significant mental health toll on those undergoing treatment. Globally, 9 in 10 couples have reported feelings of stress, anxiety and depression while going through IVF cycles. Fertility treatment can also have huge knock-on effects on other areas of people’s lives: 1 in 3 individuals who went through treatment revealed they considered leaving their jobs due to the burden it placed on their mental health. Couples are also three times more likely to divorce or break up after failed IVF treatments. And for some, going through IVF treatment can have mental health implications up to 20 years later. The Wawa app wants to help change this by contributing to accelerating research within infertility and help create better conditions for those undergoing fertility treatment. They want to ensure better success rates, less side effects, and less impact on mental health. They want to close the data gap surrounding fertility treatment in order to create better and more successful courses of treatment for women and couples going through fertility treatment in the future by partnering with patients and some of the world’s leading researchers to develop breakthroughs in fertility treatment and reproductive health. With the wawa app, the women using it are able to help create a data foundation for future research in infertility that can help solve the infertility crisis, optimise the process, and ease the consequences of being in treatment. The above was an interview with Founder + CEO of WawaFertility, Cecilie Hvidberg Jakobsen by Oriana Kraft, Founder FemTechnology Summit.   If you have an idea for a FemTech startup or researcher in women’s health  you think we should feature– we’d love to hear from you. If you’d like to be actively involved in what we’re building : as a volunteer or as a Beta Tester — FemTechGuide translates these innovations (research, solutions and services) to enable direct access to patients and physicians to help bridge the gap in care. ________________________________ Or would you like to attend our flagship FemTechnology Summit (bringing together the most innovative payers and players in women’s health together) in person? Apply to attend here :  Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### FemTech in London: FemSpace URL: https://femtechnology.org/2022/12/12/femtech-in-london-ft-femspace/ Date: 2022-12-12T14:43:52+00:00 December 12, 2022September 5, 2023 Health care, medical system, Top FemTech StartupsBy Oriana Kraft https://femtechnology.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/FemSpace.mp4 Did you know that 1 in 6 women live with persistent pelvic pain? This can encompass anything from Bladder Pain, Vaginismus, Pelvic Pain, Vulvodynia, Pain during sex, vulvar pain, endometriosis. Whilst more people have heard of endometriosis or generic pelvic pain, Vulvodynia (pain in the vulva characterized by burning, stinging and stabbing sensations) is not as well known. And yet 16% of women are estimated to suffer from at it at some point in their lives (the highest incidence is between 18-25). With words used to describe it like: “having acid poured on my skin” and “feeling a constant knife-like pain.” – one would think it would be better known.  And yet, according to an NIH-funded Harvard study, 60 % of affected women consult 3+ doctors before receiving a diagnosis of vulvodynia. 40 %of women seeking treatment for vulvodynia are not accurately diagnosed after seeing as many as three doctors.  The exact cause of vulvodynia is unknown, because there is a general lack of research funding for benign gynecological disorders. So what are the treatment options?  Many treatments used to treat vulvodynia are the same ones used for other chronic pain conditions. Although the long-standing first-line of treatment of low-dose tricyclic antidepressants has been put into question because an NIH-funded study found that this medication is no more effective than a placebo in vulvodynia patients. If conservative measures fail, surgery (vestibulectomy) is often recommended. The success rate of surgery ranges from 60-90%. What is the societal Impact of Vulvodynia? To determine the social and economic impact of vulvodynia, the National Vulvodynia Association created a web-based survey, which asked respondents to enter vulvodynia – related costs over a 6-month period. 303 women completed the survey. Using conservative prevalence estimates of 3 to 7% (up to 16% has been reported), Xie and colleagues (2012) estimated the economic impact of vulvodynia at 31 to 72 billion dollars, 70 percent of which represents direct health care costs. Vulvodynia is associated with a huge economic burden to society and the individual, and that the quality of life for women with vulvodynia is substantially impaired. Which is why Femtech Startups like Femspace are so important. Femspace’s programs are based on a biopsychosocial approach aka it tackles your body, mind and relationships at the same time. The result is a truly comprehensive approach. Some of her research into this space can be found below: The above was a conversation between Oriana Kraft, Founder of FemTechnology Summit and Claudia Chisari, Founder + CEO of FemSpace, an internationally recognised expert in persistent pelvic pain. She carried out the UK’s first PhD focused on Vulvodynia at King’s College London, funded by the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR). Exploring psychosocial processes and treatment development in women with Vulvodynia Psychosocial factors associated with pain and sexual function in women with Vulvodynia: A systematic review Psychosocial factors associated with pain and health-related quality of life in Endometriosis: A systematic review Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for women living with Vulvodynia: A single-case experimental design study of a treatment delivered online   If you have an idea for a startup or researcher in women’s health / FemTech you think we should feature– we’d love to hear from you. If you’d like to be actively involved in what we’re building : as a volunteer or as a Beta Tester — FemTechGuide translates these innovations (research, solutions and services) to enable direct access to patients and physicians to help bridge the gap in care. ________________________________ Or would you like to attend our flagship FemTechnology Summit (bringing together the most innovative payers and players in women’s health together) in person? Apply to attend here :  Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### FemTech in London: Dama Health URL: https://femtechnology.org/2022/12/12/femtech-in-london-ft-dama-health/ Date: 2022-12-12T14:41:52+00:00 December 12, 2022September 5, 2023 Health care, medical systemBy Oriana Kraft https://femtechnology.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Dama-Health-SD-480p.mp4 Did you know that 8 out of 10 women suffer from side-effects of contraception? On average, women try 3 – 5 different methods before finding the right match. There is no one size fits a life solution. Preferences change over the course of a woman’s life. Their contraceptive choices should too. There is also no one size fits all solution: enter Dama Health. Dama Health is trying to use the latest pharmacogenetic research to offer insights into unique predispositions, efficacy and side effect profiles. They are using genetic testing and an automated matching system to match individuals to the best options for their unique needs. Their technology will take user preferences, medical history, previous experience and specific requirements into account, it then searches through a vast database to find the most suitable type and brand of contraception. They view personalizing contraception as the next step and are of the belief that 80 genomic all datasets will over perform an OBGYN not having these insights. Drawing conclusions about contraceptive data is not easy, given that there is a general lack of data around women’s health/ female specific conditions (also known as the gender data health gap) – which is why Dama Health is running a large-scale study across the UK to analyse whether there are genetic markers that can be predictors of side-effects with certain contraception use. (That’s also why we need FemTech to collect and analyse data surrounding women’s health that has been lacking.) There is clearly a market for innovation in the contraceptive field (and startups like CIRQLE Biomedical are paving the way), but many entrenched players are more hesitant to take the leap, due to the fact that with contraceptive research you are effectively taking healthy young women and putting them at risk of an unintended pregnancy if the contraception that you’re trying doesn’t work. Yet one has to wonder if there is a tiny bit of bias when it comes to innovation in the field. A hormonal contraceptive injection for men was found to have 100 per cent efficacy in clinical trials, but side effects caused 20 men to drop out and the trial was halted. The above was an interview of Fiona Kennedy of Dama Health and Oriana Kraft of FemTechnology Summit.   If you have an idea for a startup or researcher in women’s health / FemTech you think we should feature– we’d love to hear from you. If you’d like to be actively involved in what we’re building : as a volunteer or as a Beta Tester — FemTechGuide translates these innovations (research, solutions and services) to enable direct access to patients and physicians to help bridge the gap in care. ________________________________ Or would you like to attend our flagship FemTechnology Summit (bringing together the most innovative payers and players in women’s health together) in person? Apply to attend here :  Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### FemTech in London: Samphire Neuroscience URL: https://femtechnology.org/2022/12/12/femtech-in-london-ft-samphire-neuroscience/ Date: 2022-12-12T14:24:14+00:00 December 12, 2022September 5, 2023 Founder Interviews, Health care, medical system, Top FemTech StartupsBy Oriana Kraft https://femtechnology.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Samphire.mp4 Did you know that globally 1.5 billion women experience menstrual pain? 800 million women around the world live with PMS. 160 million live with PMDD (premenstrual dysphoric disorder) characterized by mood changes, physical symptoms, and cognitive changes that can significantly interfere with a person’s ability to function in their daily life. PMDD is considered a clinical diagnosis. The following is a conversation between Emile Radyté, co-founder and CEO of Samphire Neuroscience, a women’s health company developing neurotechnology solutions for unaddressed women’s health needs (prior to founding Samphire, Em completed her Master’s and started her PhD in Neuroscience at Oxford) and Oriana Kraft, Founder of FemTechnology Summit, Medicine at ETH Zurich. Samphire Neuroscience is a solution that is desperately needed: did you know that 82.4% of women report losing productive working time due to menstrual cycle symptoms? And YET most women won’t talk about it —only 24% of women feel comfortable discussing their experience with their employer, resulting in an average of 9 days of lost productivity every year due to presentism. 4 out of 5 of menstrual cycle complaints concern mental rather than physical symptoms. Cramps don’t even make the top five of the most difficult symptoms to deal with (which are fatigue, low mood, irritability, mood shifts and brain fog).  Samphire Neuroscience wants to change the status quo on this. They use non-invasive transcranial electrical stimulation to stimulate specific regions of the brain that have been associated with the reduction of menstrual mental and physical health symptoms in the form of a hairband so that users can easily integrate into their everyday lives (A hairband to counteract PMS symptoms — how cool is that?). Non-invasive transcranial electrical stimulation has a literature of over 30 years across psychiatry and cognitive neuropsychology, documenting its safety and efficacy in targeting specific brain regions to provide relief from symptoms, many of which are experienced around women’s menstrual cycles. It is well established in psychiatry, as a treatment (or maintenance) option for clinical depression, neuropathic pain and fibromyalgia, and some anxiety disorders. Samphire Neuroscience is currently running usability tests to test Samphire’s Hairband in a more naturalistic, home setting, where the Hairband can be tried out around the participants’ menstrual period. The aim is for the users to provide critical feedback about how to improve the experience, the Hairband and the companion mobile application further, so that it could seamlessly fit into women’s lives every month.? If you could benefit from such a solution, you meet the eligibility criteria and are interested in participating please fill in this form: https://tally.so/r/3NqBbW If you have an idea for a startup or researcher in women’s health / FemTech you think we should feature– we’d love to hear from you. If you’d like to be actively involved in what we’re building : as a volunteer or as a Beta Tester — FemTechGuide translates these innovations (research, solutions and services) to enable direct access to patients and physicians to help bridge the gap in care. ________________________________ Or would you like to attend our flagship FemTechnology Summit in person? Apply to attend here :  Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### What does the future of contraception & fertility look like in 2022? URL: https://femtechnology.org/2022/09/25/what-does-the-future-of-contraception-fertility-look-like-in-2022/ Date: 2022-09-25T19:11:30+00:00 September 25, 2022March 5, 2023 Deep Dives, Founder Interviews, Health care, medical system, Top FemTech StartupsBy Oriana Kraft     In 2021, at our inaugural FemTechnology Summit we asked: What does the future of contraception & fertility look like? We featured Pascal Koenig of Ava, Lynae Brayboy of Clue, Eirini Rapti of Inne, Frederik Petursson Madsen of Cirqle So much has happened since then: Cirqle (A novel approach to birth control, aiming to reinforce the natural cervical mucus barrier to provide effective birth control on demand without any hormones) and Organon entered into a research collaboration to advance preclinical research on the product.   Ava (a bracelet tracking 5 physiological signals using machine learning algorithms to extract from this data the 5 most fertile days) was acquired by FemTec Health. Clue (known primarily for its period tracking capabilities and Encyclopaedia of research collaborations) rolled out its Birth Control  to an initial group of users in the USA as a novel non-hormonal form of contraception. Inne (a device for at-home, saliva-based hormone testing to support fertility and cycle tracking ) partnered with Phenology for a collaboration surrounding perimenopause  And of course, OF COURSE, in the US Roe v Wade was reversed  – causing the entire discussion around the future of contraception and fertility to take on a much heavier, legal dimension. Women’s health going from being under-researched, under-innovated in and stigmatized to criminalized, creating a quandary as to whether users will trust new companies, new approaches. And on the flip side posing the question: will new companies be as interested in innovating this space when they do not yet know what the future landscape will look like? (https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/raenudson/tech-contraception-fertility-startups) So what DOES the future of contraception look like in 2022? Join Us Wednesday, September 28th at Hawes Hall, Classroom 202 at Harvard Business School to discuss what the future of contraception might look like featuring :  Rembrand M. Koning – Assistant Professor, Strategy Unit, Harvard Business School, whose recent work focuses on innovation in women’s health and the barriers that stifle innovation and startups which serve the needs of women. Cirqle biomedical – Combining human-centric design and mucus engineering to launch a novel form of non-hormonal contraception. Dama Health – A startup using a genetic test and an automated matching system to develop a personalized contraception recommendation platform for women and clinicians. Moderated by FemTechnology Summit – Bringing together Femtech startups, researchers, chief clinicians and university students for a 360 degree perspective on innovation in women’s health. To attend: http://www.tinyurl.com/femtechboston   Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### Top UK FemTech Startups URL: https://femtechnology.org/2022/08/31/top-uk-femtech-startups/ Date: 2022-08-31T15:47:32+00:00 August 31, 2022September 25, 2022 Deep Dives, Health care, medical system, Top FemTech StartupsBy Oriana Kraft   Startups in the UK we’re excited about: In Contraception: Dama health are using pharmacogenetic research to offer women and clinicians personalised contraception recommendations using a genetic test and an automated matching system. They want to take womens’ medical preferences, medical history and specific requirements into account and match them up against suitable hormonal contraceptive medication types.  To tackle PMS: Samphire Neuroscience is a neurotechnology company whose first product is a device that can be worn as a headband. They want to use a form of non-invasive electrical neuromodulation to stimulate certain parts of the brain, and in doing so, alleviate some symptoms commonly associated with menstrual cycles: such as brain fog, fatigue, mood variability, and pain.  In Maternal Health: Tinto – a wellbeing app that helps women thrive throughout motherhood with support that’s tailored to them. In Fertility : Mojo – at home fertility test for men that can compute sperm count, sperm motility, the predominant shape of the sperm and other parameters like the integrity of the sperm’s DNA. It does this via a computer vision algorithm. Hertility – an innovative health tech company that applies a precision medicine-based approach to reproductive health.  Bea fertility: clinical grade, at-home fertility treatment delivered through the post, which includes pregnancy tests, fertility trackers and sperm donation pots and intracervical insemination (ICI) device – an insertion apparatus used to place silicone cup filled with sperm onto the cervix for at home insemination.  Gaia fertility– is aiming to level the playing field for access to fertility care by offering a new way to pay for treatments, combining reproductive health data with financial technology to make IVF treatments more accessible, affordable and individual. In Sports:  Jennis is a daily movement coach for women that syncs the right movement to the 4 phases of your unique menstrual cycle. For gynecological conditions:  Syrona Health: a personalized digital health platform for chronic gynecological and uterine conditions like endometriosis, PCOS etc, offering it in part an employee benefits solution for the 45% of the workforce going through women’s health events In the Menopause Space:  Peppy – a  digital platform that helps employers give their people expert support for under-served areas of healthcare: menopause, fertility, pregnancy, early parenthood, women’s health and men’s health by connecting them to highly-qualified, human experts on the Peppy app – anytime, anywhere. Services include instant messaging, group chat, video consultations, live events and a library of resources. Vira Health – a U.K. startup that offers personalized digital therapeutics for women going through menopause.  Sexual well-being Startups:  Ferly, empowering women on a journey to mindful sex, via exploration of their bodies and communication of what brings them sexual pleasure Blueheart : providing digital sex therapy via an AI-powered app that provides research & science based sex therapy. A 2022 Efficacy Study of Blueheart found that members reported feeling 70% more connected with their partner after only two weeks. Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### Top FemTech Startups in the DACH Region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) URL: https://femtechnology.org/2022/08/31/femtech-startups-in-the-dach-region-were-excited-about-germany-austria-switzerland/ Date: 2022-08-31T06:57:52+00:00 August 31, 2022September 25, 2022 Deep Dives, Health care, medical system, Top FemTech StartupsBy Oriana Kraft Did you know that despite representing an economic burden of over $500 billion, only 4% of healthcare research and development funding is targeted toward women’s health? Much of the attention and hype around FemTech has been focussed on the US and UK, but given the recent regulatory backside in the US, we think the FemTech landscape in Europe is definitely worth a closer look: it was the birth place of heavy FemTech weights like : Natural Cycles, a hormone-free birth control application, Ava, a fertility tracking wearable, and Clue, the #1 doctor-recommended free period tracker app built in collaboration with top health researchers. So given all of that here’s a round-up of some FemTech startups we’re excited about in the DACH region: First up: Switzerland! #1 We’re excited about Fimmcyte – a biotech startup out of the University Hospital of Zurich developing a treatment for endometriosis based on the discovery of the overexpression of a specific protein in endometriosis cells compared to everywhere else in the body. This allows for direct and elimination of the diseased tissue.based on a novel differentially expressed target. One of the co-Founders of Fimmcyte is Prof. Dr. Brigitte Leeners, Department Head Reproductive Endocrinology at University Hospital of Zurich who spoke at our very own 2020 FemTechnology Summit on how innovations in fertility can improve patient care and the physician / patient relationship. #2 Pregnolia is a spin-off of ETH Zurich, developing a diagnostic device to accurately predict the risk of premature birth during routine pregnancy consultation. Early diagnosis enables preventive intervention to prolong gestation and improve neonatal health outcome.  #3 Impli CERES – Impli is focused on offering a more convenient+effective method of monitoring hormone levels in women receiving infertility treatment. The product is designed to function as a subdermal device and a smartphone app, as an alternative to frequent blood tests. #4 Aspivix – Every year more than 90M women worldwide experience pain, bleeding and tissue tear when undergoing common gynecological procedures that require uterus access. This trauma is generated by the Cervical Tenaculum, an instrument with sharp hooks that pinch the cervix to generate traction. ASPIVIX has developed an innovative, soft-suction cervical device designed as a modern alternative to the tenaculum without the reported patient trauma. This device is ideal to help address unplanned pregnancies, considered one of the most significant global public health issues, by increasing the adoption of Intrauterine Contraceptive Devices (IUD), the most effective reversible contraceptive option available today. Now Germany! We’re excited about: #1 Levy health – LEVY Health is the first company in the world to develop a licensed medical product that analyzes female fertility disorders. The software has been available in Germany since the end of January 2022 and helps women and couples find out why they have not been able to get pregnant yet. Based on the results, users are given personalized therapy recommendations. LEVY Health looks at each woman, her body and her situation individually, bringing holistic reproductive medicine straight to users’ homes. #2 Keleya are the #1 provider for maternal care in Germany. Their platform supports women from pregnancy until the birth of their child. They provide personalized, expert based information, workouts and nutrition plans and a midwife. #3 Wexxeljahre – wexxeljahre is a startup from Hamburg that wants to empower women to take their menopausal health into their own hands.  The startup connects women with experts and offers new, digital services for health in menopause, e.g. a physician search for menopause experts in Germany. #4 PINK!: A Digital Therapeutic for Breast Cancer Patients, Reimbursed as a Prescription Digital Health Product (DiGA) in Germany, developed by Sidekick Health that has been (SK-421) specifically designed for reducing side effects in breast cancer patients. #5 Vaginismus Plus by HelloBetter (called HelloGina for it’s US Launch). HelloGina’s digital therapeutic combines interactive content, science-backed techniques, goal setting, and personal support via in-app coaches #6 Female DTC Gut Health Brand her1,which provides ingestible products to help women with gut and skin health.  In Austria – we’re excited about: Breathe ilo, known for Its Breath-based Fertility Tracker that uses breath analysis to identify a woman’s ovulation pattern and fertile window. They have no expanded into a period tracking app that allows you to keep track of your symptoms, determine your individual cycle phases and your fertility status. Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### Women’s health is seen as a luxury: what does that mean? URL: https://femtechnology.org/2022/08/30/womens-health-is-seen-as-a-luxury-what-does-that-mean/ Date: 2022-08-30T09:03:43+00:00 August 30, 2022September 25, 2022 Deep Dives, FemTech Think Pieces, Health care, medical system, UncategorizedBy Oriana Kraft In the UK, gynaecology waiting lists faced the biggest increase in delays of all medical specialities post pandemic: growing by 60%. Women with conditions like endometriosis, prolapse and heavy bleeding waited more than a year to receive NHS care in England – because the surgeries were classified as elective procedures for benign conditions. Endometriosis pain is often described as sharp and stabbing, with some women saying it feels “like their insides are being pulled down”. Many have reported being prescribed antidepressants to treat their pain instead of painkillers. This lack of integration/coverage of female-specific health conditions is not limited to endometriosis. In Italy, the cost of treatment for vulvodynia is not covered by the medical system. Yet by some estimates it impacts 16% of women and symptoms include burning and rawness in the genital area, which can last for years. In addition to the high personal costs to women who have vulvodynia, the disorder imposes a financial burden on the economy. In the US, the annual per-patient cost of vulvodynia is more than $17,700 in direct and indirect medical expenses and non-healthcare expenses. Too often women’s health is viewed as a ‘wellness’ benefit. Numerous studies have shown that women routinely pay more for healthcare, largely due to female “wellness visits”, like gynecology appointments, and the fact that women are the ones who give birth. According to research from the Kaiser Family Foundation, women aged 19-34 spent an average of $3,402 on healthcare costs in 2015, compared to the $1,891 spent by men. Which amounts to women spending $1,511 more on healthcare in just one year.  For now, the mantel seems to have fallen to companies seem to cover reproductive healthcare services (although, as outlined in the Atlantic “The benevolence of companies is a terribly shaky safety net. Not only because if you lose your job, you lose those benefits. When people depend on their employer for an essential benefit, they might feel compelled to endure poor working conditions in order to keep it.”)   It makes sense from a retention perspective. 25% of women considering giving up work because of menopause symptoms. 750,000 working women have experienced negative effects at work from menopause, a loss estimated to have cost the economy US$3.2 billion. A fact, that most likely explains in part, the fact that menopause benefits are gaining traction as a workplace benefit.  Fertility was the first to pave the way in that regard. Between 2019 and 2020, WINFertility, a US-based fertility benefits platform that partners with employers to provide family-planning perks saw a 500% increase in employers adding family-building benefits. Generally there seems to be a higher awareness of the financial and emotional toll these challenges take (and their subsequent impact on work). In a survey conducted by Parla with 400 women across the UK, More than 80% of women said miscarriages and their struggles with fertility, impacted their mental health and productivity at work, which in turn led to higher absences, poor performance and more women wanting to leave the workforce. Curious about what the future of fertility and women’s health in the workplace might look like? Check out an extract of our FemTechnology Summit panel on the ‘Future of Fertility’ with FemTech Startups Hertility, Parla, Kindbody and moderator Stasa Stankovic, a PhD Researcher at the University of Cambridge.  Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### What doe the future of women’s mental health look like? URL: https://femtechnology.org/2022/08/24/what-doe-the-future-of-female-mental-health-look-like/ Date: 2022-08-24T17:05:23+00:00 August 24, 2022August 31, 2022 Founder Interviews, Health care, medical systemBy Oriana Kraft In the U.S. 41 million women have mental health struggles. 23 million of those women will go untreated. Out of those who do get treated it takes an average of TEN years between symptom onset and their getting mental health care. The American Psychiatric Association declared a mental health emergency as recently as 2021.  This was the premise upon which LunaJoy was founded: a digital mental health clinic specialised for women – from puberty, fertility, miscarriage, pregnancy, menopause etc. (the reproductive health journey).  An insight core to the development of LunaJoy was the fact that OBGYNs do not like doing mental health screenings because of how difficult it is to get women into specialized mental healthcare (lengthy wait times and a lot of learnt helplessness around mental health in primary care). The current solutions in mental health do not address the needs of women, especially in the most vulnerable moments.  That’s why we need FemTech and more starts like LunaJoy. LunaJoy is attempting to get to women before they are in crisis by integrating directly with primary care providers and offer proactive engagement if there are positive screens for mental health needs. They utilise technology to de-risk handoffs, increase engagement in mental health and unburden primary care providers who do not have the time to adequately address mental health needs. If mental health services are not covered by insurance, women will not get care. They are willing to pay for the service for their spouses, but in order for them to get care the mental health service must be in network for them to seek it out.  So what does female mental health look like? Adolescence is a prime example: there is an uptick of mental health disorders (of women with a mental health disorder over 75% will have their first episode by age 24), over one in five women experience postpartum disorders and up to 30% of perimenopausal women will experience mood difficulties.  To learn more about Lunajoy’s mission and what the future of mental health and how it intertwines with FemTech looks like: Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### Why do FemTech Founders start their femtech startups? URL: https://femtechnology.org/2022/08/23/why-do-femtech-founders-start-their-femtech-startups/ Date: 2022-08-23T08:32:04+00:00 August 23, 2022September 25, 2022 Deep Dives, FemTech Blog, Health care, medical systemBy Oriana Kraft FemTech Startups face countless hurdles in order to get their product to market. Yet FemTech Founders persist. There seems to be an almost intrinsic drive and motivating factor – so we wanted to know: the ‘why’ behind the FemTech Startup. Frederik Petursson Madsen, a Danish entrepreneur and CEO of Cirqle Biomedical (a startup seeking to create Oui, a hormone-free gel capsule designed to mimic the natural barrier of cervical mucus which sits between the vagina and the uterus) first started looking into new contraceptives when his girlfriend wanted to come off the pill due to unwanted side effects. He himself wasn’t really aware of the problem.He believes that the lack of innovation in contraceptive design is down to a degree of ignorance among big investors (predominantly men). He realised he wouldn’t want to use hormonal contraception either due to the side-effects. “There are not many other areas in which you have a product that’s so important for society and where the existing standard of care is so outdated.” To listen to Frederik explain the origin story of Cirqle check out our 2021 FemTechnology panel on the Future of Contraception and fertility: Sonali Quantius started Haplomind out of personal frustration, not being treated or screened nor treated for postpartum depression herself. Yet PPD is shockingly common: 1 in 7 women and 1 in 10 men experience perinatal depression and anxiety. And yet less than 10% get screened or treated on time. It shocked and frustrated her that despite radical advances in other areas of healthcare (like highly effective mRNA vaccines within a year) suicide still the biggest cause of death in new mothers. To listen to Sonlai explain the origin story of Haplomind in her own words check out our 2021 FemTechnology panel on Innovative Tracking + Screening: For Helene Guillaume, founder of Wild AI, the inspiration came from her own experience as a professional athlete. While training  as a rugby player, triathlete and ice swimmer, Hélène found that she couldn’t predict her body or performance in the same way as her male counterparts. In her own words: “Women are not men. But the world didn’t know. I was training like I had a male body – following the same protocols and types of nutrition. Sometimes my body would perform really well and I’d feel amazing, on track. Other times I’d feel less motivated and less ready.” She knew her body was different from her male counterparts but in the circles she was in, assigned female bodies were dismissed as ‘moody’ and ‘complicated’. There was no way for her to understand the variations that came with her menstrual cycle, which is what led her to found WILD.AI, a technology company helping those assigned female navigate these variations and optimise their training around their menstrual cycles. To listen to Helen explain the origin story of Wild.ai in her own words check out our 2022 FemTechnology panel on Future of Care: For Mette Dhyrberg, the inspiration behind Mymee, came from years of being treated by a healthcare system that did not know how to effectively identify and manage autoimmune diseases. From the very beginning, she believed that decoding the body’s hidden patterns would lead to a truly personalized approach to disease management – and that is precisely what Mymee does : use data to reverse autoimmune triggers. To learn more check out our deep dive with Mette on How data can be used to reverse autoimmune triggers.  For Helen O’Neill the true origin story of Hertility was wanting to check in on her own reproductive health. She found it strange that, as a lecturer at UCL, she was teaching students about the risks associated with advanced age and fertility, yet she did not have the tools to check the risks herself: there is an emotional and financial barrier to finding out about fertility. To be referred, you have to have been trying to get pregnant for a year. Lina Chan started Parla – a platform and community to empower and support women navigating their fertility – after her own difficulties with the process. The impact it had on her physically and emotionally was tremendous and so she wanted to help others have a better, more empowered and confident experience. To Listen to Lina explain the origin story of Parla and Helen explain the origin story of Hertility check out our 2022 FemTechnology panel on The Future of Fertility : Marina Pavlovic Rivas, Founder of Eli Health, wanted to enable women to control of their health throughout their lives via a hormone monitoring product. Hormones are at the root of so many transitions and conditions women experience from puberty to menopause, yet they remain a black box. To Listen to Marina explain the origin story of Eli Health in her own words watch our 2021 FemTechnology panel on Gathering Female Specific Data Sets by Innovative Means: Chantelle Bell, Co-Founder of Syrona Health, got into the industry after her own difficulties navigating the healthcare system with chronic gynaecological health conditions. Syrona is a research-driven app and there has been a distinct lack of research within the field of gynaecological health, especially within Endometriosis.  To Listen to Chantelle explain the origin story of Syrona Health her own words watch our 2021 FemTechnology panel on Pain + Symptom Management in Gynecology: Priyanka Jain, Co-Founder of Evvy, was curious about how data could be used to make informed decisions about women’s health. In particular, she wanted to investigate which biomarkers of health are sitting in the female body unused – biomarkers that we never tracked or measured because women were not studied women. There are many things that the female body does uniquely that could be incredible measurements of women’s health. These biomarkers could help us predict diagnose, treat or stratify the risk of disease as it manifests differently in the female body. The problem is we don’t typically use any of those biomarkers because they don’t exist in men so we never studied them. To Listen to Priyanka explain the origin story of Evvy in her own words watch our 2022 FemTechnology panel on the Gender Data Health Gap: Check out all these fabulous FemTech Founders and more at our 2021 FemTechnology Summit and 2022 FemTechnology Summit. And sign up early for our 2023 FemTechnology Summit here.  Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### Top 3 Researcher, FemTech Founder & Clinician 2022 Interviews URL: https://femtechnology.org/2022/08/23/top-3-researcher-femtech-founder-clinician-2022-interviews/ Date: 2022-08-23T08:00:11+00:00 August 23, 2022August 31, 2022 Health care, medical system, Top FemTech StartupsBy Oriana Kraft   Innovation in women’s health can only occur from a 360 degree perspective: core stakeholders in that mission are femtech founders, clinicians, researchers and of course patients themselves. That’s why at femtechnology we strive to include the full range of perspectives to have a holistic overview of where the field is headed. As we kick off a new season of interviews we thought we’d share some of our favourite interviews: I. Researcher Interviews: The Economic Case For Funding Women’s Health Research. Part 1. “We created a formula that rests on the assumption that men and women are the same, even though women’s circumstances, health and life expectancy aren’t the same. Our definition of what is equal and fair is way more expensive for women.” An interview with Chloe Bird.  The Link Between Fertility And Future Health: “An ovary is sort of a crystal ball where you look in and say, ‘this is not normal’. The ovary is telling you ahead of time what’s going to happen.” An interview with Dr. Lynae Brayboy, CMO of Clue. When it comes to health, sex matters. “Although sex differences in the brain may be small, they have important implications for understanding the substantial sex differences we see across almost every disorder of the brain. And some of these differences not only impact the brain but impact other organ systems that are regulated by the brain.” An interview with Dr. Jill Goldstein, Founder and Executive Director Innovation Center on Sex Differences in Medicine (ICON-X), Massachusetts General Hospital.  II. FemTech Founders: How Can Data Help Us Understand Autoimmune Triggers? An Interview. “Autoimmune diseases have a prevalence that skews over eighty percent female. It’s an issue that impacted one in four hundred people in our parents’ generation but now impacts one in five people instead.Today autoimmune diseases are the leading cause of death in women between fifteen to forty-five years old.” An interview with Mette Dyhrberg, Founder and CEO of Mymee.  Decoding the vaginal microbiome. An Interview “There are many things that the female body does uniquely that could be incredible measurements of women’s health. These biomarkers could help us predict diagnose, treat or stratify the risk of disease as it manifests differently in the female body. The problem is we don’t typically use any of those biomarkers because they don’t exist in men so we never studied them.” An interview with Priyanka Jain, Co-Founder and CEO of Evvy.  Mojo – The Fertility Startup That Wants To Tackle Infertility With At-Home Lab-grade AI-powered semen tests “How come in the 21st-century, fertility care is only offered to women? That’s how we decided to build Mojo. Our mission begins with helping millions of men to understand, improve and secure their fertility from the comfort of their homes.” An interview with one of the Co-Founders of Mojo – Mohamed Taha III. Clinicians : How Do Gendered Practices In Medicine Impact The Care Patients Receive? An interview. “When an elderly man comes into the emergency room and has fallen down and broken his wrist, emergency physicians will often send the patient home without an order for a scan for osteoporosis. Less than 20% of men seen in the emergency room for fractures actually get the appropriate follow-up they deserve because we think of osteoporosis as a grandmother’s disease.” An interview with Dr. Marjorie Jenkins, Dean of UofSC School of Medicine Greenville and as Chief Academic Officer for Prisma Health-Upstate. The women’s health condition that impacts 16% of women worldwide that we don’t talk about “10-16% of women worldwide experience vulvodynia. Only 60% of women reporting chronic vulvar pain seek treatment, and only about half will receive a correct diagnosis. 45 to 65% of gynecologists lack diagnostic knowledge of vulvodynia. About 20% of gynecologists actually know about vulvodynia but don’t feel able to initiate treatment. Which leaves only 20% of gynecologists actually knowing about vulvodynia and feeling able to initiate appropriate treatment.”   If you are innovating in women’s health or know someone who is doing groundbreaking work you think we should feature – feel free to drop us a line at : contact@femtechnology.org   Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### How does male-centric medicine endangers women’s lives? URL: https://femtechnology.org/2022/08/18/how-does-male-centric-medicine-endangers-womens-lives/ Date: 2022-08-18T11:28:11+00:00 August 18, 2022 Founder Interviews, Health care, medical systemBy Oriana Kraft Did you know that for women with epilepsy the concentration of their medication drops during the lutealphase of their menstrualcycle? Women can have breakthrough seizures as a result. But instead of tailoring the dosage of their medication so that the concentration varies in function of the menstrual cycle, doctors either increase the dosage across the board or they tell women they can’t drive and have to have follow-up appointments with neurologists. This stems from the fact that clinical trials were conducted on men between the ages of 20 and 40 with stable testosterone levels. Researchers wanted to find out what was really going on. They thought fluctuating estrogen levels would be too complicated to take into account. So they did find out what was really going on. They found out what was really going on in men between 20 and 40 years old and white. This research and design bias was found to extend to smartphone-based conversational agents, with Siri in fact. Researchers found that when they said, “Hey Siri I have a headache – I’m having chest pain. What should I do?” Siri had established recommendations. Siri knew to direct them to the nearest hospital. But when users said things such as : “I’m depressed.” “I was raped.” “I was assaulted.” It had no context, no established recommendations for guidance. To watch the full Keynote by Dr. Alyson McGregor on how male-centric medicine endangers women’s lives:  Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### What does it look like when women have access to information about their own fertility? URL: https://femtechnology.org/2022/08/16/how-can-women-have-access-to-information-about-their-own-fertility/ Date: 2022-08-16T07:05:16+00:00 August 16, 2022September 25, 2022 Deep Dives, Founder Interviews, Health care, medical systemBy Oriana Kraft Did you know that 1 in 3 women will have a reproductive pathology at some point in their lives? The female reproductive system is highly dynamic and does not just impact the uterus or ovaries but metabolism, sleep, mood, weight, cognitive function, heart, bones …  And yet less than 2.5% of publicly funded research is dedicated solely to reproductive health, despite the staggering impact of these issues on overall health. Startups like Hertility are trying to change that. Hertility is seeking to build the world’s largest dataset of female biomarkers, biometrics and pathologies.  Hertility began as a clinical trial. The first question they wanted to know the answer to was: “Am I fertile or am I infertile?” They wanted to understand the underlying predictive factors of infertility that, when you cluster them together, would be indicative of a pathology.   But when COVID struck, and all non essential clinical operations were closed due to lockdown, the team could not recruit women. So instead they set up a basic webpage asking women whether they would want to know the answer to that question. Did women want to know whether they were fertile or not? 7000 people registered. Hertility was not reaching out to them. Women were searching for the answer themselves. This just served to reinforce their belief that information about female health shouldn’t be behind a clinic wall or inaccessibly expensive. The healthcare system should be in the hands of women. Women should have the ability to have access to information and knowledge about their own bodies on their own terms (which is part of what femtech is trying to do). Women are using technology to enable themselves to find the answers to questions that too often go unanswered.  To learn more about the work the femtech startup Hertility is doing and what the Future of Fertility could look like watch our FemTechnology Panel on ‘The Future of Fertility’ here: Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### What can orgasms teach us about female health? URL: https://femtechnology.org/2022/08/15/what-can-orgasms-teach-us-about-female-health/ Date: 2022-08-15T08:25:02+00:00 August 15, 2022September 25, 2022 Deep Dives, FemTech Blog, Founder Interviews, Health care, medical system, UncategorizedBy Oriana Kraft 78% of women have never discussed their sexual health with a provider. Yet sexual health is often a canary in the coal mine of more complex health issues. It is an integral part of general health – yet it is seldom treated as such. On average medical school students receive 3-10 hours of training on the topic over a four year period – and do not feel comfortable asking their patients about the topic when they begin practicing. This gap in care is only intensified by the lack of research into sexual pleasure. Yet there are many interesting correlations deserving if further exploration. Young women who masturbate are more likely to report consistent contraceptive use and positive communication with their partners than those who have never masturbated. Women who used vibrators in the past were also more likely to have had a gynecological examination during the preceding year. And yet sexual pleasure is too often seen as taboo leading to disappointing statistics like the following: only 25% and 38% of young women reported physiological and psychological sexual satisfaction at first intercourse, respectively, compared with 65% and 57% of men. It’s why we find startups smashing taboos around sexual pleasures whilst advancing research into the field of sexual pleasure particularly fascinating. Lioness a great example. The Lioness vibrator measures pelvic floor movements which is a great indicator of arousal and orgasms. People can use it like a normal, rabbit-style vibrator while the sensors and technology work in the background. Through the mobile app, they visualize the data to show them what’s working, what’s changing and how different external factors could be affecting pleasure and arousal. Their app allows you to track the impact of environmental changes—everything from caffeine to sleep quality. Via Bluetooth they’re also able to chart a user’s session or orgasm in real time.  Through their vibrator, Lioness was able to identify three types of orgasm experienced by women: the wave, the avalanche, and the volcano. The ‘wave’ is a short burst of pelvic contractions preceded by an entraining rhythm of pelvic floor tension and release. The ‘volcano’ is an orgasm preceded by increasing upward pelvic floor tensions. The ‘avalanche; shows higher pelvic floor basal contractions maintained throughout self-stimulation, but a downward contraction profile during and after orgasm. To see the full panel on the Gender Data Health Gap at the FemTechnology Summit, learn more about different orgasm patterns & the work lioness is doing : Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### Opportunities for improving the PCOS experience URL: https://femtechnology.org/2022/08/02/opportunities-for-improving-the-pcos-experience/ Date: 2022-08-02T06:51:05+00:00 August 2, 2022September 25, 2022 Deep Dives, FemTech Think Pieces, Health care, medical systemBy Oriana Kraft Did you know that approximately 75% of individuals with PCOS remain undiagnosed when visiting their doctor? Despite PCOS being the most common endocrine disease in women of reproductive age – we still don’t have standard diagnostic criteria. The most recently endorsed criteria was established in 2003 (the Rotterdam criteria). The Rotterdam criteria requires the presence of at least two of the three criteria to diagnose PCOS in adults (irregular periods, hyperandrogenism – clinical or biochemical – and polycystic ovaries), after excluding other causes that could mimic PCOS. But one of the main hormones needed to test for hyperandrogenism is testosterone. And the common direct tests for testosterone show poor sensitivity in women, mainly because they were designed to measure testosterone in males. The assessment of insulin resistance—which most women with PCOS experience—is another major problem for clinicians. Currently available measurement methods of insulin resistance are impractical in clinical practice.I n other words, the measurement methods may be accurate and sophisticated in a lab setting but are difficult to produce the same results in a doctor’s office. For the women who are diagnosed with PCOS, few are satisfied with their diagnostic experience (only 35.2%according to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism). Fewer (15.6%) were satisfiedwith the information they receive. Satisfaction with information received was positively associated with diagnosis satisfaction. Women’s most common concerns were difficulty losing weight (53.6%), irregular menstrual cycles (50.8%), and infertility (44.5%). Alongside the common treatment of PCOS such as lifestyle modifications (exercise and diet) and hormonal contraceptives, an emerging treatment option is dietary supplements. There is some emerging evidence for their beneficial effects of magnesium and vitamin E on insulin metabolic parameters and markers of cardio-metabolic risk. Omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin E co-supplementation have also been shown to improve insulin resistance and other hormone levels.  These gaps in early diagnosis, education, and support are clear opportunities for improving the patient experience. Just another reason why intervening earlier on in the lifecycle of women is so important. Are you a researcher or clinician working in the field of PCOS or a PCOS/ FemTech startup? We’d love to hear what you’re working on at : contact@femtechnology.org  Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### Why PCOS is about more than just fertility URL: https://femtechnology.org/2022/08/02/why-pcos-is-about-more-than-just-fertility/ Date: 2022-08-02T06:49:19+00:00 August 2, 2022September 25, 2022 Deep Dives, FemTech Think Pieces, Health care, medical systemBy Oriana Kraft Did you know that children of mothers with PCOS are 31% more likely to be admitted to the hospital for infectious diseases and 47% more likely to be admitted for allergy-related problems? PCOS is the most common endocrine disease in women of reproductive age. Common symptoms include acne, irregular periods, or amenorrhea (loss of period). PCOS may also lead to insulin resistance, which is one of the main targets of PCOS therapy. Yet it is relatively difficult to diagnose due to a lack of standard diagnostic criteria – this poses a risk not only to the women themselves, but as a recent study published in Human Reproduction, one of the world’s leading reproductive medicine journals, looking at 1,038,375 children born in Quebec, Canada, between 2006 and 2020 – to the children of the mothers themselves. The risk of hospitalization was increased for problems relating to metabolism (up by 59%), the gut (72%), central nervous system (74%), and ears (34%); it was also increased for respiratory problems, such as pneumonia (32%). It is why we should consider treating #PCOS much earlier on than simply when women are actively trying to conceive. In the words of Dr Nathalie Auger, associate professor of epidemiology at the School of Public Health, University of Montreal, Canada, who led the study:”Primary care doctors and obstetricians should consider identifying women with PCOS before conception and offering early interventions such as weight management and strategies to help prevent problems such as diabetes and heart and blood vessel diseases.” Alongside the common treatment of PCOS such as lifestyle modifications (exercise and diet) an emerging treatment option is dietary supplements. There is some emerging evidence for their beneficial effects of magnesium and vitamin E on insulin metabolic parameters and markers of cardio-metabolic risk. Omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin E co-supplementation have also been shown to improve insulin resistance and other hormone levels. Just another reason why intervening earlier on in the lifecycle of women is so important. Are you a researcher or clinician working in the field of PCOS or a PCOS startup? We’d love to hear what you’re working on at : contact@femtechnology.org  To read a little bit more about our thoughts on PCOS – check out our piece on why we talked about PCOS at our Spring 2022 Summit:  https://femtechnology.org/2021/11/19/heres-why-well-be-talking-about-pcos-at-the-summit/ Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### Why are we ignoring the health of young women? URL: https://femtechnology.org/2022/07/27/why-are-we-ignoring-the-health-of-young-women-why-there-should-be-more-femtech-solutions-for-college-age-students/ Date: 2022-07-27T12:30:57+00:00 July 27, 2022September 25, 2022 Deep Dives, FemTech Think Pieces, Health care, medical systemBy Oriana Kraft Aka Why there should be more FemTech solutions focussed on college-age students: College-aged women are one of the least-serviced demographics when it comes to women’s healthcare, yet they are also the age range that would make most sense to target first. It is the age when many conditions first manifest:   Half of young women – between the ages of 16-24 – in Australia reported a mental health disorder in 2022 Most women with PCOS commonly present with symptoms by the end of their teenage years or early 20s. It takes 7.5 years on average for endometriosis to be diagnosed. The average age of endometriosis diagnosis is between the ages of 25-35 – so roughly between the ages of 18-28 years old. One has to wonder if part of the reason it takes so long to diagnose is precisely because it more often manifests in young women? Patient-reported age of discovery of vaginismus is most commonly noted between the ages of 10 and 19 years old. Half of STDs occur between the ages of 15 and 24. Dysmenorrhea (painful periods) are most common in women between the ages of 20 and 24 years. The list goes on – and yet there is a scarcity of solutions targeting these issues and this demographic. Furthermore, college-age women are often also uprooted from their traditional care ecosystem; start making reproductive choices that form the basis for their later lives and when they want to better understand the complexities of being sexually active. It is also an age that lends itself well to trying out new solutions as they embark on their health journey. And yet thus far it has been dramatically neglected by the healthcare ecosystem. One has to wonder if this will change with the generational shift that is occurring. Younger women more open than previous generations to discuss their reproductive health, leading to stronger urges to refuse the status quo and seek solutions to remedy their pain-points. We’re certainly hard at work to make that the case. Interested in joining us / finding out more ? Apply to become a FemTechnology Ambassador at your university. Shoot us an email at: contact@femtechnology.org with your name, the university you go to and 3 lines about why you would like to be our on-campus ambassador.   Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### What doe the future of STD testing look like ? A FemTech Startup perspective. URL: https://femtechnology.org/2022/07/25/what-doe-the-future-of-std-testing-look-like-a-femtech-startup-perspective/ Date: 2022-07-25T08:10:18+00:00 July 25, 2022 Founder Interviews, Health care, medical systemBy Oriana Kraft The following is a transcript of an interview by Oriana Kraft with Dongjin Shin, CEO of BL Science Corp – a pioneer and leader of In-vitro diagnostics, based in South Korea – about GynPad, a sanitation-pad that can be used to self-collect specimens for HPV and STD testing.  Hi Dongjin! Nice to meet you could you introduce yourself briefly to readers and explain your background. Hi! I’m Dongjin Shin, CEO of BL Science Corp a leader and pioneer of In-vitro diagnostics company in Korea. I work on the development of in-vitro diagnostics devices and methods for improving diagnosis of woman’s diseases such as cervical cancer and HPV screening. I have been leading the development of Liquid-based Cytology Sample Processor, called CellSquare and the non-invasive self-sampling device GynPad® for HPV & STD screening. What is GynPad? GynPad is a sanitation-pad that can be used to self-collect specimens for HPV and STD testing. GynPad is the world’s first and only non-invasive sample collection kit with proven efficacy in real world study. Why did you feel now was the time for GynPad? The fact that it’s non-invasive. Currently all available testing methods are invasive, potentially resulting in pain, secondary infections, psychological stress and low-quality sampling issue and that may lead woman does not get tested regularly. GynPad was developed for the purpose of collecting samples remotely in areas where it is difficult to adopt PAP-smear test due to poor medical accessibility and the affordability of DNA test. We have already successfully developed and marketed the device in some Asian countries including Korea, Hongkong, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines and so on. During the Covid Pandemic, DNA tests have become more common, in-vitro diagnosis environment has been rapidly grown, and the DNA test cost has significantly decreased. I think it is time for the convenience of self-sampling to spread globally. How have sociocultural norms influenced GynPad? If you had to pick one barrier as being the largest one to impede innovation/conversations around women’s health what would you say it was? We want to deliver the message, “I DECIDE,” with GynPad. We would like women to have sovereignty over when, how and why they choose to get tested. STDs are very common and costly all over the world. About 20% of the population suffers from STDs, which ends up costing the the healthcare system billions of dollars in each year. If untreated, STDs can lead to serious consequences including infertility, ectopic pregnancy, stillbirths which negatively affect quality of life. That is why pre-screening is recommended for every woman 30 and above. But it is not easy for women to get the screening. Let’s think of how women get STD screening results. First and foremost, they have to make their way to the hospital and wait for their turn. When their name is called loudly, they go into the examination room, sit down on the cold stirrups and let a stranger collect the sample from the cervix. And they need to re-visit the hospital for the result of the examination. It takes too much time, and their privacy is not respected. Although women know that getting regularly tested is important, because of fear, shame, and discomfort, they tend to avoid visiting the obstetrics and gynecology clinic. And we should not forget the fact that accessibility to hospitals are not equal to everyone. Furthermore, since the collection method of traditional swab requires direct contact to the cervix surface which may be invasive, it may lead to secondary infection. Effective screening techniques are needed, and privacy must be respected. We have been working to improve the current method and process, and GynPad can come out to the world. I believe GynPad can revolutionize a certain aspect of women’s healthcare by introducing woman-friendly screening method. What have some of Gynpad largest challenges been?  Although it varies from country to country, regulation on medical practice is one of huge barriers to adopt new medical devices and diagnostic techniques. When a woman wants to know the result of her GynPad test, she needs to visit the hospital in order to get the report from the doctor because the current Medical Service Act in Korea prohibits telemedicine. Fortunately, GynPad is joining Regulatory Sandbox, a framework set up by a regulator that temporally allows innovators to conduct the service under a regulator’s supervision, in 2021, so that women do not need to visit the hospital, can get their examination report via SMS or mobile app. How do you see Gynpad fitting into the FemTech landscape?  In the past, medical devices for women were not with women in mind – like the stirrup chair. GynPad can dramatically change women’s health by providing easier and simpler self-sampling method, as well as privacy and faster results. In the most familiar and comfortable way, women can check their own health regularly – and the collected data could generate further solutions. Do you envision collaborating with any other FemTech companies in the future? GynPad needs to collaborate with the commercial laboratory like CLIA certified lab. Conventional PCR and real-time PCR techniques are alright for the test. We are exploring GynPad’s usage more in other field such as prenatal examination, microbiome, and incompetent Cervix based on the biomarker that we can collect through vaginal discharge. Are you looking to form any specific partnerships?   We are looking for a commercial partner who has the same dream as us. And if the partner knows the diagnosis industry such as female diagnosis, telemedicine business, or having valid diagnostic test coverage in US, that would be great. This Interview is part of our FemTech Startup Spotlights — Interviews with FemTech Companies around the world changing the game in regards to diagnostics, therapeutics and care in general. We want to highlight the global femtech market – femtech companies wherever they may be. And is in line with the theme of our next FemTech Summit — which will tackle women’s health issues facing a college-age demographic. Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### Barriers to Innovation In Women’s Health (A Series). URL: https://femtechnology.org/2022/07/21/barriers-to-innovation-in-womens-health-a-series/ Date: 2022-07-21T09:36:22+00:00 July 21, 2022September 25, 2022 Deep Dives, FemTech Think Pieces, Health care, medical systemBy Oriana Kraft Healthcare wasn’t designed with women in mind. All women go through a series of hormonal life-cycle transitions that alter bodily function, mood and lifestyle in radical manners (puberty, sexual activity, fertility, pregnancy, post-partum, menopause) – yet women are given next to no guidance on how to navigate these transitions. Current healthcare engages on a point basis, rather than accompanying women who experience more complex and chronic health journeys: eg navigating menstrual cycle difficulties (80% of women experience period pain – resulting in 9 days of lost productivity per year), long-term or recurrent gynecological conditions with full-body implications such as endometriosis, PCOS, fibroids, increased prevalence of autoimmune disorders … This places undue burden on women resulting in increased out of pocket healthcare costs and diminished quality of life. The combination of changes that occur are unique to each woman, yet many symptoms + conditions that manifest are shockingly common (1 in 3 women will have bacterial vaginosis, 4 in 10 women have difficulties with sexual pleasure …) yet these issues are stigmatized and rarely talked about. Women are unaware of the solutions that can provide the care they deserve, serviced by a subpar and often dangerous healthcare system not adapted to the challenges they face. Women need an integrated, ecosystem of solutions that matches women directly to the solution that solves their pain points.    Instead, women’s reproductive health solutions are siloed, limited to specific solutions women must uncover (UTI treatment, fertility assistance, menstrual solutions etc) despite the fact that most women have a need for many of these solutions at some moment in their lives and would benefit from them being integrated with one another. There are too many steps involved for women to access the solutions they need. Time intensive, isolating, confusing and laborious– lucky women are eventually able to identify solutions. But most are unable or give up in their search to find trustworthy information and solutions. An average woman does not have the time, knowledge, perseverance or determination to hunt for specific solutions that fit her unique need and then compare each to decide which matches her need best. Nor quite frankly should it be her job to. There is an entire industry whose job is defined as “efforts made to maintain or restore physical, mental, or emotional well-being especially by trained and licensed professionals.” It should be the job of the healthcare industry to care for women – and yet it is not. Yesterday, (July 20th 2022), the government in England published the first ever Women’s Health Strategy for England to tackle the gender health gap: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/first-womens-health-strategy-for-england-to-tackle-gender-health-gap. Stating that : “Medical students will have to take new exams on menopause and common gynaecological disorders to improve diagnosis and treatment.” The Department of Health announced the strategy on Wednesday after a consultation of 100,000 women found that 80% felt NHS healthcare staff don’t listen to them. Colleges will be urged to introduce new guidelines and training for doctors to improve awareness of women’s health problems. Participants in the study said they felt that their suffering was ignored when it comes to issues such as puberty, fertility, menopause and old age. So basically at every point and turn in women’s reproductive health life span. Gynaecology waiting lists across the UK saw a 60% increase on pre-pandemic levels – the biggest percentage increase of all elective specialties. Educating physicians is an important first step but it can only go so far when physicians do not have the research, data or tools to treat their patients adequately. Healthcare wasn’t resigned with women in mind. Awareness is an important first step – but the problem stretches far beyond that. The entire ecosystem of women’s health solutions needs to be built. That’s why we need FemTech.   Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### FemTech and Data – what does the future of women’s health look like? URL: https://femtechnology.org/2022/07/14/femtech-and-data-what-does-the-future-of-womens-health-look-like/ Date: 2022-07-14T15:53:34+00:00 July 14, 2022July 23, 2022 FemTech Think Pieces, Health care, medical systemBy Oriana Kraft There is a fundamental and foundational lack of data when it comes to women’s health. A quick primer: In the U.S., women were not required to be included in clinical research until 1993, when Congress passed the NIH Revitalization Act. As a direct consequence, the medication used and prescribed to this day was not tested, nor created with the female physiology in mind – with devastating consequences. Unsurprisingly, a study published in 2020 from UC Berkeley and the University of Chicago found that women experienced worse side effects in 90% of cases from medication as compared to men, and the “sex difference was not explained by sex differences in body weight.” And the data gap does not stop there, but persists to this day  only 4% of healthcare R&D spending in the US goes directly towards women’s health. A disproportionate share of resources is applied to “diseases that affect primarily men, at the expense of those that affect primarily women.” Male-prevalent diseases (like tuberculosis, prostate cancer, hepatitis etc.) get 2x the research funding dollars when compared to female-prevalent ones (endometriosis, PCOS, migraines, eating disorders), leading not only to a lack of innovation and adequate solutions for these disease but to a tendency to place less importance on these issues from the healthcare community. Another shocking statistic? Less than 2.5% of publicly funded research is dedicated solely to reproductive health, despite the fact that one in three women in the UK will suffer from a reproductive or gynaecological health problem. Five times more research goes into erectile dysfunction, which affects 19% of men, as compared to PMS, which affects 90% of women. Women’s health is under-researched, under-invested, and under-valued by the traditional healthcare model. Modern medicine was not created with women in mind. So what role does FemTech play in all of this? Or what role was it trying to? FemTech was trying to bridge the gap in healthcare – by collecting these missing foundational data sets directly from women. Many FemTech companies built their business models around crowdsourcing data and community insights from women in underserved areas of health. The logic being: we don’t have adequate knowledge about women’s bodies – nor are we listening to them in the traditional healthcare model. Women wait 16 minutes longer in emergency rooms to receive pain medication than men. Women are also more likely to be told their pain is “psychosomatic,” or influenced by emotional distress. And in a survey of more than 2,400 women with chronic pain, 83 percent said they felt they had experienced gender discrimination from their health care providers. So FemTech solutions that took a qualitative approach to collecting data – listening to their users about the symptoms and changes they experienced in conjunction with their menstrual cycle or analysed the vaginal microbiome and recurrent UTIs – were particularly welcome. They provided both a personalized approach (allowing women to establish correlations or causations about the way their bodies were changing in conjunction with another metric: changes in their vaginal microbiome or where they were at in their menstrual cycle) as well as a meta-overview of experiences women as a whole were having with these issues. It’s why period trackers, though far from perfect, are so often associated with Femtech as a whole. They were the first technological innovations in women’s healthcare to make noise about the way women’s health was being underserved. A famous example of this? when Apple Health debuted in 2014, and the senior VP of software engineering Craig Federighi told users, “You can monitor all of your metrics that you’re most interested in.” although this did not for nearly a year include period tracking. So data (or the ability to collect data and understand women’s bodies better) is a fundamental service FemTech seemed uniquely poised to provide. The interest did not seem to stem from government or research institutions – so the case had to be made by women themselves (and private sector companies recognising the opportunity). And yet, when the case was finally starting to be made, attention to the industry being payed, the Supreme Court in the U.S. overturned Roe v Wade – effectively opening the door to criminalise reproductive health data. With states choosing to criminalize abortion potentially being allowed to start subpoenaing consumer data. Women’s health – now going from being criminally neglected to being criminalized.  So what does the future of women’s health look like? Uncertain. New means of collecting data and laying the foundational groundwork for establishing patterns in women’s health, investigating commonalities, understanding gaps in experiences, will need to be put forward, ones that leave women less vulnerable than they are currently. But we cannot also just write-off FemTech completely. Researching, understanding and providing the tools to fill gaps and service women’s healthcare is more vital than ever. It is not the concept of FemTech – or the need it sought to serve – that needs to change, but rather the way in which it goes about serving us. FemTech as an industry is still in its infancy – there is time for it to adapt yet.   Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### FemTech Startups Innovating in Birth Control URL: https://femtechnology.org/2022/07/14/femtech-startups-innovating-in-birth-control/ Date: 2022-07-14T14:45:07+00:00 July 14, 2022July 23, 2022 Health care, medical system, Top FemTech StartupsBy Oriana Kraft Here’s a round-up of FemTech startups innovating in the birth control space + why we’re excited about them! #1 Startups working on Non-Hormonal Forms of Contraception: Phexxi :  Phexxi is a contraceptive hormone-free gel, designed to be used before sex to prevent pregnancy. When semen enters the vagina, it raises the vagina’s pH levels from its typical range of 3.5-4.5 to a range of 6.5-7.2. This increase in the pH of your vagina is what allows sperm to move and swim up the reproductive canal to reach the egg and cause pregnancy. Once inserted into the vagina, Phexxi maintains a normal vaginal pH and works to keep vaginal pH in the 3.5-4.5 range, which lowers sperm mobility. When sperm can’t swim, it lowers the chance of them reaching the egg. Phexxi is already on the market in the U.S. Oui (Cirqle Biomedical): OUI is a completely new approach to contraception that works by topically engineering the cervical mucus to provide effective contraception with minimal side-effects. It does this by using biopolymers that can reinforce the barrier properties of cervical mucus to prevent sperm from traveling through the cervix and thereby prevent fertilization. The biopolymer used is derived from either mushrooms or the shell of crustaceans and are already used in other FDA-approved medical devices. They conducted a trial with 30 animals, of which 0 of the 15 animals in the treated group became pregnant while 8 out of 15 animals in the control group became pregnant. Their current goal is to complete pre-clinical validation of OUI to start human clinical trials. Given that 49% of surveyed women in the US say it is either extremely or very important to them that their contraceptive does not contain hormones – this is an important step in the right direction for innovation in birth control. Clue: The FemTech app that is best known for its period tracking feature, announced in 2021 that they will be rolling out an FDA-cleared and clinically tested digital contraceptive as an innovative way to prevent pregnancy. It works by tracking period start date to know which days you are at high risk of pregnancy. On high risk days, you must use a condom when having sex that may result in pregnancy. Since it’s based on fertility awareness (when you are most likely to become pregnant), it’s completely hormone free and side effect free. The algorithm behind Clue Birth Control was developed and tested in an independent clinical trial conducted by researchers at the Institute for Reproductive Health (IRH) at Georgetown University.    #2 Revolutionising the way we prescribe / women choose their birth control:   Tuune: Tuune is a precision medicine startup that leverages AI and biological testing to match women with contraception. They do this via an online health assessment, an at-home hormone test to assess your levels and scan for 6 key biomarkers, establishing a hormone symptom report to see the links between symptoms you might be experiencing and your hormones. Lowdown: is a contraception review, advice and prescriptions platform where women can share their experiences with different types of contraception. Dama Health: Dama Health offers women and clinicians personalised contraception recommendations using a genetic test and an automated matching system. Their approach takes womens’ medical preferences, medical history and specific requirements into account and matches them up against suitable hormonal contraceptive medication types. #3 Birth Control doubling as a form of pain relief: OCON: OCON Healthcare creates novel contraceptive methods of the basis of their proprietary intrauterine ball (IUB) which doubles as a physiologically adapted intrauterine drug-delivery platform. Most notable are their : IUB™ SEAD™ (Spherical Endometrial Ablation Device), a new way to solve for Abnormal Uterine Bleeding (AUB) & Heavy Menstrual Bleeding (HMB) and their IUB™ PRIMA™, a therapeutic-delivery to target therapy areas such as endometriosis and myomas as well as heavy menstrual bleeding and other hormonal solutions delivered directly through the uterus moving away from systemic side effects. #4 Male Contraception ? Several areas are currently being explored as viable forms of male contraception, though it is too soon to tell when and if they will reach the market. One example is the experimental male contraceptive called 11-beta-methyl-19-nortestosterone dodecylcarbonate, or 11-beta-MNTDC a modified testosterone that combines androgens and progesterone to decrease sperm production without affecting libido. Another reversible type of male contraception in the form of topical gels is being developed. Nestorone or Testosterone Transdermal Gel for male contraception is designed to reduce sperm count while keeping the level of testosterone within the normal range. The gel, applied onto the man’s shoulders and upper arms once a day, is absorbed through the skin and contains progestin, which prevents the creation of sperm. #5 New Research showing promise: Scientists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hillare engineering molecularly tuned monoclonal antibodies that can be directly delivered into the vagina for a new type of non-hormonal female contraception. Scientists are now enabling a new application for antibodies: blocking sperm from reaching an egg. #6 Enabling easier access to Contraception: The pill club: Contraception delivered straight to your mailbox. All you have to do is fill out an online health profile. Then the medical team reviews, works with you to select the best option and prescribes it if you’re a good candidate for the option you selected. Delivered to your door on time, every time. Nurx : specialized, personalized medication — birth control, prescription skincare, migraine treatment, PrEP, herpes medicine and more, home tests for STIs, HPV and COVID-19 – delivered to you at home, by connecting you with their medical team from wherever you are. These are just some of the startups working to build the future of contraception. For a more exhaustive list/ to get a better understanding of what the landscape looks like, what new forms of birth control might be coming down the pipeline, what unique challenges will be – make sure to register for the OCTOBER edition of the FemTechnology Summit, which will have a special focus on challenge and solutions in women’s health for a college-age demographic. Sign up here Or if you additional questions/ would like to get in touch, feel free to reach out to us at : contact@femtechnology.org Here at FemTechnology we believe innovation in women’s health needs to be approached from a 360 degree perspective to catalyse true and enduring advancement – bringing together FemTech Startups, groundbreaking researchers, chief clinicians and end-users. That’s why we love shining a spotlight on FemTech startups we think are tackling meaningful areas of female health with an innovative approach – whether their approach takes a diagnostic, therapeutic, access, community-based etc. angle Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### Our Keynote Speakers URL: https://femtechnology.org/2022/05/26/our-keynote-speakers/ Date: 2022-05-26T15:25:20+00:00 May 26, 2022July 23, 2022 FemTech Think Pieces, Health care, medical systemBy Oriana Kraft Did you know that investing $300 million in women’s health research across just 3 diseases, would produce $13 billion in returns for the US economy? Or that men receive suboptimal care because of gender-blind medicine? Osteoporosis is viewed as a ‘grandmother’s ‘disease and as a result less than 20% of men seen in the emergency room for fractures get the appropriate follow-up they deserve, resulting in a higher likelihood of dying a year after a fracture. Did you know that a woman’s QT [the time it takes from when ventricles in the heart start to contract to when they finish relaxing] is longer than a man’s? And that many prescription drugs – painkillers, antidepressants, antihistamines, antibiotics – cause incremental QT increases as a side-effect? The risk of this for a women taking multiple medications (and statistically women are most likely to take multiple meds at the same time), can range from simple arrhythmia to sudden cardiac death? #investing, researching and innovating in women’s health is not just a moral imperative, but would be economically beneficial and improve the way medicine is practiced and delivered for the population as a whole. Join the free + virtual FemTechnology Summit (www.tinyurl.com/femtech22) June 1 +2 to learn about: –     The economic case for investing in women’s health from Chloe Bird, PhD, FAAAS, FAAHB –   Sex-specific therapeutics for chronic diseases Jill M. Goldstein Ph.D –   The future of care Marjorie Jenkins, MD MEdHP FACP –   How male-centric medicine endangers women’s health from Alyson J. McGregor about #health #femtech #medicine #research #gender #economy To register : www.tinyurl.com/femtech22 Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### Why We’re Talking About The Gender Data Health Gap URL: https://femtechnology.org/2022/05/26/why-were-talking-about-the-gender-data-health-gap/ Date: 2022-05-26T15:23:12+00:00 May 26, 2022July 23, 2022 FemTech Think Pieces, medical systemBy Oriana Kraft Did you know 70% of those affected by chronic pain conditions are women – yet 80% of research into pain is conducted on male humans or rodents? This results in a very obvious data gap in terms of understanding how pain manifests in women (women are “significantly” more likely than men to be prescribed sedatives, rather than painkillers when in pain). In the words of the NIH: “the historical lack of research focus on women’s health concerns has compromised the quality of health information available to women as well as the health care they receive.” Some of the most underfunded and under-researched diseases are ones that primarily or solely impact women (did you know that #endometriosis research only receives 1 dollar for every 200 dollars spent on Diabetes?) That’s why we’re so glad to have the following terrific panelists tackling the #genderdatagap, by collecting data sets that have historically been neglected or omitted from health research: Priyanka Jain, CEO + Co-Founder of Evvy (an at home vaginal microbiome test to help get at the root of recurrent vaginal infections and other symptoms.) Research has shown that the composition of an individual’s vaginal microbiome is associated with the risk of: fertility issues, pregnancy complications like preeclampsia or preterm birth, gynecological cancers (ovarian, cervical, endometrial), STIs … Anna Lee Co-Founder + Head of Engineering Lioness Health ( a sexual wellness company dedicated to championing female sexual pleasure and health). Lioness has the world’s largest data set in terms of female physiological sexual function. Eric Dy, CEO + Founder Bloomlife Inc (a women’s health company designing remote prenatal care solutions to improve the health of women and babies.) Could more information about pregnancy and normal labor lead to better care, less invasive measures, improved birth outcomes, and lower cesarean rates? The Gender Data Gap Panel at the FemTechnology Summit will be moderated by Yana Aznavour, MD, PhD, CEO + Founder of Endometrics an at-home test for non-invasive diagnosis of endometriosis. Join Us for June 1 + 2 — The Summit is virtual & free to register : www.tinyurl.com/femtech22 #healthcare #health #femtech #data #research #gender Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### What Does The Future Of Care Look Like? URL: https://femtechnology.org/2022/05/26/what-does-the-future-of-care-look-like/ Date: 2022-05-26T15:21:51+00:00 May 26, 2022July 23, 2022 FemTech Think Pieces, medical systemBy Oriana Kraft Femtech has a vital role to play in the #futureofcare. Women incur health expenses 80% higher than men—even though they aren’t treated as quickly or as aggressively, are more likely to wait longer than men in emergency rooms, and are more likely to be told their pain is simply a result of emotional stress. The fact of the matter is healthcare wasn’t designed with women in mind: Women receive lower-quality care, pay more for care than men, yet receive worse outcomes. This gap doesn’t disappear with age – it widens. Women are considered ‘higher risk’ because they tend to visit the doctor more frequently, have more complex medical issues — including pregnancy — and live longer than men. So whether it’s the drugs we use (in 90% of cases women experienced worse side effects from drugs due to the fact that drug dosages have historically been based on clinical trials conducted on men), to the research we conduct (nearly 3/4 of cases where a disease primarily affects one gender, so-called “men’s diseases” are overfunded, whilst “women’s diseases” are dramatically underfunded), or even way we deliver care – #healthcare has to be reimagined to give the entirety of the population the quality of care they deserve. So join us June 1 + 2 for the #femtechnologysummit to listen to our terrific panelists speak about the #futureofcare featuring: Neel Shah, Chief Medical Officer of Maven Clinic Hélène Guillaume Pabis, CEO + Founder of Wild AI Sipra Laddha, MD the Co-founder of LunaJoy (YC W22) Viola Karl, CEO of My Summer Register today for the free & virtual summit on June 1 + 2: www.tinyurl.com/femtech22 #health #research #medical #gender #clinicaltrials #womenshealth #womenshealthmatters Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### The systemic problem with the lack of education in women’s health and its consequences URL: https://femtechnology.org/2022/05/19/the-systemic-problem-with-the-lack-of-education-in-womens-health-and-its-consequences/ Date: 2022-05-19T12:05:32+00:00 May 19, 2022July 23, 2022 Deep Dives, FemTech Think PiecesBy Francesca Rosa We live in our bodies but, as women, we are not taught much about it. We rely on doctors’ expertise or advice from our friends to bridge the gaps in our knowledge. Is that all we need, though? We are, after all, truly the ones in charge of our health and our bodies. We have the right to be armed with the knowledge we need to be able to make educated and informed decisions about our health – and that is where the systemic lack of education in women’s health has failed us. Here we list 7 aspects of our health that are often overlooked when it comes to learn how our body works.  Western society has put a lot of taboos on women’s health and body. Therefore these subjects are rarely a topic of conversation for girls and adult women. Not to mention that throughout history, women’s bodies have always been seen rather as objects, belonging to society or men, and as a means to procreate. Bodies, which must be covered to prevent men to be tempted, or which must be naked to meet men’s needs, according to men’s desires and not to the desires of the women living in those bodies. In other words, women have not been made aware of how their body functions because they were not supposed to be in charge of deciding what to do with their body. Until recent years, specialists and doctors were all men and were thought to be the only depositories of knowledge. And since men’s bodies are different from women’s bodies and experience different changes, women’s cycles and health have always been overlooked.  # 1 Menstruation What we are usually taught – You should have your period every 28 days and period pain is normal.  However, this is not enough. How are we supposed to know if everything is okay with our period if none gives us more details while we grow up? On the one hand, having cramps during menstruation is rather normal, as they are caused by the muscle contractions of the uterus. On the other hand, severe period pain is not normal, and many women are not aware of this. Often doctors and, more broadly, society tend to normalise period pain, even though strong period pain can be caused by syndromes such as endometriosis or polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). For this reason, e.g, endometriosis, which affects 1 woman out of 10, is usually diagnosed with a delay of 7 years.  # 2 Anatomy What we are usually taught – “Down there” there are some lips, a hole, and the vagina.  Despite the embarrassment that usually permeates discussions about our genitalia, it is crucial to know our anatomy: which the different parts of our external sexual organs are and how they are called. This knowledge is very useful, for example, when we have gynaecological problems, and we describe our symptoms. Different diseases cause different symptoms in different areas of our body; therefore, giving the correct information to our doctor is crucial. Not to mention the importance that the knowledge of our body has when it comes to sexual wellness. How are we supposed to explain what we like to our partners or what is wrong to our gynaecologists if we do not know the right words? # 3 Vaginal discharges What we are usually taught – If it is white, looks like cottage cheese, and comes with an itching sensation, it is candidiasis.  That is likely true, but things are much more complicated than that. Even so, who has ever talked to you about vaginal discharges and how to recognize the different types?  If we are able to recognise the signals that our body sends us, we are more conscious of what is going on and if we should worry or not. Vaginal discharges are the perfect example of the cyclicity of our physiology: they change during our menstrual cycle. In normal conditions, the sequence of discharges is the following: bleeding during period (interesting fact: only half of the menstruation liquid is blood, the rest are secretions from the vagina and cervix, old cellular tissue, and mucin); sticky cervical fluids right after period; creamish discharges before ovulation; egg-white discharge during ovulation; after ovulation a reverse process takes us back to menstruation. Although the type and quantity of discharges can change from person to person, unusual discharges could signal a gynaecological problem that has to be treated (e.g., fish-smelly and greyish, clumpy and like cotta cheese, yellowish and foamy).  # 4 Pelvic pain or discomfort What we are usually taught – Not much. At most that, again, pain is normal, or it is due to our psychological condition.  Though it is not. As we have already said in the first paragraph, severe pain during menstruation is not normal. Also, vulvar pain during sex or gynecological inspections, or in other situations is not normal.   The pelvic area is full of nerve endings, and when painful sensations occur, something is going on and has to be investigated as well as when other discomforting feelings recurrently occur (itching, burning, etc.). Of course, in many cases, the problem might be easily solvable with medical treatment (e.g., if it is a one-time bacterial vaginosis or yeast infection). Nevertheless, if the pain or the other symptoms do not cease and last for several months, it means that the problem is more serious. However, as doctors and we have been accustomed to normalising women’s pain, syndromes associated with chronic pelvic pain such as vulvodynia or pudendal neuropathy have a delay in the diagnoses of more than 4 years, though they affect more than 15% of women’s population. Additionally, we must get instructed on how to take care of our pelvic floor. Being able to relax or contract it when needed is extremely important in many situations.  # 5 Fertility What we are usually taught – If you stop or forget to use contraceptives, you will get pregnant.  Of course, not using any contraceptives makes the likelihood of pregnancy much higher than using them. However, we should be aware that our body is not as simple as we think: fertility depends on many factors, and once one has the desire to conceive, it might not be as easy as expected. Hormones and age, of course, play a role, but they are not the only ones. Vaginal microbiome, gut health, chronic syndromes (e.g., endometriosis), smoking, and lifestyle: these are all examples of other things to consider. About 9% of men and about 11% of women of reproductive age have experienced fertility problems in the US. As these numbers show, it is not an uncommon issue, even though usually people do not talk about it with friends or colleagues, or even family. This obstacle can, of course, affect the love life of a couple and their mental health. Being conscious of what our body needs to conceive and that other people are in the same situation would make women who want to get pregnant more prepared if they face difficulties in conceiving and have to start a fertility journey.  # 6 Pregnancy and giving birth  What we are usually taught – Well, concerning pregnancy, we receive contradictory messages: in some cases, it is a marvellous experience in a woman’s life. In others, it is the worst. Giving birth is usually depicted with scenes where mothers are sweaty and suffering and need to push.  First of all, pregnancy is a mother’s personal journey, so it is not possible to classify it as either a good or a bad experience in general. What can, of course, help mothers and fathers to be more prepared to face pregnancy issues and the delivery of a child is to inform themselves and find a good team of professionals to rely on. Mothers should never forget that they, and not the doctors, are the ones delivering. They have to be knowledgeable about what happens in their body, e.g., when they are in labour. Pushing hard under the direction of a midwife is the so-called “directed pushing” or “purple pushing”. Even though this is the image that we all have in our mind, this approach is not recommended anymore, as it forces mothers to push when they are not ready yet and may cause severe consequences to their pelvic floor. Our body usually lets mothers know when it is ready to let the baby out. Not to mention episiotomy or other practices implemented to “help” women deliver without having them fully aware of the potential consequences. # 7 Menopause What we are usually taught – There will be sweat and no more period.  Women do not enter into menopause from one month to the other. Usually, there is a transition period that lasts several years (though its duration varies a lot among women), which is called perimenopause. Perimenopause expresses itself with hormonal changes and irregular cycles (less and lighter or more frequent and heavier than usual), weight gain, and emotional and physical changes. It is essential to mention that similar symptoms may also be due to other factors (e.g., thyroid anomalies). Menopause instead occurs – according to the medical definition – when a woman has gone for 12 consecutive months without a period. Many symptoms are associated with menopause, not only the absence of periods, hot flashes, and night sweats but also, e.g., vaginal dryness, mood changes, thinning of hair, and dry skin. Being prepared for the possible transformations the body will undergo is crucial to respond better to them. Not to mention the importance of knowing which medical conditions become more likely after menopause (e.g., cardiovascular diseases, urinary incontinence, osteoporosis) and monitoring potential symptoms.  Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### How Can Digital Solutions Improve Maternal Care? An Interview With GP turned Startup Founder URL: https://femtechnology.org/2022/05/18/gp-turned-startup-founders-perspective-on-how-digital-innovation-can-improve-care-for-mothers/ Date: 2022-05-18T09:41:13+00:00 May 18, 2022July 23, 2022 Deep Dives, Founder InterviewsBy Oriana Kraft The following is a transcript of an interview by Oriana Kraft with Hannah Allen, Co-Founder and CEO of Tinto –  a platform providing personalised support for women who have babies about her journey to founding Tinto, the gaps in care digital services can fill and why she chose to focus on the maternal health journey. Could you introduce yourself briefly & your background? I’m Hannah, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Tinto, the platform that provides personalised support for women who have babies. I am a GP by background, specialising in women’s health. This is where I saw first-hand the challenges women face – physically, psychologically, socially, emotionally – during the transition to motherhood, and the fire in my belly to do something about it really started. I became intensely interested in what was being done to solve the problems in healthcare, which led me to Babylon Health, who were pioneering some incredible technology specifically aimed at improving primary care. I joined Babylon scientists and engineers to provide a frontline clinical viewpoint, which is so important in the development of these technologies. After being at Babylon for several years, and two children later, the feelings that I needed to do more for women and mothers became overwhelming. Joining forces with former lawyer Idia Elsmore Dodsworth, I began to build Tinto and am on a mission to make sure that every woman is able to thrive in motherhood. What is the story behind Tinto? What was the need you identified? Why did you feel that now was the time to take action? What made you feel that innovation is possible now? In my nine years as a GP, I worked in obstetrics, gynaecology, urogynaecology, contraception clinics, and perinatal mental health, it became clear to me that innovation in the women’s health space was needed. Pregnant or postnatal women would come in to see me, and I’d have eight or nine minutes to fix their problems. I would always run over the allotted time, desperately trying to cover all bases or root out what the real issue even was. I knew that women were not thriving in this environment and that the transactional, inaccessible healthcare model exacerbated this. Whatever I did, I always went home feeling like I hadn’t done enough for these women. I now know I wasn’t alone. Since then, we’ve surveyed a number of surgeries in London and have found that around 85% of primary care doctors do not feel confident managing common postnatal health issues, including pelvic floor and breastfeeding concerns. However much I tried, it was so hard to make a real impact. Yet we need impactful care so desperately. Devastatingly, suicide is the leading cause of direct death of new mothers. 350,000 women miss their postnatal appointments every year in the UK, despite the fact that 94% of women experience a morbidity after giving birth, such as urinary incontinence or split nipples. As I investigated what could be done, it became apparent that although the technology was starting to develop and digital healthcare solutions were taking off, men’s health and wellbeing was the priority. The innovation was happening, just not for women’s health. That’s when I realised it was time for Tinto. How has the way the current medical landscape is structured shaped what you are aiming to do with Tinto  We tend to think about women’s health and women’s wellbeing as two different things. But it’s just not the case. However much healthcare tries to just deal with health rather than wellbeing, it’s impossible to separate the two that neatly. Working in the NHS, I spent countless appointments with women discussing decisively subclinical wellbeing challenges. These women had clearly tried wading through generic advice online and had resorted to coming in to see their GP because they just weren’t sure whose advice to trust. In fact, 42% of new parents say their first port of call for information is Dr Google, which – given you need a forensic lens to find advice that’s reliable and personalised to your situation – is pretty concerning. What we’re starting to understand is that health and wellbeing challenges are on a spectrum, and that these lines are particularly blurry for pregnant women and new mothers. We are recognising the complexities and the interdependencies of health and wellbeing, and the balancing act that both play. But the current medical landscape, however much it tries, just does not have capacity to recognise wellbeing in the way it needs to. Healthcare reacts to crises. But, using innovative technology, we can shift our attention to the subclinical wellbeing space in order to prevent costly and debilitating healthcare conditions in the future. I really believe that by supporting people better in the community, by listening to and validating early concerns, and by educating people about their health and wellbeing, we can move away from a sick care model to a prophylactic model. If you had to pick one barrier as being the largest one to impede innovation/conversations around women’s health what would you say it was? It’s not that the technology isn’t being developed to really create change in healthcare. In fact, it was reported that we have seen 3 years of innovation in the last 6 months within the UK healthcare landscape. The issue is that the investment is not being pushed towards women’s health specifically. The reasons for this are endlessly frustrating, from a lack of diversity within venture capital to claims that women’s health, despite affecting over 50% of the population, is a bit too ‘niche’. What have some of Tinto’s largest challenges been? Other than launching a start-up during a global pandemic? Ha! No, in all honesty, the most challenging part has probably been trying to find some kind of work-life balance. My Co-Founder Idia and I both have two children under seven and throughout the pandemic I was also working in the local Covid hub. I was very stretched, and that has been challenging. Other than that, recruiting talent has been slower than we’d hoped. Although we hire very precisely and carefully, I think the worst thing you can do is attempt to hire too fast. However, the market over the past 12 months has been crazy, particularly for early stage companies that struggle to compete with really big payers. The market has shifted completely, which has had a knock-on effect on pre-seed and seed stage companies. How do you see Tinto fitting into the FemTech landscape? How do you see Tinto being able to personalize women’s healthcare experience? There’s certainly a lot of interest in the pregnant and postnatal stage at the moment, which makes the market feel crowded. But we know that the majority of mothers are still not seeking help when they need it and not finding the support that’s right for them when they do, so it’s also clear that the market need is not being met in the right way. I think what’s missing is that combination of community-based support and actionable, expert advice in a way that’s truly tailored to each individual. Personalisation is the holy grail from a consumer perspective. It’s how we make sure that we cut through all the other noise for our mums and get them that high quality support without the high cognitive load. What we’re doing differently at Tinto is developing rich R+D at the core of our product. This R+D provides deep insights into each woman’s needs. In GP land, we call this your ‘hidden agenda’, which means we can understand and better cater for the deep biopsychosocial needs of our users. The other factor that all too often is missing is a focus on outcome. Because when it comes down to it, nothing matters apart from improving outcomes. At Tinto, we’re laser focused on improving women’s wellbeing and, in time, health outcomes. By working closely with clinicians and healthcare professionals as well as the systems and providers that need the consumer data to enhance their patient-facing service, we can move towards digital phenotyping, which is so important to the future health of all of us. Do you envision collaborating with any other FemTech companies in the future? We would love to work with anyone who shares our mission of supporting women to thrive in motherhood but also any other stage of life. I really believe that the more femtech companies support and elevate one another, the better the entire landscape will be. I’m very happy to say that I’ve gained so many amazing female supporters along the way, and am always looking to grow my network in the femtech space and work closely with some big players, both in the UK and the US. I personally think Kate Ryder at Maven has done a brilliant job paving the way for other female founders to work together and innovate in the women’s health space. I would love to work with Maven in the future. Are you looking to form any specific partnerships? Yes absolutely, we would love to connect with companies looking to support women in their motherhood journeys in the workplace. This is still such an enormous issue unfortunately, and there’s lots of work to be done. We would also love to talk to any like-minded brands who share our passion for improving the lives of women around the world. Want to learn more about innovations in maternal health, the future of care, how taking a clinical/ medical perspective/ approach to innovating healthcare can help identify true gaps in the market / where both the patient and doctors needs are not being met? Sign up for the 2022 femtech conference here June 1 + 2 Virtual and free! Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### The Link Between Fertility And Future Health URL: https://femtechnology.org/2022/05/14/the-link-between-fertility-and-future-health/ Date: 2022-05-14T10:04:52+00:00 May 14, 2022July 23, 2022 Deep Dives, Founder InterviewsBy Oriana Kraft The following is a transcript of an interview by Oriana Kraft with Dr. Lynae Brayboy, Chief Medical Officer at Clue.    What sparked your interest in studying oocytes? I started off my career as a reproductive toxicologist. When I started off that was my goal. Science pushed me in this direction away from a pure toxicology perspective and more to molecular biology. I started out with one simple question: how can oocytes protect themselves? I became interested in oocytes because of the kinds of patients I would see. It would just break my heart: I would see a patient that just got married and they were trying to start a family – but then they’d find out they had breast cancer and they hadn’t even finished their honeymoon. All of a sudden they had to think about how they were going to preserve their fertility.   The medications we give to treat breast cancer are toxic to the ovary. For a select few we can do IVF beforehand to preserve some oocytes. But they have to have money. It’s not free just because you have cancer. When I was a fellow, it became standard of care to cryopreserve oocytes. To me that felt very primitive. Oh, we can freeze your eggs. Yay. And then what happens if they’re not high enough quality? You don’t have that many chances.   I particularly felt for single women who were going through this. Because they had even less in terms of resources. Fertilized eggs are already one step ahead further ahead. You’ve been freezing embryos for a long time, and then they’ve already been fertilized. So what I wanted to know is: is there anything we can do for these patients instead of IVF? They don’t talk about it enough, but IVF is just a band-aid. It essentially just covers up a problem, but it doesn’t treat the underlying cause. People are so invested in IVF because it pays the bills. It’s very lucrative. So no one has really looked at anything else since 1978 when the first IVF birth occurred. I thought there must be a better way. There must be some way that the oocyte, the ovary can protect itself? I had a mentor at the time who told me to look into ABC transporters in starfish.They’re cellular pumps that help starfish get rid of their toxins and allow their eggs to survive in the ocean. What people may not know is that when IVF began it was modeled off sea urchins and starfish. They spawn their eggs into the ocean and for the sperm to survive they have to beat each other away and make an embryo. And that’s how they keep the species alive. It’s extra corporal fertilization. So the initial focus of the project became looking into these transporters which pump out toxins. And as we did more experiments, we found that the transport was linked to oocyte mitochondria. We would look at knockouts of multidrug-resistant transporters and they would have mitochondrial differences. Basically the genes that were differentially expressed tended to be genes and metabolism, genes associated mitochondria. And then I was like, what does this mean? I had a panel of metabolites that didn’t make any sense that were different between the mutants and the wild type. So I Googled all these metabolites and they were all a part of the TCA cycle of Krebs. So at this point all roads were leading into mitochondria. I looked at the mitochondria in mutant versus the wild type. These are mice I’m talking about – to clarify. ‘Mutant’ mice versus ‘wild type mice’. The mitochondira of these mice were abnormal. There was much more ROS (Reactive Oxygen Species) with more inflammation at the germinal vesicle stage, which is the most immature stage of the post gonadotrope influenced follicle.   Could you explain what a post gonadotrope influenced follicle is for our readers? Of course, so the metaphor I like to use is – our eggs go through these various life stages. When our eggs are in the form of primordial follicles (which is when they’re really, really tiny) that’s kind of like the bank account(the reserve). But then say you take your bank account and invest it in some stocks that you start to get other things – much more developed follicles which are when they transition to primary follicles. Then they transition to the periantral stage. Anyway, that’s where we started noticing differences. We saw that the mutant females were producing twice as many eggs to make the same number of pups as the wild-type. That’s an expensive thing, right? It’s like, you’re buying a Mercedes, and you and your sister bought same Mercedes, but you have to pay twice as muchto get the same Mercedes.   It’s an investment. An egg is a very expensive thing to make. It takes almost 300 days for a human female to make an egg, a mature egg from start to finish. And it’s a very inefficient process in that you have about the potential for 500 ovulations, but you recruit, you have millions of eggs.   When you’re born, you have about 600,000 eggs. By the time you hit menopause, you have about 1000. You don’t ovulate all of those eggs. You lose a lot of them. And if you’re recruiting many more eggs in the process (the way the mutant type was) you’re depleting, your ovarian reserve (your ovarian bank account) a lot faster.   That’s one of the fundamental flaws with IVF: we do the same thing for everybody, more cycles, more cycles – depleting your ovarian reserve.   And what do we offer as an answer if it doesn’t work? If you’re not able to get pregnant we tell people to use a donor egg. Often in the US people will recruit, you know, talented, good looking women to be egg donors, and they’ll pay them.   And they think great – I have a baby all is well – but remember what I said about IVF just being a band-aid? Well, when we looked closer into the mutant mice what we found is that they made less eggs, even though their wild type counterparts still had a steady number of eggs. When we looked into it closer we saw that they had some metabolic disturbance. The mutants were heavier, even though they were eating the same food and living in the same conditions. So we start to look into metabolism and sent some mice to Munich. (There’s actually something called a German mouse clinic – it’s a tiny little clinic).   They started to do some metabolic testing there and the preliminary data looks like there’s some differencethat’s sex specific = sexual dimorphism. So the mutant females tend to have some metabolic dysfunction. So there’s a theory that as you have chronic inflammation, you age faster. Inflammation can come from the electron transport chain not being efficient. And that happens in the mitochondria. You get increased ROS, which that leads to DNA damage, which depletes your ability to repair DNA, which is another hallmark of aging.   So that’s where we are right now: we’re trying to figure out how one multi-drug resistance transporter is involved with the mitochondria and what implications that might have for ageing.   If I had a magic wand and there were no conflict of interest and no limitations, I would really want to know what does the general population look like when they have a mutation in that Multidrug resistant transporter inreproductive age women. There was a paper in France where they sequenced the gene profiles of 33 women who had primary ovarian insufficiency – which is where you go into like a menopause like state, even though you’re not menopause age. So usually you have premature menopause before the age of 40. That’s not normal. And when that happens and we have seen some anecdotal literature for DLR, you have increased risk of heart disease. You have increase risk of diabetes, high cholesterol and all the things that are the chronic diseases that will make you age quicker. And that eventually would just kill you prematurely. And also there’s something that you have a decreased bone density. And one of the mutations of unknown clinical significance from that paper was in ABCD1 (the same transporter we’re looking into). And so we’re trying to follow up on that. But we just don’t know. We don’t know what the average profile of a young person’s gene expression for that transporter is, versus someone who was unable to have children. Right now we have no idea. We just tell people to go and get a donor egg – when they’re infertile. We don’t counsel them on what their long-term risks could be of metabolic disease. It could be premature death. And that the ovary ageing prematurely is actually the Canary in the coal mine. The ovary is the first organ to age in the woman. So once you go through puberty, you’ve already started the clock. When you’re a 20 week old fetus – you already start losing follicles and that clock accelerates after 35. And so by the time you hit your late thirties, you’re at risk for having issues in fertility. And a lot of people don’t know that. So now moving onto fem tech, I think Femtech can actually help educate people about reproduction. Most people don’t know what the ovary really does or where it is anatomically located. It’s this abstract thing. So they don’t know its role that it, yes, it makes eggs, which is great if you want to have children, but the ovary also makes hormones and those hormones impact your metabolism, bone health, your heart health. So that’s why it’s important to make sure your ovaries are protected. If you’re going to have radiation or chemo or be an astronaut, or you’re exposed to high levels of radiation, or work in a lab or exposed to chemicals, that’s why it’s important to know about that in general. And so the importance of FemTech I think here is that it can help educate people about reproductive health and reproductive physiology, which isn’t part of comprehensive sexual health education. You might learn about the ovary. You might learn about eggs in a very general sense, but you may not know how it impacts your overall health. And fertility really is a marker of global health. That’s how FemTech can help and it can help recruit people. If I had a magic wand and there were no conflicts of interest I’d want to know what the gene expression profiles are of people who have normal menstrual cycles versus those who already had one or two kids and had no issues conceiving versus someone who had trouble. And look at that and compare those things. Right now with the way clinical trials are you can’t do that on a large scale. I only had 33 women in the Primary ovarian Insufficiency study. I mean, that’s another thing, people clap for you at a meeting when you’re able toget 65 patients to enroll. But how can you really draw any generalizable conclusions off 65 people? Who knows maybe they all live near like some toxic plant and that’s turned on the expression of some genes that shouldn’t be turned on. So the point is – Femech can be a great connector between basic science and clinical research. I think we’ve done that at Clue and that’s been part of my mission. Because there’s no real way to collect or to enroll 10,000 people in a study. There’s no way. It took me two years to enroll, 50 girls for a study and 39 actually went through the entire study. So, people who subscribe to Clue are a great audience. They’re people who are already. interested in their reproductive health. They then recruit their friends and their family and so on and so forth. So that’s how I think FemTech and clinical research connects, and then talking about personalized medicine, we can’t offer personalized medicine until we do the basic science first. Everything we take right now, whether it’s aspirin in a birth control pills, it’s an aid for the masses, but we won’t ever know what we can do for people unless we know what the subpopulations are, then we get to the point where we can do profiling on one person. Now there’s some companies that do that for nutrition or skin care. And that’s great, but it’s not really something you can walk into CVS or Target to do yet. The best I’ve seen so far is a company called Modern Fertility: it’s a synergy of FemTech and clinical research. You can essentially test yourself on the same hormones that any reproductive endocrinologist would do. And that’s great, but it doesn’t tell you about the future. It doesn’t tap into the fact that an ovary is sort of a crystal ball where you can sort of look in and say, ‘this is not normal’. The ovary is telling you ahead of time what’s going to happen.   Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### What Does The Future Of Fertility Look Like ? URL: https://femtechnology.org/2022/05/12/what-does-the-future-of-fertility-look-like/ Date: 2022-05-12T11:05:37+00:00 May 12, 2022July 23, 2022 FemTech Think Pieces, Health care, medical systemBy Oriana Kraft What Does the #Future of #Fertility look like? The fertility journey is notoriously difficult to navigate and impersonal. Can fertility be used as a global marker of health or marker of future health risks? IVF is often used as a one-size fits all band-aid – what will the future of fertility look like when ‘personalized’? Medicine as a whole  is entering an era of personalization. At the FemTechnology Summit our opening panel will be on the ‘Future of Fertility’, exploring how the fertility journey and gynecological diagnoses are being revolutionized (especially necessary considering 31% of women will suffer from a reproductive health issue at some point in their lives). With: Lynn Westphal, Chief Medical Officer of Kindbody, a leading fertility and family-building benefits provider for employers offering comprehensive virtual and in-person care. Dr Helen O’Neill, CEO + Founder of Hertility, an innovative health tech company that applies a precision medicine-based approach to reproductive health. Lina Chan, CEO + Founder of Parla, a digital health platform putting data and knowledge in women’s hands, aiming to revolutionize and reframe the conversations around fertility and miscarriage. Stasa Stankovic, PhD Genomic Medicine University of Cambridge, whose research focuses on understanding the genetic architecture behind reproductive ageing and fertility, and their link to later life cardio-metabolic health outcomes in women. Join us June 1st for our opening panel at the FemTechnology Summit (www.femtechnology.org) Free & virtual – attend from anywhere. Register here: www.tinyurl.com/femtech22 #health #femtech Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### The Personalisation of Women’s Health URL: https://femtechnology.org/2022/05/11/how-do-personalized-medicine-and-female-health-intersect-an-interview-with-laura-symul/ Date: 2022-05-11T20:45:08+00:00 May 11, 2022July 23, 2022 Deep Dives, Founder InterviewsBy Oriana Kraft The following is a transcript of an interview by Oriana Kraft with Laura Symul, Postdoctoral Fellow at Stanford University, Department of Statistics. Laura’s research focuses on fertility, cycle-related symptoms, and drivers of change in vaginal microbiome communities. She uses self-tracked data from mobile phone apps and devices and clinical multi-omics data. Could you briefly explain the focus of your research? My research focuses on applying and developing statistical tools and methods for improving our understanding of female health. From a biological perspective, I am especially interested in understanding the impact of hormonal fluctuations driven by the menstrual cycle on different physiological functions in females. This ranges from understanding the interactions between the reproductive cycles and the (vaginal) microbiota to contributing to research on understanding the causes of PMS/PMDD symptoms. I rely on “multi-omics” and self-reported data from digital tracking apps/devices to answer these questions. Can you tell me more about your research on the relationship between the menstrual cycle and the vaginal microbiota? I recently got the chance to work with the Vaginal Microbiota Research Consortium (VMRC). The consortium has collected a rich longitudinal dataset from samples of hundreds of pregnant and non-pregnant women. In non-pregnant individuals, we investigated whether the vaginal microbiota composition changed with the menstrual cycle. Specifically, we found that in individuals with diverse (i.e., usually associated with adverse health outcomes) microbiota, temporal fluctuations in the microbiota composition were highly correlated from one cycle to the next. While we still need to understand how hormonal patterns drive these changes, these findings suggest that the menstrual cycle may impact vaginal microbiota composition. How do you view your research in the context of the personalization of women’s health? Before answering the question, it is important to define what we mean by “personalized medicine” in contrast to “traditional medicine”. In many aspects, “traditional medicine” is already personalized: not every patient receives the same treatment based on known variants of diseases (e.g., cancers) or risk factors (e.g., hormonal contraception for smoking individuals). We started to talk about personalized medicine when genetic sequencing became so cheap that it became conceivable to sequence every patient. The definition has extended to include sequencing and many of the now available technologies to cheaply and rapidly obtain detailed measurements of many biological factors. So, what distinguishes “personalized medicine” from “traditional medicine” lies in the number of patient variables taken into account for making treatment decisions. We are still in the infancy of personalized health for many domains when it comes to female health. For example, the choice of hormonal contraception (e.g., the pill formulation) is not based on any biological variable specific to the patient. Usually, women[1] try one pill and change if that one does not work for them. Ideally, we would conduct studies to understand what biological factors (hormonal levels, hormonal sensitivity, etc.) are associated with formulation-specific side effects. This way, women can make better-informed decisions about their contraceptive choices. We can also think of making progress towards personalized health by refining diagnoses. A concrete example may clarify this idea. PMDD (pre-menstrual dysphoric disorder) is described in the current DSM (DSM-V). The diagnosis is binary: someone either is diagnosed with PMDD or is not diagnosed with PMDD. And there is only one type of PMDD. However, PMDD diagnosis relies on the patient reporting a set of symptoms (among a list of pre-defined symptoms) during the luteal phase of their cycle. If the patient has a sufficient number of symptoms and their severity is high enough, they are said to meet the criteria for PMDD diagnosis. To date, very few studies have investigated whether there were subtypes in PMDD (i.e., groups of individuals reporting a specific set of symptoms) and whether these potential subtypes might be associated with the combined severity of symptoms. Are period tracking apps, currently, the best data sets that researchers have available or what data sets do researchers consider the most valuable in the femtech space? Period tracking apps and, more generally, female-specific symptom tracking apps are exciting tools for developing personalized female health. First of all, these tools are used by millions of women across the globe. So, with proper control for potential biases due to the specificities of the tracking population and due to the amount of missing data, these tools have already generated the largest datasets of female-specific symptoms and observable body signs (e.g., mucus, menses, etc.) data. Then, these tools can also be deployed in prospective studies in which biological markers are quantified while participants are tracking their cycles and symptoms. Besides tracking apps, I am very excited by the recent development in remote sensing and remote biochemical assays. Kits for at-home hormonal measurements are an example of a tool that will be extremely powerful in studying the impact of hormonal fluctuations on a series of symptoms. [1] Here, the term “woman” is used to reflect biological sex, not gender. Specifically, the term “woman” here differentiate individuals with female reproductive systems from others, and identifies fecund individuals since we discuss contraception. _________________________________ Want to hear more about the vaginal microbiome? Period tracking apps? Personalized medicine ? Menstrual cycle patterns? Then sign up for the 2022 femtech conference  here.  Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### How Do Medical Education And Sexual Reproductive Health Intersect? A Closer Look At Initiatives In Switzerland URL: https://femtechnology.org/2022/05/10/how-do-medical-education-and-sexual-reproductive-health-intersect-a-closer-look-at-initiatives-in-switzerland/ Date: 2022-05-10T05:41:28+00:00 May 10, 2022May 22, 2022 Deep DivesBy Oriana Kraft The following is an overview of initiatives started and run by Swiss Medical Students relating to sexual health taking place under the umbrella organization of swimsa (Swiss Medical Students Association). Can you tell us briefly which swimsa initiatives tackle Sexual health? Sure!  We have several that are all brought together by the Commission on Sexual Health (CoSH). Our initiatives are CLASH, Achtung Liebe and MedSexPlain which I will go into more detail in below. Let’s start with CoSH – can you tell us a bit more about it?  The Commission on Sexual Health(CoSH, previously SCORA CH) is a collaboration between five projects of the Swiss Medical Student’s Association (swimsa) working in the field of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR). It is integrated into the Standing Committee on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights including HIV and AIDS (SCORA) of the International Federation of Medical Student Association (IFMSA) and aligns with their vision, namely “a world where every individual is empowered to exercise their sexual and reproductive health and rights equally, free from stigma and discrimination”. The main role of CoSH is coordinating the different initiatives taking place in Switzerland, advocate for Sexual Health by writting Policy Papers and provide national and international opportunities to swiss students regarding Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR).” Out of the five projects you mentioned are there some that are working especially on women’s health and rights?  “Yes, that would be: MedSexPlain and CLASH. Both are initiatives centered on women’s Health and Rights as well as gender equality. Can you tell us a bit more about both?  CLASH, the French acronym for « Collectif de Lutte contre les Attitudes Sexistes en Milieu Hospitalier”, is a medical students’ association composed of approximately forty individuals among four swiss universities: Lausanne (@associationclash), Fribourg (@clashfribourg), Geneva (@clashgeneve), and Zürich (@clashzurich).  Its main purpose is to fight sexism and sexual harassment in both the medical curriculum and the professional field. Since 2018, several surveys on sexism and sexual harassment in both the workplace and clinical internships have been conducted among doctors and medical students in Switzerland. These have established that 40% of women were victims of gender discrimination and 18% of sexual harassment in these contexts (1). Following these results, sexism and sexual harassment in the medical field have become a major concern. The consequences of such behaviours include physical and psychological repercussions ranging from chronic illnesses, burnout and restraint from learning opportunities to career change (2). The medical field is particularly affected by sexism and sexual harassment for multiple reasons. Indeed, the strict hospital hierarchy entails strong dependant relationships of mentees with mentors, which makes questioning and testifying of such events exceptionally complex. Moreover, male-dominated fields are known to be more tolerant of these behaviours, hence these attitudes are even more present in the medical domain. Furthermore, learning environments may be isolating and encourage a high sense of self-sacrifice (3). This so-called medical culture is particularly problematic as it not only tolerates sexism and sexual harassment, but it also forces victims to remain silent. Unfortunately, it is perpetuated predominantly by senior physicians who possess all the decisional power and is currently the biggest barrier to change. In order to fight against this culture, CLASH has implemented many different actions in the universities mentioned above. These include surveys, support for victims, campaigns and awareness courses, discussion groups as well as podcasts (4) (5). CLASH is part of FemTech’s initiative to improving women’s health. Indeed, by fighting against sexism and harassment, we protect both the physical and mental health of physicians and create healthy medical environments which patients will also benefit from. We aim to raise awareness of this systemic issue that all women face, whether they are physicians, medical students or patients. CLASH would be more than happy to collaborate with FemTech associates on other occasions to discuss and exchange on these topics. And what do the other projects focus on?  Achtung Liebe (@achtungliebe), the founding member of CoSH, is based in Basel, Zürich and Bern and mostly provide Comprehensive Sexuality Education to students in schools (6th grade up to high school, refugees). EROS and C.A.L.W.H.A are two projects of the medical faculty of Lausanne. EROS (@eros_lausanne) focuses its activities on sensibilizing and educating future doctors and health professionals about sexual orientation, gender, sexual development variations and sexuality in general. CALWHA is helping children and adolescents living with HIV/AIDS in Shirati and Ukerewe (Tanzania). In their actions, they all contribute to improve women’s health, mainly by providing information and tools to empower them in their sexual and reproductive health. The last two projects,MedSexPlain and CLASH, are born on an initiative centered on women’s Health and Rights as well as gender equality… Okay and lastly MedSexPlain?  MedSexPlain (@medsexplain) is a project composed of thirty people from the Association of Medical Students of Geneva (AEMG). It was founded after an awareness stand during International Women’s Day in 2019. This stand was repeated every year and acted as a steppingstone to one of its focus areas, women’s Health and Rights. Through various projects such as an Instagram account and in person interventions, we aim at raising public awareness about women’s conditions such as menstrual precariousness and endometriosis that were two main projects of the year. Both are public health problems leading to major psychological and social impact as well as serious professional and societal consequence such as absenteeism and working and studying in inadequate conditions. Menstrual precariousness is unfortunately very present in Switzerland and affects the quality of life of many women. The students’ community is not spared from this problematic and can be impacted in their studies. Hence, we aimed at diminishing the phenomenon by implementing free menstrual protector dispensers in the universities of Geneva and organizing distributions of menstrual cups. Even though endometriosis affects one tenth of the menstrual people, it is still and under researched disease and many people affected from it suffer from a great diagnostic delay. To tackle this, we realized an all-public conference and round table on endometriosis.   References Najjar I, Socquet J, Gayet-Ageron A, Ricou B, Le Breton J, Rossel A, et al. Prevalence and forms of gender discrimination and sexual harassment among medical students and physicians in French-speaking Switzerland: a survey. BMJ Open. 2022 Jan;12(1):e049520. Jakab ZL, Apetrei S, Socquet J. Conséquences des discriminations et harcèlement en milieu professionnel. Rev Médicale Suisse. 2021;17(752):1660–4. Dzau VJ, Johnson PA. Ending Sexual Harassment in Academic Medicine. N Engl J Med. 2018 Oct 25;379(17):1589–91. Chavaz L. Sensibilisation au sexisme et harcèlement sexuel dans le milieu medical. Huit affiches pour dénoncer des mots encore trop souvent prononcés. Rev Médicale Suisse. 2022;18(776):683–5. Aubry L, Delacrétaz R, Piccand E, Rufener L, Rrustemi I. « Le problème, c’est qu’elle est mal baisée »: la lutte contre le sexisme en milieu médical menée par les étudiant·e·s en médecine. Rev Médicale Suisse. 2021;17(7442):1250–3.   Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### Trends in FemTech We’re Excited About URL: https://femtechnology.org/2022/05/07/trends-in-femtech-were-excited-about/ Date: 2022-05-07T20:24:39+00:00 May 7, 2022July 23, 2022 Health care, medical system, Top FemTech StartupsBy Oriana Kraft   #1 At-Home hormone Tests For far too long women’s cyclical hormonal variations were branded a liability or used as a justification for excluding women from clinical trials. Variations in fluctuating female hormones were claimed to “complicate” the results of clinical trials. A justification that makes little sense when examined. Whether or not female hormonal fluctuations render carrying out clinical trials more difficult, the reality is that women experience cyclical hormonal fluctuations – so understanding the interaction of hormonal fluctuations with different pathological mechanisms or drugs being brought to market is crucial to the advancement of medicine.  As with most areas of FemTech however, women themselves seem to be the first to understand the value of being able to examine hormonal variations – which explains the increasing number of FemTech startups offering Direct To Consumer Hormone Testing: an interesting trend to keep an eye on.     Some startups in the space include:  Hertility: which tests for a variety of factors – whether you have a hormonal imbalance (which could be at the root of hormonal acne, ovulation pain, and irregular periods), your AMH levels which provide a good indication of ovarian reserve and fertility, as well as examining whether you have any underlying reproductive health conditions like PCOS, fibroids or primary ovarian insufficiency (POI). (Dr. Helen O’Neill, Hertility’s CEO + Founder, will be speaking at our 2022 FemTechnology Summit — you can sign up here) Eli Health, using a small at-home device to monitor hormones in saliva, enabling women to take control of their health across their lives, by providing them with powerful information on their daily hormone profile. (Eli Health’s Founder, Marina Pavlovic Rivas, spoke at our 2021 FemTechnology Summit — you can take a look here) Hormona, wants to give women insights into any hormonal imbalances they might have and daily recommendations on how the might go about optimizing nutrition, sleep, lifestyle etc.  #2 The Lifecycle approach:  Navigating and utilizing FemTech solutions is currently fragmented and disjointed. Solutions are scattered not just in terms of the issues they treat but the age ranges they cover. Yet an increasing number of startups have staked their claim to the female lifecycle, positioning themselves as wanting to care for women from puberty to menopause.  The value proposition is clear: from the user’s point of view providing a cohesive care experience for women certainly makes sense – however it remains to be seen how startups will actually execute on the premise as the needs of women at each of the lifecycle stages (puberty, sexually active, fertility, pregnancy, post partum, perimenopausal, menopausal) are radically different. But we can’t wait to see the approaches they come up with!   #3 Navigating Fertility: Fertility is one of the most invested in areas of FemTech – so it’s also the FemTech category with the largest number of startups. Fertility / Infertility are vast terms. Difficulties conceiving impact 1 in 7 – so it goes without saying that no two couples experience the same journey. It’s why it seems particularly apt that the latest trends in fertility have been around improving the path to parenthood (making the fertility journey smoother).  Startups range from Carrot fertility – the leading global fertility healthcare and family-forming benefits provider for employers and health plans.  To Co fertility a site that aims to un-complicate the fertility journey by providing educational content, resources, and tools that answer frequently asked questions  To Parla – creating digital verticals for women navigating the fertility experience by offering group programmes led by experts in psychology, fertility and wellness. (Lina Chan, CEO + Founder will be speaking at our 2022 FemTech Summit — you can sign up here)  #4 The expansion of FemTech and incorporation of FemTech insights into other verticals of health.     For a long time, people viewed FemTech as focusing exclusively on women’s reproductive health – but as the definition of FemTech has been widely considered to have expanded, the importance of providing solutions catering to the way women’s diseases manifest differently in women has been recognized, it will be interesting to see how solutions catering to women’s ‘general’ health and women’s reproductive health intersect and intertwine and the insights either end can provide to the other. Women’s reproductive health has long been silo-ed. Treated as ‘other’. Yet, there have been calls to include the menstrual cycle as the sixth vital sign. Women’s reproductive health is integral to their general health – both (logically) impact the other and can give crucial insights and serve as warning signs for underlying conditions. #5 Menopause tech: 73% of women don’t treat their menopause symptoms – in part because many women don’t realize that their symptoms are a manifestation of the (peri)menopausal transition they are undergoing, and in part because the solutions to alleviate those symptoms didn’t exist. But an increasing number of startups and VCs have begun to recognize Menopause for the incredible economic opportunity it represents.  Solutions range from  Embr Wave – a bracelet that quickly cools or warms to regulate body temperature for thermal relief from menopause hot flashes  to Elektra – an evidence-based care, education and a community for women going through the various stages of menopause to Vira – whose core product  Stella – an app that supports women through menopause – combines evidence-based treatments, such as cognitive behavioural therapy, pelvic floor exercises, and diet and lifestyle changes into a tailored treatment plan. to Bia care, connecting women with UK’s menopause specialists, through technology.  #6 The Personalization of contraception / providing contraceptive alternatives:  20-30 per cent of women report being dissatisfied with their contraception, and concerns about side effects are the number one reason why women stop using the pill. The contraceptive experience has largely not been innovated upon since the sexual revolution. But with FemTech and the increasing clamoring for non-hormonal alternatives – this is beginning to change, with startups like:   The lowdown – The world’s first contraception review platform, allowing users to search and filter through thousands of real-life reviews of other lived experiences with the form of contraception.  Dama Health – using pharmacogenetic research to offer women and clinicians personalised contraception recommendations using a genetic test and an automated matching system. They want to take into account medical preferences, medical history and specific requirements to match them up against suitable hormonal contraceptive medication types  Phexxi – a first-in-class vaginal pH modulator (VPM) —a bioadhesive gel that maintains the acidic pH of the vagina to prevent pregnancy (hormone-free). And of course you can sign up for the 2022 FemTechnology Summit here  to find out about up and coming innovative FemTech Startups tackling the gender health gap, the future of care, fertility and much more! Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### Pain Management and FemTech – Startups Tackling Menstrual Cramps URL: https://femtechnology.org/2022/05/04/pain-management-and-femtech-startups-tackling-menstrual-cramps/ Date: 2022-05-04T14:40:54+00:00 May 4, 2022July 23, 2022 medical system, Top FemTech StartupsBy Oriana Kraft Here at the FemTechnology Summit we believe innovation in women’s health needs to take a 360 approach (and be tackled from the research side, in industry, by consulting patients and adapting clinical practices). That’s why we love featuring startups tackling all aspects of female health – from diagnostics to therapeutics to management and even community. Here’s a round-up of exciting FemTech startups helping manage period pain / menstrual cramps (and about time too!): Menstrual Cramp FemTech Startups: Ovira: Based in Australia, this Startup’s tentpole product is a TENS machine (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation machine) – that works by applying a small electrical current through two compression pads placed over the love handles where the nerve roots that supply the sensory fibres to the uterus are found. Once in place, the stimulation prevents pain signals from travelling to the brain, causing the muscles in the uterine area to relax and resulting in pain relief. The medical industry has been using Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) technology to treat pain for decades. Noha decided to use the system to treat periods. How ingenious is that? We can only give a massive shoutout to Ovira’s Founder, Alice Williams, for coming up with the innovation. Daye, A UK FemTech company,  whose CBD Tampons are intended to ease menstrual cramps, by administering CBD directly to your vaginal mucosa, providing localized pain relief. Daye’s founder + CEO Valentina Milanova will speak at the 2022 Edition of the FemTechnology Summit on our panel on The Link Between Gender + Effective Therapy In Medicine. You can get Your Tickets for free here. Gynica is an Israeli FemTech Startup. The VP of R&D, Dr. Sari Prutchi Sagiv is responsible for the development of cannabis-based solutions in the women’s health field. Gynica a medical company researching and developing cannabinoid solutions to target gynaecological symptoms and diseases. They are a part of the Station F FemTech Cohort  Dr. Sari Prutchi Sagiv spoke at the 2021 Edition of the FemTechnology Summit on our panel on Pain + Symptom Management in Gynaecology. You can watch a clip here. And of course you can sign up for the 2022 FemTechnology Summit here  to find out about how FemTech Startups are tackling the gender health gap, the future of care, fertility and much more! Join Us for THE FemTech Event of 2022!   Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### The Guiding Principles of FemTechnology URL: https://femtechnology.org/2022/05/04/the-guiding-principles-of-femtechnology/ Date: 2022-05-04T14:16:54+00:00 May 4, 2022July 23, 2022 FemTech Think Pieces, medical systemBy Oriana Kraft To provide a 360 degree perspective: We seek to actively foster collaboration between all stakeholders of the women’s healthcare ecosystem – from university students (i.e. medical, engineering, computer science, social sciences), to groundbreaking researchers, chief clinicians, pharma and healthcare companies, key opinion leaders and FemTech startups.(If there is an area of women’s health you feel we’ve neglected or an actor that has not been sufficiently included in the conversation– let us know and tell us how you think we can do better! We want to catalyze innovation within the industry (which means including everyone)). 2  Accessibility: We are an intentionally Hybrid event, to give people across the globe the chance to attend and have access to thought-provoking women’s health discussions lead by industry leaders. We made the summit free to attend for everyone in 2021 and 2022, not only to enable an international audience not limited by financial constraints to access the femtech conference, but to attract as varied an audience as possible (The Summit is attended by femtech startup founders, university students, medical professionals, journalists, VCs, NGOs, women’s health researchers … the list goes on). Our attendees are interdisciplinary (intentionally so). By recording the sessions and sharing them afterwards, we seek to mitigate time zone constraints. 3 Collaboration: The Summit showcases patient pain-points, latest healthcare breakthroughs and best practices. We catalyze innovation and collaboration via our networking opportunities. (In our first edition alone numerous successful partnerships were formed that are now paving the way and pushing barriers in women’s goal). And that’s a part of our goal: for you to find your next femtech business partner. So what are you waiting for? Sign up now to join us at this year’s femtech summit, the top femtech event, the must attend femtech conference of 2022 (if we do say so ourselves) – it’s virtual + free to attend: www.tinyurl.com/femtech22 Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### Mojo – The Fertility Startup That Wants To Tackle Infertility With At-Home Lab-grade AI-powered semen tests URL: https://femtechnology.org/2022/04/21/mojo-the-fertility-startup-that-wants-to-tackle-infertility-with-at-home-lab-grade-ai-powered-semen-tests/ Date: 2022-04-21T17:22:06+00:00 April 21, 2022July 23, 2022 Deep Dives, Founder InterviewsBy Oriana Kraft https://femtechnology.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Tech-savy-Post.mp4 The following is an interview with one of the Co-Founders of Mojo – Mohamed Taha – about the inspiration behind Mojo, how sociocultural norms impact the conversation around Infertility, how male fertility fits into the FemTech landscape and more! Hi! Lovely to have you here, could you start off briefly by introducing yourself:  I am Mo. I grew up in Egypt and moved to the EU to pursue a scientific career in quantum physics, and in 2018 I founded Mojo along with Daniel, Tobias and Fanny to help 100M people preserve their fertility. Before co-founding Mojo, I worked on creating new nanomaterials to develop precise bio-and-chemical sensors, and I managed the healthcare branch of my family fund, focusing on helping about a million patients with chronic diseases access world-class, affordable care. What was the inspiration behind Mojo? Our ambition to disrupt the fertility industry began after my first sperm test. I had just been diagnosed with a kidney disease (which later turned out to be a misdiagnosis), and my doctor advised me to monitor and freeze my sperm as a precaution. According to the World Health Organisation, an average sperm count is around 15 million sperm per milliliter (m/ml) of semen, and my sperm count was 15 times lower. Concerned, I chose to do a second analysis at a different clinic, and, to my surprise, the result was far more optimistic: 20 m/ml. However, a third analysis gave me a sperm count of 3 m/ml. It was frustrating…every time I did a sperm test, I would get a different result. I wanted to understand the reasons for the discrepancy and found out that: most fertility clinics don’t employ a specialist in measuring sperm or treating the male reproductive systems (known as andrologists); sperm analyses often don’t follow the gold standard WHO protocol; these tests are also usually done manually, using antiquated equipment. After consulting multiple fertility doctors, they told me that, as a man, I shouldn’t worry about my fertility – in the worst-case scenario, all they needed from me was one sperm and that my partner could get in-vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment if necessary. I found this advice absurdly alienating, sexist, and discriminating — how come in the 21st-century, fertility care is only offered to women? I find this unacceptable for three main reasons: 1) fertility is 50:50; 2) According to Shanna Swan, an environmental and reproductive epidemiologist at the Icahn School of Medicine and author of the book Count Down, the average men’s sperm concentration – that is, the number of sperm per milliliter of semen – has decreased by more than 50 percent in the past four decades, with the blame placed on factors such as environmental pollution and unhealthy lifestyles; 3) We’ve all heard horror stories about IVF, and it is a treatment focused on women, invasive and emotionally draining, and financially expensive. Noting that most people he speaks to didn’t diligently investigate male infertility before proceeding with IVF. That’s how we decided to build Mojo. Our mission begins with helping millions of men to understand, improve and secure their fertility from the comfort of their homes. How have sociocultural norms impacted Mojo? If you had to pick one barrier as being the largest one to impede innovation/conversations surrounding fertility, what would you say it was? Men. Men for so long have been wrongly told that their masculinity is defined by being sexually invincible, resulting in taking their fertility for granted. We are changing this at Mojo, and we need to create a new “masculinity” dialogue assuring men that having an issue is not a problem, but ignoring it is a problem as it places the entire fertility burden on your partner. What have some of Mojo’s biggest challenges been? Access to funding  Unlike female investors, most male investors are surprisingly unfamiliar with the fundamentals of reproductive health such as fertility is 50:50,  sperm quality declines with time (bio-clock), sperm could be responsible for miscarriages, sperm quality is a proxy for the overall men’s health… We need to do a massive educational part to excite investors with the opportunity and over-prove that there is a big need for our product. The need for a reliable, affordable, and scalable fertility Infrastructure  More than 300 million people worldwide suffer from some form of infertility. Many are opting for parenthood at a later stage in life – in their 30s and 40s – when the quality of their gametes (the egg and sperm) is no longer at their biological prime. Increasingly, couples have been forced to resort to assisted reproductive techniques such as IVF. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about nine million babies have been born using IVF since the first such case in 1978. It estimates that the number will reach about >500 million in 2100. These data points illustrate the need for a new fertility infrastructure as the current analog one only meets 1% of the global demand. The existing infrastructure delivers 500K babies a year, and we need about 20X a year as a bare minimum to put the math differently (cf. source) At Mojo, we had to start from the ground up, automating the fertility lab. We spent the first three years at Mojo engineering the world’s most cost-effective, reliable, and scalable robotic infrastructure – starting with Mojo AISA for sperm diagnostics and selection. With our infrastructure, we are becoming the leading d2c fertility care company, starting with helping men understand, improve and secure their fertility. Clinics’ always omit fixing the male infertility factor, and chase the easy route — IVF. The problem with the fertility space is that clinics are built to perform IVF – whether the infertility problem is men or women related, creating animbalance that affects men and women. We exist to become the partner for these clinics to identify and treat an underlying male fertility factor, perhaps we could reduce the need for a large portion of IVF if the underlying issue is a treatable men’s condition. How do you see Mojo as fitting into the FemTech landscape?  Addressing Men by speaking to women -> flawed or non-existent sperm tests mean that the burden of fertility treatments too often falls on women,Mojo is looking to change that by addressing women and men through various communications and distribution channels. Bettering science -> Mojo is essentially a data company. We are incredibly concerned with collecting standardized and proper data sets that help us create couple medical profiles to help personalize fertility treatments for the couple to achieve a healthy baby faster, cheaper and reliably.  What is one aspect of dialogue you wish was more present in the fertility conversation? Men -> it is ok to have an issue, but it is not ok to ignore it. Women -> we hope we could address men directly to pursue fertility check. To push our mission further, we need the power of women to reach men in the early beginning of our offering.   Do you envision collaborating with any other FemTech companies in the future? As stated above, yes! We believe teaming up with fem-tech is inevitable for the growth and success of our vision of stopping infertility for 100M people by 2050. We team up with fem-tech to assist men and women have a comprehensive view of their fertility factors and how to improve the malefactor if needed. Are you looking for any specific partnerships?   Yes! All the fem-tech and patient platforms are an excellent opportunity for us to begin the conversation about men’s health and fertility. For more about FemTech, The Future of Fertility, How Sociocultural norms shape the conversation — don’t forget to register for the free + Virtual FemTechnology Summit: www.tinyurl.com/femtech22 Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### How The Fertility Journey Is Being Reshaped with Holistic Care URL: https://femtechnology.org/2022/04/18/how-the-fertility-journey-is-being-reshaped-with-holistic-care/ Date: 2022-04-18T07:30:17+00:00 April 18, 2022July 23, 2022 Deep Dives, Founder InterviewsBy Oriana Kraft The following is a transcript of an interview by Oriana Kraft with Dr. Lynn Marie Westphal, MD, Chief Medical Officer of Kindbody Founder & Executive Director, Innovation Center On Sex Differences in Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. When I was at Stanford, a lot of my research related to egg freezing and optimising treatment for cancer patients. A lot of that involved education. Just getting people aware this was possible. When I started the programme back in 1998, we were the first to do egg freezing west of the Mississippi, and the first to really do it for cancer patients. Back then it was considered very experimental. Women would fly from all over the country to do it, because we were essentially one of the only places that could do it. Over time, people got more experience with it. There were some organisations that started to get information to oncologists because one of the pieces was that no one knew this was possible, and oncologists didn’t know. So they wouldn’t refer patients and most patients would just find me by Googling and they’d find out last minute. That wasn’t good, because they needed time to be able to do this before their treatment. So that was a big focus of what I was doing. I started to do some research to try and determine if there were markers for ovarian ageing, hoping that maybe we could find things that would slow down ovarian ageing, because there aren’t great markers of ovarian, or egg quality currently. To this day the best marker of egg quality we’ve been able to find is just age. You mentioned that the best predictor of egg quality is the age of the person. But Kindbody offers hormone tests – could you elaborate on what a hormone test is or isn’t able to tell us about the quality of an egg? Hormone tests give us a predictor of how many eggs you have left. Everyone ages a little bit different differently, and some people deplete their eggs earlier than others. So hormone tests are able to give an estimate of how many eggs you have left. But it doesn’t tell us the quality of the eggs that are left.. Although people are definitely starting to look at things that may give us a better idea of quality: like DNA methylation. You co-founded Stanford women’s health and sex differences centre. Can you tell me a little bit about what the inspiration behind that was and what kind of programmes you put in place there. I was the director of the women’s health programme. Initially, the thought was that we would try to have a comprehensive centre where women could come and get a range of services in one location. Unfortunately, women’s health care is a low priority at most facilities. So that never happened. But as part of that programme, Stanford, the medical school, has a scholarly concentration. And so students could focus on women’s health care and there were some courses that we would teach more related to women’s health. Over time, we realised that that wasn’t broad enough scope. No one was really focusing on sex differences. We wanted to promote people thinking about sex differences in their research. Because for many years, a lot of pharmaceutical studies didn’t include women. So women were left out of a lot of studies, just because people didn’t want to have to deal with the menstrual cycle. We really wanted to promote people thinking about that. As part of that, we had a lot of educational programmes. We also had a grant programme, so people would submit proposals of ideas where they were going to look at sex differences. We then expanded the courses that we were offering to the medical students too so people were thinking more about this in their research. Did you see a tangible impact once the institute was in place? We definitely managed to encourage some people, because a lot of people applied for the grants. These are people that I don’t think would have necessarily added this to their research. But, because of the grants becoming a little bit more high profile with focusing and doing these educational events, I think it did improve the number of people who were looking at it. How did you personally decide to transition to being the Chief Medical Officer of Kindbody? Was it the fact that you could be more hands on with patients? What made you make the transition? I loved what I was doing at Stanford. But I was there long enough that I could retire. And so I was thinking, is there one more thing that I want to do, kind of like an encore? And, while I was thinking what I wanted to do towards the end of my career, Gina Bartasi, who founded Kindbody started talking to me about what she was doing, and I really liked her mission and what she was trying to do, to provide more accessible comprehensive medical care. And I also thought it was a really good opportunity to promote women in leadership in the fertility space. One of my frustrations was that I was at a place where the number of women in leadership was very low. And the fertility space, surprisingly, is still mostly male dominated. Most of the big fertility clinics are still managed by men. And I saw this as an opportunity to really try to move women forward as leaders in the field. Atour clinics, the majority of reproductive endocrinologist are female. And I tried to get them into national leadership positions. And, that’s one of my passions – just trying to really promote women as leaders in this field. Coming back to what Kindbody does, in the larger context of personalization of women’s health, you talked about a holistic care model – having mental health experts, nutritionists – all in one place. What direction do you feel Women’s Health is going to make the experience more personalized? Obviously, holistic care is one aspect, but are there other aspects that you see? Well, there definitely is a move to be able to offer more services. At home, there a lot of tests that people are working on and we are starting to utilize. Some states require or mandate insurance coverage for fertility. Most states don’t. So most people end up paying out of pocket. But we’re talking to a lot of employers to add benefits so that more people have this coverage. We’re trying to keep the costs low. So as there’s more testing done at home, I think some of the costs of fertility treatment, hopefully, will go down, so more people can access it. And I think if people can do some of the treatment outside the clinic, that will help lower the cost too. Coming back to the holistic care model, why is it such a core part of Kindbody’s mission to provide that with your service? Most patients just get lost in medical institutions. At my former employer, because it was a big medical centre, patients were often confused. They couldn’t figure out what to do. I would see someone for egg freezing. And then they’d want an IUD. And then, the [gynecologist] was 20 miles away, and to get an appointment there would require a completely different scheduling. And it was just so fragmented, and patients got frustrated and often didn’t get the complete care that they needed. So by trying to have more providers we can do general gynaecology. And then by making it easier to get other services, nutrition and mental health, hopefully, patients can get more of the care that they really need. Does the demographic of patients you treat at Kindbody vary across the lifespan? Or is it still mainly concentrated between 25 to 40 – ages at which women would want to freeze their eggs? One group that comes to us is the younger age group because we’re focused on discussing fertility with everyone and the patients that are getting that message tend to be younger. Older patients tend to already have had children. Usually they’re a little bit more settled and they’ve had their baby, they have their gynaecologist, so they’re usually not thinking about switching, but in the younger demographic, people are moving around. They usually don’t have a primary care person. So because they don’t usually have someone already in place, then we become their primary care person. Kindbody identified fertility as being an area of women’s health that needs to be more personalised and could use improvement, would you say there’s other specific area of women’s that could use improvement? Are there other specific areas in particular that you think are really lagging behind the others and could use innovation and personalization? The other area that hasn’t gotten as much attention is the menopause and Peri menopausal space. So I think that’s going to be an area that’s going to expand, especially as the population ages. I think that’s probably the next area where we’re going to see growth. ________________________________ In February 2022 Kindbody reached Unicorn Status when it acquired Vios Fertility Institute and its network of clinics. Kindbody is reshaping the conversation around fertility in many ways by aiming to offer a holistic service and making egg freezing procedures more accessible amongst other innovations.  Innovations like Kindbody’s holistic care are why we need Femtech. (And a FemTech Summit like this one of course). Want to hear more about How The Fertility Journey Is Being Reshaped?  Sign up for the 2022 Femtech conference  here.  To Listen to Our Panel on The Future of Fertiltiy June 1st 2022.  Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### When it comes to health, sex matters. URL: https://femtechnology.org/2022/03/28/when-it-comes-to-health-sex-matters/ Date: 2022-03-28T20:39:52+00:00 March 28, 2022July 23, 2022 Deep Dives, Founder InterviewsBy Oriana Kraft             The following is a transcript of an interview by Oriana Kraft with Dr. Jill Goldstein, Founder & Executive Director, Innovation Center On Sex Differences in Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. In what context was the Innovation Center on Sex Differences in Medicine launched and why? There is a long history to understanding sex differences in medicine, but attention to their importance and incorporating these differences into practice has been an uphill battle. I have been working on sex differences in the brain and trying to understand their implications for sex differences in psychiatric disorders for over 30 years, and I have felt more optimistic about changing the culture in medicine and in the public domain than at any other time during this journey. The mission of the Innovation Center on Sex Differences in Medicine- which we refer to as ICON-✘  – is to enhance discoveries about sex differences in medicine, and more importantly, translate the knowledge into what we are calling sex-dependent therapeutics, programs, and policies. We are at an inflection point in medicine and science with regard to the importance of this, which provides a context for the development of a center focused on sex-informed therapeutic action. This is, in part, due to the fact that in 2015 the National Institute of Health (NIH) required that female cells and animals be included in all studies and attention to sex and gender be incorporated into clinical research proposals. This was a game-changer given that NIH is the major funder of research so their recognition of the importance of sex/gender differences has had a major impact on science. For many years, research primarily included male cells and male animals and lacked any systematic study of sex or gender in clinical studies. At the same time that NIH was making this pronouncement, there has been a public discourse around diversity and gender equity which has contributed to the public awareness about the importance of sex and gender in their health. We talk about precision medicine, but what could be more basic than one’s sex since every cell has a sex. So, the confluence of NIH actions and public interest and discourse set the stage for the possibility of a center like ours. ICON-✘ sits at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts. I am grateful and lucky to be part of these institutions for over 30 years that have the resources and innovative scientists and clinicians who are invested in developing novel innovative therapies that are infused with sex-selective knowledge. What is your research currently focusing on at the Innovation Center? We chose to begin with tackling the major cause of disability worldwide – the co-occurrence or co-morbidity of major depression, heart disease, and Alzheimer’s disease. Why am I focusing on that? Well, heart disease and depression are the number one and two primary causes of disability worldwide and sex differences are substantial in these two diseases. Depression has a 2-fold risk in women than men, and heart disease, although it was thought to be only a “man’s disease”, is also the number one cause of death in women in most middle-income countries. The comorbidity of depression and cardiovascular disease (CVD) was slated to be the number one cause of disability worldwide in 2020, prior to COVID, and will likely be post-COVID, and women are at twice the risk for the comorbidity. In fact, people who have both depression and CVD are at 3-5-fold risk of death from heart disease. So, women are disproportionately dying from heart disease, in part, due to unrecognized and untreated depression, in addition to the fact that there are sex differences in the vasculature itself that lead to differences in vulnerability and therapeutic responses. Finally, depression and CVD are independent risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease, and we know there is a higher frequency of Alzheimer’s disease in women, and we now know it is not simply due to women living longer. So, our first mission is to use a sex differences lens to shed light on the co-occurrence of these disorders and to develop therapeutics that are targeted, not only to one organ system, but to both the heart and brain. This is going to take another culture change in medicine because medicine has developed in silos – that is separated by organ systems, fields, and departments. In part, this is due to the fact that in such a high-tech world it is hard to acquire in-depth knowledge of more than one organ system. On the other hand, when you’re developing drugs targeted to one organ, there are substantial side effects on others, and these side effects differ by sex. Again, this is not surprising, given that most pharmaceuticals have been developed using male animals. In 2001, the U.S. General Accounting Office reported that 80% of prescription drugs withdrawn from the market posed a greater health risk for women than men. Women have been found to have almost a 2-fold greater risk for developing adverse drug reactions than men, which is a critical quality measure for hospitals. We are hoping to raise awareness in the healthcare industry and in science about sex differences in treatment responses and using our knowledge of sex differences to target some of  the shared causes across the brain and the heart. We believe that using a sex difference lens provides unique insights into understanding that shared pathophysiology. One of your findings is about the fetal origins of the shared causes of sex differences in the heart and brain. Can you explain this? Yes, that’s correct. My lab is studying the impact of stress that is shared across disorders of the brain and heart. Stress affects every chronic disease we know, and the brain regions that regulate stress are some of the most highly sexually dimorphic circuitry in the brain. This circuitry not only develops differently in the male and female brain but functions differently across the lifespan. Importantly, these brain regions regulate a number of critical functions and behavior in a sex-dependent way. They regulate mood and anxiety and cardiac function as well as hormonal and immune physiology. In fact, some of the same brain regions are also involved in regulating memory. So, how we regulate stress is a perfect model for tackling issues related to comorbidity of disorders of the brain and heart since stress circuitry regulates functions associated with all three of the disorders we are studying and does so differently by sex. It turns out that prenatal stress models in animals and humans have been posited as developmental precursors to depression, heart disease, and even aging of the brain and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Prenatal development is also a critical period of the sexual differentiation of the brain. So, we hypothesized and have demonstrated over the last 20 years that some of the causes of sex differences in these disorders originate during these sensitive periods in prenatal development and have lasting effects leading to sex differences in incidence of depression, heart disease and memory decline in aging. The idea that there are shared causes of these disorders beginning in fetal development would then lead to the onset of these disorders over the lifespan in the same person. How can you turn these discoveries into the development of therapies? As I mentioned, the stress circuitry in the brain regulates mood/anxiety and the heart and associated autonomic, hormonal, and immune physiology. The brain is also directly connected to the heart through the vagus nerve that electrically connects the stress circuitry to the regulation of heart. We are developing a novel neuromodulation device to target the vagus nerve directly using transcutaneous stimulation that is in sync with our respiration. We have shown in pilot studies that we can regulate the stress response using respiratory-gated vagus nerve stimulation and lower depressed mood and anxiety and raise cardiac tone in people with depression. We have also demonstrated in pilot work that we can lower blood pressure in people with hypertension. We are working to develop this therapeutic device as a sex-dependent therapy, given our work and others’ demonstrating sex differences in stress circuitry and vagal response, and targeting it to the comorbidity of depression and hypertension. Another avenue our partners are pursuing is to use male and female stem cells from individuals with depression or Alzheimer’s disease to understand some of the causal pathways that may be involved with explaining sex differences. One of the pathways in which we are interested is the dysregulation of the immune system that may be shared across disorders, so using developmental stem cell approaches we can view and manipulate immune cells. In fact, the immune system was also implicated in a recently published study of ours testing for sex-by-genotype interactions that were shared across psychiatric disorders – depression, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder. We identified sex differences in a few significant genes, two of which implicated the immune system. Other investigators are beginning to identify sex differences in genes shared between depression and cardiovascular disease, again some of which implicated the immune system. The studies shed light on the importance of understanding these critical comorbidities and ways to target them therapeutically, one avenue being sex differences in our immune system. These studies and others underscore an essential theme of the Innovation Center that understanding sex differences and comorbidities requires a lifespan approach. The impact of sex (and gender) differs across the lifespan. Sex differences essentially emerge when the brain and body are either differentially flooded or depleted of gonadal hormones (in fetal development, puberty, and in women, in pregnancy and menopause). We can use these naturalistic windows of opportunity to target them for therapeutics, in part taking advantage of the hormonal regulation of the brain and body. Targeting therapies and programs early in the natural history of a disorder will allow for attenuation of disability later in life and, ultimately, prevention. We believe that applying a sex differences lens across the lifespan is a unique window into understanding risk and resilience and prevention of diseases. There’s a lot of stigma out there: a lot of times the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, or menopause have been used to say that a woman was acting in a negative way because she was hormonal. Do you think that we have done a disservice to women’s health by trying to downplay that fluctuations in hormonal levels whether during the menstrual cycle or at different points in the lifespan have an important impact on the body and our health in general? There is a long history to using the science of sex and gender for political discourse. It is critical to separate the two and to understand when your own biases may be influencing how you approach your science or your politics. People have used politics to undermine the science which has led to periods during which even a discussion of sex differences was thought to be politically hazardous, particularly when it involved the brain. Even today, there are those who deny the existence of sex differences in the brain in the face of >50 years of work in animals and at the human level. Although sex differences in the brain may be small (that is, there is more variability within the sexes than between men and women), they have important implications for understanding the substantial sex differences we see across almost every disorder of the brain. And some of these differences not only impact the brain but impact other organ systems that are regulated by the brain. Understanding these differences and incorporating them into our therapeutic armamentarium is critical in this day and age of precision medicine. It is why our byline at the Innovation Center is “when it comes to health, sex matters”. Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### FemTech Startups innovating Hormonal Health URL: https://femtechnology.org/2022/03/24/femtech-startups-innovating-hormonal-health/ Date: 2022-03-24T15:58:27+00:00 March 24, 2022July 23, 2022 Health care, medical system, PCOS, Top FemTech StartupsBy Oriana Kraft Here at the FemTechnology Summit we believe innovation in women’s health needs to take a 360 approach (and be tackled from the research side, in industry, by consulting patients and adapting clinical practices). That’s why we love featuring startups tackling all aspects of female health – from diagnostics to therapeutics to management and even community. Here’s a round-up of exciting FemTech startups tackling female hormonal health: Hormonal Health FemTech Startups: Eli is a Canadian FemTech Startup developing an at-home device that can capture daily hormone fluctuations from saliva and an app to provide insights tailored to each user’s unique profile.Hormones are core to women’s reproductive and general health, yet they remain a black box. Eli unlocks this box and puts women’s daily hormonal data in women’s hands. The company develops an at-home device that captures hormone fluctuations in saliva and an app that gives women the information they want to own their health decisions, every day and across life. The Co-Founder + CEO of Eli, Marina Pavlovic Rivas, spoke at the 2021 Edition of the FemTechnology Summit on our panel Innovative Tracking and Screening Technologies. You can watch a clip here.  Hertility is a UK FemTech Startup that applies a precision medicine-based approach to reproductive health to determine whether a hormonal imbalance may affect your fertility or chances of getting pregnant by measuring thyroid and menstrual cycle hormones. The CEO + Founder of Hertility Health, Dr. Helen O’Neill,  will speak at the 2022 Edition of the FemTechnology Summit on our panel on The Future of Fertility. Get Your Tickets here. inne is a German FemTech Startup. The Founder + CEO of Inne, Eirini Rapti, created the Hormonal Health Startup motivated by her own desire to use natural contraception, but realised that traditional natural fertility methods were almost impossible to use reliably in real life. She was determined to find a way of leveraging technology to enable all women to have a greater understanding of their bodies and take control of their contraceptive choices, so that they could make the most of their careers and relationships. Eirini set about developing a saliva biosensor device that enables women to identify and predict the fertile phase in their natural cycle. Based on her own experience and through multiple user interviews, Eirini understood that a new product had to be compatible with a busy daily life, simple and hygienic to use, and more insightful than the period-tracking apps already on the market. She spoke at the 2021 Edition of the FemTechnology Summit on our panel on The Future of Contraception + Fertility. You can watch a clip here. And of course you can sign up for the 2022 FemTechnology Summit here  to find out about up and coming innovative FemTech Startups tackling the gender health gap, the future of care, fertility and much more! Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### Innovative FemTech Startups tackling Endometriosis URL: https://femtechnology.org/2022/03/24/innovative-femtech-startups-tackling-endometriosis/ Date: 2022-03-24T15:20:12+00:00 March 24, 2022July 23, 2022 Endometriosis, Top FemTech StartupsBy Oriana Kraft Here at the FemTechnology Summit we believe innovation in women’s health needs to take a 360 approach (and be tackled from the research side, in industry, by consulting patients and adapting clinical practices). That’s why we love featuring startups tackling all aspects of female health – from diagnostics to therapeutics to management and even community. Here’s are some exciting FemTech startups tackling endometriosis: Endometriosis FemTech Startups: ENDODIAG is a French FemTech Startup Revolutionizing Endometriosis Diagnosis. EndoDiag is developing new endometriosis diagnostic solutions for healthcare professionals. These solutions are intended to contribute to a better endometriosis diagnosis, a more personalized patient management, more efficient treatment options and fertility strategy. The Co-Founder + CEO of EndoDiag, Cécile Real, spoke at the 2021 Edition of the FemTechnology Summit on our panel on Pain + Symptom Management for Gynecological Conditions. You can watch a clip here.    GYNICA is an Israeli FemTech Startup Revolutionising Endometriosis Therapeutics. Gynica is a medical company researching and developing cannabinoid solutions to target gynaecological symptoms and diseases. The VP of R&D of Gynica, Dr. Sari Prutchi Sagiv, spoke at the 2021 Edition of the FemTechnology Summit on our panel on Pain + Symptom Management for Gynecological Conditions. You can watch a clip here.   SYRONA HEALTH is a UK FemTech Startup Revolutionising Endometriosis Management. Syrona aims is to democratise gynaecological healthcare. Chronic health issues such as endometriosis have been overlooked by the medical industry for hundreds of years. Their mission is to provide accessible care to marginalised communities such as women, trans, non-binary people etc and has been created by two people of colour, keeping in mind the challenges these communities face. The Co-Founders of Syrona, Anya Roy and Chantelle Bell, spoke at the 2021 Edition of the FemTechnology Summit on our panel on Pain + Symptom Management for Gynecological Conditions. You can watch a clip here. And of course you can sign up for the 2022 FemTechnology Summit here  to find out about up and coming innovative FemTech Startups tackling the gender health gap, the future of care, fertility and much more! Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### French FemTech Scene URL: https://femtechnology.org/2022/03/20/french-femtech-scene/ Date: 2022-03-20T08:34:50+00:00 March 20, 2022July 23, 2022 Deep Dives, Top FemTech StartupsBy Oriana Kraft   The following is a transcript of an interview by Oriana Kraft with the Founders of Freya (French Fertility Startup), Sacrées Femmes (Women’s Health Clinics) and Gapianne (An E-commerce platform for women’s intimate health needs) — all current Station F FemTech Startups on the French FemTech Ecosystem, the state of FemTech in France and how sociocultural norms surrounding women’s health have shaped their product and journey. French FemTech Scene What does your Startup do? Freya: We are building a service to answer women’s questions regarding their fertility status and the actions they can take to understand, protect and improve their fertility. Sacrées Femmes: We are building a network of women’s health clinics – composed of family doctors, gynecologists, physiotherapists, dieticians, and a psychologist. We are also developing an app for women to take care of the health in the interim: allowing them to prepare for the appointment, ask questions to the professionals, read relevant information or watch some videos about what they are going through. Gapianne: We are a one-stop-e-commerce platform for women’s intimate needs How have the socio-cultural norms of France shaped approaches to women’s healthcare and attitudes towards their FemTech startup ? Freya: Healthcare is free in France for people who are ill. Consequently, we know that whatever happens, the healthcare system will take great care of us. That’s why, as patients, we tend to have a “curative” approach to health rather than a “preventive” one. We are not prompted to take care of our health preventatively because then we have to pay with our own money. It’s a shame because the country would save a lot of money if it invested more in prevention. It’s particularly true when it comes to infertility as infertility “treatments” are very costly and ineffective, yet, a huge amount of people rely on them. Another consequence of that norm is the lack of patient’s empowerment. In France we have this figure of the family doctor who knows it all. There is no pedagogy and even sometimes there is a bit of disrespect towards patients, especially towards women. The female reproductive system is so complex that gynecologists can sometimes be a bit patronizing. Sacrées Femmes: Exactly, in France, like in many other European countries, healthcare is free. So they are not going to pay for the digital service part of our plan. And that was a big challenge of the business plan, because the health system is free in France, as you go to the hospital, and you do not pay anything and you do not know even know the cost of what you consumed. Our whole business model relies on how can we optimize and improve how the time of professional is being used and focus on quality time with the woman. So a lot of things will be done beforehand through the app. With digital tools we can make better use of the professional’s time and that’s how we will fund the digital aspect of the model. What impacts have the political landscape and regulations in women’s health had on your startup? Gapianne : I would say the core difficulty is that FemTech is still far from mainstream. Investors are not at ease with the female health/sexual wellness topic. They think that, e.g there is no market for ‘female’ vibrators. Not to mention the sexism when it comes to business meetings. We heard the following from investors: “Don’t you have a male in the team to do the finance?” They called us “4 women with a beautiful smile.” And when we hosted in-person gatherings with women to introduce them to our products they said “Well done on your lesbian event.” Sacrées Femmes: The regulations around what is and is not considered healthcare in France have certainly made things complicated for us. You cannot list a psychotherapist or acupuncturist for example on the same website as a gynecologist. Because the former are considered commercial whereas the latter is reimbursed by the healthcare system and you are not allowed to conflate the two. In terms of a clinic that wants to offer holistic care that certainly complicates things for us. How do you feel FemTech can help improve the French healthcare system? Freya:  First and foremost we want to raise awareness around gaslighting. Women’s worries or pains are not fake, silly or stupid – so take us seriously! We would also like to challenge the notion hat women cannot handle medical information. There is this idea that if you let a woman know about her risk factors, her PCOS, or endometriosis for example, it would only worry her too much, it would ruin her life (and also she will come bother you with too many questions when you have other patients to treat). We think it’s wrong. Firstly because there is absolutely no proof of that, secondly we believe that women are strong and smart human beings (oh surprise), and if you deliver the right info in the right way, it can only empower them and be useful to them. We believe in CHOICE – if a woman wants information about her body, it is her choice, her right. Proper medical advice and education are crucial when you investigate something as emotionally involving as your fertility. That’s why our solution dedicates more time to that. When doing a fertility check up, a woman will always have a conversation with a medical expert. Also we train our experts ourselves so we know that our users won’t have any remaining questions once they are done with our service. Gapianne: The conversation and desire to access intimate products in France is already here, but there is no safe space for content or advice, as well as clean products, with a positive approach. We are 34 million women in France. At each life stage, we go through specific intimate care and sexual wellness needs. We often feel ashamed, embarrassed, uncomfortable and do not know who to turn to in order to simply meet these needs. There was no existing shop to find clean intimate care products with guidance for women.   What have your biggest pain points been in terms of creating the startup (is it the regulatory landscape, sociocultural norms or is not related to femtech at all and just the general difficulty of creating a startup from scratch)? Freya:  Whenever you talk about the uterus, it becomes political. Whenever you give more rights to women or seek to empower them, a lot of people raise the alarm and start to talk about ethics. Do you remember the debate about contraception ? Abortion ? Egg freezing ? ART ? So we’ll always have rejectors to slow us down and criticize what we do. Regulations have also been a barrier. E-health and data protection are really important to protect consumers, but it is very complicated to understand so we need to invest in legal advice and it’s a big budget. Then we know that raising funds will be challenging, simply because only 5% of VC  funds goes to startups founded by women. Why did you decide to create your startup/solution and how do you envision it impacting women’s lives? Freya:  I started to feel the pressure for kids when I got married. I asked my gynecologist how long I could wait, and if I could do a fertility check-up just out of curiosity, and to see how everything was working. He refused to discuss the topic before I was ready to have children, and made my questions feel completely illegitimate. So I started digging on my own, and got lost in the mass of information of unequal quality available online. I started interviewing friends and then other women on the topic, and realized I was not alone. I thought something had to be done to ease women’s access to the right information. The interviews became a podcast named Choice, and the company idea grew from there. Caroline, my co-founder long feared she was sterile because so many of her friends were having troubles, that’s why she created Freya. Freya will help detect risk factors before it’s too late and address them. Doing so, we will help reduce the number of infertility cases while answering women’s need for reliable and personalized information. Sacrées Femmes: I spent seven years in Southeast Asia. I had three children over there. So all my maternity experience was in southeast Asia from being pregnant to giving birth, to postpartum, breastfeeding, raising very young children. My experience was a really good experience. It was so different from what I could hear from my friends in France, especially because there is a very high solidarity among women and then know their body very well. Meditation. Massage is part of their culture and that allows you to know your body better. Whereas I was completely disconnected from my body when I arrived there from France. When I was navigating the postpartum phase a lady would come to me to do a massage for my uterus. And that forces you to connect to your body – because a lady is literally coming to you to massage you and talking to you about your pain – so it forces you to connect with your body and really reflect. When I came back to France and I was here, all my friends is, were traumatized or embarrassed by their postpartum experience. Three days after giving birth they were already  going out. And going around and, you know, they were in pain, but they just ignored it because that’s how you’re taught to do things around here. And I was like, okay, I have no choice. I must bring this holistic approach around birth to France. It’s a no brainer. It’s been such a transformative experience for me that I have to bring it over here as well. ____________________________ To learn more about FemTech, sociocultural norms surrounding women’s health, the challenges FemTech Startups face, how they can overcome them, how the healthcare system and burgeoning FemTech market compliment each other and much more — register for free to attend the FemTechnology Summit June 1 + 2 here : https://hopin.com/events/femtechnology-summit/registration     Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### How FemTech will revolutionize Healthcare URL: https://femtechnology.org/2022/03/07/how-femtech-will-revolutionize-healthcare/ Date: 2022-03-07T10:05:55+00:00 March 7, 2022July 23, 2022 FemTech Blog, FemTech Think Pieces, Health careBy Oriana Kraft FemTech is about creating the solutions and tools necessary to deliver the quality of care 50% of the population deserves (but has been denied). It is a sad yet undeniable fact that the tools we currently use to treat patients were not designed with women in mind. They were designed for men and by men. They were designed with a 70 kg white man in mind. But most of us are not 70 kg white men, which means that the healthcare system we have entrusted with taking care of us does not have the tools they truly need to take care of our needs. FemTech highlights the ways medicine has the potential to be more inclusive going forward, to meet the patient where they are, when they are, and in the ways that they can and should best be reached. #1 FemTech will transform the way we collect healthcare data and how we use it. The Gender Data Gap in healthcare is well documented. 70% of the people impacted by chronic pain are women, yet 80% of pain studies are conducted on male mice or human men. Less than 2.5% of publicly funded research has been dedicated to female reproductive health, though one in three women will experience severe reproductive health issues in their lifetime. This large and glaring gap when it comes to our knowledge of women and their bodies — are why the fact that women are 20–30% more likely to be misdiagnosed than men is unsurprising. But medicine must do better going forward. FemTech has the unique potential to solve this pain-point. FemTech startups allow for the collection of important health data sets in real time as well as the collection of data from a much wider and more diverse sample set of people than would otherwise be represented in clinical trials — thus rendering the information collected more insightful and widely applicable. Moreover, FemTech solutions are ingenious in that the women get something out of sharing their data. FemTech solutions provide much desired personalized insights for women to use — creating a virtuous cycle, whereby the more the woman uses the product (and more data she gives the FemTech startup) the more value the woman (and the startup) is able to extract. Some examples of FemTech startups bridging the gender health gap? Evvy — an at home vaginal microbiome test that tests for all the bacteria and fungi present in a microbiome sample, so that women can better understand the role their microbiome plays in regards to UTIs, STDs, Pelvic Inflammatory Disease etc. (Evvy will be speaking at the 2022 FemTechnology Summit) . Evvy wants to close the gender health gap by leveraging overlooked biomarkers in the female body — starting with the vaginal microbiome. Another example is Clue — a period tracking app, allowing you to discover patterns in your menstrual cycle which is known and lauded for collaborating with researchers to conduct in depth studies about the menstrual cycle. (Clue was featured at the 2021 FemTechnology Summit). Or Lioness — a smart vibrator, using built-in sensors and an intuitive mobile app to visualize arousal and orgasms so that women can better understand their sexual pleasure (Ava will be featured at the 2021 FemTechnology Summit). At their core — all of these solutions are about collecting data sets that women can then use to make more informed decisions about their own health. But all of these startups also collaborate with researchers to better understand meta-trends in women’s health in their respective fields and it doesn’t seem too far-fetched that in the not too distant future these insights will be integrated into healthcare practices. #2 FemTech will revolutionize how patients communicate with doctors. More than 40 percent of women eventually diagnosed with a serious autoimmune disease were told by doctors at one point or another that they were “just too concerned with their health or they’re a hypochondriac”. As you can no doubt imagine, women feeling dismissed by doctors is a fundamental problem — for the women themselves (increased risk of misdiagnosis, mistrust in the medical system etc.). But it is a fundamental problem that FemTech can hopefully change. One of the reasons women feel dismissed by doctors is that that doctors are often not taught to recognize the way symptoms of many diseases manifest in women, nor do doctors have the diagnostic tools to diagnose women correctly (A classic example is heart attacks where the diagnostic tools to diagnose a heart attack are not adapted for the way they manifest in women). But hopefully by coming to doctors with bodies of data amassed as evidence –women will face less of an uphill battle in terms of convincing doctors that something is awry. Or at the very least will be able to convince doctors that there are perhaps other metrics they should be evaluating their patients on the basis of. Some tools that allow women to do just this: FrendoApp — an app helping its users receive an endometriosis diagnosis faster. It is the only endometriosis app that features a screening tool using a Patient Reported Outcome method. Bloomer Tech — a bra to collect cardiovascular data from women. Bloomertech is integrating advanced fabrics technology and machine learning to turn everyday clothes, such as a women’s bra, into lifestyle medical and healthcare devices. #3 FemTech is redefining inter-patient communication. The driving force behind the success of most FemTech start-ups is the effective communities they have managed to cultivate. These are patient communities, places where women can gather to discuss similar challenges, insights others have gleaned, ways they have felt dismissed by the system. FemTech startups play an interesting role in the space — they straddle the line between being healthcare providers and delivering a consumer good (being a brand). Part of the reason, so many of these FemTech have such engaged and active fan bases has to do with the fact that so many women have felt dismissed and dissatisfied by the solutions they are proposed by the medical community for so many years. Patient communities are not unique to women’s reproductive health however, but an integral part of healthcare as a whole. They allow patients to connect with others undergoing the same thing, allow them to learn from each other, crowdsourcing solutions that can provide much needed relief. These are just three of the ways FemTech is reshaping healthcare — but the potential of FemTech to redesign healthcare stretches far beyond this. To find out more about how FemTech is showcasing what the future of care will look like, how FemTech is helping bridge the gender health data gap in medicine and the link between gender and effective therapy in medicine — join the FemTechnology Summit June 1st + 2nd 2022. Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### How can digitalising the fertility journey provide holistic care for women everywhere? URL: https://femtechnology.org/2022/02/20/how-can-digitalising-the-fertility-journey-provide-a-more-holistic-care-experience-for-women-everywhere/ Date: 2022-02-20T10:46:13+00:00 February 20, 2022July 23, 2022 Deep Dives, Top FemTech StartupsBy Oriana Kraft   The following is a transcript of an interview by Oriana Kraft with Lina Chan, Founder and CEO of Parla, a digital health platform putting data and knowledge back in women’s hands so they can be an informed agent in managing their own bodies proactively. Can you describe in your own words what Parla does? Parla is a digital health platform helping communities of women with specific fertility challenges connect with experts and each other to find the support they need.    Could you elaborate on how women connect with these experts and the communities? There is no one-size fits all approach. The way women connect with their issues in fertility is inherently specific to their own pain points. It’s dependent on what the origin of their fertility struggles are. For example, many women with PCOS or Endometriosis end up struggling with their fertility. Other women may have faced multiple pregnancy losses during their fertility journey. What each woman needs can be very different and personal. As FemTech evolves – and we’ve already started to see that happen – there will inherently be more start-ups targeting very specific pain points (such as PCOS or Endometriosis-related infertility) because it connects with the user and their user journey a lot more. Do you have specific fertility streams in Parla? When we initially launched Parla we started it off as supporting women with any fertility struggle they had, but when COVID came we began to understand that our users bucket around certain pain points. One big category we have for example is pregnancy loss, another is PCOS and another major one is Endometriosis.   That’s why one of the main projects we launched last year are courses to specifically target how to manage the symptoms of these specific pain points. For example, for pregnancy loss how to manage the emotional distress that comes with pregnancy loss. We also have nutrition and lifestyle interventions to manage PCOS. How do you see Parla personalizing women’s healthcare experience? When women come to us we do a lengthy onboarding questionnaire so that afterwards the content they see is personalized to them. If we know the women faced pregnancy loss in the past then the they wind up seeing a lot more content around mental health support. A women with PCOS will get a lot more content around period health and lifestyle intervention for instance.   Why do you perform these interventions in a community format? There’s an emerging body of research that supports grouping women in cohorts for long-term support. They learn just as much from each other as from the expert.  You wouldn’t believe the amount of ‘aha’ moments women have where they hear each other’s stories.  They often think they are alone but then realise others have had similar experiences. With both our pregnancy loss courses and period health courses we ask women to make everyday changes to their lifestyle and the fact that they meet with experts and each other every week makes them much more likely to actually try the change and stick to it.  You mentioned you offer pregnancy loss courses. You are one of the few startups we came across that offer support for pregnancy loss. Why do you think there’s been such a lack of innovation in that respect when it’s so common? Probably because it’s one of the biggest taboos we have in our society. I mean if you take a step back to untangle it: the twelve-week rule is crazy* (*The Twelve-week rule is the unwritten rule that says you should not share your pregnancy news until you hit the 12-week mark, the point at which most pregnancies are considered safe and likely to be successful). Yes, that’s when the highest rates of miscarriage happen. But look at it from the reverse perspective, if someone has been taught to shut out their entire support system in the first twelve weeks that makes them even more vulnerable if they do miscarry because they can’t go to someone and tell them they’re struggling if they never told them they were pregnant in the first place. We also just don’t talk about miscarriages. When you learn about Sex in Sex Ed we don’t talk about how precarious the first trimester is. We don’t say that one in four pregnancies end in miscarriage. This is not just a Femtech revolution – we need a societal revolution. This is a missed opportunity for innovation in women’s health because it has such an impact on physical and mental health. The medical community needs to realize this is a big issue that impacts women years later. No one ever prepares you to think about death when you are trying to conceive. But unfortunately the rates of pregnancy loss are high and increasing as women choose to have children later. And there’s also a lot of misconception around pregnancy loss in general. We tend to think of it as being exclusively miscarriages but abortion is also pregnancy loss, having to terminate for medical reasons is also pregnancy loss, stillbirth is also pregnancy loss. It’s a risk category when it comes to mental health.  How do you see Parla evolving in the future? When I launched Parla one of my main goals was to help women be more proactive about their health. As a platform we want to start flagging things that might be of consequence for the future. So even if we’re a fertility platform we start talking about things like menopause.   We have information about the general stages they might be dealing with down the line. We start flagging other things they might want to look out for: from nutrition to lifestyle.   Reproductive health is so siloed in our society. And yet there are so many interdependencies: women who have issues with pregnancy and infertility tend to have poorer health and mental health outcomes later on. At Parla we firmly believe in the intersection of physical and mental health. ______________________________ Innovations like Parla’s digital communities that help women feel less alone in their fertility journey are why we need Femtech. (And a FemTech Summit like this one of course). Want to hear more about how digitising the fertility journey could be key to providing more holistic care for women everywhere? Sign up for the 2022 femtech conference  here.  Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### The women’s health condition that impacts 16% of women worldwide that we don’t talk about URL: https://femtechnology.org/2022/02/07/the-womens-health-condition-that-impacts-16-of-women-worldwide-that-we-dont-talk-about/ Date: 2022-02-07T11:33:55+00:00 February 7, 2022July 23, 2022 Deep Dives, FemTech Think PiecesBy Oriana Kraft The following is an interview about Vulvodynia by Francesca Rosa with Silvia Carabelli, Political activist and co-founder of the Italian Committee for vulvodynia and pudendal neuropathy and Dr. Med. Chiara Marra, Specialist Doctor in Gynecology and Obstetrics, health director of the clinic CasaMedica and co-founder of the Italian Committee for vulvodynia and pudendal neuropathy. Let’s set the stage: How many women does Vulvodynia impact and how many specialists are actually aware of this syndrome. Dr. Med. Marra – happy to have you here. Let’s start with you.  Dr. Marra: 10-16% of women worldwide experience vulvodynia. Only 60% of women reporting chronic vulvar pain seek treatment, and only about half will receive a correct diagnosis. 45 to 65% of gynecologists lack diagnostic knowledge of vulvodynia. About 20% of gynecologists actually know about vulvodynia but don’t feel able to initiate treatment. Which leaves only 20% of gynecologists actually knowing about vulvodynia and feeling able to initiate appropriate treatment. For our readers who might not know what vulvodynia is – could you briefly explain what vulvodynia is?  Dr. Marra: Vulvodynia consists of vulvar pain that lasts for more than 3 months without an identifiable cause. Due to the lack of an identifiable cause, this condition is often referred to as a diagnosis of exclusion. Despite its definition, in my view this disease is exactly like any other, even if it is not characterized by specific and clear symptoms at the vulvar level. Therefore, it would be better to talk about differential diagnosis, meaning that it should be considered on a par with the other vulvovaginal conditions during the examination process. The vulvar pain occurs in different ways: in some women it manifests itself as itching, in others as burning, in others as a sensation of “pins” or “electric shocks”, in others as a real strong pain that can even affect walking. The pain can be spontaneous or triggered by tight clothing, intimate hygiene, touch, or sexual intercourse. The most common form of vulvodynia is the so-called “provoked vulvodynia”, which is clearly accompanied by a deterioration of sexual desire and intimacy.  Vulvodynia can be associated to several factors that, acting in a synergistic way, may trigger and subsequently maintain it. These include infectious factors (recurrent vaginitis and cystitis), pelvic floor dysfunction (hypercontractility of the muscles), hormonal factors (e.g., low estrogen levels such as those found when taking the contraceptive pill or during menopause), psychosocial factors (e.g., traumatic sexual experiences in the past), and peripheral and central mechanisms involved in the genesis and maintenance of pain. Pain is transmitted through nerves and may express itself both at the peripheral level (i.e., at the nerve endings in the genitals) and at level of the central nervous system. At the entrance of the vagina, the nerve endings are much more numerous and thickened in women with vulvodynia than in others, and therefore much more “receptive”. At the central level, vulvodynia is thought to be part of one of those central hypersensitization syndromes, such as fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome and irritable bowel syndrome, characterized by a dysregulation of endogenous pain modulation systems and persistent sensitization of neurons even after cessation of the stimulus that activated them. Okay Silvia, I have a few questions for you now. You’re a Political activist and co-founder of the Italian Committee for vulvodynia and pudendal neuropathy. Could you briefly speak to what the impact of vulvodynia is on a woman’s daily life? Silvia: Vulvodynia is defined as a dynamic disability because it is invisible. In most cases it compromises, partially or totally, the sexual life of women as it causes pain during sexual intercourse, also not-penetrative ones (e.g., when the disorder involves the clitoris in the form of clitoridodynia or clitoral hypersensitivity). Additionally, depending on the severity of the disease, vulvodynia can affect other daily actions, such as peeing, sitting, wearing underwear, tights and tight pants, washing, going to the pool or the beach, doing sports, sometimes even walking. Thanks to a correct and early diagnosis, the chronicity of the syndrome and the worsening of the symptoms could be avoided. An appropriate treatment and a multimodal approach can lead women to recovery or a partial remission of symptoms that allow them to live well with the disease. Dr. Marra, back to you – Why has the condition not gotten much attention if it impacts up to 16% of the female population? Dr. Marra: There are many reasons. Undoubtedly, the main reason is that pain felt by women is usually underestimated by the health care personnel, due to a cultural tendency to normalize menstrual pain, vulvovaginal discomfort and pain during intercourse. The second reason is that often symptoms are unconsciously minimized by specialists, to avoid feeling frustrated when they cannot find a clear explanation for them. Obviously, the correct attitude should be to study, get informed, gather information, but unfortunately this does not always happen. On the other hand, the data tell us that only 60% of women talk to their doctor about the vulvar pain that afflicts them. This attitude also has a cultural background that is rooted in shame, in the endurance of pain, in always taking a back seat to the needs of the partner or the family. It has roots also in the inability to create a proper setting of dialogue and openness between doctor and patient during the gynecological visit. Finally, vulvodynia is a complex pathology that must be managed in a multimodal way and that requires the knowledge of drugs for pain control that rarely a gynecologist or a urologist (the figures who most frequently treat it) know how to handle. Therefore, it requires specific training and a team approach (not always easily achievable, especially in the public health service). Okay, last question, Silvia, how is the political landscape changing in regards to Vulvodynia and what still needs to be done? Silvia: Vulvodynia was officially recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) in the 11th revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD), which became effective on January 1, 2022. Given my experience, I will now focus on Italy, whose health system is very different from that of Switzerland, due to the existence of the Sistema Sanitario Nazionale (publish health system, abbreviation: SSN). I will start with a brief overview on that. The Italian public health system is financed through tax funding and a partial participation in public spending by citizens with a medium-high income. This system was thought to guarantee the right to health and care for all human beings, including those who need free assistance, such as citizens in a state of severe indigence and immigrants without regular documents. Chronic and disabling diseases often require a prolonged health care expenditure, sometimes even for life, and imply a certain degree of disability, which can cause the inability to work for people who suffer from them. Therefore, they are generally recognized in the Essential Levels of Care (Livelli Essenziali di Assistenza, abbreviation: LEA) by the SSN. The LEAs ensure free healthcare for such patients in the public system, providing free medical examinations, treatments, and drugs. To date, however, vulvodynia is not recognized in the LEAs, despite being a chronic and disabling disease. This exclusion implies several problems: Absence of public clinics specialized in the diagnosis and treatment of the disease. Paid examinations and treatments in private clinics. Drugs paid for at full price, often prescribed for off-label use. Inability to apply for a disability pension based on the severity of the pathology. The progress made in the Italian landscape is mainly due to four main drivers. The effort of associations, which for years have been raising awareness of the disease. The internet, including social networks, which is acting as a source of information and gathering for patients, who can> meet and support each other on the way of diagnosis and treatment. The action of some influencers who shared their personal experience on social networks and thus allowed many women and girls to self-diagnose this disease (to date, the diagnostic delay is still, on average, 4 years and a half). A further important contribution to the cause come from the recent establishment of the Comitato vulvodinia e neuropatia del pudendo (Committee vulvodynia and pudendal neuropathy). It brings together the 6 Italian associations that for over 15 years have been playing a crucial role for awareness-rising, the few health professionals specialized in the treatment of these diseases and several patients, who are also political activists. The aim of the Committee is to obtain the recognition of these diseases by the Italian State. Alongside the Committee, also the feminist movement Non Una Di Meno (Not one less) supports the path of recognition of this pathology, which affects the population assigned female at birth and that, to date, is still very underestimated and misunderstood. In this scenario, much remains to be done: Obtain the recognition of vulvodynia in the LEAs, with all the rights that this entails. Obtain funds for scientific research to deepen the knowledge on this disease. Implement academic and practical training of health professionals who today, on average, do not know this disease. Establish pelvic units in public hospitals for the treatment of chronic pelvic pain because vulvodynia often occurs associated with (or is a consequence of) other diseases, such as endometriosis, irritable bowel syndrome, pudendal neuropathy, painful bladder syndrome and fibromyalgia. It therefore requires a holistic view of the patients and a multimodal treatment that acts on the various concomitant or comorbidities of the disease. We wanted to close off this interview with a stat: Did you know that 2 in 5 women report having vaginal discomfort and painful sex? And yet, until recently, there haven’t been services or products on the market to address these issues. That’s why we need femtech (and a femtech summit like this one) to feature prominent solutions in the space. Want to read more about vulvodynia and how it’s gone ignored for far too long ? Check out this article : https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20180725-the-health-condition-vulvodynia-is-painful-and-misunderstood and don’t forget to sign up for the 2022 femtech conference here Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### The Economic Case For Funding Women’s Health Research. Part 2. URL: https://femtechnology.org/2022/02/05/the-economic-case-for-funding-womens-health-research-part-2/ Date: 2022-02-05T14:46:43+00:00 February 5, 2022July 23, 2022 Deep Dives, Founder InterviewsBy Oriana Kraft   What would happen if we decided that the assumptions we made about medical practices could not be justifiably generalised to women. Would it cause us to throw out a lot of the medicine we use for women – if it’s all based on this assumption that was never proven? I’m not arguing that we throw it out. I’m arguing that we study how useful is this? We don’t know how much of our evidence generalizes. And we should know that. If we are interested in studying human health. We actually need to study humans and the diverse populations they are composed of. We routinely generalize beyond data. After studying ten thousand people – we generalize the results of the trial for beyond that. We still act as if females are just smaller males. We treat the organs in a women’s body as if they’re just plug and play. We treat pregnancy the same way when, in fact, it’s a window into cardiovascular disease.   What do you mean?  You can think of pregnancy as a nine-month stress test on the cardiovascular system. During pregnancy a woman might get gestational diabetes or gestational hypertension. These are likely to resolve after pregnancy when you don’t have the additional stress of the fetus in your system – and so it’s often treated as a resolved issue once the woman has given birth but it’s a missed opportunity. It would be an opportunity for us to have window to be able to look at how the woman is doing. The vast majority of women with gestational diabetes go on to develop diabetes eight years later. That’s a missed opportunity. We could have used when the woman got it during her pregnancy as a treatable moment.   Are you saying we don’t routinely include the fact that a woman developed gestational diabetes during her pregnancy when we look at a woman’s long-term risk of developing cardiovascular disease?  No – reproductive health is completely siloed from the rest of healthcare. The woman is seen over in obstetrics and then it’s treated as if you went and did this thing and now it’s over. It’s like you ran a marathon and that was that. You’re back to being ‘normal’ again and we’re not going to incorporate it in your patient file. Although we could and should flag it and track it. It’s a highly teachable moment. When you’re younger you have an immediate desire to be present and healthy for ten, twenty years for your child. So one possibility is while you have this person with a concern for how am I going to make this all work and stay around and be healthy. One possibility is that you help make the case that it’s going to be more important in your life to incorporate these behavioral changes. It would be consistent with the ways we do other types of medicine.   Why do we think of cardiovascular disease as a male disease? Men were dying of heart attacks. That’s what was visible. That was the concern. There were odd theories like if women went into the workforce they would have heart attacks like men. So they defined the case on the visible part of the problem. They defined the diagnostic approach, the levels of intervention but that doesn’t mean that’s the disease that just means that’s what you see. We did the same thing for ADHD. It wasn’t that girls didn’t have the problem it was just that it wasn’t as visible. They didn’t act out in the same way. It’s the same thing with men and heart attacks. We saw men dying of heart attacks so that’s what we built the model on. The problem is: women have far, far higher rates of ‘silent’ heart-attacks. They’ve usually sought care a lot of times before their heart attack and it’s dismissed – because our diagnostic measures don’t reflect the way women’s heart attacks manifest.   As a result, medicine is a house on stilts. There are a few foundational pieces that we’re right on but beyond that we don’t know. And the problem is not that it’s a house on stilts but that it’s a house on stilts pretending it’s not a house on stilts. Which means we never do the hard work of evaluating what we actually know objectively and what we don’t.   We’ll learn a lot more by studying diverse populations. If you believe that it’s always been okay that we studied men, that it was good enough, this has worked – not a problem. Let’s just take thirty years – study women and generalize to men – while we get more information, because we will learn more by studying women than men, and even it out. If you have a problem with that answer than your first response wasn’t accurate.   I don’t think it’s necessary or desirable to stop studying men. I think we just need to do complete work in analyzing the data. For example, offering on-site child care benefits women a lot more than men. It can impact breastfeeding. It can impact a woman’s experience of parenting because of the oxytocin or her risk of breast cancer. It’s not going to do that for men. It’s a social intervention. But we need to understand that our lives accumulate and build differences that are not inherent or inherited. They’re created and they always will be.   Healthcare in the US was designed for catastrophic care. It covers catastrophic care much better than comorbidities and chronic diseases. But women have more comorbidities and doctors’ visits. But because we set it up to treat everybody the same, it costs women a lot more out of pocket. We created a formula that rests on the assumption that men and women are the same, even though women’s circumstances, health and life expectancy aren’t the same. Our definition of what is equal and fair is way more expensive for women.   I fundamentally believe that we will do a better job of validating the science that we have by studying the populations that we haven’t studied. Shockingly that means studying the majority group: women. And that’s where breakthrough science is going to happen. We are going to learn more about being human by studying populations that we haven’t studied and recognizing where we made assumptions and shortcuts.   The following was a continuation of the interview Oriana Kraft conducted with Chloe Bird, PhD, senior sociologist at RAND. Chloe Bird served as senior advisor in the National Institutes of Health’s Office for Research on Women’s Health and editor-in-chief of Women’s Health Issues, where she is now associate editor. We wanted to close off this interview with a stat: Did you know that investing 26 million dollars in women’s health adds back nearly 40 000 years of full-time employment for both women and men? 40 000 years – can you imagine that? That’s why we need femtech to shine the spotlight on the fact that we need more women’s health research (and a femtech summit like this one to showcase the innovation that’s happening in this burgeoning space). Want to hear more about why investing in women’s health just makes economic sense? Sign up for the Summit here.  Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### The Economic Case For Funding Women’s Health Research. Part 1. URL: https://femtechnology.org/2022/02/05/the-economic-case-for-funding-womens-health-research-part-1/ Date: 2022-02-05T14:36:45+00:00 February 5, 2022July 23, 2022 Deep Dives, Founder InterviewsBy Oriana Kraft   The following is a transcript of an interview by Oriana Kraft with Chloe Bird, PhD, senior sociologist at RAND.  Chloe Bird served as senior advisor in the National Institutes of Health’s Office for Research on Women’s Health and editor-in-chief of Women’s Health Issues, where she is now associate editor.     Could you briefly describe the work you do? I study sex and gender differences in health and healthcare as well as women’s health. I look at differences in the determinants of health and analyze how you get exacerbations between biologically and socially created differences. I look at quality of care in healthcare delivery and how we can make it better. Part of my work involves looking at female specific problems and the lower level of attention that they get in most cases and how those are impacted by biases in the science. By female specific problems what do you mean exactly? Health conditions that only affect biological female bodies such as certain reproductive cancers as well as those which disproportionately affect women like rheumatoid arthritis, breast cancer or osteoporosis. Those are all very useful cases for studying what the implications of being an understudied group are. We don’t have any good interventions for men who develop osteoporosis. Developing severe osteoporosis puts you at risk of a hip fracture that is likely to be immediately or long-term fatal. WHAM (Women’s Health Access Matters) published a report on “The case to fund women’s health research” that showed that if we were to invest only $6 million in rheumatoid arthritis research we would get $10.5 billion in returns to our economy. If we invest $20 million in coronary artery disease research focused on women, we would get $2 billion in returns to our economy. Those numbers are shocking on their own but I’m curious, why do you think the return on investment is so much larger for rheumatoid arthritis when compared to coronary artery disease? The return on investment is larger in rheumatoid arthritis than coronary artery disease because rheumatoid arthritis is more heavily female and has an earlier onset than cardiovascular disease. Women tend to be over sixty-five when they experience a cardiovascular incident, so it has a smaller impact on the years they’re able to spend in the workforce. Rheumatoid arthritis tends to manifest when women are in their forties or early fifties which can be debilitating and take them out of the workforce for many years. When you skew what you study and prioritize, relative to the actual burden of the disease, you end up not optimizing what you could be doing in terms of reducing disease and disability. Part of it is we initially prioritized studying life-threatening diseases in men. And then overfit our understanding of those diseases (like coronary artery disease) for what they looked like on men – without understanding very well the way they work in women. As a consequence, our measures of understanding, of diagnosis and treatment – all of our research is on the basis of what we’ve observed and studied in men. But that means we end up missing and not dealing with a lot of the issues that are unique to women. It’s as if you had a Venn diagram. A portion of what we know from our studies on men can definitely be applied to women – but the rest of the circle that doesn’t overlap with men? That’s largely or completely uncharted territory. Could you elaborate a bit on why that might be? The gold standard for studying health is a clinical trial. You want a homogenous enough population where it’s a simple enough condition that you know you’re acting on disease A and not disease B, C, D or E instead. So we tend to study people who only have one condition and aren’t more complicated. So clinical trials skew a little bit younger within the population with the disease. So even if you’re just analyzing what kind of men we’ve actually researched you end up with a Venn diagram between the men you studied and what the male population in the real world looks like who actually have the disease.   But the overlap in the Venn diagram is much, much smaller for women. Because women tend to have multiple comorbidities (much more so than men) which means that what you find out from the clinical trial is much less applicable to women. The consequences for treating the world that actually experiences the disease, the entire population, is different because of the comorbidities, the polypharmacy, the need to integrate information from other specialties because many medications don’t just impact one organ or disease. So if we started studying women, what we’ve done for men in terms of studying them in clinical trials – which we are a long, long way away from – that won’t be good enough. The entire population is different because of the comorbidities, the polypharmacy, the need to integrate information from different specialties because of the ways things interact.   It makes total sense when you explain it that way but for a clinical trial you want to isolate and distill what you are studying to the smallest possible variable – so how can we go about fixing the way clinical trials are conducted for them to better reflect women’s medical situations? It seems unlikely that we’ll start studying multiple variables at once even though the medical reality is that women face multiple issues at once.     If we went at it from the perspective of ‘what have we already answered, what is it we know, what is it we don’t know’. If we actually did a topography of the burden of disease and mapped onto it ‘what have we already asked, where have we gotten answers?’ We could start to look at where we haven’t looked. We could start to look at what we need to do to improve population health and that alone could use objective data. That would start to tell us where there are opportunities that we haven’t pursued. Part of what I’m pushing for is the science hasn’t been objective. It isn’t objective. By failing to be responsible for looking at it is that we don’t know we are falling short.   We have these series of assumptions in science. For example, RAND did a systematic review for the Veterans administration. They were interested in knowing: ‘Is there evidence for evidence-based treatment for alcohol and drug abuse disorders?’ When I read the report, it talked about there not being any evidence of sex and gender differences – but it was written up wrong, or at least incompletely. How so?   Well, the report said there was no evidence of evidence-based treatment for alcohol and drug abuse disorders between men and women – but that wasn’t the case. The reality was no one asked. There was no evidence for evidence-based treatment because no one conducted studies on the topic.   The systematic ‘not having looked’ is a big problem in science. It influences how we categorize what we know. Logical decisions dictated that we simplify science. But because of hubris we decided that what we learnt from our studies on men was information we could generalize for women, even though we know we got different results in women. We just decided that we got different results because of the menstrual cycle or later onset of disease.   Since that time, we have much more evidence that the differences are due to differences in biology down to the cellular level. We have much more evidence that there are sex and gender differences but we are still conducting our studies in the same way: as if we can apply what we learnt in men to women. Which is a justification that is purely based on agreement not on evidence.   I’m working on a piece on the statistical models we use in medicine. In statistics, we generally say : “here’s how complex the problem is. In all the cases that are simplified to this standard we can do this much simpler statistics. But in order to use simplified statistical models you need to show results that say that your data fits that assumption for the simplified model and acknowledges it’s an assumption. But we haven’t put that standard in place for statistical models in medicine that says: “do you have any evidence that the underlying correlation matrix for male-bodied people and female-bodied female is actually similar enough to justify the use the admitted oversimplification of applying what we learn in men directly to women?” We could raise the bar on science by doing science as science is intended instead of following the familiar short-cuts by saying they’re good. ________________________________________________________________________ That’s why we need Femtech. And FemTech Summit’s like this one. Want to hear more about why investing in women’s health just makes economic sense? Sign up for the 2022 femtech conference  here.  Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### Top Pelvic Floor FemTech Startups URL: https://femtechnology.org/2022/02/04/top-pelvic-floor-femtech-startups/ Date: 2022-02-04T15:01:27+00:00 February 4, 2022July 23, 2022 Health care, medical system, Top FemTech StartupsBy Oriana Kraft Here at the FemTechnology Summit we believe innovation in women’s health needs to take a 360 approach (and be tackled from the research side, in industry, by consulting patients and adapting clinical practices). That’s why we love featuring startups tackling all aspects of female health – from diagnostics to therapeutics to management and even community. Here’s a round-up of exciting FemTech startups tackling pelvic floor health (Did you know that the National Institute of Health found that about 25% of women have pelvic floor dysfunction? And that this number increases to include about 50% of women by 80 years of age?) So here’s a round up of some top pelvic floor femtech startups : Hyivy Health : Hyivy health creates a pelvic rehabilitee system for women experiencing symptoms from pelvic based cancers and diseases. Their system includes a multi therapy vaginal wand which uses biosensors for doctors and patients to track their rehabilitation progress and adapt treatment changes based on each patients specific diagnosis and needs. Pelvic Gym : PelvicGym takes another approach providing, allowing their users access to a collection of video courses led by Pelvic Physical Therapists. They also understand that pelvic floor issues can have a variety of origins and so the courses really run the gambit content-wise:  Ranging from: – help with dilators – increased flexibility for sex – painful penetration -understanding the biological and psychological factors that affect sexuality – strengthening your pelvic floor during and after pregnancy – help with chronic pain conditions: endometriosis, posture help, tight pelvic floor – bladder help Fizimed: is a French FemTech Startup whose flagship product is a smart kegel trainer that can be used from home. The company aimsto team up with health care professionals and experts to come up with more effective and innovative medical solutions. To discover more innovative and exciting FemTech startups sign up for the 2022 FemTechnology Summit here. We’ll be talking about tackling the gender health gap, the future of care, the future of fertility and much more! So join us for what’s slated to be one of the top femtech events in 2022! Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### Decoding the vaginal microbiome. An Interview URL: https://femtechnology.org/2022/01/24/decoding-the-vaginal-microbiome-an-interview/ Date: 2022-01-24T12:23:42+00:00 January 24, 2022July 23, 2022 Deep Dives, FemTech Think PiecesBy Oriana Kraft     The following is a transcript of an interview by Oriana Kraft with Priyanka Jain, Co-Founder and CEO of Evvy, an at home vaginal microbiome test designed to help get to the root of recurrent vaginal infections and other symptoms. This is Part 4 of a series of Deep Dives on Sex Specific Topics in Medicine, in the aim of connecting students with research being done in the field. Hi Priyanka! Can you tell me a little bit about your background and how it is you came to work in the field of women’s health?  I come at this from the data science and AI side. My life-long interest has been in making life better for women across the globe. I started in the non-profit sector and worked with the UN to launch the ‘Girl Up’ campaign. I’ve done a lot of work around women’s access to education and healthcare. But it’s only when I started to look at the percolation of data into the healthcare system, that I really began to notice how the algorithms we use don’t take into account all the ways in which the female body might be different. On a personal level, I became curious about how we could use data to make informed decisions about women’s health. In particular, I wanted to investigate which biomarkers of health are sitting in the female body unused – biomarkers that we never tracked or measured because we never studied women. There are many things that the female body does uniquely that could be incredible measurements of women’s health. These biomarkers could help us predict diagnose, treat or stratify the risk of disease as it manifests differently in the female body. The problem is we don’t typically use any of those biomarkers because they don’t exist in men so we never studied them. How did you settle on the idea of the vaginal microbiome? I interviewed 200 researchers, scientists, doctors, women, investors, founders and I just kept coming back to the vaginal microbiome as an area that was in desperate need of innovation – which was shocking to me because I didn’t even know the vaginal microbiome was a term. And yet, it turns out the vaginal microbiome is the cause of a lot of the most common reproductive health issues women face. The number one reason women go to the OBGYN are vaginal infections: yeast infections, UTIs, bacterial vaginosis. It’s incredibly prevalent. Simultaneously, I couldn’t believe the amount of research coming out saying the composition of the vaginal microbiome is associated to everything from fertility challenges, to cervical cancer, to preterm birth, to STI acquisition. It made me wonder why I don’t have access to that type of information about my own body and, more importantly, why no one in the healthcare system was using this data to make better decisions about my health. It just became clear to me that the vaginal microbiome was the most obvious starting point to make a dent in women’s healthcare experience. Consumers want to be able to access the information because of the vaginal microbiome’s link to UTIs and yeast infections. And the vaginal microbiome also provides value on the provider side because of its link to some of the most expensive health outcomes for women. How do you see Evvy as being a part of helping bridge the gender data gap?  I firmly believe that women can be a part of our own solution. We can move towards bridging the data gap by giving consumers access to this type of information about themselves. That’s how it becomes common place to have this sort of information in the first place. Are you finding that women understand the value of testing their vaginal microbiome?  Definitely. Recurrent UTIs, yeast infections, STDs – these are all things women have struggled with for so long but there’s never been a brand or a movement attached to it before. There are so many women who have been dying for answers, living in these Facebook communities where it’s the blind leading the blind and there’s a lack of answers. Now that they have the possibility to get real answers they definitely understand the value of being able to test themselves. And Evvy gives women actionable insights to work off, right? How does that work?  Most of our customers take the vaginal microbiome test every three months. They track what they do in-between for themselves. They track things like whether they had a new sexual partner between tests, whether they tried out a new diet, used a new probiotic. At Evvy, we’re able to show them; ‘you started here’, ‘this is what you did in between’, ‘this is where your vaginal microbiome is now’. We can also then show other users what worked and didn’t work for users who started out in a similar place to them. What sort of information can Evvy provide to women going through menopause?  One of the main things that happens in menopause is a decline in estrogen. As estrogen goes down so does glycogen. Glycogen is what feeds a lot of the protective bacteria in the vaginal microbiome. As a lot of women enter menopause they get vaginal infections for the first time because they’re losing a lot of the healthy bacteria in their vaginal microbiome. At Evvy, we can help women suffering from vaginal infections during menopause to understand whether the reason they are having an increase in vaginal infections is that the number of their lactobacilli is going down and if it is how they can promote an increase in the quantity of lactobacilli they have. _________________________________ Innovations like Evvy’s at home vaginal microbiome test is why we need Femtech. (And a FemTech Summit like this one of course). Want to hear more about how the vaginal microbiome could be the key to cracking women’s health? Sign up for the 2022 femtech conference  here.  Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### How Can FemTech Tools Be Used To Enhance Research? An Interview. URL: https://femtechnology.org/2022/01/21/how-can-femtech-tools-be-used-to-enhance-research-an-interview/ Date: 2022-01-21T23:17:39+00:00 January 21, 2022July 23, 2022 Deep Dives, Founder InterviewsBy Oriana Kraft The following is a transcript of an interview with Rachel Zsido, PhD student at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Science, currently studying sex hormones and how they influence brain structure, cognitive health and depression susceptibility. Hi Rachel! Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your research interests? My background is in neuroscience. I’m interested in how ovarian hormones and other biological factors interact to influence the brain, and what implications those interactions have for cognitive health and emotional wellbeing. One of the studies I’m working on is ‘menstrual cycle plasticity’ . We’re looking at how subtle fluctuations in hormones across the menstrual cycle influence brain plasticity –  specifically structural brain plasticity. We have women come in six times over the course of their menstrual cycle to assess how cycle-related fluctuations in hormones relate to brain volume, focusing on brain regions involved in emotion and cognitive processes. We also have a premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) project, where we look at how ovarian hormones influence the serotonergic system across the menstrual cycle in PMDD patients. For context: we know that 800 million people menstruate daily, of which roughly 75% of them will experience premenstrual symptoms. Roughly 8% of menstruating women will experience the more severe form, PMDD, which is characterized by severe symptoms of anxiety, depressed mood, mood swings and irritability. As the symptoms occur exclusively in the late luteal phase right before menstruation, and only during ovulatory cycles where we have these fluctuations in hormones, the immediate thought might be that there is a hormonal difference in these women. But a decent amount of research has shown that there’s no difference in absolute levels of hormones in women with and without PMDD. So it seems that, although hormones are clearly involved, women suffering from PMDD have a sensitivity to normal cyclical, hormonal changes rather than abnormal hormone levels. That’s why PMDD is now discussed as a reproductive subtype of depression. It’s not the same as major depressive disorder. The symptoms may overlap but are not the same – the most important aspect being that the symptoms are phase-locked. From a clinical perspective, we do know that antidepressants that slow the reuptake of serotonin, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), vastly improve symptoms within hours to days for patients with PMDD, compared to patients with major depressive disorder or anxiety disorder where antidepressants typically take two to three weeks to alleviate symptoms. That, alongside the important role of serotonin in mood regulation, suggests that PMDD symptoms may be driven by a hormone-induced change in serotonergic function – this is what we’re looking into. And the last study examines inflammatory and immune marker patterns across the menstrual cycle to look at the cyclical nature of female immunity, which could have really important implications for healthcare. If you know how inflammatory patterns vary cyclically, maybe medical intervention timing could be optimized by cycle phase, especially when treating inflammation-related disorders. Maybe a better understanding of menstrual cycle regulation of the immune system could inform your decision of when to make a vaccination appointment. And perhaps more related to my field, if your menstrual cycle information can be used to calculate inflammatory load over the lifetime, this could influence the way we think about brain aging and risk trajectories over the female lifespan. How do you see FemTech intersecting with research? I love that FemTech not only focuses on new software and technologies for improving women’s healthcare but is also providing ways to close the data gap – we’re finally collecting datasets that address uniquely female experiences, such as the menstrual cycle, postpartum, and menopause transition. FemTech is simultaneously improving healthcare standards for women as well as advancing research on people typically excluded from studies. Neuroscience is notably guilty of this systematic bias, with the male brain often implicitly treated as the default model. As I study susceptibility and resilience to depression, cognitive decline and dementia, this still shocks me. We know that women make up 2/3 of Alzheimer’s disease patients and are twice as likely to suffer from a depressive illness. So the population that is at greatest risk for these disorders is actually understudied, and we’re not talking about a small group of individuals – we’re talking about over half the world’s population. I think FemTech and research can intersect by combining interactive digital health technology and personalized healthcare options with neuroscience and clinical research to determine neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative disease risk over the female lifespan, and then to optimize medical intervention timing and development. Do you have an example of how FemTech could be used to improve healthcare? For PMDD, aside from a medical history and psychological interviews, there are currently very few diagnostic tests and treatment options. A lot of women use birth control or antidepressants to help with PMDD symptoms. But these may not be ideal options for many women, given that symptoms only occur a few days out of the month, and these medications are really designed to be taken chronically. FemTech is already helping by providing better ways to track your menstrual cycle and record any related changes in mood and body. By tracking your cycle, you start to see the patterns, you gain control, you may be able to predict upcoming changes in mood, and you can almost ‘biohack’ the menstrual cycle. It’s just more data! You can walk into your doctor’s office and show them data. Also our hormones are so much more than just our reproductive organs! Hormones influence the brain, our mood, our cognition, cardiovascular health… the list goes on. I think FemTech has the capacity to connect our reproductive health to full body health. So beyond developing medical intervention on a largescale, I love the idea that, by integrating in an individual’s own data, you can create personalized programs for improving one’s own health. FemTech could also be used to leverage information from one hormonal transition period to inform later hormonal transition periods in life. Back to the PMDD example that we’ve talked about earlier – studies have shown that you have an increased risk of experiencing postpartum depression if you experienced PMDD earlier in life. So this sensitivity to the drop in hormones that occurs at the end of the menstrual cycle might be informative for more pronounced shifts in hormones later in life, such as during the postpartum period or perimenopause. If you think about that in terms of synergies with FemTech, it could be particularly powerful if we developed technologies to build longitudinal datasets for monitoring reproductive health measures over the lifespan, to be used to better understand potential risks trajectories for brain health or whatever you’re interested in. It could inform preventative care and prepare women for upcoming changes in the body and brain in a proactive, de-stigmatizing fashion. I’m really interested in brain aging in particular – because brain aging is the result of little steps that you take across your whole lifespan. If we could develop a tool that would allow you to conveniently record and assess the impact of all these little steps on your brain – in the context of accessible reproductive health measures – I think that would be really interesting.   Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### How Data Can Help Us Understand Autoimmune Triggers? An Interview. URL: https://femtechnology.org/2022/01/10/how-can-data-help-us-understand-autoimmune-triggers-an-interview/ Date: 2022-01-10T08:25:55+00:00 January 10, 2022July 23, 2022 Deep Dives, Founder InterviewsBy Oriana Kraft The following is a transcript of an interview by Oriana Kraft with Mette Dyhrberg, the founder of Mymee, a data-powered digital care program for people with autoimmunity and COVID long haul. Could you give me some background on Mymee and the work you do?   I’m the founder of Mymee a digital coaching program for people with autoimmune disorders. Autoimmune diseases have a prevalence that skews over eighty percent female. It’s an issue that impacted one in four hundred people in our parents’ generation but now impacts one in five people instead. Today autoimmune diseases are the leading cause of death in women between fifteen to forty-five years old. And how do you use data to improve health outcomes at Mymee?  Mymee is a data driven program. The data is the driver of any intervention that people are being given. Studies have shown that 80%  of the immune system is determined by lifestyle and the environment. At a high level, our program collects and analyzes self-reported data about these different variables using a simple app to create a highly personalized health plan. The app is custom-tailored to each individual so whether you’re recording what food you ate, reporting your symptoms or tracking a runny nose – self-reporting becomes very easy. We take this body signaling and turn that noise into understanding by pinpointing the causalities between what you do and how it impacts your symptoms. Mymee’s approach is led by independently certified health coaches that have all been trained on how to use Mymee’s data platform to turn machine insights into a personalized plan. Our coaches are able to help you successfully pinpoint and then avoid your triggers through small doable changes made over time. Could you give me some examples of what triggers could be?  Eighty-two percent of triggers are dietary. The remainder is environmental and lifestyle factors like toxins and stress. To date we have reversed symptoms in sixty-seven autoimmune diseases based on our protocol. When COVID came about it became very clear to us that for some people COVID acted as an accelerator of autoimmunity, resulting in such familiar, persistent symptoms like fatigue, brain fog, joint pain and aches. Could you elaborate a bit on your work with COVID?  Essentially, we use our methodology to jump start the recovery process for COVID long haul.  One of the things that’s come to light in our work with COVID long haulers since June 2020 is the role real-world evidence can have in targeting and reducing autoimmunity-related symptoms. Interventions based on real-world evidence can deliver immediate benefit and we’ve seen some great success using this approach to guide interventions based on finding personal food and lifestyle triggers. For example, we noticed that protein intake impacted the severity of symptoms for a lot of patients. As a trusted performance partner of Mount Sinai, we’re also working with patients at their post-COVID Recovery Clinic to help with recovery. Do you believe the fact that autoimmune disorders primarily impact women has had an impact on the lack of innovation in curing autoimmune disorders?  Unfortunately, I do believe that it is very much linked. I’m astounded that we could have diseases in the US go from impacting one in four hundred people to one in five and have no alarm bells go off. We are in a position where women are being told it’s all in their head for five to seven years before they receive a diagnosis. Even after they receive a diagnosis, medication fails for three out of four people. And it’s not just the women we are failing. We are failing their children also. Autoimmune disease costs our society a lot more than cancer does, yet the research dollars allocated to autoimmune diseases account for only a sliver of the research dollars dedicated to cancer. You can’t tell me that has nothing to do with the demographic break-down of autoimmune disorders. How do you believe we can start to personalize women’s health?  Well, a nice place to start would be to test drugs on women as well as men. The fact that metformin, which is very loosely given to treat insulin disorders, has only been tested in men is outrageous to me. There are so many pockets of healthcare where personalization has completely missed the boat. To be quite frank as a society we have often not thought about health in a full picture way. If you have an autoimmune disease, it gets taken apart. You go to the doctor and have brain fog, stomach pain, joint issues – and the doctor tells you: “That’s three different specialists. What’s your biggest problem right now?” At that point, we fail the patient. Joints are not a separate issue from the brain fog or from stomach pain. It’s all interrelated. When women seek help for fertility issues that’s a pre-autoimmune problem. You are in a position where your body is not working and these are the first signs. As a society we just figure out how to manipulate the body to actually give birth instead of taking a look at the underlying issues. Infertility is inflammatory driven. Autoimmunity is inflammatory driven. Many issues are driven by the same underlying cause but we separate them into six different buckets and say they all have different treatment methodologies. How do you think we can get a more holistic picture of patients?  By companies like ours going directly to the consumer in need. There are enough women out there that know there is something wrong with the treatment they are being given. I think it is going to be a grassroots movement. I think doctors will be referring in. It has to be an interplay between the disruptive methodologies, the data and the doctors – but it will begin with women themselves. We’ve never had customer service in healthcare be as good as if you were buying a pair of sneakers. Do you find doctors are responsive to Mymee?  When the data started backing what we do, doctors became very responsive. We’re an adjunct therapy to the care doctors deliver after all. We are a tool for the rheumatologist, the same way the electric toothbrush is a tool for the dentist. Whatever it is doctors need, we help them provide that. I believe doctors understand how a data-driven solution can be helpful, but they’ve had limited experience seeing how effective the type of personalized interventions we suggest can be until they have patients come back with exponentially improved symptoms. We are giving people the blueprint to their own bodies. ______________ Innovations like Mymee’s data tracking to understand autoimmune diseases are why we need Femtech. (And a FemTech Summit like this one of course). Want to hear more about how data could be the key to long-term recovery from autoimmune diseases? Sign up for the 2022 femtech conference  here.  Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### How do hormonal transition periods impact female mental health? An interview. URL: https://femtechnology.org/2022/01/10/how-do-hormonal-transition-periods-impact-female-mental-health/ Date: 2022-01-10T07:14:40+00:00 January 10, 2022July 23, 2022 Deep Dives, Founder InterviewsBy Oriana Kraft The following is a transcript of an interview by Oriana Kraft withClaudia Barth, PhD,postdoctoral researcher at Diakonhjemmet Hospital and the Norwegian Centre for Mental Disorders Research, University of Oslo.  Hi Claudia! It’s so great to have you here – first off could you give a brief summary of the research you do? I focus on how hormonal transition periods across the human lifespan impact the brain and mood in healthy women versus women with depression. So you try to identify whether there are moments in time when women are particularly vulnerable to depression – could you elaborate on that a bit? We know that women are particularly susceptible to depression during adolescence, post–partum and the transition to menopause when there are intense hormonal fluctuations– but what’s really interesting to study is why woman A develops post partum depression after giving birth, and not woman B? What role do hormones play in it? And what role do these normal hormonal fluctuations stemming from reproductive events play in brain ageing later in life? Our research has shown that pregnancy, for instance, might have a positive impact on brain ageing. We are still trying to figure out why that might be exactly but we have a couple of hypotheses. Do you have an example of a hypothesis? They still need to be tested – but one potential hypothesis is that there are quite extensive changes in inflammatory profiles during pregnancy. For instance, there is an increase in regulatory T cells which suppress inflammation so that the fetus can exist. This upregulation of regulatory T cells may persist in women after birth, which can help to positively arrest immune responses when no longer needed. Ageing is associated with low grade inflammation. So if you have an upregulation of regulatory T cells that may suppress this mechanism, you can imagine that it could be beneficial for brain ageing later in life. So if we know that women are particularly susceptible during hormonal transitions – do you have an example of how that might trickle down to clinical practice? The knowledge that women are more vulnerable to mood disturbances during hormonal transitions has been out there for a while. So one easy way to account for it, would be to incorporate it into questionnaires. For instance, trying to ascertain whether a woman’s depressive symptoms are exacerbated pre-menstrually, can inform treatment decisions. Because what’s interesting about reproductive subtypes of depression is that theyseem to be a stable trait. For instance, a woman with a history of premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD, a severe form of premenstrual syndrome)has a greater risk for developing postpartum depression. Simply by knowing that, we can put frameworks in place to educate the partner andalert the midwife, in case this woman plans to get pregnant. Another example would be that a rocky perimenopausal transition with depression, insomnia and night sweats might give rise to an accelerated neurological decline afterwards. So intervening earlier on, for instance with targeted hormonal therapy,  might improve the woman’s outcome in the long term. There is also evidence that commonly used antidepressants such as SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) may work differently by reproductive stage. SSRIs are less effective during menopause, but may act faster in women with PMDD during reproductive years. So really just asking patientssex–specific questions can lead to better quality of care. And you’ve started looking into how that can be done, right ? Yes, I’m currently working with a local psychiatry clinic to incorporate pre-written, structured women-specific questions to better inform treatment decisions for women with depression . It’s an easy thing for a clinician to ask (among many other questions):  “Do you use hormonal contraception?” or  “Do you experience any physical or emotional symptoms before onset of menses?”. It is relevant information for assessing potential causes for depressive symptoms and subsequently for improving therapeutic approaches. I mean, the funny thing when it comes to research is that everyone focuses on precision medicine. It’s such a hyped word, but then a lot of researchers don’t even stratify their study sample by sex. It is a long way to precision medicine if you don’t start there. It doesn’t mean that there are always sex differences between men and women in diseases. But certain conditions might have different implications for men or women. And if you don’t check for it – you’ll never know. This interview is part 1 of a series of Deep Dives on Sex Specific Topics in Medicine, in the aim of connecting students with research being done in the field. ______________________ Research like Claudia Barth’s are why we’re so grateful for FemTech and the light it is shining on the importance of conducting in depth research into women’s health, as well as the unexpected insights it can provide. (And why it’s so great to have a FemTech Summit like this one of course, bringing together researchers, femtech startups and chief clinicians). Want to hear more about the link between hormonal transition periods and female mental health? Sign up for the 2022 femtech conference  here.  Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### How Do Gendered Practices In Medicine Impact The Care Patients Receive? An interview. URL: https://femtechnology.org/2022/01/10/how-do-gendered-practices-in-medicine-impact-the-care-patients-receive/ Date: 2022-01-10T07:13:27+00:00 January 10, 2022July 23, 2022 Deep Dives, Founder InterviewsBy Oriana Kraft The following is a transcript of an interview by Oriana Kraft with Dr. Marjorie Jenkins, MD, MEdHP FACP, dean of UofSC School of Medicine Greenville, Chief Academic Office for Prisma Health-Upstate. Could you tell me a little bit about how you came to be involved in sex and gender specific medicine?  I became involved in the sex and gender specific medicine movement fairly early on – in 2002. Due to the NIH and the National Centers Of Excellence In Women’s Health programs, data on women’s health beyond just breast and pregnancy and lactation (so-called “bikini medicine) began in earnest in the late ‘90s. The Centers Of Excellence In Women’s Health were grant awarded to provide fund to academic health centers and community-based health centers for them to enhance their women’s health programs by conducting research into women’s health, develop training and educational programs or improve the sex specific clinical care they delivered. The program was defunded in 2005 but the work of the Centers of Excellence really started to get the ball rolling in terms of the collection of  research data in both men and women for diseases like Alzheimer’s and cardiovascular disease. Have we made progress in terms of the research we conduct on women’s health since 2005?  Although more women are participating in clinical research, there are no requirements regarding the reporting of research data by sex and/or gender outcomes in most scientific journals. Even in basic science research, considering every single cell in the human body has a sex, it is still not a requirement in most journals to report the sex of the cells involved in the research studies. There is an NIH policy of Sex as a Biological Variable which was implemented in 2017. This policy required researchers to justify lack of inclusion of both sexes in research, if they are provided funding to research a disease that applies to both sexes and genders. However, this policy falls short in that it does not require analysis and reporting of outcomes by sex. What can doctors do to improve the care they deliver to their patients, given the biased nature of the research they are basing a lot of their practices upon?  Practicing clinicians need to avail themselves of the clinically relevant sex differences data that is already out there. There is a new textbook on clinically applicable sex differences which I edited with Dr Connie Newman. It is titled How Sex and Gender Impact Clinical Practice: An Evidence-based Guide to Patient Care, published by Elsevier in early 2020. It’s very case-based and applicable to primary care providers. We don’t have all of the answers regarding sex differences,  but that doesn’t mean we don’t have a good amount of clinically meaningful data to improve the health of men and women already. Make no mistake: one-sex, gender-blind medicine isn’t just about women. Men are marginalized in some diseases processes and do not receive optimal care as well. Could you give examples of conditions where men get poor care due to the gendered nature of the care we deliver? I would imagine it happens a lot in diseases like Alzheimer’s or autoimmune disorders… Not Alzheimer’s. The majority of participants in Alzheimer’s studies are men, even though it eventually becomes a women’s health issue because women live longer with Alzheimer’s and are diagnosed later in life. Here are a few examples of how society often genders health conditions. When an elderly man comes into the emergency room and has fallen down and broken his wrist, emergency physicians will often send the patient home without an order for a scan for osteoporosis. If he fell down just walking across the yard, that’s a fragility fracture, and by definition he has clinical osteoporosis, so normally appropriate follow-up would be to prescribe a bone density scan for osteoporosis. And yet, less than 20% of men seen in the emergency room for fractures actually get the appropriate follow-up they deserve. Yet, men have a much higher likelihood of dying at one year after a fracture than women do. They are also much less likely to return home to independent living. We think of osteoporosis as your grandmother’s disease and this impacts the care men receive. If you look up osteoporosis online, the majority of images you receive are of women. In addition, the majority of bone density scans a located in breast imaging centers which further prevents men from seeking appropriate screening. So, men walk in, see all this information surrounding breast health and breast awareness and are given a pink slip to put on to in order to take the scan The second example where men are marginalized is urinary incontinence. It’s the number two reason why elderly men are institutionalized because their family cannot take care of them. And yet, guess where urinary incontinence pads are located in the neighborhood drug store? Next to the feminine products. This implicit bias dissuades men from purchasing the products they need. It’s all so gendered and marginalizes men’s healthcare. What about the reverse cases? What is an example, in your opinion, where the healthcare system is missing an opportunity to pursue gendered innovation?  Pharmaceutical companies are definitely missing the boat. Women are much more likely to engage with the healthcare system, take medication and see physicians than men. And yet, the vast majority of medication we commonly use while tested in both sexes do not have the data analyzed by sex. This is much like we discussed in the earlier question.  By not testing medication to see if it is  more efficacious in women, pharmaceutical companies are losing the opportunity to market to half the global market. This as a real issue. It’s why, when women receive treatment they should ask if the treatment has been adequately  studied for safety and efficacy in women. Women need to be their own advocates and begin expecting and demanding personalized treatment. They should ask questions like: “Has this been studied in women? What did the studies show? Is it more or less efficacious? Are there more side-effects?” Roughly 70% of drugs which can be used in women who are pregnant, or lactating have no human data in the drug label. That may seem difficult to believe, but in an audit of over 570 medications, this was born out to be true. This is Part 2 of a series of Deep Dives on Sex Specific Topics in Medicine, in the aim of connecting students with research being done in the field. _______________ Gendered practices in medicine are why we need Femtech – to create a space to have conversations around the topic. (And a FemTech Summit like this one of course to assemble chief clinicians, researchers and femtech startups to have the all too important conversation on the areas of women’s health that have gone neglected for far too long). Sign up for the 2022 femtech conference  here.  Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### What Can A Smart Vibrator Tell Us About The Link Between Women’s Sexual Pleasure And Women’s Health? An interview. URL: https://femtechnology.org/2022/01/10/interview-with-anna-lee-co-founder-of-lioness-head-of-engineering/ Date: 2022-01-10T07:03:45+00:00 January 10, 2022July 23, 2022 Deep Dives, Founder InterviewsBy Oriana Kraft The following is a transcript of an interview by Oriana Kraft with Anna Lee, Co-Founder of Lioness and Head of Engineering. What does Lioness do?  We’re a women led female sexual wellness company. We built the first and only smart vibrator that helps people learn about their bodies through biofeedback data. We measure pelvic floor movements which is a great indicator of arousal and orgasms. People can use it like a normal, rabbit-style vibrator while the sensors and technology work in the background. Through the mobile app, we visualize the data to show them what’s working, what’s changing and how different external factors could be affecting pleasure and arousal. Our app allows you to track the impact of environmental changes—everything from caffeine to sleep quality. Via Bluetooth we’re also able to chart a user’s session or orgasm in real time.   Do you feel people inherently understand what the implications of having that data is?  Being able to visualize what the data looks like helps. With Lioness you can visualize what arousal looks like normally and compare it to what it looks like when you don’t get enough sleep or when you’re stressed. Being able to see that gets people in the mindset of how they can see arousal as a quantified data point versus arousal ‘just being a feeling’. In sex therapy, the biggest recommendation they’ll give you is to keep a sex log of what’s working for you and what’s not so you can be mindful of what changed and what impact external factors had on your experience. We try to piggy-back off that concept by adding biofeedback. Sexual function is just like eating, breathing and sleeping after all. In our day and age, it’s not that uncommon to track what you eat and how you sleep. So, why wouldn’t you track something as intimately a part of your life as sexual function to see if you can improve it? And you collaborate with researchers surrounding the data you gather, right?   Yes, that’s right. We have the world’s largest data set in terms of female physiological sexual function. Which brings up a whole set of possibilities. What can you do with a dataset like that when you take out the barrier of there not being enough researchers or funding? If you think about it, in terms of men’s health there has been billions of dollars pumped into researching men’s sexual pleasure. We know so much about sexual health and how that’s connected to men’s well-being but that research hasn’t really been done when it comes to women. It’s a very outdated notion that there are still so many unknowns regarding women’s sexual pleasure. We know a lot of the causes of erectile dysfunction for example. We know that erectile dysfunction can be caused by underlying conditions like diabetes, excessive smoking, heart disease – so wouldn’t it be interesting to examine whether there are underlying health conditions when women have difficulty orgasming ? Anecdotally, we had a user, an athlete, write to us saying: ‘Hey, I think something’s wrong with your vibrator it hasn’t been working these past few days’. We looked at her data then and we saw that the last two days when she used Lioness the biofeedback line was flat. We got back to her and asked if something happened to her two days ago. She thought about it and it turned out that two days ago she had a concussion. It’s examining links like that. This is Part 3 of a series of Deep Dives on Sex Specific Topics in Medicine, in the aim of connecting students with research being done in the field. __________________________ Innovations like Lioness’ smart vibrators are why we need Femtech. (And a FemTech Summit like this one of course). Want to hear more about how a smart vibrator could be the key to understanding, tracking and measuring women’s sexual pleasure? Sign up for the 2022 femtech conference  here.  Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### Why We’re Talking About Fertility URL: https://femtechnology.org/2022/01/05/why-were-talking-about-fertility/ Date: 2022-01-05T17:55:35+00:00 January 5, 2022July 23, 2022 FemTech Think Pieces, Health careBy Oriana Kraft There have been calls to consider reproduction as the sixth vital sign. This would imply that reproduction can give us insights into the health of an individual that are just as important as the five other vital signs (heart rate, blood pressure, oxygenation levels in blood, body temperature and pain level). Which begs the question: what might we be able to learn about the long-term health of an individual if we studied fertility as a future indicator of health? There is mounting evidence that infertility is not a disease in and of itself but rather a symptom. It has been well-documented that chronic conditions such as obesity, diabetes and even cancer often lead to infertility. But what if infertility was not necessarily the end result but rather a warning sign? “A study of over 64,000 women of childbearing age in the USA has found that infertility is associated with a higher risk of developing cancer compared to a group of over three million women without fertility problems, although the absolute risk is very low at just 2%.”  Thus far the pervading opinion has been that the pathway flows in one direction. It is the strain obesity or diabetes puts on the body of the patient that renders the patient infertile. It has not been until fairly recently that clinicians have begun to consider whether pathways that can result in obesity or cancer are mechanisms that result in infertility. Why is this important? Well, if infertility was proven to be a warning sign then it could be used as an indication for intervention. This would present a unique opportunity to identify high-risk individuals much earlier in life when intervention could have more impact. We do not adequately factor in aspects of reproductive development and health (such as the age at puberty, the menstrual cycle and disorders that occur during pregnancy (pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes or pregnancy-induced hypertension)) into risk assessment for subsequent cardiovascular health. Infertility and cardiovascular disease share common risk factors, such as: early menopause, PCOS, late menarche and underlying biologic mechanisms, such as inflammation. What if infertility could foretell worsened Cardiovascular Disease risk? We will discuss where and how this is being studied. Currently, reproductive medicine physicians treat patients for a short period of time before the patients transition to other practitioners for future care. An interdisciplinary patient care approach would allow for a more nuanced treatment of patients, which could reveal insights on the link between fertility and overall health. Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### Why we’re talking about medical education at the 2022 Summit: URL: https://femtechnology.org/2021/11/20/why-were-talking-about-medical-education-at-the-2022-summit/ Date: 2021-11-20T09:40:32+00:00 November 20, 2021July 23, 2022 FemTech Think Pieces, medical systemBy Oriana Kraft “The healthcare system is broken”. You’ll hear that sentence uttered by both those delivering care and those on the receiving end of it. The reasons behind the dissatisfaction with the way the healthcare system functions are manifold – but let’s zero in on one: the difference in treatment between men and women. Women are twice as likely as men to say they have had health concerns dismissed by a GP. And the reasons for this are manifold. There is a lack of funding for research surrounding female-specific diseases or mechanisms of action. How can we expect doctors to incorporate gender differences into the treatment of their patients when there is a fundamental lack of knowledge and understanding in how women and men present differently? Because the way men present for certain diseases is still the norm in medical textbooks and even in anatomy class.  But if medical education is a part of a problem, than it must also be a crucial and vital part of the solution. After all, it was Hippocrates who said, “Wherever the art of Medicine is loved, there is also a love of Humanity. ” The practice of medicine at its core is fuelled by a desire to help others – and in no one is that desire most pure than in medical students and those who teach it.  Medical students are the most open to changing the way things are done, the ones most prone to question why things are done the way they are. They are the ones most poised to remember what it is to be a patient but are also just beginning to engage with the medical system in a real and meaningful way. It’s during medical school that future doctors are confronted with what is wrong with our medical system from the perspective of those who are sometimes forced to perpetuate it – and so it also makes most sense for them to be  offered the opportunity to change what they view as being wrong with the system. Instead of either becoming progressively disillusioned about the way things are done (and quitting) or becoming progressively entrenched in the system. Let’s put it this way: it is not uncommon for a medical student to talk about what they learnt about in a reproduction module surrounding the way contraceptives are prescribed and reflect on their own experiences in the same breath. They remember their unsatisfactory experience, the way themselves were dismissed. This dual reality of being both patient and future provider is a unique perspective that should be used to the benefit of the medical system we have today. Medical students understand the foreign-ness of medical terms being doled out to patients, because it is only shortly before that the terms themselves were foreign to them. Medical students also understand the frustration doctors face trying to extract information from patients. As medical students they themselves must embark on the challenge of piecing together meaningful clues from the information the patient provides. Innovation should be a priority in medical schools, embedded into curricula, because it is the curriculum in medical schools that lay the fundament for our medical knowledge, that sow seeds for what is worth pursuing – that inspire students to understand for example that the lack of seamless integration of differences in gender into evidence-based medicine is a fundamental problem.     Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### Why we’re talking about Endometriosis at the 2022 Summit URL: https://femtechnology.org/2021/11/19/heres-why-well-be-talking-about-endometriosis-at-the-summit/ Date: 2021-11-19T19:39:16+00:00 November 19, 2021July 23, 2022 Endometriosis, FemTech Think PiecesBy Oriana Kraft If you walk into a room with 10 women, chances are 1 of those women is living with Endometriosis: a disease that is both chronic and excruciatingly painful. Currently there is no non-invasive means of diagnosing the disease – nor is there a cure. And yet, the Endometriosis Problem is as big as Diabetes. Except Endometriosis and Diabetes have a 200 percent research funding gap. Endometriosis is a chronic pain condition with massive health implications down the line if not managed properly. But Endometriosis research only receives 1 dollar for every 200 dollars spent on Diabetes. With a statistic like that, it’s unsurprising, but no less disappointing, that Endometriosis takes an average of 7.5 years till it’s diagnosed. The UK government has called to reduce the time to diagnosis of Endometriosis down to 4 years but you have to ask yourself if this were a different condition would 4 years be acceptable? The disease is excruciatingly painful – so why is that we have decided that 4 years of not understanding what the cause of the agonising cyclical pain is, is acceptable as long as it is ‘only 4 years’ and not longer? Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### Why we’re talking about women and chronic pain at the 2022 Summit URL: https://femtechnology.org/2021/11/19/heres-why-well-be-talking-about-women-and-chronic-pain/ Date: 2021-11-19T19:32:34+00:00 November 19, 2021July 23, 2022 Chronic pain, FemTech Think PiecesBy Oriana Kraft 70% of the people impacted by chronic pain are women – however 80% of pain studies are conducted on male mice or human men. Unsurprisingly, there are gender differences in the way women and men respond to analgesic drugs – as well as the way women and men experience the sensation of pain – but this has yet to be incorporated into evidence-based medicine. Women’s pain is routinely dismissed as psychological when compared to male counterparts. Food for thought: One obstacle women in chronic pain face is physician attitudes and practices regarding their diagnosis. Women are less likely to be believed. Evaluating pain is a subjective measure. There are lengthy delays in care and diagnosis surrounding many gynecological diseases/syndromes/states (due, in part, to physicians being less likely to believe women when they say that something is wrong). So is there a way to use the variety of tracking services women now employ, in the form of wearables, period tracking apps etc. to speed up the access to care via quantifiable physiological indicators of pain? Or, conversely, are there specific trigger symptoms to be identified so that physicians can be made aware that their patients require treatment? What is the best way to link women’s chronic pain symptoms to treatment? Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### Why we’re talking about PCOS at the 2022 Summit URL: https://femtechnology.org/2021/11/19/heres-why-well-be-talking-about-pcos-at-the-summit/ Date: 2021-11-19T19:28:26+00:00 FemTech Think Pieces, PCOS November 19, 2021July 23, 2022 FemTech Think Pieces, PCOSBy Oriana Kraft Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome is the major endocrinopathy among reproductive-aged women. It affects 4%–20% of women of reproductive age worldwide and yet it is not perceived as an important health problem in the world. The variability in symptoms and how they present in different people means that up to 75%of women with PCOS do not receive a diagnosis for their condition. This is significant because PCOS is linked to other serious health conditions, such as metabolic and cardiovascular comorbidities, infertility, pregnancy complications, psychological disorders, and cancer. The long-term cost of treating the health effects of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)—$4.3 billion—is even higher than $3.7 billion it takes to diagnose and treat the immediate issues that present for women who are of reproductive age. No single diagnostic test exists to diagnose PCOS. Instead doctors must rely on symptom manifestation, a physical exam, hormonal blood values and sometimes a pelvic ultrasound to determine whether PCOS, and not another condition, is causing the array of signs and symptoms. This is because the  exact cause of PCOS remains unknown. PCOS presents differently depending on the phenotype. The phenotypic division of patients with PCOS-related infertility can help in prognosticating the severity of the disease and the fertility outcome. Which means lumping women with PCOS together is an inefficient way of proceeding in order to give them the treatment that best suits their condition. Additionally, only a third of women surveyed with PCOS reported feeling satisfied with their overall diagnostic experience. 35% said they saw three or four health professionals before finding someone who could help, and 12% saw five or more health professionals. 43% of women were diagnosed within six months of seeking medical attention, approximately 34% said it took more than two years. Current PCOS treatment focuses on managing “individual concerns”, such as infertility, hirsutism, acne or obesity rather than taking a long-term health view of the potential health implications of PCOS. This means there is a huge need and opportunity to innovate the way care for PCOS is delivered – particularly in regards to integrating PCOS into primary care and not simply siloing it as a reproductive issue given its implications for multiple organs in the body. Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### The Future of Women’s Health is Here: 5 FemTech Products You Need to Know About URL: https://femtechnology.org/2021/05/01/the-future-of-womens-health-is-here-5-femtech-products-you-need-to-know-about/ Date: 2021-05-01T01:16:00+00:00 May 1, 2021September 4, 2023 FemTech BlogBy Oriana Kraft FemTech is a growing sector in the tech industry that focuses on developing products and services specifically for women’s health and wellness. With the rise of FemTech, women have access to a range of innovative products that cater to their unique needs and experiences. In this blog post, we will explore five FemTech products that are making waves in the industry. #1 – Clue: Clue is a period tracking app that uses data to provide personalized insights into menstrual cycles. It allows users to track their period, PMS symptoms, and sexual activity. Clue’s algorithm analyzes the data and provides personalized insights, such as predictions of the next menstrual cycle and fertile windows. Additionally, Clue offers in-app educational resources on menstruation and sexual health. The app has over 12 million users worldwide and has been praised for its user-friendly interface and privacy policies. #2 – Parla: Parla is a FemTech startup that uses machine learning to diagnose and treat women’s reproductive health issues. The Parla AI platform can analyze medical history and symptoms to identify potential conditions such as endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), and fibroids. Parla’s app also offers personalized treatment plans, with the option to connect with a physician for additional support. The startup is part of a growing trend in telemedicine, making healthcare more accessible and affordable. #3- Elvie: Elvie is a FemTech company that specializes in pelvic floor muscle training. The company offers an app-connected Kegel trainer that tracks progress and offers personalized exercise plans. The device is designed to help women improve bladder control and sexual function, especially after childbirth. Elvie’s pelvic floor trainer has been praised for its sleek design, easy-to-use app, and discreet packaging. #4- Daye: Daye is a FemTech startup that focuses on sustainable menstrual products. The company’s flagship product is a tampon that is made of organic cotton and is designed to reduce the environmental impact of menstruation. Daye’s tampons come with an easy-to-use applicator and are designed to be leak-proof. Additionally, Daye offers a subscription service that delivers tampons directly to users’ doors, making it easier to manage menstrual cycles. #5 – Jude: Jude is a FemTech company that uses technology to provide sexual health education and resources. The company’s app offers personalized sexual health plans, educational resources, and a chatbot that answers questions about sexual health. The app also offers access to licensed healthcare professionals for additional support. Jude’s mission is to destigmatize conversations around sexual health and make it easier for people to access the care they need. To conclude, the world of FemTech is an exciting and rapidly growing sector of the tech industry, with new products and services being developed every day. Clue, Parla, Daya, Daye, and Jude are just a few examples of the innovative products that are transforming women’s health and wellness. These products offer personalized solutions, increased accessibility, and a focus on sustainability and education. As FemTech continues to grow, it has the potential to revolutionize healthcare and empower women to take control of their health and wellness. Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### New Speaker Announcement: Eric Dy, Co-Founder and CEO of Bloomlife URL: https://femtechnology.org/2021/03/09/new-speaker-announcement-eric-dy-co-founder-and-ceo-of-bloomlife/ Date: 2021-03-09T07:20:47+00:00 March 9, 2021 FemTech BlogBy Oriana Kraft Eric Dy, PhD is co-founder and CEO of Bloomlife, a women’s health company designing remote prenatal care solutions to improve the health of women and babies. Bloomlife has been recognized for their pioneering work winning Fast Company World Changing Ideas, Johnson & Johnson Quickfire Challenge, Richard Branson’s Extreme Tech Challenge, MedTech Innovator Award, and speaking at the White House Precision Public Health Summit. Eric brings unique perspective on the opportunities and challenges in emerging healthcare technologies and delivery models informed by multidisciplinary technical expertise leading business development for Europe’s leading R&D institute, imec. Eric earned his BSc in Bioengineering from Cornell and his MSc and PhD in Biomedical Engineering from UCLA.   Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### Happy International Women’s Day URL: https://femtechnology.org/2021/03/08/happy-international-womens-day/ Date: 2021-03-08T18:55:03+00:00 March 8, 2021March 8, 2021 FemTech BlogBy Oriana Kraft Happy International Women’s Day!  A day to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women around the world – but also to recognize the challenges women face and shine a light on the need for complete gender parity. Every day should be women’s day when defined like that, but on this day, a day to shine a light on the necessity for true equality, we would like to focus on the area of FemTech. The term FemTech has only been around since 2016, although the need for the sector has been around for far longer. FemTech is technology that focuses on women’s health (be it in the form of wearables, software, new screening technologies, innovative therapy etc). It is sector that includes contraception, fertility monitoring, menstrual tracking, pregnancy and nursing, women’s sexual wellbeing … in short: an area that has been dramatically underserviced. Indeed: throughout history women have been considered ‘aberrations’ from the norm, rather than a crucial and vital part of the population to be included in medical trials and long-term studies. Women of reproductive age were often excluded from medical trials out of fear that menstrual cycles and changes in hormones would pose unnecessary complications and act as unpredictable variables, resulting in the all too predictable fact that 8 out of the 10 drugs withdrawn from the US market between 1997 and 2000 were removed because they were shown to have side effects that occurred exclusively in women. To this day, women are often underrepresented in medical trials, compared to the real-life proportion of women affected by the diseases being studied (it is particularly striking in areas of cardiovascular, chronic kidney, digestive disease and HIV). Thankfully, there are doctors such as Dr. Vera Regitz Zagrosek (and speaker at our FemTech Summit) to shed a light on these discrepancies, gender medicine and gender specific medicine. Underfunding and underrepresentation have resulted in missing data sets and a lack of understanding, diagnosis and treatment of many gynecological conditions that impact large swaths of the female population, as well as delays in care, underdiagnoses or undertreatment. However – be it by wearables, mobile apps, home testing devices or kits – the situation is beginning to change, with the emergence of companies with the ambition to collect large amounts of new data, conduct ongoing research studies and develop new means of treatment. We are excited about a future with so many researchers and companies delving into the area of FemTech – and excited to hear them speak at the FemTech ETH Zurich 2021 Summit co-sponsored by Women at the Table. Companies such as Haplomind, seeking to find a way to help screen for postpartum depression and give the women a community and the care they so desperately require. Or EndoDiag, developing new diagnostic tools for healthcare professionals to help contribute to a better endometriosis diagnosis, more personalized patient management and therefore more efficient treatment. OUI, working on a new form of contraception that is hormone free, by thickening the mucus in the cervix to make it impenetrable to sperm. And AVA, a wearable that allows women to identify their five most fertile days and thus take reproductive agency. Those are just of the few exciting researchers and startups that we share with you on International Women’s Day, and who will speak at the FemTech Summit 26-27 May. FemTech has been sorely needed for a long time now but on this International Women’s Day we can be excited at least that the area of health might soon become just that much more equitable.   Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### New Speaker announcement: Frederik Petursson Madsen, Co-Founder and CEO of OUI URL: https://femtechnology.org/2021/03/04/what-is-femtech/ Date: 2021-03-04T17:32:29+00:00 March 4, 2021March 5, 2021 FemTech BlogBy Oriana Kraft Frederik is co-founder and CEO of Cirqle Biomedical that develops OUI. OUI is a  new approach to contraception that works by topically engineering the cervical mucus to provide effective contraception with minimal side-effects. OUI is a vaginal capsule that after insertion rapidly dissolves and releases the formulation. It is targeted to provide effective birth control a minute after insertion without the use of any hormones, as the mucus is modified via topical treatment. This means that the formulation only interacts with the mucus layer on top of the mucosa. https://www.oui.us   Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### New Speaker Announcement: Pascal Koenig, CEO and Founder of AVA URL: https://femtechnology.org/2021/03/04/female-leaders-how-oriana-kraft-is-leading-the-medtech-scene-in-london/ Date: 2021-03-04T16:58:48+00:00 FemTech Blog March 4, 2021March 4, 2021 FemTech BlogBy Oriana Kraft Pascal Koenig, CEO and Founder of AVA will be speaking at our RoundTable on the Future of Contraception and Fertility. In the last 15 years, he has worked at the interface of wearable technologies and healthcare. Before co-founding Ava, he built up Limmex, a watch-based emergency system for seniors, and Cardiosafe, a real-time alarming system for cardiac patients. Mr. Koenig’s latest start-up is AVA, a digital health company with offices in Zurich, San Francisco, Belgrade, Manila and Hong Kong. The company aims to advance women’s reproductive health by bringing together artificial intelligence and clinical research. Its fertility tracking sensor bracelet detects the five most fertile days of a woman’s cycle in real time, while also delivering personalized insight about reproductive health and pregnancy. Worn only during sleep, the Ava bracelet tracks multiple physiological parameters, including pulse rate, breathing rate, and temperature. The company’s first product was launched in the USA in July 2016 and is now sold in 36 countries. https://www.avawomen.com   Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### New Speaker Announcement: Dr. Sonali Mohanty Quantius, Founder of Haplomind URL: https://femtechnology.org/2021/03/04/new-method-non-hormonal-contraception/ Date: 2021-03-04T16:58:10+00:00 FemTech Blog March 4, 2021March 4, 2021 FemTech BlogBy Oriana Kraft Sonali studied at IIT, Bombay, moved to Zurich where she received her PhD from University Hospital Zurich and then conducted postdoctoral research at  ETH, Zurich. She then entered the pharmaceutical world by joining Eli Lily and the next 12 years saw her move to four countries (Singapore, USA, Sweden and the UK) and use computational biology in the domains of metabolic, genetics and now famous mRNA research. She is the founder of HAPLOMIND: a digital app that can screen and offer treatment for women experiencing depression and anxiety during pregnancy and postpartum. They are currently testing the app in a pilot study at NIMHANS, Bengaluru, India and plan to expand to the University Hospital Zürich in Switzerland. She is also working with researchers in Canada and New Zealand to make this digital solution available there. https://www.haplomind.com   Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### So, What’s FemTech (a visual explainer) URL: https://femtechnology.org/2021/02/16/what-is-femtech-2/ Date: 2021-02-16T12:24:39+00:00 February 16, 2021February 15, 2022 FemTech BlogBy Oriana Kraft FemTech is a term coined in 2016 by Ida Tin, Founder of the Period and Fertility  tracking App CLUE to describe a health tool, be it digital, hardware-related, hygiene product or hormonal aimed to improve the quality of women’s reproductive health. It is an industry rapidly gaining traction and importance — it’s estimated that the market could reach 50 billion by 2025. Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### Why do we need FemTech? URL: https://femtechnology.org/2021/02/13/save-the-date/ Date: 2021-02-13T20:19:05+00:00 February 13, 2021March 5, 2021 FemTech BlogBy Oriana Kraft Because throughout history women have been considered ‘aberrations’ from the norm, rather than a crucial and vital part of the population to be included in medical trials and long-term studies. Women of reproductive age especially were often excluded out of the fear that menstrual cycles and changes in hormones could pose unnecessary complications and act as unpredictable variables. This has resulted in missing data sets and a lack of understanding, diagnosis and treatment of many gynecological conditions that impact large swaths of the female population, as well as unwanted pharmaceutical side effects for non-gynecological diseases, delays in care, underdiagnoses or undertreatment. However – be it by wearables, mobile apps, home testing devices or kits – this is beginning to change, with the emergence of companies beginning to collect large amounts of new data, conduct subsequent research studies and develop new means of treatment. Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### Sponsors URL: https://femtechnology.org/2021/02/13/sponsors/ Date: 2021-02-13T20:18:07+00:00 February 13, 2021 UncategorizedBy Oriana Kraft Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### Speakers URL: https://femtechnology.org/2021/02/13/speakers/ Date: 2021-02-13T20:17:40+00:00 February 13, 2021February 13, 2021 UncategorizedBy Oriana Kraft Mmm. Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### Hello world! URL: https://femtechnology.org/2021/02/13/hello-world/ Date: 2021-02-13T18:39:42+00:00 February 13, 2021 UncategorizedBy Oriana Kraft Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start writing! Post navigation Previous Post Next Post --- ### Why do we need FemTech? URL: https://femtechnology.org/2019/07/24/the-biebers-just-switched-up-their-couple-style-2/ Date: 2019-07-24T06:56:54+00:00 July 24, 2019March 4, 2021 UncategorizedBy Oriana Kraft Post navigation Next Post --- ## Speakers ### Paula Bellostas Muguerza URL: https://femtechnology.org/speakers/paula-bellostas-muguerza/ Paula Bellostas Muguerza Partner, Kearney Paula Bellostas Muguerza Partner, Kearney Paula is a Partner and co-leads our European Healthcare & Life Sciences Practice. She has consulted for over a decade in the pharmaceutical industry, helping pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical clients evolve their commercial strategy to respond to changes the fast-changing healthcare ecosystem, always with health equity top of mind. She came to consulting after business school and a career as an industrial engineer, experience that helped shape her into the curious and analytical person she is today. But despite her background in a field driven by numbers, her approach to work is anything but impersonal. Leading her teams with empathy and compassion so they can help clients deliver the best possible patient outcomes is what gets her out of bed in the morning. “Work hard, be kind and good things will happen” is her motto. Paula looks for ways to carry that ethos into her work every day. Consulting, she says, isn’t just about problem-solving; it’s about affecting clients in a positive way. “You roll up your sleeves, come at the problem as one team and then deliver a lasting outcome for patients. The human-to-human connection is the most important thing in this profession” After her own experience with burnout, Paula is an award-winning voice for Mental Health in the workplace leading our work at Kearney and with her writing featured on Thrive Global and The Huffington Post. As a mother of one, she is also very active in shaping a more sustainable model for parents in consulting at Kearney and beyond. Company Kearney --- ### Dr. Anula Jayasuriya URL: https://femtechnology.org/speakers/dr-anula-jayasuriya/ Dr. Anula Jayasuriya Founder & Managing Director, EXXclaim Capital Anula Jayasuriya, MD, PhD, MBA Founder & Managing Director, EXXclaim Capital, the first Women’s Health focused Venture Fund; California, USA Anula Jayasuriya is a successful private equity executive and venture capitalist whose background combines deep business, scientific and medical knowledge with broad clinical, industry, entrepreneurial, and investment experience. Anula was among the first investors to recognize the untapped opportunity in the unmet needs in women’s health (WH). Integrating her passion with her investing expertise, in 2013 Anula founded EXXclaim Capital, an early-stage venture fund focused on catalyzing innovation, entrepreneurship and investment in Women’s Health. EXXclaim has invested in a portfolio of diverse WH companies ranging from digital health, medical devices, and diagnostics to consumer products. EXXclaim’s first investment, nVision Medical, was acquired in 2018 by Boston Scientific Inc. validating the significant business opportunity in women’s health. In 2006 Anula co-founded the “Evolvence India Life Science Fund (EILSF)” and its successor, ILSF(www.invascent.com). EILSF was the very first fund in India to focus exclusively on health care and invest in Indian pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device and healthcare services companies. Anula invested in two women’s health companies and garnered attractive returns to investors. Anula was previously a partner with Skyline Ventures in Palo Alto, and prior to that with the German/US venture capital firm TVM, in San Francisco. Her prior positions include VP Business Development at Genomics Collaborative Inc., and Vice President, Global Drug Development at Hoffman-La Roche for opportunistic infections in AIDS and Transplantation. Anula serves on the boards of several emerging technology companies, and on two non-profit boards. Anula received a BA from Harvard summa cum laude, and an MD and PhD (in Microbiology and Molecular Genetics) from Harvard Medical School. She interned in Pediatrics at Boston Children’s Hospital and received an MBA with distinction from Harvard Business School. Anula also holds a M. Phil. in pharmacology from the University of Cambridge, in England. Facilitating: The Business Case for Women’s Health Solutions:​ Social linkedin --- ### Detria Williamson URL: https://femtechnology.org/speakers/detria-williamson/ Detria Williamson CMO at IDEO, Digital transformation & sustainability leader Hi, I’m Detria. Internationally recognized as a digital transformation & sustainability leader, I guide Fortune 500 companies and teams to success in creating sustainable and inclusive brands through circular design. As a C-Suite advisor and CMO I’ve established new internal behaviors amongst executives and teams ensuring sustainability is a primary driver for innovation which ultimately leads to impact and growth. With a specific expertise in sustainability and marketing communications, during my time as Managing Director and Global Innovation Lead at Accenture Song, I was responsible for disrupting and creating ground-breaking, transformative sustainability initiatives for Google, Meta, Humana, Samsung, and Eli Lilly to name a few. While there, I led strategy initiatives rolling up to a $2.5B commercial target. Informed by my experiences living and managing multi disciplinary teams around the world, from the U.S. and London to China and across the Middle East, I created ICx (inclusive customer experience) which enabled media powerhouses such as Google and Microsoft, to embrace inclusivity as an end-to-end element of their ecosystem therefore accelerating the performance of their sustainability targets. As a keynote sustainability speaker for BMW, Facebook, Microsoft and Web Summit, I have inspired their purpose and planet positive impact initiatives. Facilitating: Redesigning Healthcare with Women in Mind: a Lifecycle Perspective to Women’s Health Company IDEO Social linkedin --- ### Mitzi Krockover, MD URL: https://femtechnology.org/speakers/mitzi-krockover-md/ Mitzi Krockover, MD Women's Health Physician, Investor, Entrepreneur and Podcast Host Mitzi Krockover, MD, is the Founder and CEO of Woman Centered, LLC, a company dedicated to improving the health of women. Most recently, she launched the Beyond the Paper Gown podcast, a part of the Off Scrip Health Media Network, and created the Beyond the Paper Gown community, both of which aim to inform, inspire and engage women so that they can achieve optimal health. She is also a partner in SSB Solutions, a diversified U.S.-based healthcare management, development, and investment company. Dr. Krockover supports and mentors other women entrepreneurs as a Managing Director of Golden Seeds, an angel investment organization dedicated to funding early-stage women-led companies; she serves as co-chair of the Golden Seeds Health Care Sector Group and is a founding member and co-leader of the Arizona Chapter of Golden Seeds. Dr. Krockover has long been a leader in women’s health and issues. She was the founding Medical Director of the Iris Cantor-UCLA Women’s Health Center, designated a Center of Excellence by the Department of Health and Human Services. She then served as Vice President of Women’s Health for Humana Inc., where she was the company’s chief healthcare strategist and spokesperson for women’s health. She is a member of the Council of the Women’s Health Innovation Coalition of Springboard, an accelerator for entrepreneurial life science and technology companies led by women, and an Ambassador of HITLab’s Women’s Health Initiative. She has also been appointed to the Innovation Equity Forum Steering Committee, a partnership between the Gates Foundation and the NIH Office of Women’s Health Research. Board service is a vital part of Dr. Krockover’s commitment to supporting companies and organizations; she has served on private corporate and non-profit boards. She is President of the Institute for Mental Health Research and serves on the Black Women’s Health Imperative board. Additionally, she is a member of the National Council of the Institute for Public Health at Washington University and the Washington University Phoenix Cabinet. Honors include selection as Los Angeles County Commission on Women “Woman of the Year,” as Korn Ferry’s “International Emerging Leaders in Health Care,” and as one of “Arizona’s 48 Most Intriguing Women”. A graduate of Washington University in St. Louis with an AB in Arts and Sciences, Dr. Krockover received her medical degree at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio. She completed her residency in internal medicine at Northwestern University. Facilitating: The Role of the Clinician and Social Media in Women’s Health Social linkedin --- ### Oriana Kraft URL: https://femtechnology.org/speakers/oriana-kraft/ Oriana Kraft Producer + Founder, FemTechnology Summit Social linkedin AllSessions Day II June 2, 2022 3:30 pm Introductory Remarks Welcome to the FemTechnology Summit + Overview of the day's topics Oriana Kraft 2 June Time:  3:30 pm - 3:45 pm Location:  Welcome to the FemTechnology Summit + Overview of the day's topics Speaker:  Oriana Kraft --> --> --> 6:45 pm Closing Remarks FemTechnology Summit Oriana Kraft 2 June Time:  6:45 pm - 7:00 pm Location:  Speaker:  Oriana Kraft --> --> --> Day I June 1, 2022 3:00 pm Introductory Remarks Welcome to the FemTechnology Summit + Overview of the day's topics Oriana Kraft 1 June Time:  3:00 pm - 3:15 pm Location:  Welcome to the FemTechnology Summit + Overview of the day's topics Speaker:  Oriana Kraft --> --> --> 6:45 pm Closing Remarks Day 2 FemTechnology Summit Oriana Kraft 1 June Time:  6:45 pm - 7:00 pm Location:  Speaker:  Oriana Kraft --> --> --> --- ### Priyanka Jain URL: https://femtechnology.org/speakers/priyanka-jain/ Priyanka Jain CEO + Co-Founder, Evvy Priyanka is the CEO + Co-Founder of Evvy an at home vaginal microbiome test to help get at the root of recurrent vaginal infections and other symptoms. She has always been passionate about leveraging data to improve outcomes for women. She spent the past 4 years as Head of Product at pymetrics, where she focused on building algorithms to make hiring more fair, efficient, and transparent. She’s excited about the opportunity to create new datasets that will help us improve diagnoses and treatments for women’s health conditions that have gone under-researched for far too long. Priyanka is also a spokesperson for the United Nations Foundation’s Girl Up Campaign, Chair of the Acumen Fund’s Junior Council, and on the Innovation Board for the XPrize Foundation. She received her B.S. from Stanford University, where she was a Mayfield Fellow and President of Stanford Women in Business. http://www.evvy.com AllSessions Day I June 1, 2022 5:30 pm RoundTable: The Gender Data Gap The Gender Data Gap persists at every echelon of healthcare from trials to treatment. Some examples? 70% of the people affected by chronic pain conditions are women – but 80% of research into pain is conducted on male humans or rodents. Despite being the leading cause of mortality in women, diagnosis of heart disease and models of clinical care draw heavily on previous research conducted only with men. The vaginal microbiome is another example. It is associated with the risk for STIs, Pelvic inflammatory disease, Fertility issues or failed IVF cycles, Pregnancy complications such as miscarriage, preterm birth, neonatal problems, and preeclampsia and much more. And yet, though lots of resources have been invested in understanding other human microbiomes like gut or skin microbiomes, when it comes to the vagina, the microbiome has been overlooked. Priyanka JainAnna LeeDr. Yana AznavourEric Dy 1 June Time:  5:30 pm - 6:30 pm Location:  The Gender Data Gap persists at every echelon of healthcare from trials to treatment. Some examples? 70% of the people affected by chronic pain conditions are women – but 80% of research into pain is conducted on male humans or rodents. Despite being the leading cause of mortality in women, diagnosis of heart disease and models of clinical care draw heavily on previous research conducted only with men. The vaginal microbiome is another example. It is associated with the risk for STIs, Pelvic inflammatory disease, Fertility issues or failed IVF cycles, Pregnancy complications such as miscarriage, preterm birth, neonatal problems, and preeclampsia and much more. And yet, though lots of resources have been invested in understanding other human microbiomes like gut or skin microbiomes, when it comes to the vagina, the microbiome has been overlooked. Speaker:  Priyanka JainAnna LeeDr. Yana AznavourEric Dy --> --> --> --- ### Anna Lee URL: https://femtechnology.org/speakers/anna-lee/ Anna Lee Co-Founder + Head of Engineering, Lioness Anna is the co-founder and Head of Engineering at Lioness, a sexual wellness company dedicated to championing female sexual pleasure and health. A mechanical engineer by training, Anna and her team have built the first smart vibrator that helps improve pleasure and orgasms through biofeedback data. The Lioness vibrator includes AI-assisted guidance based on data from more than 50,000 orgasms and numerous user studies. Before Lioness, Anna worked at Amazon’s concept engineer team, and helped launch the Kindle Voyage and Dash Button. She was listed as a Forbes 30 Under 30 and Paper Magazine’s Asian Women Creators You Need to Know. Website https://lioness.io AllSessions Day I June 1, 2022 5:30 pm RoundTable: The Gender Data Gap The Gender Data Gap persists at every echelon of healthcare from trials to treatment. Some examples? 70% of the people affected by chronic pain conditions are women – but 80% of research into pain is conducted on male humans or rodents. Despite being the leading cause of mortality in women, diagnosis of heart disease and models of clinical care draw heavily on previous research conducted only with men. The vaginal microbiome is another example. It is associated with the risk for STIs, Pelvic inflammatory disease, Fertility issues or failed IVF cycles, Pregnancy complications such as miscarriage, preterm birth, neonatal problems, and preeclampsia and much more. And yet, though lots of resources have been invested in understanding other human microbiomes like gut or skin microbiomes, when it comes to the vagina, the microbiome has been overlooked. Priyanka JainAnna LeeDr. Yana AznavourEric Dy 1 June Time:  5:30 pm - 6:30 pm Location:  The Gender Data Gap persists at every echelon of healthcare from trials to treatment. Some examples? 70% of the people affected by chronic pain conditions are women – but 80% of research into pain is conducted on male humans or rodents. Despite being the leading cause of mortality in women, diagnosis of heart disease and models of clinical care draw heavily on previous research conducted only with men. The vaginal microbiome is another example. It is associated with the risk for STIs, Pelvic inflammatory disease, Fertility issues or failed IVF cycles, Pregnancy complications such as miscarriage, preterm birth, neonatal problems, and preeclampsia and much more. And yet, though lots of resources have been invested in understanding other human microbiomes like gut or skin microbiomes, when it comes to the vagina, the microbiome has been overlooked. Speaker:  Priyanka JainAnna LeeDr. Yana AznavourEric Dy --> --> --> --- ### Dr. Yana Aznavour URL: https://femtechnology.org/speakers/yana-aznavour/ Dr. Yana Aznavour CEO + Founder of Endometrics MD/PhD in Gynecology and Medical Genetics, CEO and Founder of Endometrics, an at-home test for non-invasive diagnosis of the most painful women’s disease – endometriosis. She is currently focused on the development of novel diagnostic and therapeutic options for millions of women with pelvic pain and infertility, associated with endometriosis. Yana has been a principal investigator in an international clinical study, devoted to genomic biomarkers of endometriosis. It was published in numerous peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of Minimally Invasive Gynecology. The work received a prestigious award from the American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopists for the best research in minimally invasive gynecology. Yana has also recently investigated the COVID-19 molecular effects on men’s reproductive health and vaccine safety. The work was published in the reputable Fertility & Sterility journal. In addition, Yana serves as a medical consultant for several biotech companies in San Francisco/Bay Area focused on reproductive health. AllSessions Day I June 1, 2022 5:30 pm RoundTable: The Gender Data Gap The Gender Data Gap persists at every echelon of healthcare from trials to treatment. Some examples? 70% of the people affected by chronic pain conditions are women – but 80% of research into pain is conducted on male humans or rodents. Despite being the leading cause of mortality in women, diagnosis of heart disease and models of clinical care draw heavily on previous research conducted only with men. The vaginal microbiome is another example. It is associated with the risk for STIs, Pelvic inflammatory disease, Fertility issues or failed IVF cycles, Pregnancy complications such as miscarriage, preterm birth, neonatal problems, and preeclampsia and much more. And yet, though lots of resources have been invested in understanding other human microbiomes like gut or skin microbiomes, when it comes to the vagina, the microbiome has been overlooked. Priyanka JainAnna LeeDr. Yana AznavourEric Dy 1 June Time:  5:30 pm - 6:30 pm Location:  The Gender Data Gap persists at every echelon of healthcare from trials to treatment. Some examples? 70% of the people affected by chronic pain conditions are women – but 80% of research into pain is conducted on male humans or rodents. Despite being the leading cause of mortality in women, diagnosis of heart disease and models of clinical care draw heavily on previous research conducted only with men. The vaginal microbiome is another example. It is associated with the risk for STIs, Pelvic inflammatory disease, Fertility issues or failed IVF cycles, Pregnancy complications such as miscarriage, preterm birth, neonatal problems, and preeclampsia and much more. And yet, though lots of resources have been invested in understanding other human microbiomes like gut or skin microbiomes, when it comes to the vagina, the microbiome has been overlooked. Speaker:  Priyanka JainAnna LeeDr. Yana AznavourEric Dy --> --> --> --- ### Evvy URL: https://femtechnology.org/speakers/evvy/ Evvy At home vaginal microbiome test to help get at the root of recurrent vaginal infections and other symptoms. --- ### Maven Clinic URL: https://femtechnology.org/speakers/maven-clinic/ Maven Clinic A telemedicine-based virtual clinic for women's and family health - offering fertility, adoption, surrogacy, pregnancy, parenting and pediatric services. --- ### Parla URL: https://femtechnology.org/speakers/parla/ Parla A company dedicated to improving the fertility experience by breaking taboos around infertility and miscarriage, providing access and support for women at every stage of their journey --- ### Daye URL: https://femtechnology.org/speakers/daye/ Daye The brand behind the world’s first and only pain-relieving tampons. --- ### Lioness URL: https://femtechnology.org/speakers/lioness/ Lioness A sexual wellness company dedicated to championing female sexual pleasure and health. --- ### Kindbody URL: https://femtechnology.org/speakers/kindbody/ Kindbody Tech-enabled clinic that is trying to create a holistic fertility experience by offering gynecology, and wellness services. --- ### Wild.ai URL: https://femtechnology.org/speakers/wild-ai/ Wild.ai App redesigning the infrastructure for female health by helping women train, fuel, and recover based on their menstrual cycle. Website https://wild.ai --- ### Eric Dy URL: https://femtechnology.org/speakers/emma-stone-2/ Eric Dy Co-Founder and CEO, Bloomlife Eric Dy, PhD is co-founder and CEO of Bloomlife, a women’s health company designing remote prenatal care solutions to improve the health of women and babies. Eric brings unique perspective on the opportunities and challenges in emerging healthcare technologies and delivery models informed by multidisciplinary technical expertise leading business development for Europe’s leading R&D institute, imec. Eric earned his BSc in Bioengineering from Cornell and his MSc and PhD in Biomedical Engineering from UCLA. Bloomlife has been recognized for their pioneering work winning Fast Company World Changing Ideas, Johnson & Johnson Quickfire Challenge, Richard Branson’s Extreme Tech Challenge, MedTech Innovator Award, and speaking at the White House Precision Public Health Summit. Company Bloomlife Website https://bloomlife.com AllSessions Day 1 May 26, 2021 5:45 pm RoundTable: Gathering Female Specific Data by Innovative Means This session will cover the innovative ways companies are going about collecting gender specific data in order to: close the data gap and have a better understanding of female specific metrics; ....Eric Dy, CEO + Co-Founder of Bloom Life: remote personalised maternal and fetal healthcare....... Marina Pavlovic Rivas, CEO + Co-Founder of Eli Health: a product monitoring hormones in saliva at home to enable women to make informed decisions about their reproductive and general health........ Dr. Shruthi Mahalingaiah, Principle Investigator on the Apple Women’s Health Study: the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health has teamed up with Apple and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) to gain a deeper understanding of how certain demographic and lifestyle factors could have an impact on menstrual cycles and gynecologic conditions.................... Laura Symul, Postdoctoral Fellow at Stanford, whose research focuses on women’s health and menstrual health, using a combination of self-tracked data from mobile phone apps and devices and clinical multi-omics data. Eric DySarah KerruishMarina Pavlovic RivasLaura Symul 26 May Time:  5:45 pm - 7:15 pm Location:  This session will cover the innovative ways companies are going about collecting gender specific data in order to: close the data gap and have a better understanding of female specific metrics; ....Eric Dy, CEO + Co-Founder of Bloom Life: remote personalised maternal and fetal healthcare....... Marina Pavlovic Rivas, CEO + Co-Founder of Eli Health: a product monitoring hormones in saliva at home to enable women to make informed decisions about their reproductive and general health........ Dr. Shruthi Mahalingaiah, Principle Investigator on the Apple Women’s Health Study: the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health has teamed up with Apple and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) to gain a deeper understanding of how certain demographic and lifestyle factors could have an impact on menstrual cycles and gynecologic conditions.................... Laura Symul, Postdoctoral Fellow at Stanford, whose research focuses on women’s health and menstrual health, using a combination of self-tracked data from mobile phone apps and devices and clinical multi-omics data. Speaker:  Eric DySarah KerruishMarina Pavlovic RivasLaura Symul --> --> --> Day I June 1, 2022 5:30 pm RoundTable: The Gender Data Gap The Gender Data Gap persists at every echelon of healthcare from trials to treatment. Some examples? 70% of the people affected by chronic pain conditions are women – but 80% of research into pain is conducted on male humans or rodents. Despite being the leading cause of mortality in women, diagnosis of heart disease and models of clinical care draw heavily on previous research conducted only with men. The vaginal microbiome is another example. It is associated with the risk for STIs, Pelvic inflammatory disease, Fertility issues or failed IVF cycles, Pregnancy complications such as miscarriage, preterm birth, neonatal problems, and preeclampsia and much more. And yet, though lots of resources have been invested in understanding other human microbiomes like gut or skin microbiomes, when it comes to the vagina, the microbiome has been overlooked. Priyanka JainAnna LeeDr. Yana AznavourEric Dy 1 June Time:  5:30 pm - 6:30 pm Location:  The Gender Data Gap persists at every echelon of healthcare from trials to treatment. Some examples? 70% of the people affected by chronic pain conditions are women – but 80% of research into pain is conducted on male humans or rodents. Despite being the leading cause of mortality in women, diagnosis of heart disease and models of clinical care draw heavily on previous research conducted only with men. The vaginal microbiome is another example. It is associated with the risk for STIs, Pelvic inflammatory disease, Fertility issues or failed IVF cycles, Pregnancy complications such as miscarriage, preterm birth, neonatal problems, and preeclampsia and much more. And yet, though lots of resources have been invested in understanding other human microbiomes like gut or skin microbiomes, when it comes to the vagina, the microbiome has been overlooked. Speaker:  Priyanka JainAnna LeeDr. Yana AznavourEric Dy --> --> --> --- ### Dr. Neel Shah, MD URL: https://femtechnology.org/speakers/dr-neel-shah-md/ Dr. Neel Shah, MD Chief Medical Officer, Maven Clinic Dr. Neel Shah is Chief Medical Officer of Maven Clinic, and founder of the nonprofit organizations Costs of Care, an NGO dedicated to providing better health care at lower cost and March for Moms, Association, a coalition advocating for the health and wellbeing of mothers. Dr. Shah has spent the past decade at Harvard Medical School, serving as an obstetrician-gynecologist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Assistant Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology, and founding Director of the Delivery Decisions Initiative at Ariadne Labs, a joint center for health systems innovation at Brigham & Women’s Hospital and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. AllSessions Day II June 2, 2022 5:30 pm The Future of Care Women's Health is undergoing a transformation when it comes to how we deliver care. There are holistic care model, care advocates, personalized care plans. We are changing who we consider to be responsible for care, including the caregiving economy and all its burdens. Dr. Neel Shah, MDHelene GuillaumeViola KarlDr. Sipra Laddha 2 June Time:  5:30 pm - 6:30 pm Location:  Women's Health is undergoing a transformation when it comes to how we deliver care. There are holistic care model, care advocates, personalized care plans. We are changing who we consider to be responsible for care, including the caregiving economy and all its burdens. Speaker:  Dr. Neel Shah, MDHelene GuillaumeViola KarlDr. Sipra Laddha --> --> --> --- ### Helene Guillaume URL: https://femtechnology.org/speakers/helene-guillaume/ Helene Guillaume Founder & CEO, WILD.AI Helene Guillaume is the founder and CEO of WILD.AI, an app redesigning the infrastructure for female health by helping women train, fuel, and recover based on their menstrual cycle. And now providing that knowledge to third parties – think Oura Ring, Apple health – through an API. The team includes the co-founder of Clue, Ph.ds experts in the domain, Dr. Stacy Sims, coach Bevan McKinnon, and backed by the likes of Adidas or Paula Radcliffe. She studied mathematics and financial risks, was a quant in a hedge fund and management consultant to Fortune500 companies in AI. She was a rugby player; she’s an ultra-marathon runner, triathlete, surfer, skier, and ice-swimmer. Her favorite combined skillset is vitality+brains. Website https://www.wild.ai AllSessions Day II June 2, 2022 5:30 pm The Future of Care Women's Health is undergoing a transformation when it comes to how we deliver care. There are holistic care model, care advocates, personalized care plans. We are changing who we consider to be responsible for care, including the caregiving economy and all its burdens. Dr. Neel Shah, MDHelene GuillaumeViola KarlDr. Sipra Laddha 2 June Time:  5:30 pm - 6:30 pm Location:  Women's Health is undergoing a transformation when it comes to how we deliver care. There are holistic care model, care advocates, personalized care plans. We are changing who we consider to be responsible for care, including the caregiving economy and all its burdens. Speaker:  Dr. Neel Shah, MDHelene GuillaumeViola KarlDr. Sipra Laddha --> --> --> --- ### Viola Karl URL: https://femtechnology.org/speakers/dr-manuel-nothelfer/ Viola Karl CEO, MySummer Viola Karl is the CEO of MySummer, the FemTech subsidiary of Wellster, the go-to solution for everyday consumer health in Germany. Wellster integrates telemedicine, drug-based and digital therapies into vertical ‘Direct-to-Consumer’ solutions. MySummer is creating a vertical integrated platform for women’s health with a special focus on dermatological care, contraception, UTIs, fertility and yeast infections.             AllSessions Day II June 2, 2022 5:30 pm The Future of Care Women's Health is undergoing a transformation when it comes to how we deliver care. There are holistic care model, care advocates, personalized care plans. We are changing who we consider to be responsible for care, including the caregiving economy and all its burdens. Dr. Neel Shah, MDHelene GuillaumeViola KarlDr. Sipra Laddha 2 June Time:  5:30 pm - 6:30 pm Location:  Women's Health is undergoing a transformation when it comes to how we deliver care. There are holistic care model, care advocates, personalized care plans. We are changing who we consider to be responsible for care, including the caregiving economy and all its burdens. Speaker:  Dr. Neel Shah, MDHelene GuillaumeViola KarlDr. Sipra Laddha --> --> --> --- ### Dr. Sipra Laddha URL: https://femtechnology.org/speakers/dr-sipra-laddha/ Dr. Sipra Laddha Co-Founder, LunaJoy Health Dr. Sipra Laddha is a board certified physician specialized in reproductive psychiatry. She is co-founder of LunaJoy Health, the only full-stack mental health solution that is focused on the needs of women through the transitions of life from pregnancy and infertility through menopause. Dr. Laddha was recently named a top 20 finalist at the Hustle Fund out of over 1,500 companies and selected into the current Y combinator batch where she is working to rapidly increase awareness and access around common (but rarely addressed) mental health struggles.   Prior to founding LunaJoy, she attended medical school in New York, trained at Emory University Residency program and served as Chief Resident at the Veterans Administration Medical Center. Directly after residency, she started her own flourishing practice in Atlanta, GA and also served at the Veterans Medical Center in acute mental health services.  Website https://hellolunajoy.com AllSessions Day II June 2, 2022 5:30 pm The Future of Care Women's Health is undergoing a transformation when it comes to how we deliver care. There are holistic care model, care advocates, personalized care plans. We are changing who we consider to be responsible for care, including the caregiving economy and all its burdens. Dr. Neel Shah, MDHelene GuillaumeViola KarlDr. Sipra Laddha 2 June Time:  5:30 pm - 6:30 pm Location:  Women's Health is undergoing a transformation when it comes to how we deliver care. There are holistic care model, care advocates, personalized care plans. We are changing who we consider to be responsible for care, including the caregiving economy and all its burdens. Speaker:  Dr. Neel Shah, MDHelene GuillaumeViola KarlDr. Sipra Laddha --> --> --> --- ### Valentina Milanova URL: https://femtechnology.org/speakers/valentina-milanova/ Valentina Milanova CEO + Founder, Daye Valentina is the founder of Daye – the brand behind the world’s first and only pain-relieving tampons. They have been clinically validated to work better and faster than painkillers. Beyond menstrual pain relief, Daye is building additional products and services in the vaginal and hormonal health spaces. The company’s vision is to build the one, go-to-place for all things gynecological care. Website https://yourdaye.com AllSessions Day II June 2, 2022 4:00 pm The Link between Gender and Effective Therapy in Medicine There are sex differences in every single cell in the human body. This Roundtable will explore how those differences influence the way diseases manifest between the genders and how it should influence the way we can diagnose and deliver treatment effectively. Emphasis will be placed on the differences in pain, the immune system and cardiovascular system between men and women and the implications that has. Valentina MilanovaLeon A. BostonMette Dyhrberg 2 June Time:  4:00 pm - 5:00 pm Location:  There are sex differences in every single cell in the human body. This Roundtable will explore how those differences influence the way diseases manifest between the genders and how it should influence the way we can diagnose and deliver treatment effectively. Emphasis will be placed on the differences in pain, the immune system and cardiovascular system between men and women and the implications that has. Speaker:  Valentina MilanovaLeon A. BostonMette Dyhrberg --> --> --> --- ### Leon A. Boston URL: https://femtechnology.org/speakers/leon-a-boston/ Leon A. Boston CEO Mobile, ODT Leon A. Boston is a senior MedTech executive with over two decades of experience in leadership positions in the healthcare industry. Leon has an extensive track record of success, specializing in introducing novel medical technologies to the world healthcare markets, while taking them through all the aspects of growth and commercialization. As a CEO of MobileODT, Leon leverages his vast experience, to transform the company into a scalable business entity, based on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) algorithms, while revolutionizing the cervical cancer screening and diagnosis process. MobileODT is the only company to use AI as a screening tool for cervical cancer. The strategic direction of MobileODT is to evolve into a fully encompassing digital health company built on the foundations of AI. With further applications in  women’s wellness and fertility under development, MobileODT is evolving as a leading Femtech company transforming lives and changing outcomes for women world-wide. Their Visual Check AI technology is supporting a large-scale government cervical cancer screening project in the Dominican Republic. MobileODT will partner with Genworks and Apollo Hospitals to deliver its FDA-cleared smart mobile colposcope in India. The project will perform the first large-scale pilot of Augmented Intelligence (AI) for use in the screening of cervical cancer. Over 432 million women in India are at risk of developing cervical cancer, yet only 3.1% receive screening. This will be the most comprehensive and largest cervical cancer screening program performed in India, to date. Company Mobile ODT AllSessions Day 1 May 26, 2021 4:00 pm RoundTable: Innovative Screening +Tracking Technologies One of the largest innovations in the medical sphere has been changing the point of Care for Patients … giving the patients themselves access to the knowledge and tools needed to monitor their conditions remotely and have a better understanding of their health. This Panel will explore how certain companies are doing just that for gynecological issues: .... Leon A. Boston, CEO of Mobile ODT: using artificial intelligence for cervical screening, evaluation, and sexual assault forensics......... Siew-Veena, Founder of Testmate Health: at home STD Kits....... Dr. Sonali Mohanty Quantius, Founder of Haplomind: supporting perinatal depression and anxiety. Leon A. BostonDr. Sonali Mohanty Quantius 26 May Time:  4:00 pm - 5:30 pm Location:  One of the largest innovations in the medical sphere has been changing the point of Care for Patients … giving the patients themselves access to the knowledge and tools needed to monitor their conditions remotely and have a better understanding of their health. This Panel will explore how certain companies are doing just that for gynecological issues: .... Leon A. Boston, CEO of Mobile ODT: using artificial intelligence for cervical screening, evaluation, and sexual assault forensics......... Siew-Veena, Founder of Testmate Health: at home STD Kits....... Dr. Sonali Mohanty Quantius, Founder of Haplomind: supporting perinatal depression and anxiety. Speaker:  Leon A. BostonDr. Sonali Mohanty Quantius --> --> --> Day II June 2, 2022 4:00 pm The Link between Gender and Effective Therapy in Medicine There are sex differences in every single cell in the human body. This Roundtable will explore how those differences influence the way diseases manifest between the genders and how it should influence the way we can diagnose and deliver treatment effectively. Emphasis will be placed on the differences in pain, the immune system and cardiovascular system between men and women and the implications that has. Valentina MilanovaLeon A. BostonMette Dyhrberg 2 June Time:  4:00 pm - 5:00 pm Location:  There are sex differences in every single cell in the human body. This Roundtable will explore how those differences influence the way diseases manifest between the genders and how it should influence the way we can diagnose and deliver treatment effectively. Emphasis will be placed on the differences in pain, the immune system and cardiovascular system between men and women and the implications that has. Speaker:  Valentina MilanovaLeon A. BostonMette Dyhrberg --> --> --> --- ### Mette Dyhrberg URL: https://femtechnology.org/speakers/mette-dyhrberg/ Mette Dyhrberg CEO & Founder, Mymee Mette is the founder of Mymee, a data-powered digital care program for people with autoimmunity and COVID long haul. A digital health innovator and serial entrepreneur with 15+ years of experience building startups, Mette is an economist turned diagnostician who first entered the functional medicine arena after attempting to tackle her own debilitating chronic health issues. Since her first autoimmune diagnosis at 14, Mette battled a constantly evolving set of symptoms and treatments until finally taking matters into her own hands to hack her health and successfully bring herself into remission. Using an Excel spreadsheet, Mette began to systematically identify and test potential correlations between her symptoms and various diet and lifestyle factors to find her disease triggers. Her successful results became the basis for Mymee which uses personalized data analytics and hands-on health coaching to help people find their own unique triggers, reduce symptoms and improve their quality of life. A recognized authority on autoimmune issues, Mette regularly speaks on rethinking healthcare and autoimmunity at industry events, including Stanford Medicine X and Exponential Medicine. Mette holds a Master’s in Economics from Aarhus University/UCLA and is a certified health coach. Website https://www.mymee.com AllSessions Day II June 2, 2022 4:00 pm The Link between Gender and Effective Therapy in Medicine There are sex differences in every single cell in the human body. This Roundtable will explore how those differences influence the way diseases manifest between the genders and how it should influence the way we can diagnose and deliver treatment effectively. Emphasis will be placed on the differences in pain, the immune system and cardiovascular system between men and women and the implications that has. Valentina MilanovaLeon A. BostonMette Dyhrberg 2 June Time:  4:00 pm - 5:00 pm Location:  There are sex differences in every single cell in the human body. This Roundtable will explore how those differences influence the way diseases manifest between the genders and how it should influence the way we can diagnose and deliver treatment effectively. Emphasis will be placed on the differences in pain, the immune system and cardiovascular system between men and women and the implications that has. Speaker:  Valentina MilanovaLeon A. BostonMette Dyhrberg --> --> --> --- ### Dr. Lynn Marie Westphal, MD URL: https://femtechnology.org/speakers/dr-lynn-marie-westphal-md/ Dr. Lynn Marie Westphal, MD Chief Medical Officer, Kindbody Dr. Lynn Marie Westphal, MD is the Chief Medical Officer at Kindbody. Kindbody Fertility is a fertility and family-building benefits provider for employers offering comprehensive virtual and in-person care Dr. Lynn Marie Westphal was the Director of Women’s Health at Stanford from 2005-2012. In 2012, she co-founded the Stanford Center for Health Research on Women and Sex Differences in Medicine (WSDM) and served as co-director of the program for two years. Her interest in fertility preservation for cancer survivors led her to set up one of the first oocyte cryopreservation programs in the country. She has held numerous national leadership positions and was the President of the Fertility Preservation Special Interest Group of the American Society of Reproductive Medicine from 2008-2009. Website https://kindbody.com AllSessions Day I June 1, 2022 3:15 pm RoundTable: The Future of Fertility The fertility journey is notoriously opaque and difficult to navigate. Medicine as a whole, however, is entering an era of personalization. In this roundtable we will explore in what ways personalized medicine holds the promise of revolutionize female fertility and gynecological diagnoses (31% of women will suffer from a reproductive health issue at some point in their lives). Featuring: Kindbody: a leading fertility and family-building benefits provider for employers offering comprehensive virtual and in-person care. Parla: a digital health platform putting data and knowledge in women’s hands, aiming to revolutionize and reframe the conversations around fertility and miscarriage. Hertility: At-home hormone and fertility testing that provides data-driven and advanced insights into reproductive health, fertility decline and the onset of menopause. With moderation focusing on how ovarian ageing can help us decipher long-term health by Staša Stanković. Dr. Lynn Marie Westphal, MDStaša StankovićLina ChanDr Helen O’Neill 1 June Time:  3:15 pm - 4:45 pm Location:  The fertility journey is notoriously opaque and difficult to navigate. Medicine as a whole, however, is entering an era of personalization. In this roundtable we will explore in what ways personalized medicine holds the promise of revolutionize female fertility and gynecological diagnoses (31% of women will suffer from a reproductive health issue at some point in their lives). Featuring: Kindbody: a leading fertility and family-building benefits provider for employers offering comprehensive virtual and in-person care. Parla: a digital health platform putting data and knowledge in women’s hands, aiming to revolutionize and reframe the conversations around fertility and miscarriage. Hertility: At-home hormone and fertility testing that provides data-driven and advanced insights into reproductive health, fertility decline and the onset of menopause. With moderation focusing on how ovarian ageing can help us decipher long-term health by Staša Stanković. Speaker:  Dr. Lynn Marie Westphal, MDStaša StankovićLina ChanDr Helen O’Neill --> --> --> --- ### Staša Stanković URL: https://femtechnology.org/speakers/stasa-stankovic/ Staša Stanković PhD Genomic Medicine University of Cambridge Staša Stanković is a final year PhD student in Genomic Medicine at the University of Cambridge and founder of Innovation Forum Serbia, the first healthcare accelerator for startups in Serbia. Her research is focused on understanding the genetic architecture behind reproductive ageing and fertility, and their link to later life cardio-metabolic health outcomes in women. This work by Stasa and her collaborators led to the discovery of genetic signals that influence the age women begin menopause and the first evidence of our ability to, through gene manipulation in mouse model, extend reproductive lifespan and improve fertility. This has a potential to pave the way to fertility treatment that could extend the natural reproductive lifespan of women, and to novel markers to improve the prediction of early menopause. Prior to her PhD, Staša was awarded an MPhil in Medical Science from the University of Cambridge, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute. She was involved in the development of the biotech solution for the selection of the best quality embryos for the implantation in IVF clinics. Staša was also part of Congenica, genomic data analysis company, where she contributed to the development of “Congenica Neuro”, new generation product for the tailored genomic analysis of individuals with neurodevelopmental diseases, enabling clinicians to provide >20X faster diagnosis. She is a founder of Innovation Forum Serbia with an aim to build a mechanism that will support the generation and development of Serbian healthcare startup ecosystem, and bridge the gap between academia, industry, policy makers and investors. Staša leads the strategy that places Serbian start-ups on the global healthcare scene and boosts international collaborations, access to global industrial and academic networks, mentorship by local and international experts, and financial support. In the ecosystem where this concept was unexplored, she managed to attract strategic and financial support by leading governmental (UK and Serbian Government, NHS) and industrial (Roche, AstraZeneca, Microsoft) institutions to pioneer crucial systematic changes. This enabled her to establish the first ever healthcare accelerator programme in Serbia, IMAGINE IF!. Based on her impact she was awarded “McKinsey&Company Next Generation Women Leader” for 2020, one of the best young scientists in the Balkan and Central European region by Novartis, “Leader of Tomorrow 2020” by Global Biotechnology Revolution and one of the most innovative industry leaders for 2019 in Healthcare and Pharma industrial sector – “Young female leaders with remarkable impact” by AFA organization. AllSessions Day I June 1, 2022 3:15 pm RoundTable: The Future of Fertility The fertility journey is notoriously opaque and difficult to navigate. Medicine as a whole, however, is entering an era of personalization. In this roundtable we will explore in what ways personalized medicine holds the promise of revolutionize female fertility and gynecological diagnoses (31% of women will suffer from a reproductive health issue at some point in their lives). Featuring: Kindbody: a leading fertility and family-building benefits provider for employers offering comprehensive virtual and in-person care. Parla: a digital health platform putting data and knowledge in women’s hands, aiming to revolutionize and reframe the conversations around fertility and miscarriage. Hertility: At-home hormone and fertility testing that provides data-driven and advanced insights into reproductive health, fertility decline and the onset of menopause. With moderation focusing on how ovarian ageing can help us decipher long-term health by Staša Stanković. Dr. Lynn Marie Westphal, MDStaša StankovićLina ChanDr Helen O’Neill 1 June Time:  3:15 pm - 4:45 pm Location:  The fertility journey is notoriously opaque and difficult to navigate. Medicine as a whole, however, is entering an era of personalization. In this roundtable we will explore in what ways personalized medicine holds the promise of revolutionize female fertility and gynecological diagnoses (31% of women will suffer from a reproductive health issue at some point in their lives). Featuring: Kindbody: a leading fertility and family-building benefits provider for employers offering comprehensive virtual and in-person care. Parla: a digital health platform putting data and knowledge in women’s hands, aiming to revolutionize and reframe the conversations around fertility and miscarriage. Hertility: At-home hormone and fertility testing that provides data-driven and advanced insights into reproductive health, fertility decline and the onset of menopause. With moderation focusing on how ovarian ageing can help us decipher long-term health by Staša Stanković. Speaker:  Dr. Lynn Marie Westphal, MDStaša StankovićLina ChanDr Helen O’Neill --> --> --> --- ### Lina Chan URL: https://femtechnology.org/speakers/lina-chan/ Lina Chan CEO, Parla Lina Chan is the CEO and co-founder of Parla.  Lina spent most of her career working as a private equity investor in the US and the UK.  After experiencing pregnancy loss and difficulty conceiving, she realised the need to build more companies by women for women to help make fertility health more proactive.  She founded Parla in 2018 and quickly built the skills, network and team necessary to lead as CEO of a high growth technology company.  Lina has also helped inspire and support a wave of new women in the space and regularly mentors other entrepreneurs while participating in key forums like GIANT Health, VivaTek, HIMSS Health and London & Partners. She is also involved in several women’s networks. AllSessions Day I June 1, 2022 3:15 pm RoundTable: The Future of Fertility The fertility journey is notoriously opaque and difficult to navigate. Medicine as a whole, however, is entering an era of personalization. In this roundtable we will explore in what ways personalized medicine holds the promise of revolutionize female fertility and gynecological diagnoses (31% of women will suffer from a reproductive health issue at some point in their lives). Featuring: Kindbody: a leading fertility and family-building benefits provider for employers offering comprehensive virtual and in-person care. Parla: a digital health platform putting data and knowledge in women’s hands, aiming to revolutionize and reframe the conversations around fertility and miscarriage. Hertility: At-home hormone and fertility testing that provides data-driven and advanced insights into reproductive health, fertility decline and the onset of menopause. With moderation focusing on how ovarian ageing can help us decipher long-term health by Staša Stanković. Dr. Lynn Marie Westphal, MDStaša StankovićLina ChanDr Helen O’Neill 1 June Time:  3:15 pm - 4:45 pm Location:  The fertility journey is notoriously opaque and difficult to navigate. Medicine as a whole, however, is entering an era of personalization. In this roundtable we will explore in what ways personalized medicine holds the promise of revolutionize female fertility and gynecological diagnoses (31% of women will suffer from a reproductive health issue at some point in their lives). Featuring: Kindbody: a leading fertility and family-building benefits provider for employers offering comprehensive virtual and in-person care. Parla: a digital health platform putting data and knowledge in women’s hands, aiming to revolutionize and reframe the conversations around fertility and miscarriage. Hertility: At-home hormone and fertility testing that provides data-driven and advanced insights into reproductive health, fertility decline and the onset of menopause. With moderation focusing on how ovarian ageing can help us decipher long-term health by Staša Stanković. Speaker:  Dr. Lynn Marie Westphal, MDStaša StankovićLina ChanDr Helen O’Neill --> --> --> 4:45 pm Speed-Dating/ Mingling with other FemTech attendees Lina Chan 1 June Time:  4:45 pm - 5:15 pm Location:  Speaker:  Lina Chan --> --> --> --- ### Dr Helen O’Neill URL: https://femtechnology.org/speakers/dr-helen-oneill-ceo-founder-hertility-health/ Dr Helen O’Neill CEO + Founder Hertility Health Dr Helen O’Neill is CEO and Founder of Hertility Health, an innovative health tech company that applies a precision medicine-based approach to reproductive health. She founded Hertility Health to enable women to make informed decisions about their fertility and gain insights into their reproductive and genetic health. She has a tenured position at University College London where she lectures both masters and medical students in reproductive and molecular genetics. Dr O’Neill was awarded in the Top Twenty Women in Data, 2019.   Website https://hertilityhealth.com AllSessions Day I June 1, 2022 3:15 pm RoundTable: The Future of Fertility The fertility journey is notoriously opaque and difficult to navigate. Medicine as a whole, however, is entering an era of personalization. In this roundtable we will explore in what ways personalized medicine holds the promise of revolutionize female fertility and gynecological diagnoses (31% of women will suffer from a reproductive health issue at some point in their lives). Featuring: Kindbody: a leading fertility and family-building benefits provider for employers offering comprehensive virtual and in-person care. Parla: a digital health platform putting data and knowledge in women’s hands, aiming to revolutionize and reframe the conversations around fertility and miscarriage. Hertility: At-home hormone and fertility testing that provides data-driven and advanced insights into reproductive health, fertility decline and the onset of menopause. With moderation focusing on how ovarian ageing can help us decipher long-term health by Staša Stanković. Dr. Lynn Marie Westphal, MDStaša StankovićLina ChanDr Helen O’Neill 1 June Time:  3:15 pm - 4:45 pm Location:  The fertility journey is notoriously opaque and difficult to navigate. Medicine as a whole, however, is entering an era of personalization. In this roundtable we will explore in what ways personalized medicine holds the promise of revolutionize female fertility and gynecological diagnoses (31% of women will suffer from a reproductive health issue at some point in their lives). Featuring: Kindbody: a leading fertility and family-building benefits provider for employers offering comprehensive virtual and in-person care. Parla: a digital health platform putting data and knowledge in women’s hands, aiming to revolutionize and reframe the conversations around fertility and miscarriage. Hertility: At-home hormone and fertility testing that provides data-driven and advanced insights into reproductive health, fertility decline and the onset of menopause. With moderation focusing on how ovarian ageing can help us decipher long-term health by Staša Stanković. Speaker:  Dr. Lynn Marie Westphal, MDStaša StankovićLina ChanDr Helen O’Neill --> --> --> --- ### Dr. Alyson J McGregor, MD URL: https://femtechnology.org/speakers/dr-alyson-j-mcgregor-md/ Dr. Alyson J McGregor, MD Co-Founder and Director for the Division of Sex and Gender in Emergency Medicine, Brown University Professor of Emergency Medicine at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University and the Co-Founder and Director for the Division of Sex and Gender in Emergency Medicine (SGEM). Her research on the roles sex and gender have in emergent conditions includes over 60 peer reviewed publications and has made her a spokesperson and advocate for women around the world. Dr. McGregor is a Co-Founder and Past Vice Chair of the national organization Sex and Gender Women’s Health Collaborative, whose purpose is to foster a sex and gender approach to education and clinical practice. She is an avid educator and served as Co-Chair of the national Sex and Gender Health Education Summit, designed to establish an integrative sex and gender curriculum for current and future health professionals. Dr. McGregor is also the director for a SGEM two-year fellowship program and SGEM educational electives for residents and medical students. Dr. McGregor is the lead editor for the textbook “Sex and Gender in Acute Care Medicine”, Cambridge University Press. Her TED talk, “Why Medicine Often Has Dangerous Side Effects For Women,” currently has over 1.6 million views and she recently released her new book “Sex Matters: How Male-Centric Medicine Endangers Women’s Health and What We Can Do About It”, Hatchet Book Group Publishing. Website https://www.alysonmcgregormd.com AllSessions Day I June 1, 2022 6:30 pm Keynote: How Male-Centric Medicine Endangers Women’s Health Women’s bodies are different from men’s bodies on a cellular level - yet the same treatments are usually prescribed for both sexes, even though women metabolise drugs differently so certain drugs remain in the system for longer or drop to dangerously low levels at certain points of the menstrual cycle. The impact of medication on women's QT (the resting time between heartbeats) is another example of differences between men and women. A woman’s QT is longer than a man’s and many prescription drugs –antidepressants, antihistamines, painkillers, antibiotics – cause incremental QT increases as a side-effect. For women taking multiple medications simultaneously (statistically women are more likely to be on multiple medications at the time), the risk of these combined increases can range from simple arrhythmia to sudden cardiac death. Dr. Alyson J McGregor, MD 1 June Time:  6:30 pm - 6:45 pm Location:  Women’s bodies are different from men’s bodies on a cellular level - yet the same treatments are usually prescribed for both sexes, even though women metabolise drugs differently so certain drugs remain in the system for longer or drop to dangerously low levels at certain points of the menstrual cycle. The impact of medication on women's QT (the resting time between heartbeats) is another example of differences between men and women. A woman’s QT is longer than a man’s and many prescription drugs –antidepressants, antihistamines, painkillers, antibiotics – cause incremental QT increases as a side-effect. For women taking multiple medications simultaneously (statistically women are more likely to be on multiple medications at the time), the risk of these combined increases can range from simple arrhythmia to sudden cardiac death. Speaker:  Dr. Alyson J McGregor, MD --> --> --> --- ### Chloe E. Bird URL: https://femtechnology.org/speakers/chloe-e-bird/ Chloe E. Bird Senior sociologist at RAND Chloe E. Bird (she/her) is a senior sociologist at RAND, where she studies women’s health and determinants of sex/gender differences in health and health care. She has served as senior advisor in the National Institutes of Health’s Office for Research on Women’s Health and editor-in-chief of Women’s Health Issues, where she is now associate editor. Her current work includes a PCORI engagement award to bring together stakeholders to develop a research agenda to improve maternal health outcomes in Medi-Cal and a WHAM commissioned study to evaluate the societal and economic impacts of increasing funding for research on women’s health and healthcare. Recent projects include research on the impact of over-the-counter access to emergency contraception on births. In her book Gender and Health: The Effects of Constrained Choice and Social Policies (Cambridge University Press, 2008), Bird and coauthor Patricia P. Rieker explore how policymakers and other stakeholders shape individuals’ opportunities to pursue a healthy life. They emphasize the need for research that informs stakeholders’ decisions in order to improve women’s health and reduce disparities. Bird is working to build a donor-funded Women’s Health Research and Policy Center at RAND. She received the Distinguished Career Award for the Practice of Sociology from American Sociological Association for her work on women’s health and healthcare. She is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and the American Academy of Health Behavior (AAHB). She earned her Ph.D. and M.A. in sociology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. AllSessions Day I June 1, 2022 5:15 pm The Economic Case For Investing In Women's Health Research Investing 300 million in women's health research across 3 diseases, returns 13 billion to the US economy. Investing 26 million in women's health adds back nearly 40 000 years of full-time employment for both women and men. "Breakthroughs in science are going to happen by studying the populations that we haven’t studied. Shockingly that means studying the majority group: women. Modern medicine is a house on stilts. There are a few foundational pieces that we’re right on but beyond that we don’t know. And the problem is not that medicine is a house on stilts but that it’s a house on stilts pretending it’s not a house on stilts. Which means we never do the hard work of evaluating what we actually know objectively and what we don’t. Medicine still routinely treats females as smaller males - treating the organs in a women’s body as if they’re just plug and play." Listen to the Keynote to learn why - for the sake of advancing medicine - this needs to change. Today. Chloe E. Bird 1 June Time:  5:15 pm - 5:30 pm Location:  Investing 300 million in women's health research across 3 diseases, returns 13 billion to the US economy. Investing 26 million in women's health adds back nearly 40 000 years of full-time employment for both women and men. "Breakthroughs in science are going to happen by studying the populations that we haven’t studied. Shockingly that means studying the majority group: women. Modern medicine is a house on stilts. There are a few foundational pieces that we’re right on but beyond that we don’t know. And the problem is not that medicine is a house on stilts but that it’s a house on stilts pretending it’s not a house on stilts. Which means we never do the hard work of evaluating what we actually know objectively and what we don’t. Medicine still routinely treats females as smaller males - treating the organs in a women’s body as if they’re just plug and play." Listen to the Keynote to learn why - for the sake of advancing medicine - this needs to change. Today. Speaker:  Chloe E. Bird --> --> --> --- ### Dr. Jill Goldstein URL: https://femtechnology.org/speakers/dr-jill-goldstein/ Dr. Jill Goldstein Founder & Executive Director, Innovation Center On Sex Differences in Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School Dr. Jill M. Goldstein is a Professor of Psychiatry and Medicine at Harvard Medical School, Founder and Executive Director of the Innovation Center on Sex Differences in Medicine (ICON; http://icon.mgh.harvard.edu), and the Helen T. Moerschner Endowed Research Institute Chair in Women’s Health at Massachusetts General Hospital. Her program of research, called the Clinical Neuroscience Laboratory of Sex Differences in the Brain (CNL; http://cnl-sd.mgh.harvard.edu) consists of an interdisciplinary team of investigators, integrating structural and functional brain imaging with psychophysiology, neuroendocrinology, immunology, and genetics, and collaborative efforts with basic neuroscientists studying genes, hormones, immune function, and the brain. Primary brain circuitries under investigation include the stress response and mood/anxiety circuitries, memory/working memory, and reward circuitry. Sex differences in disorders of interest include major depressive disorder and its comorbidity with cardiometabolic diseases, psychoses, and brain aging and risk for Alzheimer’s disease. This work has been funded by the National Institutes of Health for >30 years. She has published >200 articles, chapters and other original and peer-reviewed work in these areas. Dr. Goldstein is also an administrative and educational leader in women’s health and sex differences in medicine, locally, nationally and globally. She serves on several scientific advisory boards and participated in strategic planning for the National Institute of Mental Health, NIH Office of Research on Women’s Health (ORWH), the Institute of Medicine, and the Brain Health Initiative for UsAgainstAlzheimers. Dr. Goldstein is also a leader in training the next generation of women and men in women’s health and sex differences in medicine, leading an NIH ORWH training program for junior faculty for >17 years. In 2018, she launched the Innovation Center on Sex Differences in Medicine (ICON) whose mission is to enhance discoveries on sex differences in medicine and translate them into the development of sex-dependent therapeutics to address the need for precision medicine. The first public health challenge of ICON is to develop sex-dependent therapies targeted to the neural-cardiac interface to address sex differences in the substantially high comorbidity (particularly in women) of depression, cardiovascular disease, and Alzheimer’s disease. In 2020, ICON was designated with substantial funding an NIH Specialized Center of Research Excellence in Sex Differences, one of only 11 in the U.S. To Read More About Dr. Goldstein’s research: Innovation Center on Sex Differences in Medicine:  http://icon.mgh.harvard.edu Clinical Neuroscience Laboratory of Sex Differences in the Brain: http://cnl-sd.mgh.harvard.edu Ted Talk: “When it comes to heart and brain disorders, sex matters”  https://www.tedmed.com/talks/show?id=691322     Website http://icon.mgh.harvard.edu AllSessions Day II June 2, 2022 3:40 pm Keynote: Impact of Sex on Risk & Therapeutics for Chronic Disease The co-occurrence of disorders of the heart and brain are the leading causes of disability worldwide, and women are at twice the risk for these comorbidities. Understanding the shared causes, beginning in fetal development, provides unique opportunity for development of novel sex-dependent diagnostics and therapies at the neural-cardiac interface. The future of precision medicine lies in using a sex differences lens across the lifespan for prediction, treatment, and prevention of chronic disease. Dr. Jill Goldstein 2 June Time:  3:40 pm - 4:00 pm Location:  The co-occurrence of disorders of the heart and brain are the leading causes of disability worldwide, and women are at twice the risk for these comorbidities. Understanding the shared causes, beginning in fetal development, provides unique opportunity for development of novel sex-dependent diagnostics and therapies at the neural-cardiac interface. The future of precision medicine lies in using a sex differences lens across the lifespan for prediction, treatment, and prevention of chronic disease. Speaker:  Dr. Jill Goldstein --> --> --> --- ### Prof. Sarah Springman URL: https://femtechnology.org/speakers/prof-sarah-springman/ Prof. Sarah Springman Rector of ETH Zurich Sarah Marcella Springman has been Rector of ETH Zurich since 2015. Born in London in 1956, Professor Springman studied soil mechanics at Cambridge University before embarking on a career in industry. She worked for five years as an engineer on several geotechnical projects in England, Fiji, and Australia before returning to Cambridge, where she earned her PhD in 1989 and established an academic career as a lecturer. She has been a full professor at the ETH Zurich Institute for Geotechnical Engineering since 1997, heading the institute from 2001 to 2005 and again from 2009 to 2011. Professor Springman also served as the Director of the ETH Zurich Network for Natural Hazards from 2007 to 2009 and as Joint Deputy Head of the Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering from 2013 to 2014. Her research interests focus on soil-​structure interaction and the geotechnical aspects of natural hazards, in particular landslides and melting permafrost. She uses geotechnical modelling to develop solutions that can improve the design of structures. Professor Springman has published numerous journal articles and monographs, as well as co-​editing and reviewing submissions for a range of scientific publications. She has contributed to more than 100 presentations at refereed conferences and given many keynote lectures. She received an honorary Doctor of Science degree from the University of Bath in 2013. Professor Springman is active in a number of research organisations in Switzerland and abroad, including seven years as a member the Swiss Science and Technology Council (2000–2007), forerunner to today’s Swiss Science and Innovation Council. She is currently a member of the Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences (SATW) and a fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering. Professor Springman has supervised two dozen doctoral theses over the course of her career and inspired many young women to take up engineering degrees. AllSessions Day 2 May 27, 2021 8:15 pm Closing Remarks The Rector of ETH Zurich will deliver the closing remarks to the ETH Zurich FemTech Summit Prof. Sarah Springman 27 May Time:  8:15 pm - 8:30 pm Location:  The Rector of ETH Zurich will deliver the closing remarks to the ETH Zurich FemTech Summit Speaker:  Prof. Sarah Springman --> --> --> --- ### Eirini Rapti URL: https://femtechnology.org/speakers/eirini-rapti/ Eirini Rapti CEO, Inne Eirini started inne in 2017 motivated by her own desire to use natural contraception, but realised that traditional natural fertility methods were almost impossible to use reliably in real life. She was determined to find a way of leveraging technology to enable all women to have a greater understanding of their bodies and take control of their contraceptive choices, so that they could make the most of their careers and relationships. Eirini set about developing a saliva biosensor device that enables women to identify and predict the fertile phase in their natural cycle. Based on her own experience and through multiple user interviews, Eirini understood that a new product had to be compatible with a busy daily life, simple and hygienic to use, and more insightful than the period-tracking apps already on the market. Quote about the industry: “Ovulation is not a disease, whereas the lack of ovulation may very well be a sign of one. And yet, for the past 60 years all innovation in the contraceptive industry has been about improving drugs to ‘treat’ ovulation by suppressing it.” Website https://www.inne.io/en/home/ AllSessions Day 2 May 27, 2021 5:00 pm RoundTable: The future of Contraception and Fertility The field of Fertility and Contraception has long been opaque and difficult to navigate, not mention a field rife with unpleasant and unforeseen Side Effects. Medicine as a whole, however, is entering an era of personalization – this panel will explore in what ways this will revolutionize female contraception (is it impossible to envision a future where female contraception is more specifically tailored to the user?) and fertility....... Pascal Koenig, CEO + Co-Founder of AVA: a bracelet that tracks multiple physiological parameters, including pulse rate, breathing rate, and temperature in order to detect the five most fertile days of a woman’s cycle in real time, while also delivering personalized insight about reproductive health and pregnancy .........Frederik Petursson Madsen, CEO + Co-Founder of Oui: a new approach to contraception that works by topically engineering the cervical mucus to provide effective contraception with minimal side-effects....... Dr. Lynae Brayboy, Chief Medical Officer of Clue: an FDA approved menstrual tracking app........ Eirini Rapti, CEO + Founder of Inne: which uses the hormones found in saliva to determine a woman’s most fertile window thus acting as both a fertility aid or a form of contraception Eirini RaptiDr. Lynae BrayboyFrederik Petursson MadsenPascal Koenig 27 May Time:  5:00 pm - 6:30 pm Location:  The field of Fertility and Contraception has long been opaque and difficult to navigate, not mention a field rife with unpleasant and unforeseen Side Effects. Medicine as a whole, however, is entering an era of personalization – this panel will explore in what ways this will revolutionize female contraception (is it impossible to envision a future where female contraception is more specifically tailored to the user?) and fertility....... Pascal Koenig, CEO + Co-Founder of AVA: a bracelet that tracks multiple physiological parameters, including pulse rate, breathing rate, and temperature in order to detect the five most fertile days of a woman’s cycle in real time, while also delivering personalized insight about reproductive health and pregnancy .........Frederik Petursson Madsen, CEO + Co-Founder of Oui: a new approach to contraception that works by topically engineering the cervical mucus to provide effective contraception with minimal side-effects....... Dr. Lynae Brayboy, Chief Medical Officer of Clue: an FDA approved menstrual tracking app........ Eirini Rapti, CEO + Founder of Inne: which uses the hormones found in saliva to determine a woman’s most fertile window thus acting as both a fertility aid or a form of contraception Speaker:  Eirini RaptiDr. Lynae BrayboyFrederik Petursson MadsenPascal Koenig --> --> --> --- ### Dr. Lynae Brayboy URL: https://femtechnology.org/speakers/dr-lynae-brayboy/ Dr. Lynae Brayboy Chief Medical Officer, CLUE Dr. Lynae Brayboy, M.D. is CLUE’s first Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Brayboy is a specialist in reproductive endocrinology, infertility, obstetrics, and gynecology.  She graduated with a Doctor of Medicine (MD) from the Lewis Katz Temple University School of Medicine in Philadelphia in 2007. Between 2007 and 2011, she worked as a Resident at the Abington Hospital Jefferson Health in Pennsylvania. Her passions and expertise include life sciences, data analysis, pediatrics, oocyte mitochondria, and healthcare information technology (HIT). Not only that, her clinical research has focused specifically on Femtech (a term for technology designed for women’s health, and coined by Clue’s own CEO and co-founder Ida Tin), and providing sexual health education for girls and young women, particularly those of color. With her demonstrated history of working in the hospital and healthcare industry, Dr. Brayboy will provide a clinical perspective on how Clue can develop to address the unmet requirements of women and people with cycles, and to deliver critical research that will assist healthcare providers. In her new role, she’ll help Clue evolve into the go-to source for women at every reproductive stage: from puberty to menopause. Website https://helloclue.com AllSessions Day 2 May 27, 2021 5:00 pm RoundTable: The future of Contraception and Fertility The field of Fertility and Contraception has long been opaque and difficult to navigate, not mention a field rife with unpleasant and unforeseen Side Effects. Medicine as a whole, however, is entering an era of personalization – this panel will explore in what ways this will revolutionize female contraception (is it impossible to envision a future where female contraception is more specifically tailored to the user?) and fertility....... Pascal Koenig, CEO + Co-Founder of AVA: a bracelet that tracks multiple physiological parameters, including pulse rate, breathing rate, and temperature in order to detect the five most fertile days of a woman’s cycle in real time, while also delivering personalized insight about reproductive health and pregnancy .........Frederik Petursson Madsen, CEO + Co-Founder of Oui: a new approach to contraception that works by topically engineering the cervical mucus to provide effective contraception with minimal side-effects....... Dr. Lynae Brayboy, Chief Medical Officer of Clue: an FDA approved menstrual tracking app........ Eirini Rapti, CEO + Founder of Inne: which uses the hormones found in saliva to determine a woman’s most fertile window thus acting as both a fertility aid or a form of contraception Eirini RaptiDr. Lynae BrayboyFrederik Petursson MadsenPascal Koenig 27 May Time:  5:00 pm - 6:30 pm Location:  The field of Fertility and Contraception has long been opaque and difficult to navigate, not mention a field rife with unpleasant and unforeseen Side Effects. Medicine as a whole, however, is entering an era of personalization – this panel will explore in what ways this will revolutionize female contraception (is it impossible to envision a future where female contraception is more specifically tailored to the user?) and fertility....... Pascal Koenig, CEO + Co-Founder of AVA: a bracelet that tracks multiple physiological parameters, including pulse rate, breathing rate, and temperature in order to detect the five most fertile days of a woman’s cycle in real time, while also delivering personalized insight about reproductive health and pregnancy .........Frederik Petursson Madsen, CEO + Co-Founder of Oui: a new approach to contraception that works by topically engineering the cervical mucus to provide effective contraception with minimal side-effects....... Dr. Lynae Brayboy, Chief Medical Officer of Clue: an FDA approved menstrual tracking app........ Eirini Rapti, CEO + Founder of Inne: which uses the hormones found in saliva to determine a woman’s most fertile window thus acting as both a fertility aid or a form of contraception Speaker:  Eirini RaptiDr. Lynae BrayboyFrederik Petursson MadsenPascal Koenig --> --> --> --- ### Dr. Carole Clair URL: https://femtechnology.org/speakers/dr-carole-clair/ Dr. Carole Clair Associate Professor and Co-head of Research and Innovation Training Department, UniSanté Dr. Carole Clair is the Associate Professor in clinical and community research specialising in the differences in clinical management induced by the gender of  patients. She is also co-head of the department of training, research and innovation at the Center of general medicine and public health. She is a doctor who graduated from the University of Lausanne, FMH specialist in general internal medicine, Master in Science in Epidemiology at Harvard School of Public Health. She is currently leading several research projects focusing on the measurement of gender and its influence on health. She participates, in collaboration with other Swiss universities, in improving the teaching of gender in medicine, in particular through an interuniversity project funded by SwissUniversities, of which she is the principal investigator. AllSessions Day 1 May 26, 2021 7:15 pm Closing Remarks Dr. Carole Clair specialises in the differences in clinical management induced by the gender of patients. She is also co-head of the department of training, research and innovation at the Center of general medicine and public health. She is a doctor who graduated from the University of Lausanne, FMH specialist in general internal medicine, Master in Science in Epidemiology at Harvard School of Public Health. Dr. Carole Clair 26 May Time:  7:15 pm - 12:00 am Location:  Dr. Carole Clair specialises in the differences in clinical management induced by the gender of patients. She is also co-head of the department of training, research and innovation at the Center of general medicine and public health. She is a doctor who graduated from the University of Lausanne, FMH specialist in general internal medicine, Master in Science in Epidemiology at Harvard School of Public Health. Speaker:  Dr. Carole Clair --> --> --> --- ### Frederik Petursson Madsen URL: https://femtechnology.org/speakers/mark-wesley-2/ Frederik Petursson Madsen Co-Founder and CEO, OUI Frederik is co-founder and CEO of Cirqle Biomedical that develops OUI. OUI is a completely new approach to contraception that works by topically engineering the cervical mucus to provide effective contraception with minimal side-effects. Company OUI Website https://www.oui.us AllSessions Day 2 May 27, 2021 5:00 pm RoundTable: The future of Contraception and Fertility The field of Fertility and Contraception has long been opaque and difficult to navigate, not mention a field rife with unpleasant and unforeseen Side Effects. Medicine as a whole, however, is entering an era of personalization – this panel will explore in what ways this will revolutionize female contraception (is it impossible to envision a future where female contraception is more specifically tailored to the user?) and fertility....... Pascal Koenig, CEO + Co-Founder of AVA: a bracelet that tracks multiple physiological parameters, including pulse rate, breathing rate, and temperature in order to detect the five most fertile days of a woman’s cycle in real time, while also delivering personalized insight about reproductive health and pregnancy .........Frederik Petursson Madsen, CEO + Co-Founder of Oui: a new approach to contraception that works by topically engineering the cervical mucus to provide effective contraception with minimal side-effects....... Dr. Lynae Brayboy, Chief Medical Officer of Clue: an FDA approved menstrual tracking app........ Eirini Rapti, CEO + Founder of Inne: which uses the hormones found in saliva to determine a woman’s most fertile window thus acting as both a fertility aid or a form of contraception Eirini RaptiDr. Lynae BrayboyFrederik Petursson MadsenPascal Koenig 27 May Time:  5:00 pm - 6:30 pm Location:  The field of Fertility and Contraception has long been opaque and difficult to navigate, not mention a field rife with unpleasant and unforeseen Side Effects. Medicine as a whole, however, is entering an era of personalization – this panel will explore in what ways this will revolutionize female contraception (is it impossible to envision a future where female contraception is more specifically tailored to the user?) and fertility....... Pascal Koenig, CEO + Co-Founder of AVA: a bracelet that tracks multiple physiological parameters, including pulse rate, breathing rate, and temperature in order to detect the five most fertile days of a woman’s cycle in real time, while also delivering personalized insight about reproductive health and pregnancy .........Frederik Petursson Madsen, CEO + Co-Founder of Oui: a new approach to contraception that works by topically engineering the cervical mucus to provide effective contraception with minimal side-effects....... Dr. Lynae Brayboy, Chief Medical Officer of Clue: an FDA approved menstrual tracking app........ Eirini Rapti, CEO + Founder of Inne: which uses the hormones found in saliva to determine a woman’s most fertile window thus acting as both a fertility aid or a form of contraception Speaker:  Eirini RaptiDr. Lynae BrayboyFrederik Petursson MadsenPascal Koenig --> --> --> --- ### Chantelle Bell URL: https://femtechnology.org/speakers/chantelle-bell/ Chantelle Bell Co-Founder, Syrona Chantelle Bell is the Co-Founder of Syrona. Syrona was started by Anya Roy and Chantelle Bell, classmates at Cambridge University while studying at the Department of biotechnology and chemical engineering. Syrona aims is to democratise gynaecological healthcare. Chronic health issues such as endometriosis have been overlooked by the medical industry for hundreds of years. Their mission is to provide accessible care to marginalised communities such as women, trans, non-binary people etc and has been created by two people of colour, keeping in mind the challenges these communities face. Website https://syronahealth.com AllSessions Day 2 May 27, 2021 6:45 pm RoundTable: Pain and Symptom Management From as far back as Ancient Egypt medicine has been rife with recorded descriptions of gynecological conditions and the physiological pain they cause. In fact, ancient Egypt has the first recorded use of the term ‘wandering uterus’ – but it was not until ancient Greece and then Rome after it that the term ‘hysteria’ was coined, often used to dismiss a vast array of symptoms exhibited by women, attributed to their physiological abnormalities. And yet a disturbing lack of innovation to help track, manage and perhaps even cure the pain caused by gynecological conditions has been historically achieved – until today. In this panel we explore the innovative technologies being put forth to treat gynecological conditions: from pre-empting menopausal symptoms, to treating endometriosis with cannaboids to the all importance of tracking the symptoms to help manage them......Alexandra Alvergne; an Oxford Fellow and CNRS researcher whose research focuses on understanding the relationship between reproduction and female health, including working on contraceptive dynamics, infection and menstrual health, diversity in age at menopause and the impact of reproduction on ageing......... Dr, Sari Prutchi Sagiv, VP of R&D at Gynica : a medical company researching and developing cannabinoid solutions to target gynaecological symptoms and diseases......... Cécile Real, Co-Founder + CEO of EndoDiag: company developing new endometriosis diagnostic solutions for healthcare professionals. These solutions are intended to contribute to a better endometriosis diagnosis, a more personalized patient management, more efficient treatment options and fertility strategy.......... Chantelle Bell & Anya Roy, Co-Founders of Syrona Health : a startup that tracks endo and health symptoms, and allows users to access a community of patients with similar symptoms as well as providing doctor approved insights. Chantelle BellCécile RealAlexandra AlvergneDr. Sari Prutchi SagivAnya Roy 27 May Time:  6:45 pm - 8:15 pm Location:  From as far back as Ancient Egypt medicine has been rife with recorded descriptions of gynecological conditions and the physiological pain they cause. In fact, ancient Egypt has the first recorded use of the term ‘wandering uterus’ – but it was not until ancient Greece and then Rome after it that the term ‘hysteria’ was coined, often used to dismiss a vast array of symptoms exhibited by women, attributed to their physiological abnormalities. And yet a disturbing lack of innovation to help track, manage and perhaps even cure the pain caused by gynecological conditions has been historically achieved – until today. In this panel we explore the innovative technologies being put forth to treat gynecological conditions: from pre-empting menopausal symptoms, to treating endometriosis with cannaboids to the all importance of tracking the symptoms to help manage them......Alexandra Alvergne; an Oxford Fellow and CNRS researcher whose research focuses on understanding the relationship between reproduction and female health, including working on contraceptive dynamics, infection and menstrual health, diversity in age at menopause and the impact of reproduction on ageing......... Dr, Sari Prutchi Sagiv, VP of R&D at Gynica : a medical company researching and developing cannabinoid solutions to target gynaecological symptoms and diseases......... Cécile Real, Co-Founder + CEO of EndoDiag: company developing new endometriosis diagnostic solutions for healthcare professionals. These solutions are intended to contribute to a better endometriosis diagnosis, a more personalized patient management, more efficient treatment options and fertility strategy.......... Chantelle Bell & Anya Roy, Co-Founders of Syrona Health : a startup that tracks endo and health symptoms, and allows users to access a community of patients with similar symptoms as well as providing doctor approved insights. Speaker:  Chantelle BellCécile RealAlexandra AlvergneDr. Sari Prutchi SagivAnya Roy --> --> --> --- ### Pascal Koenig URL: https://femtechnology.org/speakers/tom-holland-2/ Pascal Koenig Co-Founder, AVA After graduating from the University of St. Gallen and Columbia Business School, Mr. Pascal Koenig started his career at McKinsey & Company. In the last 15 years, he has worked at the interface of wearable technologies and healthcare. Before co-founding Ava, he built up Limmex, a watch-based emergency system for seniors, and Cardiosafe, a real-time alarming system for cardiac patients. Mr. Koenig’s latest start-up is AVA, a digital health company with offices in Zurich, San Francisco, Belgrade, Manila and Hong Kong. The company aims to advance women’s reproductive health by bringing together artificial intelligence and clinical research. Its fertility tracking sensor bracelet detects the five most fertile days of a woman’s cycle in real time,  while also delivering personalized insight about reproductive health and pregnancy. Worn only during sleep, the Ava bracelet tracks multiple physiological parameters, including pulse rate, breathing rate, and temperature. The company’s first product was launched in the USA in July 2016 and is now sold in 36 countries. The company is backed by USD 40m of venture financing. Mr. Koenig has won various international prizes, and Ava was honored “Best Swiss Startup” in 2017 and 2018. AllSessions Day 2 May 27, 2021 5:00 pm RoundTable: The future of Contraception and Fertility The field of Fertility and Contraception has long been opaque and difficult to navigate, not mention a field rife with unpleasant and unforeseen Side Effects. Medicine as a whole, however, is entering an era of personalization – this panel will explore in what ways this will revolutionize female contraception (is it impossible to envision a future where female contraception is more specifically tailored to the user?) and fertility....... Pascal Koenig, CEO + Co-Founder of AVA: a bracelet that tracks multiple physiological parameters, including pulse rate, breathing rate, and temperature in order to detect the five most fertile days of a woman’s cycle in real time, while also delivering personalized insight about reproductive health and pregnancy .........Frederik Petursson Madsen, CEO + Co-Founder of Oui: a new approach to contraception that works by topically engineering the cervical mucus to provide effective contraception with minimal side-effects....... Dr. Lynae Brayboy, Chief Medical Officer of Clue: an FDA approved menstrual tracking app........ Eirini Rapti, CEO + Founder of Inne: which uses the hormones found in saliva to determine a woman’s most fertile window thus acting as both a fertility aid or a form of contraception Eirini RaptiDr. Lynae BrayboyFrederik Petursson MadsenPascal Koenig 27 May Time:  5:00 pm - 6:30 pm Location:  The field of Fertility and Contraception has long been opaque and difficult to navigate, not mention a field rife with unpleasant and unforeseen Side Effects. Medicine as a whole, however, is entering an era of personalization – this panel will explore in what ways this will revolutionize female contraception (is it impossible to envision a future where female contraception is more specifically tailored to the user?) and fertility....... Pascal Koenig, CEO + Co-Founder of AVA: a bracelet that tracks multiple physiological parameters, including pulse rate, breathing rate, and temperature in order to detect the five most fertile days of a woman’s cycle in real time, while also delivering personalized insight about reproductive health and pregnancy .........Frederik Petursson Madsen, CEO + Co-Founder of Oui: a new approach to contraception that works by topically engineering the cervical mucus to provide effective contraception with minimal side-effects....... Dr. Lynae Brayboy, Chief Medical Officer of Clue: an FDA approved menstrual tracking app........ Eirini Rapti, CEO + Founder of Inne: which uses the hormones found in saliva to determine a woman’s most fertile window thus acting as both a fertility aid or a form of contraception Speaker:  Eirini RaptiDr. Lynae BrayboyFrederik Petursson MadsenPascal Koenig --> --> --> --- ### Sarah Kerruish URL: https://femtechnology.org/speakers/sarah-kerruish/ Sarah Kerruish Chief Strategy Officer, Kheiron Medical Entrepreneur, Senior Technology Executive and Film Director Before moving back to London, Sarah Kerruish lived in Silicon Valley for 15 years where she worked with some of the great inventors of our age. This included senior marketing and strategy roles at General Magic, MePlease and Antidote. As a filmmaker, her productions have been distributed worldwide and won many awards, including a Peabody and an Emmy nomination. In 2017, she made a short film about the last few days of the tech team at the White House under President Obama. Sarah is currently Chief Strategy officer at Kheiron Medical, working with an incredibly talented deep learning team to improve the detection and treatment of breast cancer. Website https://www.kheironmed.com AllSessions Day 1 May 26, 2021 5:45 pm RoundTable: Gathering Female Specific Data by Innovative Means This session will cover the innovative ways companies are going about collecting gender specific data in order to: close the data gap and have a better understanding of female specific metrics; ....Eric Dy, CEO + Co-Founder of Bloom Life: remote personalised maternal and fetal healthcare....... Marina Pavlovic Rivas, CEO + Co-Founder of Eli Health: a product monitoring hormones in saliva at home to enable women to make informed decisions about their reproductive and general health........ Dr. Shruthi Mahalingaiah, Principle Investigator on the Apple Women’s Health Study: the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health has teamed up with Apple and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) to gain a deeper understanding of how certain demographic and lifestyle factors could have an impact on menstrual cycles and gynecologic conditions.................... Laura Symul, Postdoctoral Fellow at Stanford, whose research focuses on women’s health and menstrual health, using a combination of self-tracked data from mobile phone apps and devices and clinical multi-omics data. Eric DySarah KerruishMarina Pavlovic RivasLaura Symul 26 May Time:  5:45 pm - 7:15 pm Location:  This session will cover the innovative ways companies are going about collecting gender specific data in order to: close the data gap and have a better understanding of female specific metrics; ....Eric Dy, CEO + Co-Founder of Bloom Life: remote personalised maternal and fetal healthcare....... Marina Pavlovic Rivas, CEO + Co-Founder of Eli Health: a product monitoring hormones in saliva at home to enable women to make informed decisions about their reproductive and general health........ Dr. Shruthi Mahalingaiah, Principle Investigator on the Apple Women’s Health Study: the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health has teamed up with Apple and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) to gain a deeper understanding of how certain demographic and lifestyle factors could have an impact on menstrual cycles and gynecologic conditions.................... Laura Symul, Postdoctoral Fellow at Stanford, whose research focuses on women’s health and menstrual health, using a combination of self-tracked data from mobile phone apps and devices and clinical multi-omics data. Speaker:  Eric DySarah KerruishMarina Pavlovic RivasLaura Symul --> --> --> --- ### Marina Pavlovic Rivas URL: https://femtechnology.org/speakers/marina-pavlovic-rivas/ Marina Pavlovic Rivas CEO & Co-Founder, Eli Marina Pavlovic Rivas is the Co-founder and CEO of Eli Health. The company develops an at-home device that can capture daily hormone fluctuations from saliva and an app to provide insights tailored to each user’s unique profile. Hormones are core to women’s reproductive and general health, yet they remain a black box. Eli unlocks this box and puts women’s daily hormonal data in women’s hands. The company develops an at-home device that captures hormone fluctuations in saliva and an app that gives women the information they want to own their health decisions, every day and across life. Company Eli Health Website https://eli.health AllSessions Day 1 May 26, 2021 5:45 pm RoundTable: Gathering Female Specific Data by Innovative Means This session will cover the innovative ways companies are going about collecting gender specific data in order to: close the data gap and have a better understanding of female specific metrics; ....Eric Dy, CEO + Co-Founder of Bloom Life: remote personalised maternal and fetal healthcare....... Marina Pavlovic Rivas, CEO + Co-Founder of Eli Health: a product monitoring hormones in saliva at home to enable women to make informed decisions about their reproductive and general health........ Dr. Shruthi Mahalingaiah, Principle Investigator on the Apple Women’s Health Study: the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health has teamed up with Apple and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) to gain a deeper understanding of how certain demographic and lifestyle factors could have an impact on menstrual cycles and gynecologic conditions.................... Laura Symul, Postdoctoral Fellow at Stanford, whose research focuses on women’s health and menstrual health, using a combination of self-tracked data from mobile phone apps and devices and clinical multi-omics data. Eric DySarah KerruishMarina Pavlovic RivasLaura Symul 26 May Time:  5:45 pm - 7:15 pm Location:  This session will cover the innovative ways companies are going about collecting gender specific data in order to: close the data gap and have a better understanding of female specific metrics; ....Eric Dy, CEO + Co-Founder of Bloom Life: remote personalised maternal and fetal healthcare....... Marina Pavlovic Rivas, CEO + Co-Founder of Eli Health: a product monitoring hormones in saliva at home to enable women to make informed decisions about their reproductive and general health........ Dr. Shruthi Mahalingaiah, Principle Investigator on the Apple Women’s Health Study: the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health has teamed up with Apple and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) to gain a deeper understanding of how certain demographic and lifestyle factors could have an impact on menstrual cycles and gynecologic conditions.................... Laura Symul, Postdoctoral Fellow at Stanford, whose research focuses on women’s health and menstrual health, using a combination of self-tracked data from mobile phone apps and devices and clinical multi-omics data. Speaker:  Eric DySarah KerruishMarina Pavlovic RivasLaura Symul --> --> --> --- ### Dr. Marjorie Jenkins, MD MEdHP FACP URL: https://femtechnology.org/speakers/marjorie-jenkins-md-medhp-facp/ Dr. Marjorie Jenkins, MD MEdHP FACP Dean of UofSC School of Medicine Greenville, Chief Academic Officer for Prisma Health-Upstate Dr. Jenkins serves as the Dean of UofSC School of Medicine Greenville and as Chief Academic Officer for Prisma Health-Upstate. In 2015, Dr. Jenkins was invited to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Women’s Health (FDA OWH) in 2015 via an Interprofessional Agreement with Texas Tech University Health Science Center. Within FDA OWH, Dr. Jenkins led, and disseminated research, education and health policy initiatives across the agency, and other federal and academic environments. Her past academic appointments include tenured Professor of Medicine, Associate Dean for Women in Medicine and Science, Founding Executive Director and Chief Scientific Officer for the Laura W. Bush Institute for Women’s Health, and held the J. Avery Rush Endowed Chair for Excellence in Women’s Health Research. Dr. Jenkins also served as Director of the Johns Hopkins Master in Education for Health Professions graduate student research program. An academic and program innovator, Dr. Jenkins cultivated research and education programs across TTUHSC and nationally. She led efforts to develop and implement sex and gender inclusion models and creation of interprofessional educational resources within US medical education which have been adapted and utilized within Schools of Medicine at Mayo Clinic, Brown and Rush Universities among others. She help launch the U.S. Sex and Gender Medical Education Summit which has doubled in size and now attracts national and international faculty.  As the Founding Director, she successfully steered TTUHSC’s Laura W. Bush Institute for Women’s Health to growth and expansion across five TTUHSC campuses and five professional schools. At Johns Hopkins she led efforts to increase capacity and align resources within the Master in Education for Health Professions Capstone Research Program. Nationally, Dr. Jenkins has participated in a variety of scientific positions, such as Chair of the first US Sex and Gender Medical Education Summit, expert/scientific reviewer for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), National Aeronautical and Space Administration (NASA) and the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME).  She has served on several scientific journal editorial boards. Dr. Jenkins has delivered more than 150 presentations to professional and public audiences and co-authored numerous works in both the scientific and public arena. Her most recent scholarship endeavor is the development of a textbook for Elsevier Publishers, Sex and Gender Impact on Clinical Care: An Expert Guider for Clinicians, slated for release in 2020. Dr. Jenkins has served in a variety of national roles such as Program Chair of the 2015 and 2018 National Sex and Gender Health Professional Education Summits, Co-Chair of the Reproduction Workgroup of NASA’s Decadal Review, USMLE Women’s Health National Board of Medical Examiners Writing Group, HRSA expert panel advisories and NIH expert panels.  She has been interviewed for consumer media such as Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, and Today.com and served as an expert consultant to 60 Minutes for a segment on sex and gender implication on health. Dr. Jenkins has been honored through numerous awards such as the American Medical Women’s Association Elizabeth Blackwell Award, the Women’s Health Congress Award for Public Policy and Advocacy in Women’s Health, the Cedars Sanai Linda Joy Pollin Advancing Women’s Heart Health Leadership Award and recognized multiple times as a Texas SuperDoc. In addition to her academic accomplishments, Dr. Jenkins remains a dedicated clinician who has provided personalized care to thousands of men and women throughout her medical career. Website https://sc.edu/study/colleges_schools/medicine_greenville/about/deans_admin/jenkins.php AllSessions Day II June 2, 2022 6:30 pm Keynote: The Future of Care How can we revolutionize care to make it more inclusive, allow women to access it better and incorporate sex and gender-based differences in clinical presentation, physical examination, laboratory results, treatment regimens and communication differences between men and women to assist clinicians in their conversations with patients. Dr. Marjorie Jenkins, MD MEdHP FACP 2 June Time:  6:30 pm - 6:45 pm Location:  How can we revolutionize care to make it more inclusive, allow women to access it better and incorporate sex and gender-based differences in clinical presentation, physical examination, laboratory results, treatment regimens and communication differences between men and women to assist clinicians in their conversations with patients. Speaker:  Dr. Marjorie Jenkins, MD MEdHP FACP --> --> --> --- ### Dr. Sonali Mohanty Quantius URL: https://femtechnology.org/speakers/ajay-core/ Dr. Sonali Mohanty Quantius Founder, Haplomind Sonali studied at IIT, Bombay, moved to Zurich where she received her PhD from University Hospital Zurich and then conducted postdoctoral research at  ETH, Zurich. She then entered the pharmaceutical world by joining Eli Lily and the next 12 years saw her move to four countries (Singapore, USA, Sweden and the UK) and use computational biology in the domains of metabolic, genetics and now famous mRNA research. She is the founder of HAPLOMIND: a digital app that can screen and offer treatment for women experiencing depression and anxiety during pregnancy and postpartum. They are currently testing the app in a pilot study at NIMHANS, Bengaluru, India and plan to expand to the University Hospital Zürich in Switzerland. She is also working with researchers in Canada and New Zealand to make this digital solution available there. Company Haplomind AllSessions Day 1 May 26, 2021 4:00 pm RoundTable: Innovative Screening +Tracking Technologies One of the largest innovations in the medical sphere has been changing the point of Care for Patients … giving the patients themselves access to the knowledge and tools needed to monitor their conditions remotely and have a better understanding of their health. This Panel will explore how certain companies are doing just that for gynecological issues: .... Leon A. Boston, CEO of Mobile ODT: using artificial intelligence for cervical screening, evaluation, and sexual assault forensics......... Siew-Veena, Founder of Testmate Health: at home STD Kits....... Dr. Sonali Mohanty Quantius, Founder of Haplomind: supporting perinatal depression and anxiety. Leon A. BostonDr. Sonali Mohanty Quantius 26 May Time:  4:00 pm - 5:30 pm Location:  One of the largest innovations in the medical sphere has been changing the point of Care for Patients … giving the patients themselves access to the knowledge and tools needed to monitor their conditions remotely and have a better understanding of their health. This Panel will explore how certain companies are doing just that for gynecological issues: .... Leon A. Boston, CEO of Mobile ODT: using artificial intelligence for cervical screening, evaluation, and sexual assault forensics......... Siew-Veena, Founder of Testmate Health: at home STD Kits....... Dr. Sonali Mohanty Quantius, Founder of Haplomind: supporting perinatal depression and anxiety. Speaker:  Leon A. BostonDr. Sonali Mohanty Quantius --> --> --> --- ### Dr. Sari Prutchi Sagiv URL: https://femtechnology.org/speakers/eric-bana/ Dr. Sari Prutchi Sagiv VP R&D, Gynica Dr. Prutchi-Sagiv serves as the VP R&D of Gynica a medical company researching and developing cannabinoid solutions to target gynaecological symptoms and diseases. She has over 15 years of experience in various aspects of pharmaceutical development including preclinical and clinical studies, regulatory affairs and IP. Over the last 10 years, Dr. Prutchi-Sagiv has lead scientific operations in multiple cannabis-based drug companies including Kalytera, Talent Biotechs, Stero Biotechs and BOL Pharma. At Gynica, she is responsible for the development of cannabis-based solutions in the women’s health field. She also serves as Director of Tech Transfer at Mor Research Applications (Clalit Health Services commercializing arm), where she is responsible for the pharma and diagnostics department. Company Gynica Website https://gynica.com AllSessions Day 2 May 27, 2021 6:45 pm RoundTable: Pain and Symptom Management From as far back as Ancient Egypt medicine has been rife with recorded descriptions of gynecological conditions and the physiological pain they cause. In fact, ancient Egypt has the first recorded use of the term ‘wandering uterus’ – but it was not until ancient Greece and then Rome after it that the term ‘hysteria’ was coined, often used to dismiss a vast array of symptoms exhibited by women, attributed to their physiological abnormalities. And yet a disturbing lack of innovation to help track, manage and perhaps even cure the pain caused by gynecological conditions has been historically achieved – until today. In this panel we explore the innovative technologies being put forth to treat gynecological conditions: from pre-empting menopausal symptoms, to treating endometriosis with cannaboids to the all importance of tracking the symptoms to help manage them......Alexandra Alvergne; an Oxford Fellow and CNRS researcher whose research focuses on understanding the relationship between reproduction and female health, including working on contraceptive dynamics, infection and menstrual health, diversity in age at menopause and the impact of reproduction on ageing......... Dr, Sari Prutchi Sagiv, VP of R&D at Gynica : a medical company researching and developing cannabinoid solutions to target gynaecological symptoms and diseases......... Cécile Real, Co-Founder + CEO of EndoDiag: company developing new endometriosis diagnostic solutions for healthcare professionals. These solutions are intended to contribute to a better endometriosis diagnosis, a more personalized patient management, more efficient treatment options and fertility strategy.......... Chantelle Bell & Anya Roy, Co-Founders of Syrona Health : a startup that tracks endo and health symptoms, and allows users to access a community of patients with similar symptoms as well as providing doctor approved insights. Chantelle BellCécile RealAlexandra AlvergneDr. Sari Prutchi SagivAnya Roy 27 May Time:  6:45 pm - 8:15 pm Location:  From as far back as Ancient Egypt medicine has been rife with recorded descriptions of gynecological conditions and the physiological pain they cause. In fact, ancient Egypt has the first recorded use of the term ‘wandering uterus’ – but it was not until ancient Greece and then Rome after it that the term ‘hysteria’ was coined, often used to dismiss a vast array of symptoms exhibited by women, attributed to their physiological abnormalities. And yet a disturbing lack of innovation to help track, manage and perhaps even cure the pain caused by gynecological conditions has been historically achieved – until today. In this panel we explore the innovative technologies being put forth to treat gynecological conditions: from pre-empting menopausal symptoms, to treating endometriosis with cannaboids to the all importance of tracking the symptoms to help manage them......Alexandra Alvergne; an Oxford Fellow and CNRS researcher whose research focuses on understanding the relationship between reproduction and female health, including working on contraceptive dynamics, infection and menstrual health, diversity in age at menopause and the impact of reproduction on ageing......... Dr, Sari Prutchi Sagiv, VP of R&D at Gynica : a medical company researching and developing cannabinoid solutions to target gynaecological symptoms and diseases......... Cécile Real, Co-Founder + CEO of EndoDiag: company developing new endometriosis diagnostic solutions for healthcare professionals. These solutions are intended to contribute to a better endometriosis diagnosis, a more personalized patient management, more efficient treatment options and fertility strategy.......... Chantelle Bell & Anya Roy, Co-Founders of Syrona Health : a startup that tracks endo and health symptoms, and allows users to access a community of patients with similar symptoms as well as providing doctor approved insights. Speaker:  Chantelle BellCécile RealAlexandra AlvergneDr. Sari Prutchi SagivAnya Roy --> --> --> --- ### Alexandra Alvergne URL: https://femtechnology.org/speakers/john-smith/ Alexandra Alvergne CNRS Research Fellow (Institute for Evolutionary Sciences, Montpellier University) Alexandra Alvergne is a member of CNRS: The French National Centre for Scientific Research and was previously Associate Professor in Biocultural Anthropology and a Fellow of Harris Manchester College at Oxford University. Her research focuses on understanding the relationship between reproduction and female health, including working on contraceptive dynamics, infection and menstrual health, diversity in age at menopause and the impact of reproduction on ageing. She seeks to answer questions such as why women discontinue modern contraception whilst in need of contraceptives, what the impact of infection on menstrual health is, how to better understand diversity in age at menopause and what the impact of is reproduction is on ageing. Phone +844 123.456.789 AllSessions Day 2 May 27, 2021 6:45 pm RoundTable: Pain and Symptom Management From as far back as Ancient Egypt medicine has been rife with recorded descriptions of gynecological conditions and the physiological pain they cause. In fact, ancient Egypt has the first recorded use of the term ‘wandering uterus’ – but it was not until ancient Greece and then Rome after it that the term ‘hysteria’ was coined, often used to dismiss a vast array of symptoms exhibited by women, attributed to their physiological abnormalities. And yet a disturbing lack of innovation to help track, manage and perhaps even cure the pain caused by gynecological conditions has been historically achieved – until today. In this panel we explore the innovative technologies being put forth to treat gynecological conditions: from pre-empting menopausal symptoms, to treating endometriosis with cannaboids to the all importance of tracking the symptoms to help manage them......Alexandra Alvergne; an Oxford Fellow and CNRS researcher whose research focuses on understanding the relationship between reproduction and female health, including working on contraceptive dynamics, infection and menstrual health, diversity in age at menopause and the impact of reproduction on ageing......... Dr, Sari Prutchi Sagiv, VP of R&D at Gynica : a medical company researching and developing cannabinoid solutions to target gynaecological symptoms and diseases......... Cécile Real, Co-Founder + CEO of EndoDiag: company developing new endometriosis diagnostic solutions for healthcare professionals. These solutions are intended to contribute to a better endometriosis diagnosis, a more personalized patient management, more efficient treatment options and fertility strategy.......... Chantelle Bell & Anya Roy, Co-Founders of Syrona Health : a startup that tracks endo and health symptoms, and allows users to access a community of patients with similar symptoms as well as providing doctor approved insights. Chantelle BellCécile RealAlexandra AlvergneDr. Sari Prutchi SagivAnya Roy 27 May Time:  6:45 pm - 8:15 pm Location:  From as far back as Ancient Egypt medicine has been rife with recorded descriptions of gynecological conditions and the physiological pain they cause. In fact, ancient Egypt has the first recorded use of the term ‘wandering uterus’ – but it was not until ancient Greece and then Rome after it that the term ‘hysteria’ was coined, often used to dismiss a vast array of symptoms exhibited by women, attributed to their physiological abnormalities. And yet a disturbing lack of innovation to help track, manage and perhaps even cure the pain caused by gynecological conditions has been historically achieved – until today. In this panel we explore the innovative technologies being put forth to treat gynecological conditions: from pre-empting menopausal symptoms, to treating endometriosis with cannaboids to the all importance of tracking the symptoms to help manage them......Alexandra Alvergne; an Oxford Fellow and CNRS researcher whose research focuses on understanding the relationship between reproduction and female health, including working on contraceptive dynamics, infection and menstrual health, diversity in age at menopause and the impact of reproduction on ageing......... Dr, Sari Prutchi Sagiv, VP of R&D at Gynica : a medical company researching and developing cannabinoid solutions to target gynaecological symptoms and diseases......... Cécile Real, Co-Founder + CEO of EndoDiag: company developing new endometriosis diagnostic solutions for healthcare professionals. These solutions are intended to contribute to a better endometriosis diagnosis, a more personalized patient management, more efficient treatment options and fertility strategy.......... Chantelle Bell & Anya Roy, Co-Founders of Syrona Health : a startup that tracks endo and health symptoms, and allows users to access a community of patients with similar symptoms as well as providing doctor approved insights. Speaker:  Chantelle BellCécile RealAlexandra AlvergneDr. Sari Prutchi SagivAnya Roy --> --> --> --- ### Dr. Brigitte Leeners URL: https://femtechnology.org/speakers/mark-wesley/ Dr. Brigitte Leeners Director, Clinic for Reproductive Endocrinology, University Hospital Zurich Dr. med. Brigitte Leeners is the director of the Clinic for Reproductive Endocrinology at the University Hospital Zurich. Prof. Brigitte Leeners studied medicine at the Heinrich Heine University in Düsseldorf, where she obtained her doctorate in 1995. In 1999 she acquired the additional qualification in psychotherapy from the North Rhine Medical Association and devoted herself to further training (sexual medicine and therapy, German Society for Sexual Research; body therapy, DITAT Bonn). In 2002 she received the title of specialist in gynecology and obstetrics from the North Rhine Medical Association and, after the title was recognized by the BAG, the title of FMH specialist in gynecology. In 2007 Brigitte Leeners completed her habilitation in gynecology and obstetrics at RWTH Aachen University (re-habilitation at the University of Zurich 2012). The main research areas of Prof. Dr. Brigitte Leeners lies in increasing the success rates of fertility treatments, in the development and use of biomathematic models to simulate the female cycle, and in the improved quality of life in endometriosis. Prof. Dr. Brigitte Leeners is a member of the editorial board of two leading endocrinological journals (Science Reports and Frontiers in Endocrinology) and works as a reviewer for numerous specialist journals and for research funding applications to the Swiss Cancer League. AllSessions Day 2 May 27, 2021 4:45 pm Opening Remarks Dr. Brigitte Leeners, Director of the Clinic for Reproductive Endocrinology at the University Hospital Zurich who will speak about what the daily life of a patient that comes to her looks like/ the issues they face and how innovative technologies can help with treatment/ facilitate their daily life Dr. Brigitte Leeners 27 May Time:  4:45 pm - 5:00 pm Location:  Dr. Brigitte Leeners, Director of the Clinic for Reproductive Endocrinology at the University Hospital Zurich who will speak about what the daily life of a patient that comes to her looks like/ the issues they face and how innovative technologies can help with treatment/ facilitate their daily life Speaker:  Dr. Brigitte Leeners --> --> --> --- ### Cécile Real URL: https://femtechnology.org/speakers/tom-holland/ Cécile Real Co-Founder and CEO, Endodiag Cécile Real is the CEO and Co-Founder of Endodiag ; a company developing new endometriosis diagnostic solutions for healthcare professionals. These solutions are intended to contribute to a better endometriosis diagnosis, a more personalized patient management, more efficient treatment options and fertility strategy. Cécile has 20 years of experience in medical industry and management of medical start-up companies. President and co-founder of Bioprofile (1999-2007), innovative orthopaedic implants. Served as COO at Ariana Pharma (2008-2010). Cofounder and CEO of Endodiag since its creation in 2011. President of Medicalps (Grenoble Health Industry Cluster / 2008 – 2013 and Vice President since 2014). Biomedical engineer from UTC (Université de Technologie de Compiegne) + MBA Laureat for Europe for the Cartier Woment Initiative Award in 2012 and named Femme Entrepreneur 2016 by France Biotech Website https://www.endodiag.com AllSessions Day 2 May 27, 2021 6:45 pm RoundTable: Pain and Symptom Management From as far back as Ancient Egypt medicine has been rife with recorded descriptions of gynecological conditions and the physiological pain they cause. In fact, ancient Egypt has the first recorded use of the term ‘wandering uterus’ – but it was not until ancient Greece and then Rome after it that the term ‘hysteria’ was coined, often used to dismiss a vast array of symptoms exhibited by women, attributed to their physiological abnormalities. And yet a disturbing lack of innovation to help track, manage and perhaps even cure the pain caused by gynecological conditions has been historically achieved – until today. In this panel we explore the innovative technologies being put forth to treat gynecological conditions: from pre-empting menopausal symptoms, to treating endometriosis with cannaboids to the all importance of tracking the symptoms to help manage them......Alexandra Alvergne; an Oxford Fellow and CNRS researcher whose research focuses on understanding the relationship between reproduction and female health, including working on contraceptive dynamics, infection and menstrual health, diversity in age at menopause and the impact of reproduction on ageing......... Dr, Sari Prutchi Sagiv, VP of R&D at Gynica : a medical company researching and developing cannabinoid solutions to target gynaecological symptoms and diseases......... Cécile Real, Co-Founder + CEO of EndoDiag: company developing new endometriosis diagnostic solutions for healthcare professionals. These solutions are intended to contribute to a better endometriosis diagnosis, a more personalized patient management, more efficient treatment options and fertility strategy.......... Chantelle Bell & Anya Roy, Co-Founders of Syrona Health : a startup that tracks endo and health symptoms, and allows users to access a community of patients with similar symptoms as well as providing doctor approved insights. Chantelle BellCécile RealAlexandra AlvergneDr. Sari Prutchi SagivAnya Roy 27 May Time:  6:45 pm - 8:15 pm Location:  From as far back as Ancient Egypt medicine has been rife with recorded descriptions of gynecological conditions and the physiological pain they cause. In fact, ancient Egypt has the first recorded use of the term ‘wandering uterus’ – but it was not until ancient Greece and then Rome after it that the term ‘hysteria’ was coined, often used to dismiss a vast array of symptoms exhibited by women, attributed to their physiological abnormalities. And yet a disturbing lack of innovation to help track, manage and perhaps even cure the pain caused by gynecological conditions has been historically achieved – until today. In this panel we explore the innovative technologies being put forth to treat gynecological conditions: from pre-empting menopausal symptoms, to treating endometriosis with cannaboids to the all importance of tracking the symptoms to help manage them......Alexandra Alvergne; an Oxford Fellow and CNRS researcher whose research focuses on understanding the relationship between reproduction and female health, including working on contraceptive dynamics, infection and menstrual health, diversity in age at menopause and the impact of reproduction on ageing......... Dr, Sari Prutchi Sagiv, VP of R&D at Gynica : a medical company researching and developing cannabinoid solutions to target gynaecological symptoms and diseases......... Cécile Real, Co-Founder + CEO of EndoDiag: company developing new endometriosis diagnostic solutions for healthcare professionals. These solutions are intended to contribute to a better endometriosis diagnosis, a more personalized patient management, more efficient treatment options and fertility strategy.......... Chantelle Bell & Anya Roy, Co-Founders of Syrona Health : a startup that tracks endo and health symptoms, and allows users to access a community of patients with similar symptoms as well as providing doctor approved insights. Speaker:  Chantelle BellCécile RealAlexandra AlvergneDr. Sari Prutchi SagivAnya Roy --> --> --> --- ### Dr. med. h.c. Vera Regitz-Zagrosek URL: https://femtechnology.org/speakers/emma-stone/ Dr. med. h.c. Vera Regitz-Zagrosek Cardiologist and Founder, Institute of Gender in Medicine at Charite, Berlin, and of the International Society Gender Medicine (IGM) Dr. med. h.c. Vera Regitz-Zagrosek is a cardiologist and founder of the Institute of Gender in Medicine at Charite, Berlin, and of the International Society Gender Medicine (IGM). Coordinator of 3 gender related European projects, EUGENMED – Roadmap to Gender implementation in Biomedicine, EUGIM -European Curriculum in Gender Medicine, and GENCAD – Gender in coronary artery disease. Coordinator of the DZHK partner site Berlin, PI in BMBF project Gender and Age. Coordinator of first DFG Training and Research groups on Sex and Gender in heart failure, 2001 -2015, and the pilot project “Gender Medicine” (BMBF). Task Force Leader and guideline coordinator on “Cardiovascular Diseases in Pregnancy” of the European Society of Cardiology in 2011 and 2016-18. Focus of work: sex- and gender specific mechanisms in cardiovascular diseases. She has published more than 200 scholarly articles, over 30 book chapters and two European standard works on gender medicine and gender-specific drug therapy. Set up the only German curriculum for gender medicine in a medical study program at the Charité Berlin, as well as a gender database and an elearning program. Organizer of international congresses, reviewer of numerous international journals, member of prize committees and review panels. In November 2018, she was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany for her achievements in gender medicine. AllSessions Day 1 May 26, 2021 3:45 pm Opening Remarks Dr. Vera Regitz-Zagrosek is a Cardiologist and Founder, Institute of Gender in Medicine at Charité Berlin and of the International Society Gender Medicine (IGM) Dr. med. h.c. Vera Regitz-Zagrosek 26 May Time:  3:45 pm - 4:00 pm Location:  Dr. Vera Regitz-Zagrosek is a Cardiologist and Founder, Institute of Gender in Medicine at Charité Berlin and of the International Society Gender Medicine (IGM) Speaker:  Dr. med. h.c. Vera Regitz-Zagrosek --> --> --> --- ### Laura Symul URL: https://femtechnology.org/speakers/william-robben/ Laura Symul Postdoctoral Fellow Statistics, Stanford University Laura Symul is a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford, whose research focuses on women’s health and menstrual health in particular. This includes research on fertility, on cycle-related symptoms and on drivers of changes in vaginal microbiome communities. She uses a combination of self-tracked data from mobile phone apps and devices and clinical multi-omics data. Laura Symul has obtained her PhD in computational biology from the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), in Switzerland, where she has worked on the molecular regulation of the circadian clock. In particular she explored the regulation of rhythmic gene expression and protein translation combining analyses of -omics data with mathematical models describing the regulatory dynamics to infer quantities otherwise not measurable. Laura Symul has also specialized in the visualization of data and, during her industry experience, has helped companies to take data-driven decisions. AllSessions Day 1 May 26, 2021 5:45 pm RoundTable: Gathering Female Specific Data by Innovative Means This session will cover the innovative ways companies are going about collecting gender specific data in order to: close the data gap and have a better understanding of female specific metrics; ....Eric Dy, CEO + Co-Founder of Bloom Life: remote personalised maternal and fetal healthcare....... Marina Pavlovic Rivas, CEO + Co-Founder of Eli Health: a product monitoring hormones in saliva at home to enable women to make informed decisions about their reproductive and general health........ Dr. Shruthi Mahalingaiah, Principle Investigator on the Apple Women’s Health Study: the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health has teamed up with Apple and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) to gain a deeper understanding of how certain demographic and lifestyle factors could have an impact on menstrual cycles and gynecologic conditions.................... Laura Symul, Postdoctoral Fellow at Stanford, whose research focuses on women’s health and menstrual health, using a combination of self-tracked data from mobile phone apps and devices and clinical multi-omics data. Eric DySarah KerruishMarina Pavlovic RivasLaura Symul 26 May Time:  5:45 pm - 7:15 pm Location:  This session will cover the innovative ways companies are going about collecting gender specific data in order to: close the data gap and have a better understanding of female specific metrics; ....Eric Dy, CEO + Co-Founder of Bloom Life: remote personalised maternal and fetal healthcare....... Marina Pavlovic Rivas, CEO + Co-Founder of Eli Health: a product monitoring hormones in saliva at home to enable women to make informed decisions about their reproductive and general health........ Dr. Shruthi Mahalingaiah, Principle Investigator on the Apple Women’s Health Study: the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health has teamed up with Apple and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) to gain a deeper understanding of how certain demographic and lifestyle factors could have an impact on menstrual cycles and gynecologic conditions.................... Laura Symul, Postdoctoral Fellow at Stanford, whose research focuses on women’s health and menstrual health, using a combination of self-tracked data from mobile phone apps and devices and clinical multi-omics data. Speaker:  Eric DySarah KerruishMarina Pavlovic RivasLaura Symul --> --> --> --- ### Anya Roy URL: https://femtechnology.org/speakers/anya-roy/ Anya Roy Co-Founder, Syrona Health Anya is the Co-Founder of Syrona Health. She initially started her career at Goldman Sachs in London and then became a  LifeScience Venture Capital at IP Group. Her most recent role has been at  Illumina, setting up their European Genomics Investment vehicle, investing in 7 companies so far. Having spent so much time investing in life sciences companies and operating , it was a natural step for her to combine her personal passion in Gynaecological health with her professional expertise in scientific development and commercialisation.    Syrona was started by Anya Roy and Chantelle Bell, classmates at Cambridge University while studying at the Department of biotechnology and chemical engineering. Website https://syronahealth.com AllSessions Day 2 May 27, 2021 6:45 pm RoundTable: Pain and Symptom Management From as far back as Ancient Egypt medicine has been rife with recorded descriptions of gynecological conditions and the physiological pain they cause. In fact, ancient Egypt has the first recorded use of the term ‘wandering uterus’ – but it was not until ancient Greece and then Rome after it that the term ‘hysteria’ was coined, often used to dismiss a vast array of symptoms exhibited by women, attributed to their physiological abnormalities. And yet a disturbing lack of innovation to help track, manage and perhaps even cure the pain caused by gynecological conditions has been historically achieved – until today. In this panel we explore the innovative technologies being put forth to treat gynecological conditions: from pre-empting menopausal symptoms, to treating endometriosis with cannaboids to the all importance of tracking the symptoms to help manage them......Alexandra Alvergne; an Oxford Fellow and CNRS researcher whose research focuses on understanding the relationship between reproduction and female health, including working on contraceptive dynamics, infection and menstrual health, diversity in age at menopause and the impact of reproduction on ageing......... Dr, Sari Prutchi Sagiv, VP of R&D at Gynica : a medical company researching and developing cannabinoid solutions to target gynaecological symptoms and diseases......... Cécile Real, Co-Founder + CEO of EndoDiag: company developing new endometriosis diagnostic solutions for healthcare professionals. These solutions are intended to contribute to a better endometriosis diagnosis, a more personalized patient management, more efficient treatment options and fertility strategy.......... Chantelle Bell & Anya Roy, Co-Founders of Syrona Health : a startup that tracks endo and health symptoms, and allows users to access a community of patients with similar symptoms as well as providing doctor approved insights. Chantelle BellCécile RealAlexandra AlvergneDr. Sari Prutchi SagivAnya Roy 27 May Time:  6:45 pm - 8:15 pm Location:  From as far back as Ancient Egypt medicine has been rife with recorded descriptions of gynecological conditions and the physiological pain they cause. In fact, ancient Egypt has the first recorded use of the term ‘wandering uterus’ – but it was not until ancient Greece and then Rome after it that the term ‘hysteria’ was coined, often used to dismiss a vast array of symptoms exhibited by women, attributed to their physiological abnormalities. And yet a disturbing lack of innovation to help track, manage and perhaps even cure the pain caused by gynecological conditions has been historically achieved – until today. In this panel we explore the innovative technologies being put forth to treat gynecological conditions: from pre-empting menopausal symptoms, to treating endometriosis with cannaboids to the all importance of tracking the symptoms to help manage them......Alexandra Alvergne; an Oxford Fellow and CNRS researcher whose research focuses on understanding the relationship between reproduction and female health, including working on contraceptive dynamics, infection and menstrual health, diversity in age at menopause and the impact of reproduction on ageing......... Dr, Sari Prutchi Sagiv, VP of R&D at Gynica : a medical company researching and developing cannabinoid solutions to target gynaecological symptoms and diseases......... Cécile Real, Co-Founder + CEO of EndoDiag: company developing new endometriosis diagnostic solutions for healthcare professionals. These solutions are intended to contribute to a better endometriosis diagnosis, a more personalized patient management, more efficient treatment options and fertility strategy.......... Chantelle Bell & Anya Roy, Co-Founders of Syrona Health : a startup that tracks endo and health symptoms, and allows users to access a community of patients with similar symptoms as well as providing doctor approved insights. Speaker:  Chantelle BellCécile RealAlexandra AlvergneDr. Sari Prutchi SagivAnya Roy --> --> --> --- ### The Gender Data Gap Panel URL: https://femtechnology.org/speakers/6233/ The Gender Data Gap Panel ---