💌 Issue 66: 'Smart underwear' gets $1.25m boost | Flo app boosts health literacy | AI-powered IVF decision-making

+ lots more in your weekly round-up of women's health and FemTech news

Aug 21, 2024

Hi! Welcome to issue #66 of FutureFemHealth, here to bring you your weekly news about women’s health innovation and FemTech (w/c 19 August 2024).

It’s a busy end to August so we’re getting straight into the news round-up this week!

🌟 Coming up today we’ve got:

🩲 $1.25m for ‘smart underwear’ start-up Fibra
🩸 Flo app demonstrates how it boosts health literacy
🔥 Midi Health a next ‘billion dollar’ startup?
🤰🏼 Alife study shows promise for IVF decision-making

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💰 Funding, deals and investment news

📌 CANADA: ’Smart underwear’ start-up Fibra secures $1.25m pre-seed round. Fibra wants to help make monitoring your reproductive health as easy as getting dressed in the morning. It’s working on a non-invasive wearable device for underwear that connects to an app for fertility tracking and support. Funding came from ‘prominent Canadian and US-based VCs’ (undisclosed). (Continue reading: FutureFemHealth)

📌 Venture Capital firms making bets on maternal health. VC firms such as Khosla Ventures, Rock Health and RH Capital are bolstering investment into maternal health companies and tech, anticipating sector growth and the acceleration of payment rates from both Medicaid and commercial insurance. According to Pitchbook data, investments in early maternal healthcare startups have risen from $38.1m in 2018 to $306.5m in 2023. (Continue reading: Reuters)

🌟 More news from this week

📌 UK: Flo app’s first randomised controlled trial demonstrates how it boosts women’s health literacy. While Flo has received anecdotal feedback about the impact of its app, it wanted to quantify it scientifically too. In this RCT - a gold standard of testing - the women’s health app was found to significantly improve health literacy and help women improve how they manage their PMS and PMDD symptoms after just three months’ use. (Continue reading: FutureFemHealth)

📌 US: Spring Fertility and Headspace partner on free mental health resources. The stress of going through a fertility journey can deeply impact an individual’s and family’s mental health. This new collaboration sees the release of free mental health resources for those navigating the road to conception. (Continue reading: FutureFemHealth)

📌 GERMANY: Clue app partners with Headspace for mental health support. In our second Headspace partnership of the week, period and cycle tracking app Clue has announced its members can access more mental health support, thanks to a 50% discount on Headspace subscriptions. Clue found that anxiety and depression are the top two most common health conditions reported by their members - accounting for over 36% of all confirmed health conditions. (Continue reading: FutureFemHealth)

📌 US: Midi Health features in Forbes prediction for next ‘billion-dollar’ startups 2024. A total of 25 venture-backed start-ups have been identified by Forbes as ‘most likely’ to reach a $1billion valuation. Amongst the majority male-founded and mostly AI-powered start-ups let’s give a big cheer for female-founded menopause start-up Midi Health, who make the list too. (Continue reading: Forbes)

📌 US: Providing care after Roe, these doctors met a hurdle they didn’t expect. Online abortion providers have found themselves kicked off payment platforms such as Square, Stripe and Paypal - which could bring their services to a grinding halt. While potential solutions such as certification services are growing in availability, they themselves can be costly. (Continue reading: The Persistent)

📌 INDIA: Bayer introduces first-of-its-kind period pain solution. ‘Saridon Woman’ is a significant breakthrough in the over-the-counter sector in India. It provides pain relief from abdominal cramps, backache and headache. (Continue reading: Biospectrum India)

📌 US: GE Healthcare to collab with University on female-specific pelvic health imaging. Endometriosis and ovarian cancer are just some of the female health issues that are often misdiagnosed and misunderstood. GE Healthcare will partner with University of California San Diego School of Medicine to investigate advanced MRI protocol and techniques and provide more training and educational materials for clinicians - with the ultimate goal of improving care. (Continue reading: Mass device)

📌 People are using their smart ring as contraception - is that a good idea? The Oura Ring, Galaxy Ring and the Evie Ring can forecast menstrual cycles by detecting body temperature changes. But while manufacturers caution use for contraception or pregnancy planning, there is still a major benefit to smart rings - data. (Continue reading: Scientific American)

📌 US: Alife study shows promise of AI for IVF decision-making. There are so many variables when it comes to decision-making during the IVF process - and that’s where AI comes in. A first-of-its-kind multi-centre study has discovered promising results for improved egg yield and reduction in the doses needed of the follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) when using Alife’s ‘Stim Assist’ software. More studies to validate findings are needed. (Continue reading: FutureFemHealth)

📌 GLOBAL: Oura member data reveals gender differences in sleep, stress and activity levels. According to Oura ring member data women generally sleep longer and more efficiently than men, with greater amounts of deep sleep. Women also tend to move more than men during the day, but tend to spend more time in a ‘stressed’ state and less time in a ‘restored’ state. (Continue reading: Oura)

🩸 Research and women’s health news

woman wearing gray long-sleeved shirt facing the sea — Photo by Artem Kovalev on Unsplash

📌 UK: Bipolar risk doubles before menopause - new study. Women are more than twice as likely to develop bipolar disorder in the years leading up to their final period, according to a new study of nearly 130,000 women. Cardiff University Academics worked with Bipolar UK and the UK biobank to analyse the impact of hormonal change on mood disorders. (Continue reading: BBC)

📌 UK: Quarter of women with serious ovarian cancer could get earlier diagnosis - UK study. Earlier testing and specialist care could improve survival rates for aggressive ovarian cancer, says a study across 24 hospitals. There is currently no national screening programme for ovarian cancer in the UK and it is most often diagnosed at stage three or four with one in five people dying within three months of diagnosis. The study looked at outcomes for those who were ‘fast-tracked’. (Continue reading: The Guardian)

📌 Six conditions that highlight the women’s health gap. Heart attack, endometriosis, autism, ADHD, autoimmune conditions and antimicrobial resistance are six conditions underdiagnosed in women. But more research and earlier interventions could reduce the burden of the disease and achieve greater health equity. (Continue reading: World Economic Forum)

📌 The end of menopause: would women be healthier and happier if they menstruated for ever? Scientists are seemingly on the cusp of being able to delay menopause: the off-patent drug rapamycin has shown promise for prolonging ovarian life, while start-up Oviva Therapeutics is working on a way to reduce how many eggs are lost over time. But could medical interventions ‘distract’ women from the fundamental elements of a healthy lifestyle? And what are the implications for both individuals and broader society? This piece explores what the future might hold. (Continue reading: The Guardian)

📌 INDIA: Study flags impact of unnecessary hysterectomies on women. 6.8% of India’s least educated women aged 30-39 years old are in premature menopause caused by hysterectomies, compared to just 0.9% among those of the same age with the highest education. This study, which drew on a nationwide health survey, suggests that excessive dependence on surgery and a lack of awareness and education on alternative options is behind the stark difference. The study authors now call for further research. (Continue reading: Telegraph India)

📄 Govt & policy news

📌 UK: Women harmed by vaginal mesh in England get payout. Some 10,000 women in England were injured pre-2018 by mesh implants intended to treat incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse. In this first successful group claim, more than 100 women will receive payouts from manufacturers Bard, Boston Scientific and Johnson & Johnson. (Continue reading: BBC)

📌 US: Most reproductive-age women are worried about abortion access - new survey. More than six in 10 survey respondents to KFF’s nationally representative Women’s Health Survey say they’re concerned about abortion access. Among women of reproductive age, one in seven (14%) have had an abortion in their life. Nearly one in five women (17%) said they have changed contraceptive practice as result of Roe vs Wade being overturned. (Continue reading: KFF)

📌 CANADA: 2025 Federal Budget Proposal. FemTech Canada has led the charge for more funding for women’s health - requesting $100m for women’s health and FemTech innovations from the Canadian Government Federal Budget. You can also show your support by signing the budget petition. (Continue reading: FemTech Canada)