Differentiated Care Delivery For Women A Must, To Help Improve Overall Health Outcomes
Women around the world, on International Women’s Day last March, urged that #BreakTheBias be celebrated and championed, with the goal of celebrating digital progress and championing women advancing innovation through technology. The entire month of March has been dedicated to recognizing the contribution of women to society, and we have used the opportunity to reflect on ongoing challenges in women’s health, as well as to celebrate the advancements in women’s health technologies made by and for women.
It is a well-known fact that women, and society in general, suffer from ignorance, taboos, and misunderstandings when it comes to women’s health issues and the technologies available to them. From the underrepresentation of women in studies to stigmatizing women with health conditions, the women’s health tech market still faces obstacles. But the trend is starting to change.
Women’s health is still a relatively young industry and femtech is still a growing space. There is an ominous need to have differentiated care delivery for women owing to diverse physiology and their role in society. It is imperative that solutions are designed specifically for women to improve overall healthcare outcomes.
As with technology for women, technology by women is also gaining momentum. Yet despite this growth, femtech companies only control a fraction of the health technology pie.
Around 3% in 2020. The number of women-led companies receiving venture capital has declined by 27% in 2020 from 2019, according to Forbes, and only 0.64% of funds will go to women of color.
According to a recent study carried out in Israel, heavy menstrual bleeding has a detrimental effect on daily activity and quality of life in young women soldiers engaged in demanding activities. Underdiagnosis is a result of both a lack of awareness on the women’s side and inattention from the system. Contraception may be the most talked-about issue, but it is not the only one that affects the health of women.
Women spend around 10 years, or 3,500 days, on average menstruating, during which they might face discrimination followed by misinformation, fear, and embarrassment in schools, in the workplace, or even at home.
There is a disproportionate burden on women with chronic reproductive health issues, such as abnormal uterine bleeding, endometriosis, and myomas/uterine fibroids, and yet only a limited amount of education is available about these issues.
In the world, one out of three to four women experience heavy menstruation, which can lead to anemia, a condition that affects mental health, relationships, and work. If left untreated, these common disorders can have a serious impact on women’s quality of life.
Unfortunately, governmental decisions on access to women’s health services may hinder innovation and education. In addition, traditional treatments can have long-term adverse effects, and second-line surgical procedures require hospital settings and high-end equipment, which are unaffordable for most women. In some cases, these treatments can sometimes lead to infertility or even the removal of the uterus.
In comparison with funding for general public health solutions ($138 million in 2021 out of $2.4 billion invested in healthcare and life sciences), femtech investments are still small.
Technology is shaping future policy in Women’s Health. With this technology, women can access non-invasive in-office treatments and the freedom to choose without having to endure invasive surgeries and IUDs that are safe, minimally invasive, and do not cause side effects.
The Global Women’s Health Innovation Conference (GWHIC 2022) aims to bring together India’s start-up innovators and tech creators in the women’s health care industry along with other key stakeholders, and investors to help shape the conversation around women’s health innovation and the future of FemTech in India.
