FutureFemHealth

I love being in a room of people who are equally passionate about women’s health. And last night we celebrated a special moment - the UK release of Marina Gerner, PhD book ‘The Vagina Business.’ I think this is a groundbreaking book - looking at women’s health through the lens of the businesses, the entrepreneurs and the innovations that are shaping the future. It’s optimistic, it’s inspiring, it brings hope. And yet - Marina shared with us that venues for her book launch refused to work with her, some bookshops may not stock the book, and of course the social media algorithms will likely bury posts like these. All because her book title uses the correct name for a female body part. As Marina writes in the inside cover of her book: ‘Women should not be denied solutions to health issues just because people are embarrassed to talk about vaginas. We deserve much better’. Yes, yes we do.

Nutrition brand ZOE has signalled its intention in the menopause space, launching a free online resource to assess symptoms. Best known for its at-home tests that measure blood sugar and blood fat levels, Zoe has designed a calculator using data from thousands of participants, to help evaluate menopause symptoms in order to effectively support them through nutrition. Most notably, the calculator measures the ‘burden’ of menopause symptoms - in other words how the symptoms impact life. https://lnkd.in/e-ixSkg7

‘Toxic tampons’ will now be under scrutiny. Earlier this year a study by UC Berkeley and California found toxic heavy metals in tampons - but it didn’t assess how this might impact health. (Full story here: https://lnkd.in/ejSMs4Mc) Now, the FDA has announced it has commissioned an independent literature review and initiated an internal bench laboratory study to evaluate metals in tampons. The comprehensive review of the published literature will provide a better understanding of the data currently available regarding the presence of chemicals in tampons and, importantly, any associated health effects of those chemicals. The FDA’s laboratory study will measure the amount of metals that come out of tampons under conditions that more closely mimic normal use. Here’s the FDA’s full note: https://lnkd.in/eDd4Gzqn

🔥 Here’s your catch-up on everything women’s health innovation and FemTech from the last week.⁣ ⁣ Read more on all of these stories in our free weekly newsletter: www.futurefemhealth.com ⁣ 📌 Nutrition brand ZOE enters menopause market with free resource MenoScale | Jonathan Wolf ⁣ 📌 New data from The Menopause Society shows HT/HRT use in US at low levels 📌 OVUM expands fertility support range in Sainsbury’s | Jenny Wordsworth Rhiannon Davis ⁣ 📌 Hello Inside raises €1.65m for its AI-powered continuous glucose monitoring tech | Jürgen Furian Mario Aichlseder ⁣ 📌 Bloomlife Inc secures $12.2m Series A to advance remote maternal care platform ⁣ 📌 Workplace health platform HeyFlow | Female* reproductive health inclusion at work secures £235,000 pre-seed funding | Nick Dean Sophie Creese 📌 CooperSurgical introduces single-hand inserter for Paragard IUD | Holly Sheffield 📌 Breast cancer surgeon launches protective gear for healthcare workers exposed to radiation | Lauren Ramsey ⁣ 📌 New study shows CBD vaginal suppositories improve menstrual pain and lead to lower use of painkiller drugs ⁣ 📌 New study shows low-impact exercise, yoga reduces urinary incontinence in older women 📌 New jobs in women’s health to explore⁣ ⁣ And even more! Join 1,500 subscribers exploring the money, the science and the businesses shaping the future of women's health and FemTech each week.🥳 ⁣

The menopause market is shifting from a one-size-fits-all approach to more personalised and symptom-specific solutions. That’s a natural evolution in part, as consumers become more educated and the landscape becomes more crowded. But it’s great to see recent product and service innovation put more focus on addressing individual menopause symptoms, rather than treating menopause itself as an ‘issue’ to solve for. In this week's FutureFemHealth we take a look at why holistic, more personalised support for menopause is becoming the focus for businesses in this space: https://lnkd.in/esRDzHmu

Does it feel like talk of hormone therapy dominates the menopause conversation? It may be shocking to know that hormone use in women over 40 is actually just 1.8% as of 2023. And those rates have declined from 4.6% in 2007. A new study from The Menopause Society reveals more about hormone therapy usage rates. "These findings suggest that substantial barriers to HT use remain, and additional efforts are needed to educate women and clinicians about menopause management and HT use more specifically." Dr Stephanie Faubion. https://lnkd.in/emGVfnQp

Female orthopedic surgons have up to a three times higher rate of breast cancer. Founder Lauren Ramsey MD has created a protective shield garment to boost protection from occupational exposure to radiation and has designed it with female healthcare workers in mind. The BAT garment can reduce radiation to the breast by over 97%. https://lnkd.in/ekJA5chZ

Austrian start-up Hello Inside, which was founded in 2021, helps women to make more informed decisions about their health and wellness. The service uses continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) sensors with AI tech to track and log lifestyle and health data (food, movement, stress and sleep) to then provide a comprehensive understanding of metabolic health. The start-up has just secured €1.65m in seed funding. Jürgen Furian Dr. Anne Latz Mario Aichlseder https://lnkd.in/ebW333vc

Fertility wellness brand OVUM has expanded its partnership with national retailer Sainsbury’s, launching its patented Time to Conceive Supplement into supermarkets across the UK. The introduction follows OVUM's entry into Sainsbury's stores in April this year with a UK-first fully-recyclable early detection pregnancy test. Founder Jenny Wordsworth said: “This new supplement listing with Sainsbury’s underscores our mission to support individuals from the very start of their conception journey, and demonstrates the retailer’s knowledge on the importance of offering high-quality products to consumers experiencing infertility.” ______________________________ 📩 For a free weekly round-up of news like this, join 1,500+ subscribers exploring the money, the science and the businesses shaping the future of women’s health and FemTech: www.futurefemhealth.com ______________________________ Rhiannon Davis https://lnkd.in/e5zZ3uRK

Yes to this! Women's health brand Maxwellia brought its new period paid relief brand Ultravana to the market..... and decided period pain relief shouldn't be hidden away! This 3D activation in one of the UK's busiest train stations definitely grabs attention 😊 Perfect placement for busy commuters needing support with period pain ahead of the working day or before jumping on a train. Great work Issy Parry Kim Wathall and team. More taboos being smashed!