💌 Issue 126: 9 Canadian innovators closing the women's health gap | AI-powered endometriosis diagnosis | Nixi Body calls out Sweaty Betty | Menstrual cups tested in space

The global weekly briefing on women's health innovation and FemTech

Dec 10, 2025

Welcome to issue #126 of FutureFemHealth, (w/c Dec 8 2025) — the global weekly briefing on women’s health innovation, trusted by 8,800 investors, innovators and leaders to decode the funding flows, breakthrough ideas and policy shifts transforming the sector.

Don’t forget to submit your 2026 women’s health prediction here to be featured in our 2026 outlook article early in the new year!

🌟 In this week’s briefing:

🏆 9 Canadian FemTech innovators transforming women’s health
💰 Revela raises £411k for AI-powered endometriosis diagnostics
✅ Major boost as American Cancer Society endorses at-home self collection for HPV testing
💪🏼 Periodwear brand Nixi Body calls out activewear giant Sweaty Betty

Got news to share from the world of FemTech and women’s health innovation? Let me know at anna@futurefemhealth.com

📦 Canada’s innovators transforming women’s health

Image: Innovators taking part in the Canadian Technology Accelerator (CTA) FemTech program organised by the Government of Canada. Credit: Fiona Thwaites.

Closing the women’s health gap in Canada could potentially boost the country’s economy by $37 billion annually by 2040, according to McKinsey. And for women, it could result in seven more healthy days of life every single year.

Over the past month, as part of a partnership with the High Commission of Canada in the UK, I’ve been able to interview nine of the country’s leading women’s health start-ups to find out how they are contributing to that opportunity.

What struck me most was the laser-focus on solving real-world problems.

Take Cosm Medical, which has pioneered 3D printed personalised pessaries with almost 10 million possible shape combinations. Now aiming to be the ‘Invisalign for pelvic health’, the company is in clinical studies for next-generation tissue-remodelling devices — which holds major promise for one of the most neglected areas of women’s health, despite more than half of women experiencing a pelvic floor disorder in their lifetimes.

“We’re essentially bringing precision into this field,” says founder and CEO Derek Sham. “First with personalised pessaries, and then by unlocking tissue remodelling to help women recover from surgery and childbirth.”

Also in the cohort is Neuraura, whose LoOop platform aims to bring to market the first potential new PCOS treatment in 70 years. For a condition affecting up to one in five women, PCOS is one needing serious attention.

Once through regulatory reviews, LoOop will be a combined digital platform and at-home neuromodulation device intended to regulate glucose, improve menstrual cycles and enhance ovarian blood flow.

As CEO Claire Dixon told me:

“You’d never dream of telling someone with diabetes or arthritis to come back when they want to get pregnant,” Dixon says. “But that’s still the standard response for PCOS.”

That’s just two examples. Across the full cohort, innovators are working on culturally-safe maternity care (Mino Care), taking on menstrual pain with a medical device (Juno Technologies), reshaping knee assessments (Emovi), building the future of sex- and gender-aware research (My Normative), developing new at-home detection tests for endometriosis (SYNG Pharma), turning experiences with postpartum depression into early mental health intervention (Cogni Corp+), and developing doctor-led supplements for PCOS, fertility and menopause (Elan Healthcare).

👉 Discover all nine Canadian FemTech innovators here in our full feature.

💰 Capital flows: where are investors placing bets?

📌 UK: Revela raises £411,000 pre-seed round to advance AI-powered diagnosis for endometriosis. Revela says its tech could help shorten diagnostic delays which currently average more than eight years, despite the condition affecting an estimated one in ten women. Co-founded by Molly Jowsey and Tom Willshare, Revela’s machine-learning tools are designed to detect endometriosis non-invasively via ultrasound analysis. This round brings together PXN Ventures North of England through its ‘PraeSeed’ programme, alongside angel investors from Sixth Wave Ventures, Mint Ventures, Alma Angels and Leeds Angels. (Continue reading: FutureFemHealth)

🌟 Industry moves and strategic shifts

Image: Nixi Body co-founders Kelly Newton and Coni Longden-Jefferson

📌 UK: Periodwear brand Nixi Body calls out activewear giant Sweaty Betty. A number of small businesses - including Nixi Body - have alleged that Sweaty Betty has lifted its marketing language from their own campaigns. Nixi’s “No leaks, no ifs. Just Butts” has been used by Nixi since 2019 and Sweaty Betty then promoted its own period wear with “No ifs. Just butt.” While Sweaty Betty denies wrongdoing, the bigger story is that this is an increasingly common pattern - where large brands appear to track smaller, independent labels for fresh language, product ideas and cultural cues. (Head to our poll below to have your say on this issue!!) (Continue reading: Fashion United)

📌 U.S: U.S Soccer launches Kang Women’s Institute to transform health and performacne in the women’s game. Currently, only a small fraction of global sports research is dedicated to women. A recent analysis shows that only 6% of published research in sports and exercise journals is focused exclusively on women, a disparity that has left generations of female soccer players training under models built for male physiology. Now, backed by a historic gift from billionaire Michele Kang, this new institute will pioneer evidence-based standards for women and girls across soccer. “This is not just about closing a research gap; it’s about creating a future where every player has the knowledge, care, and opportunity to thrive,” says Kang. (Continue reading: U.S Soccer)

📌 U.S: Evvy launches at-home UTI test built for faster, accurate, targeted care. Diagnostics continue to decentralise (see more under Policy Watch further down too). In this latest example, Evvy’s at-home PCR urine test is designed to detect 12 uropathogens and seven antibiotic-resistance markers, with results delivered in just one business day. Evvy says that while UTIs are the most common infection among women, the limitations of current tests lead to a trial-and-error approach to treatment for nearly half of patients. The UTI+ Test also expands Evvy’s precision women’s health platform, which now combines testing for the vaginal microbiome, UTIs, and STIs with personalized prescription care and one-on-one coaching. (Continue reading: FutureFemHealth)

This week’s poll:

Last week’s poll asked: How much time are you planning to take away from work over Christmas and the New Year? It’s great to hear that 39% of you plan to take two weeks or more and another 36% plan to take at least a week. But 21% of you will only take a few days and 4% of you plan to take no time at all.

🩸 Research and women’s health news

white and brown robot toy — Photo by Kobby Mendez on Unsplash

📌 SPACE: First menstrual cups tested in spaceflight conditions. Remember when astronaut Sally Ride was famously offered ‘100 tampons’ for a week-long mission? Since then, hormonal menstrual suppression has been the preferred method for managing periods in space. But the AstroCup mission wanted to test menstrual cups for durability and functionality to give astronauts another option. (Continue reading: Nature)

📌 GLOBAL: What one year of Clue data reveals about women’s health in 2025. A year-long dataset released by period and cycle tracking app Clue has revealed just how hormonal symptoms intersect with our daily lives. ‘Our Year in Cycles’ brings together hundreds of millions of logs from 2024-25. Period pain dominated the year, with users logging 44.6 million days of cramps and making it the most-tracked pain. The data also tracked mood, sleep and libido. “By representing real people with real data, we can help reduce shame and stigma around the menstrual health conversation” said Dr Charis Chambers, Chief Medical Officer. (Continue reading: FutureFemHealth)

📄 Policy watch: risks and opportunities

📌 U.S: American Cancer Society endorses at-home self collection for HPV testing. A major boost for the self-collection of vaginal samples for HPV testing in this new guideline. HPV is the major cause of cervical cancer and uptake of in-clinic, clinician-collected swabs can be low due to embarrassment, discomfort or simply inconvenience. The recommendation comes after the FDA approved Teal Health’s Teal Wand earlier this year as the first at-home vaginal self-collection device for cervical cancer screening (HPV testing). (Continue reading: American Cancer Society)

📦 New in the FemTech Files - a ten-part series

‘The FemTech Files’ shares the critical data from different women’s health verticals and product types. They were published last year using Dr Brittany Barreto’s FemHealth Insights database and created by FemHealth Fellows. This week sees the release of parts five and six of the series:

That’s all for this week! If you’ve missed any previous newsletter issues catch them all at futurefemhealth.com and do make sure to follow us on LinkedIn.

Anna

Before you go: FutureFemHealth reaches 100,000+ women’s health innovators each month - founders, operators, clinicians and investors. We’re now opening 2026 partnership slots. To explore opportunities or request our media pack contact: anna@futurefemhealth.com

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