Opinion

Pre-existing Conditions: Women’s Health Innovation Needs Treatment, Not Talk

For years, the healthcare system has wrestled with the thorny issue of pre-existing conditions. Insurance companies would often exclude patients with these conditions, leaving them without access to essential care. These patients faced devastating choices: paying exorbitant out-of-pocket costs, foregoing treatment entirely, or hiding their conditions to obtain coverage – only to be denied when they needed care most. Some lost their…

AI is advancing gender-transformative health care. But local health systems may need help preparing for it.

The following guest post was written by Yolanda Botti-Lodovico. Botti-Lodovico is the Storytelling and Advocacy Lead at the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation (PJMF), a 21st-century philanthropy advancing artificial intelligence and data solutions to create a thriving, equitable, and sustainable future for all.  An article published in Women’s International Studies Forum defined gender transformative approaches as those aiming to “reshape gender dynamics by redistributing resources, expectations,…

Women’s lives are being shortened by gender inequality – is there a solution?

The following guest post was written by Sylvia Kang, CEO of Mira. A biomedical engineer with passion for entrepreunership, Sylvia founded Mira to help women and people with ovaries take control over their hormonal health and fertility journeys. Women’s health is a tricky landscape to navigate. Did you know that – despite living longer than men on average – women spend a startling…

From Urban Streets to Social Feeds: Communities Fight Back Against Women’s Health Censorship in London and Beyond

In her book, “Invisible Women,” Carolina Criado Perez eloquently points out the pervasive gender biases that shape our public spaces: “When planners fail to account for gender, public spaces become male spaces by default.” This observation lays the groundwork for a broader discussion about the systematic marginalization and censorship faced by women and subsequently women’s health initiatives in both physical and digital…

Enough is Enough: A Call to Prioritize Well-being in the Femtech Ecosystem

In the very heart of the femtech movement, where innovation meets the vast, deep-rooted and underserved needs of women’s health, we’re fighting not just for the wellbeing of others, but also, ironically, often for our own. As the Founder of Femtech Insider, I’ve seen firsthand the incredible strides we’ve made towards recognizing and addressing the health needs of women. Yet, this journey…

Autoimmune Benefits: The Next Big Thing in Workplace Health Initiatives?

The evolution of workplace health benefits is a testament to the growing awareness and sensitivity towards diverse employee needs. From mental health support to fertility and menopause benefits, employers have increasingly embraced a holistic approach to employee well-being over the past years. Now, with the recent announcement from WellTheory and Maven Clinic, there’s a compelling case that autoimmune benefits might just be…

Kindbody’s Growth Ambitions Spotlight Tension Between Venture Capital and Patient Care

In a recent somewhat buzzworthy Bloomberg report, fertility scale-up Kindbody, a trailblazer and well-known unicorn in the femtech world, has come under scrutiny for allegedly nudging its doctors to ramp up egg retrievals — all in the pursuit of beefier profitability margins and the alluring prospect of an IPO. While Kindbody’s growth tactics are currently center stage, it’s crucial to see this…

Why Amazon CTO Werner Vogels Thinks Femtech Will Take Off in 2024

In a recent statement at the AWS re:Invent conference, Werner Vogels, the CTO of Amazon, predicted that femtech is set to become a major trend in the coming years. This prediction is based on the growing investment and interest in the sector, as well as advancements in technology that are making women’s healthcare more accessible and effective. Vogels highlighted the significant potential…