Why are digital health solutions for women underrepresented?

For decades, healthcare has been built around the average male body as the standard, resulting in a significant deficit of data regarding women’s health. This gender bias in healthcare has led to:

• Women’s exclusion from medical studies: Until just 20 years ago, women were not included in clinical trials; therefore, there was no understanding that men and women experience diseases differently. Medication was given to women based on dosages approved for men, many of which led to adverse reactions, and some even to death. 
• Misdiagnosis of chronic illnesses. For example, endometriosis (a chronic and painful uterine condition) affects 1 in 10 women, yet takes an average of 7.5 years to diagnose because women’s pain is often dismissed or downplayed. 
• A lack of medical data and clinical trials that focus on women’s specific health needs, particularly concerning reproductive health, menopause, or hormonal disorders.
• A systemic bias that limits innovation, stifles investment, and slows progress for femtech market growth.

Despite growing public interest and the rise of 8 femtech unicorns in 2024, this sector still struggles to convince investors. This is mainly due to investor bias and discomfort surrounding topics like menstruation or menopause, a lack of female representation in investment spaces, and industry-specific challenges (e.g., systemic gender biases). 

While high-value areas such as fertility and pregnancy attract substantial investment and media attention, the hype it generates distracts from equally urgent but under-addressed segments of women’s health. This includes serious issues such as chronic pain, autoimmune disorders, perimenopause and menopause. 

Why will women’s health tech be one of the fastest-growing sectors by 2032?

Most digital technologies require users to change existing behaviours (e.g., food substitutes) or adopt new ones (e.g., increase physical activity). By contrast, FemTech devices integrate seamlessly into women’s daily lives and slot into existing routines without necessarily requiring a behaviour change – hence the market’s faster growth and adoption rate. The European femtech sector is expected to grow to USD 35 billion by 2032, with the UK taking the lead at 31.8% and France at 18.3%. Product sectors driving femtech market growth include:

• Menstrual products that monitor health indicators in real time include smart menstrual cups and pads with integrated biosensors, wearable pain relief devices, and tracking apps. 
• Fertility tracking wearables made easy. 
• Pregnancy monitoring and tracking devices. 
• Personalised, proactive, and innovative menopause management

Women are more likely to adopt technologies that blend into existing routines rather than require significant lifestyle changes. Femtech is gaining traction precisely because it’s frictionless, data-driven, and discreet. This design philosophy — technology that listens instead of demands — is fundamental to human-centred design and redefines what success looks like in digital women’s health.

The Femtech Unicorns advancing digital healthcare services for women.

The success of femtech unicorns (startups with over $1 billion valuation) sends a powerful message: Women’s health is a lucrative but underserved market with global relevance and commercial appeal. The attention this generates not only address the unique health needs of women, but also attracts more capital and drives further innovation – ultimately resulting in better healthcare solutions for women and a reduction in the gender health gap. Top femtech unicorns include:

• Maven Clinic: The world’s largest virtual clinic for women’s and family health with over 30 specialities and 350 sub-specialities. Key elements of its USP include the breadth of their services (everything from fertility and post-partum depression to menopause), the convenience of a virtual/telehealth model, and the ability to offer personalised financial benefits and care plans. 
• Kindbody provides a holistic, accessible, and integrated approach to women’s health – particularly fertility care such as IVF and egg freezing. Their integrated approach includes mental wellness and nutrition and they place a strong focus on affordability through direct employer partnerships and in-network insurance options. 
• Flo Health started as a period and ovulation tracker but expanded to become a full-spectrum women’s health app. Its USP includes a vast data set for advanced, personalised insights, a strong emphasis on medical content, and a commitment to privacy.
• LetsGetChecked offers an integrated, at-home women’s health testing platform that combines at-home collection with various health and family planning tests, virtual consultations, and discreet medication delivery through its proprietary platform. 

While reproductive and menstrual health are femtech’s most established segment, maternal and postnatal care (e.g., smart breast pumps, digital doula apps, and remote pregnancy monitoring) are gaining traction and transforming maternal health experiences – especially for women with limited access to in-person care. 

In addition, menopause is finally being recognised as a significant part of women’s health and is no longer being neglected by mainstream healthcare. Menopause tech startups focusing on personalised hormone tracking, thermal comfort wearables, and symptom management through AI and data analytics are on the rise.

FemTech is also helping to de-stigmatise sexual wellness, with connected devices, therapy apps, and community-led digital solutions that empower women to talk openly about sexual and pelvic health. 

These advances in digital health technologies for women not only facilitate partnerships with healthcare providers to help integrate solutions into existing systems, but also create opportunities for more tailored, evidence-based, and patient-centred treatments and services.

Barriers to inclusive healthcare innovation for women

Despite demonstrable success, growing consumer demand, and optimistic forecasts for market growth, many barriers to innovation for women’s health technologies remain. 

1. Growing gender disparity in the tech sector: Globally, women hold just 32% of senior management positions in the tech sector, leading to underrepresentation in decision-making positions which influences the development and prioritisation of product development.
2. Gender disparity in funding: Even in a woman-focused sector, female-founded startups receive disproportionately less investment compared to male-founded companies. An often cited example is Flo Health (profiled above): The period tracking app that became Europe’s first femtech unicorn after raising a record $200 million, sparked controversy when it revealed two men founded it.
3. Privacy concerns: Femtech apps collect sensitive and private information about fertility, sexual activity, pregnancy, and menstrual cycles. These details, if disclosed, could lead to misuse, discrimination, or even persecution (in cases of abortion, for example). Flo Health once again faced controversy for allegedly sharing sensitive user data with Google and Meta. A class action lawsuit resulted in Flo paying a $56 million settlement.
4. Gendered data gaps: Medical research that disproportionately focused on male subjects resulted in a significant lack of data regarding women’s health. Without robust datasets, innovators struggle to develop evidence-backed products or demonstrate clinical efficacy.
5. Big Tech’s systemic issues with women’s healthcare products:  A report in 2025 analysing 159 women’s health nonprofits, content creators, and startups serving users in 180+ countries found widespread ‘shadow bans’ across all dominant platforms: 84%  had content removed from Meta, 64% from Amazon, and 66% from Google for purported policy violations, even when they contained only anatomical language or clinical facts. Meanwhile, content for male-focused products (like erectile dysfunction medication) was allowed to proliferate on the same platforms.
6. Economic and cultural barriers: FemTech must broaden its focus beyond Western markets and middle-class consumers. Few products are designed for non-English speakers, and lower-income women often lack the finances or reliable internet access to benefit from connected healthcare products (e.g., at-home fetal monitoring devices). 

Final thoughts: Women’s health innovation benefits everyone

FemTech isn’t just about women. By addressing women’s specific needs, innovators uncover insights that improve diagnostic accuracy, chronic disease management, and the quality of life for people of all genders.

The FemTech revolution is not just overdue — it’s inevitable. Those who invest in it early will help shape a healthcare future that’s equitable, data-driven, and truly inclusive. At Ignitec, we have a proven track record of developing tech solutions that are accessible and inclusive. Schedule a free consultation with an expert on our team to discuss how we can help bring your femtech innovation to market.