đ Issue 60: Toxic metals in tampons | Rock Health on H1 funding | First pregnancy for SpermSearch AI
+ lots more in your weekly round-up of women's health innovation and FemTech news
Hello! This is issue #60 of FutureFemHealth, here with your weekly news about womenâs health innovation and FemTech (w/c 8 July 2024).
Last weekâs UK Government elections witnessed a momentous landslide victory for the Labour party. Now with a record 40% female MPs and a pre-election manifesto promise that ânever again will womenâs health be neglectedâ we watch with hopefulness for change in 2024 and beyond.
đ Coming up today weâve got:
đąÂ Tampon study finds arsenic and lead in many popular brands
đ° Rock Healthâs digital funding recap for the first six months of 2024
đśđźÂ First pregnancy for SpermSearch AI
âď¸Â Bringing clinical trial equity for women
Would you like to support FutureFemHealth through sponsorship and get your brand in front of 1,200+ professionals, founders and investors in womenâs health? For more info drop me a line:Â anna@futurefemhealth.com
đ˘ Want to see change? Time to call it out
FemTech founder Roswitha Verwer was booked to speak at a female-focused event in Hungary.
That was until she was told that her planned talk on womenâs health should avoid discussing vaginal health or even using the word âvaginal.â
As the founder of YON E Global - a medical device company focused specifically on vaginal health - that made things slightly challenging.
âThe core of my work with YON E Global centers on advancing womenâs health, specifically vaginal health. Being asked to avoid discussing vaginal health, even in a women-focused event, is counterproductive to our mission and values,â she said.
Ultimately, Roswitha decided to withdraw from the event - but not before calling out what had happened publicly in a LinkedIn post.
After I saw what had happened, I messaged Roswitha who let me know that sheâs now had an apology and is hoping to discuss the issue further with the conference organisers (hence, why we agreed I wouldnât name them here as well).
But as Roswitha said:
âChange begins with challenging the status quo. Avoiding essential topics perpetuates ignorance and hinders progress. We believe true empowerment comes from addressing these topics head-on, not shying away from them. YON E Global will continue to uphold our values, no matter the obstacles.â
>> Can you help call out censorship in womenâs health? Our CensHERship campaign needs your examples of where youâve faced discrimination as a FemTech, womenâs health or sexual wellness business - either 1) when using financial services or insurance, or 2) when trying to share content on social media. Weâll used collated results to raise awareness of these issues to help bring about change. Thank you!
đď¸Â Tampon study finds arsenic and lead in many popular brands
A new study has found that popular brands of tampons used by millions of people contain toxic heavy metals such as arsenic and lead.
Researchers from UC Berkeley and Columbia tested a range of tampons currently on sale across the US and Europe for a study published in the journal Environmental International.
Scientists measured the levels of 16 heavy metals in 30 tampons from 14 brands from the US, EU and UK.
They found metals in all types of tampons - with lead higher in non-organic tampons and arsenic higher in organic tampons. Other metals found include copper, iron, mercury and zinc.
âDespite this large potential for public health concern, very little research has been done to measure chemicals in tampons,â said lead author Jenni A. Shearston, a postdoctoral scholar at the UC Berkeley School of Public Health and UC Berkeleyâs Department of Environmental Science, Policy, & Management.
âTo our knowledge, this is the first paper to measure metals in tampons. Concerningly, we found concentrations of all metals we tested for, including toxic metals like arsenic and lead.â
So, where to next?
The alarming study raises a number of key questions:
How did metal end up in tampons? The study indicates that some may be there intentionally (for odour control for example) while some is through the production process.
Which brands do contain metals and are there any that donât? The study authors kept all brands anonymous in the published research (I did write to ask for names) so how do consumers choose what to use now?
What will the brands be doing about this? There is no current regulation in the US, EU or UK that requires manufacturers to test for chemicals, including metals, so there is no requirement to actually act on these findings.
Finally and most importantly is the question - how dangerous is metal in tampons? The study concludes that more research is now needed to find out how much metal might be absorbed via the vaginal walls and whether that causes any health harm. Yet we already know that these metals can increase the risk of dementia, infertility, diabetes and cancer, and an estimated 50-80% of people with periods using tampons each month - so this is a huge gap in understanding that urgently needs to be filled.
âI really hope that manufacturers are required to test their products for metals, especially for toxic metals,â continued Shearston.
âIt would be exciting to see the public call for this, or to ask for better labelling on tampons and other menstrual products.â
Continue reading our full breakdown of the research.
đ°Â Funding, deals and investment news
đ US: H1 2024 digital health funding recap. Rock Healthâs funding round-ups always provide a useful glimpse into investment trends. With $5.7b deployed to 266 digital health start-ups in the first six months of the year, Rock Healthâs analysis shows 2024 could outperform 2023 if the pace continues. It describes the sector as âresilientâ with âmeasured momentum in funding and exits to prove it.â Notably, Series A deals were especially strong and AI-powered start-ups pulled 38% of the share of those. Reproductive and maternal health (including menopausal and pelvic health as per Rock Health classifications) nabbed $214m. (Continue reading: Rock Health)
đ More news from this week
đ AUSTRALIA: SpermSearch AIâs first successful pregnancy with severe male infertility. Medtech start-up NeoGenix BioSciences has created cutting-edge AI technology which can identify four times more sperm than unassisted embryologists and find sperm in infertile men in seconds. âSpermSearch AIâ is now bringing hope to the fertility space at a time when male sperm counts have decreased 50% worldwide in the past 40 years. The first pregnancy is still early days with a due date set for mid-2024. (Continue reading: Smart Company)
đ UK: Daye launches gynaecology health service. With an estimated 600,000 on waiting lists for NHS gynaecology appointments, accessible alternatives are welcome. Dayeâs 1:1 consultation costs less than ÂŁ30 and provides a 30-minute personalised session with an experienced, vetted nurse who specialises in gynae health needs. (Continue reading: FutureFemHealth)
đ AUSTRALIA: AIVFâs AI-driven fertility treatments expand to Australia. Already available in the UK, EU, US and other locations worldwide, Israeli start-up AIVF is a leading innovator in fertility technology. Itâs said to be able to increase the average number of healthy pregnancies by 30% when embryos are chosen using the AIVF program. Clinics in Australia can now integrate AIVF into their offering. (Continue reading: FutureFemHealth)
đ UK: Non-invasive home test kit aims to end smear test trauma. NHS data suggests many people avoid cervical screening tests because of pain and embarrassment. University PhD student Sanziana Foiaâs âPapCupâ screens at home for HPV in menstrual blood within 15 minutues. Foia is now gauging interest for pre-orders, potential investors and NHS partnerships. (Continue reading: Lab News)
đ CANADA: How a new incubator is supercharging women-focused health startups in Canada. This is the story of FemTech Canada, a network of more than 120 companies, industry partners, investors and accelerators set up earlier this year by HyIvy founder Rachel Bartholomew. Its mission is to connect people working in womenâs health to each other and to elevate their voices. (Continue reading: CTVnews.ca)
𩸠Research and womenâs health news
đ What about clinical trial equityâŚfor women? The FDA has recently released new draft guidance for diversity in clinical trials. Yet former FDA Associate Commissioner Peter Pitts argues that instead of recommending that clinical trials âlook like Americaâ, clinical trials should look like the patient population - which means representing women more fully and beyond just reproductive health. (Continue reading: Real Clear Health)
đ PCOS pregnancies can impact birth outcomes. Women with PCOS should be more closely monitored during pregnancy, say researchers, since new analysis shows they are more likely to have preterm delivery or low birth weight babies. A review of 73 studies covered nearly 93,000 babies born to women with and without PCOS. New international recommendations now suggest that PCOS should be recorded during pregnancy to ensure appropriate monitoring and support. (Continue reading: Nature)
đ Deep Learning model shows promise for diagnosing osteoporosis. Dubbed the âsilent diseaseâ as itâs so difficult to detect in early stages, osteoporosis disproportionately affects women. Tulane University researchers have developed a deep learning algorithm that outperforms existing computer-based risk prediction methods. While thereâs more work to be done before the platform could be used publicly, the method could mean more time for patients to strengthen bones and mitigate further damage. (Continue reading: Health Tech World)
đ Govt & policy news
đ US: $27.5m for womenâs behavioural health support. Newly announced funding by Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will include a focus on maternal mental health support. Government and community-based organisations can apply by August. (Continue reading: Fierce Healthcare)
đ UK: What does Labourâs win mean for women? Weâre barely a week into a new Government, but all eyes will be on making sure Prime Minister Keir Starmer and team deliver on their manifesto promises - particularly on womenâs health. Reducing waiting lists tops the list. (Continue reading: Independent)
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 Jobs
đ US: Freelance Social Media Content Creator, The Honey Pot Company
đ UK/ remote: Head of Commercial, Dear Bump
đ UK: Operations Analyst, Mooncup Ltd
đ UK: Menstrual Health Facilitator, The Adeno Gang
đ UK: Brand Campaign Manager, WUKA
Thatâs all for this week! Let me know what you thought of this weekâs issue:
See you next time,
Anna