💌 Issue 92: Let's uncensor women's health | $100bn opportunity | At-home postpartum care
+ lots more in your weekly round-up of women's health and Femtech news
Hi! Welcome to issue #92 of FutureFemHealth (w/c March 10 2025).
Last week I promised to share more about the CensHERship campaign - the advocacy group that I’m a co-founder of alongside Clio Wood of &BreatheWellbeing. I’ve made that update our top story today to share exactly what we’ve been up to and why this is such an important cause. I know this issue matters to a lot of you as well.
🌟 Coming up today we’ve got:
👄 It’s time to uncensor women’s health
💰 The $100 billion opportunity in women’s health
🏡 Boram introduces at-home postpartum care
🔥 Sidekick Health moves into menopause - with prescription digital therapeutic
But before that: Would you like to sponsor an upcoming FutureFemHealth newsletter? We’re read by nearly 8,000 professionals, founders and investors in women’s health and I’ve got a few slots available in April. For more info and a copy of our media pack drop me a line: anna@futurefemhealth.com
👄 It’s time to uncensor women’s health: our fight against big tech
Last week, we took the fight against women’s health censorship to the European Commission, filing six formal complaints under the EU’s Digital Services Act (full story here and also covered exclusively in The Independent over the weekend.)
This was a result of several months of work for our campaign group CensHERship and our partners The Case For Her - gathering evidence from six start-ups (Aquafit Intimate, Bea Fertility, Daye, Geen, HANX, and LactApp) documenting each case, navigating complex policies and drafting compelling complaint letters.
Now we await a response.
Why we took action
Online platforms claim to connect the world, but when it comes to women’s health, they’re shutting down the conversation.
If you’ve ever had a post flagged, an ad rejected, or content mysteriously disappear simply for talking about periods, menopause, sexual health, breast cancer, or reproductive health, you’re not alone. The evidence is overwhelming - from the daily reports we see online, to extensive research from both CensHERship and our friends in the US, the Center for Intimacy Justice.
What we need to see
This is not just an inconvenience for creators or a marketing challenge - it’s a systemic issue that stifles progress in FemTech and the women’s health sector.
When you can’t use anatomically correct language without being penalized, you can’t educate, innovate or reach people with solutions for real health needs.
And it’s another example of an unequal playing field when male health companies often don’t face the same challenges.
Our complaints called for three main changes:
Fair enforcement of content guidelines - no more vague “violations” disproportionately targeting women’s health.
Transparent appeal processes - so businesses can challenge unfair takedowns.
An end to biased policies - why are erectile dysfunction ads approved while menopause and reproductive health content is restricted?
How you can help
You can amplify the campaign on LinkedIn or Instagram.
And if you’ve been affected by these issues and would like to join us please add your experience to our survey here or reply to this email and we’ll be in touch.
💰 Funding, deals and investment news
📌 U.S: Hinge Health files for IPO. Yes, it’s the big digital health story of the week. And although Hinge Health isn’t strictly a women’s health company, musculoskeletal health (MSK) issues - Hinge’s category - do particularly impact women both differently and disproportionately to men. Hinge has a dedicated pelvic health program for women and recently partnered with Midi Health on menopause care too. Christina Farr provides a great breakdown of why this IPO is important for digital health and is worth a read. (Continue reading: Second Opinion Media)
📌 GLOBAL: Equity-free funding opportunity for Femtech solutions. The UNICEF Venture Fund is calling for applications from start-ups developing cutting edge tech solutions improving access to quality health care and services, and ensuring socio-economic participation of women and girls. Up to US$100K each in equity-free funding is on offer for early-stage, for-profit startups. (Continue reading: Unicef)
📌 INDIA: All in Capital leads $1m pre-seed round in Arva Health fertility care. Arva aims to launch India's first network of tech-enabled fertility clinics, starting in Bengaluru, expanding to 10 cities by 2027, including Mumbai and Delhi. It will also introduce men's fertility services and digital support too. (Continue reading: Entrepreneur)
📌 INDIA: Period care brand Naarica secures investment from badminston icon Saina Nehwal. Celebrities and sports stars are increasingly using their platform and spending power to support women’s health. This strategic partnership sees Saina Nehwal join as both investor as brand ambassador to India’s Naarica, which provides sustainable, high-quality period products. Funding details not disclosed. (Continue reading: Entrepreneur)
🌟 Industry news from this week
📌 U.S: Improving women’s health is a $100 billion plus opportunity. Menopause, osteoporosis, Alzheimer’s disease treatment and common cardiovascular disease are the four common issues that together total a $100 billion market if addressed. This new BCG report recommends companies innovate to catch up through three key approaches - partnering, buying and building - because the women’s health market level of maturity is still low. (Continue reading: BCG)
📌 U.S: Boram introduces at-home postpartum care. There’s no postpartum follow-up care for an estimated 40% of new mothers in the U.S. But ‘Boram at home’ is a great example of meeting patients where they are - with structured maternal care delivered directly to new mothers where they need it most. It mirrors models used in many other parts of the world. (Continue reading: FutureFemHealth)
📌 GERMANY: Sidekick Health expands to menopause - and begins clinical study for prescription digital therapeutic. Sidekick Health’s MENO! App is a CE-marked digital therapeutic for menopause, incorporating cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to reduce symptom burden. But it’s just one of their offerings - Sidekick Health Group already has two other prescription digital therapeutics listed in Germany - including PINK! Coach (for breast cancer) which it recently acquired. (Continue reading: FutureFemHealth)
📌 U.S: Sunrise's sleep clinic Dreem Health launches dedicated women's health program. Sleep disorders are known to disproportionately affect women. And hormonal imbalances play a significant role in the development of sleep-disordered breathing, which encompasses conditions like obstructive sleep apnea - proven to double in women after menopause. Dreem Health’s licensed providers will evaluate symptoms, diagnose their conditions using the Sunrise at-home sleep test device, and create a personalized treatment plan or refer them to a partner for further care. (Continue reading: FutureFemHealth)
🩸 Research and women’s health news
📌 U.S: Women spend 30% more on out-of-pocket prescription costs - new report. Women spending more just to maintain their health is an unwelcome trend that hasn’t changed in recent years. This new GoodRx report details the latest stats - showing total spend by U.S women of $40 billion on out-of-pocket prescription costs in 2024. Higher healthcare utilization, higher rates of chronic conditions, and spending on female-specific conditions like women’s fertility and menopause all contribute to the 30% difference from male spend. (Continue reading: FutureFemHealth)
📌 U.S: Abortion pill prescriptions are now being tracked in parts of the US - with help from a little-known tech company. States have long kept centralized databases to monitor prescriptions for potentially addictive drugs. Now, abortion pills are being monitored in the same way in some parts of the US. Bamboo Health is said to be logging every mifepristone and misoprostol prescription they write - with concerns about how this sensitive data may be used. (Continue reading: Business Insider)
📌 AUSTRALIA: Four nations form historic partnership to advance women’s sports. A gap in knowledge about female specific health conditions means athletes often miss early warning signs, go undiagnosed or are inadequately treated for conditions like endometriosis. The Global Alliance for Female Athletes (GAFA) will see leading health practitioners and sports scientists from Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom and New Zealand join forces to help female athletes overcome prevalent health issues to reach their full sporting potential. (Continue reading: Australian Government)
That’s all for this week! See you next time. If you’ve missed any previous newsletter issues catch them all at futurefemhealth.com and do make sure to follow us on LinkedIn.
Such important work on censorship - big thanks and congrats to all!