Needed, a company dedicated to improving perinatal nutrition, has launched Needed Academy, an Instagram-based educational program designed to address the critical need for accurate information on fertility, pregnancy, and postpartum health. Needed Academy is an educational platform specifically created for health practitioners, advocates, and influencer partners associated with Needed. The program responds to the widespread issue of outdated and inaccurate health information on social media by mandating that all prospective partners complete and pass this curriculum.
In the U.S., the average prenatal appointment lasts only 12 minutes, often neglecting essential nutritional guidance. As a result, many women are left without the critical information needed to support maternal and fetal health during this crucial period. Alarmingly, 95% of women are nutritionally depleted before, during, and after pregnancy.
“Most women in the U.S. see an OB for their pregnancy, yet OBs receive very little nutritional training,” says Dr. Phabillia Afflack, MD, OB-GYN. “The system just isn’t set up for nutrition to be a focus of pregnancy care. Needed Academy provides critical information that every practitioner and woman on the motherhood journey deserves to know.”
Needed Academy aims to fill this educational void by offering free, easily accessible content that equips health advocates with the latest evidence-based information. The curriculum is based on over 630 research studies that reveal current nutrition guidelines are set well below optimal levels. Developed in collaboration with Needed Changemakers, a group of over 4,000 health professionals, the program includes insights from nutritionists, dietitians, naturopathic doctors, midwives, and OB-GYNs.
“Nutrition is the foundation of any healthy pregnancy journey, but is mostly ignored in our current standard of care,” says Julie Sawaya, co-founder and CEO of Needed. “Women are left to do their own research in a category that’s crowded with misinformation, and we know social media is one of the places many turn to for answers. Needed Academy strengthens our commitment to expert-backed information and is the embodiment of the radically higher standard for education and responsible sharing that we hold ourselves and our partners to.”
Each session of Needed Academy features leading women’s health experts who guide learners through the physical demands of fertility, pregnancy, and postpartum, explaining what women’s bodies need nutritionally to thrive. The program also addresses why women require more nutritional support than current standards provide and offers insights into the science and clinical experience behind Needed’s products, emphasizing the importance of sharing this information responsibly.
The launch of Needed Academy is particularly relevant to the femtech ecosystem, where accurate, evidence-based health information is crucial. By providing this education via a popular platform like Instagram, Needed is making vital information more accessible and explores new ways how health education can be delivered in the digital age.
