Issue 17: That period product study, HeyJane expands, the fertility supplements that contain lead, spiral tampon gets FDA-approved
+ lots more in your weekly women's health innovation and FemTech news
Hi! Welcome to issue #17 of FutureFemHealth, here to bring you your weekly news about women’s health innovation and FemTech (w/c 14 August 2023).
🌟 Coming up today we’ve got:
🔥 Breakthroughs in endometriosis diagnosis
👙 The bra that can detect breast cancer?
🛑 Why did infertility supplements poison a woman?
🎨 The new spiral tampon that’s taking on the period product giants
📌 News from HeyJane and MyFitnessPal
And much more!
Have you got news to share from the world of FemTech and women’s health innovation? Let me know at anna@futurefemhealth.com
Up first…
Two stories I wanted to share to kick-off this issue that I think you’ll like:
📦 First period product study to use blood reveals results
This story has a lot of people talking this week. A team at the University of Portland has just completed a study to assess the absorption of different period products.
The kicker? It’s the FIRST TIME that discs, tampons, pads and cups have had their absorption measured USING ACTUAL BLOOD*!
Until now, studies used water or saline to mimic a period flow.
No surprise then, the team found absorption capacity didn’t match what manufacturers report, with most products claiming greater capacity than they actually have.
And the answer to what absorbs the best? This study showed that menstrual discs are likely to be most effective for heavy period flows.
Continue reading - The Guardian
*for clarity, the team used packed red blood cells, which they say is as close as you can get in this sort of study to actual menstrual effluent.
PS. It may not be long before we can do these sorts of tests using actual menstrual blood - start-up Yoni Health is recruiting donors and researchers right now as it launches Europe’s first period bank.
📦 Brunel Student creates inclusive cooling device for menopause
I loved this story: inspired by her mother’s experience of menopausal hot flushes, 22-year-old Brunel Student Aphra Hallam has designed the ‘Zera cooling device’ as part of her University studies.
The thermal control device, available in three inclusive skin tone colours, sits on the back of a user’s neck and connects via bluetooth to an app. The device targets blood vessels to help cool down during a hot flush.
Continue reading - Dezeen (plus there’s a really great interview with Aphra here)
🗞️ Headlines
👙 The bra that can detect breast cancer?
The Smart Bra prototype uses ultrasound to detect possible tumours in 30 minutes - sending results to a phone and then onwards to a doctor. A large trial, by Nigerian start-up Nextwear Technology, begins soon in the country. Breast cancer is the most common type of disease in Nigeria and has the highest number of deaths.
(Continue reading: The Guardian)
📌 Why did infertility supplements poison a woman?
A new Canadian study has highlighted the danger of unregulated supplements - including the case of a woman hospitalised after developing lead poisoning from taking an Ayurvedic pill supplement designed for infertility. Ayurvedic is an ancient Indian medical system focused on natural and holistic solutions. The study found 11 out of 17 Ayurvedic pill supplements contained lead.
(Continue reading: The Vajenda)
Side note: Ayurvedic treatments are big business. Earlier this year, brand Gynoveda raised $10million in Series A funding for its women’s health start-up. I contacted Gynoveda who reassured us that none of their products contain lead.
📌 It’s really only the beginning - are we on the cusp of a breakthrough with endometriosis?
Awareness of endometriosis has skyrocketed in the last year, and we now know more about this debilitating disease, such as the recent Japanese discovery on links with a common bacteria. It’s positive to see an in-depth feature on endometriosis in a publication such as The Guardian. It explores the latest diagnostic tools such as one using saliva, as well as intrauterine device treatment options. Ultimately, while the global effort on endometriosis can be applauded, there is still much more funding and research needed.
(Continue reading: The Guardian)
🏆 ’Why everything you knew about FemTech was wrong’
Founder Jenny Saft, of fertility benefits platform Apryl, helps explain the reality of FemTech - it’s about more than just menstruation and menopause, it’s a bigger market than many think, and it’s definitely not just for a ‘niche’ demographic.
(Continue reading: Eu-startups)
📌 The branding of menopause - a new design aesthetic?
Interested in how menopause is ‘branded’? This piece takes a look at the themes of today’s menopause marketing, featuring brands Phenology, Womaness, Midday and Wile. There’s a clear shared mission is to de-stigmatise the experience of this life stage through thoughtful design and frank conversation. And common brand directions are science-backed without feeling clinical, aspirational without being out of reach and authentic. Ultimately they also seek to convey that menopause is not the end, but a new chapter. (Continue reading: Fast Company (sorry, a paywall!))
💊 FemTech’s untapped potential is a trillion-dollar wake-up call to investors
Making a solid case for more funding for FemTech, Kerstin Recker Alexandre, co-founder of pelvic health platform Elana Health, writes: “The femtech sector is not just anticipated to flourish in the future, but to radically transform the global landscape of women’s health; I believe it’s a goldmine of opportunities.” (Continue reading: Fast Company)
🌟 More news from this week
📌 USA: Sequel launches an innovative ‘spiral-design’ tampon - that’s now been approved by the FDA as a medical device. Tampax, Kotex and Playtex have dominated the tampon market for decades (71.1% of all US sales in 2022!). Most newer tampon start-ups are challenging the big three with more natural, sustainable products. Now Sequel, a startup based in San Francisco, is designing for comfort. Its tampon features spiraled grooves to more efficiently absorb liquid than standard tampons. So can it take on the big guns? (Continue reading: The Wall St Journal)
📌 USA: Abortion care service Hey Jane expands its services. Birth control, emergency contraception and vaginal infection treatment are now available too. Launched originally in early 2021, Hey Jane is a virtual clinic that delivers abortion pills quickly and discreetly to a patient’s home. (Continue reading: Yahoo Finance)
📌 MyFitnessPal expands to nutrition and fitness plans for expectant mums A new ‘Eating for pregnancy’ program includes strategies to help boost energy and ease pregnancy symptoms such as morning sickness and constipation through nutrition. (Continue reading: PR Newswire)
📌 Is the new postpartum depression pill as good as it appears? Lots of discussion following last week’s news about the first pill for postpartum depression approved by the FDA. Meg Murray-Jones of The Postpartum Plan highlighted that patients are advised not to drive for 12 hours after taking the medication (not ideal if you have other children / anywhere to go!), and Yoni Health pointed out that breastfeeding women hadn’t been included in the trials for this pill so were being advised not to take it or to stop breastfeeding.
🌟 Latest resource
📌 How do you determine the market size for your start-up? Wen Zhang outlines how. (Continue reading: LinkedIn)
🩸 Research and women’s health news
📌 Breast cancer overdiagnosis more common in older women A new study from Yale University has found that among women aged 70-74 years old, up to 31% of breast cancer cases found through mammograms were over-diagnosed. This means that this diagnosis would typically not have led to symptoms or problems in a person's lifetime. Could this research raise questions about the value of the new wave of breast cancer diagnostic tools, for example at-home diagnostics, particularly for older women? (Continue reading: Reuters)
📄 Govt & policy news
📌 IRELAND: Fertility treatment in Ireland will be publicly funded from September. One round of IVF or ICSI is included (although there are exclusions for who is eligible). Now the Government is also under pressure to introduce paid fertility leave. (Continue reading: Independent.ie)
That’s all for this week! If you got this far - thank you!
See you next time,
Anna