femtech:brief #02: Menopause
👋🏽👋🏽 Hello and welcome back to femtech:brief!
This week we discuss Menopause. Did you know that October 18th is World Menopause Day? And so we feel the need to keep the conversations around menopause going.
Menopause is a natural process, which happens to all women at some point in their lives. Menopause is not the same for every woman, which is why there is such a wide variety of symptoms associated with it. Even with menopause occurring in all women, there is not a lot of information around it. And so, we’d like to bring to you the efforts in the femtech industry to raise more awareness and support to people experiencing it with technology and innovative solutions.
Remus Brett, an investment partner at LocalGlobe, said: “Menopause represents a major phase of a woman’s life and the current healthcare system struggles to provide the multifaceted and long-term support that women need.”
Science Behind
Hot flushes and menopause
What are Hot flushes that happen in 30% of women during their menopause?
Menopause is a time of change, a time when a woman’s body and mind are out of balance. Each woman has a unique experience when her hormones change which leads to changes in her symptoms. The most common symptom of menopause is hot flashes. Hot flashes are sudden, intense feelings of heat on the skin accompanied by sweating. They can occur at any time of the day, usually beginning in the prime of the day and lasting for 5 to 15 minutes. Although many women experience hot flashes, there are some who experience them occasionally, or not at all. The frequency and intensity of hot flushes also vary.
An example of how femtech is helping advance our understanding and treatment of hot flushes is Grace. Grace offers the world's first automated tracking and cooling bracelet. The bracelet promises to detect and fend off hot flushes 24 hours a day: even before people know they're going to have one hot flush a cooling patch is activated on their wrist, aiming to reverse its effects. With full automation, Grace can also be worn while people are asleep to combat night sweats. The bracelet is currently under development but you can register your interest and they’ll keep you posted on timeline and updates!
Menopause Treatment is a Reality Not a Choice!
On Femtech.Live, a media platform about all things femtech, we learned that women in England are fighting for free Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT), a treatment to relieve symptoms of menopause. Unlike in Scotland and Wales where treatment is free of charge, the National Health Service (NHS) in England charges £9.35 ($17) per item.
The menopause is a reality for women and not a choice
- Nimco Ali, co-founder of Ginsburg Women’s Health Board
The Ginsburg Women’s Health Board has launched a campaign calling HRT’s fees to be removed. You can support this campaign on Twitter using the hashtag #FreeHRT.
Startups to know
Thanks to advances in femtech and women demanding solutions to problems never addressed before, more and more companies are now working on developing innovative products aimed at making women’s lives better.
Embr: Embr Wave is a wristband that helps make hot flashes more bearable and regain control over the user’s thermal comfort.
Genneve: They offer customizable plans to support women through every stage of menopause.
Alloy: A digital health startup that treats menopause symptoms through telehealth services.
Startup of the week
ViraHealth is a startup that offers personalized menopause care. For women experiencing menopause, the relief they need is often not readily available and research has shown the most practitioners feel they are not equipped for menopause management. The idea behind the company is to provide women with access to personalized care, as well as education about what to expect during menopause. Founded in 2020, Vira Health has recently raised £1.5 million in seed funding.
There is an opportunity to use technology to redress this balance by improving the collection and use of female data in healthcare.
- Andrea Berchowitz, co-founder of Vira Health
ViraHealth’s core product, the app Stella, combines evidence-based treatments, such as cognitive behavioural therapy, pelvic floor exercises, and diet and lifestyle changes into a tailored treatment plan.
💡 Fun fact
By 2025, 1.1 billion women are expected to be postmenopausal, often hitting women at the height of their careers. This opens untapped opportunities for startups exploring the space with a spending power of $600 million. Now, that’s a lot of money!
👁️🗨️ Bonus read
Tabu How To: Talk to your partner about sexual wellness
Nearly half of women stop being sexually active altogether in their 50s.
Tabu offers the first sexual wellness kit made for menopause.
Community Discussion
Menopause does not occur suddenly but has a transition stage that can start showing symptoms sometimes a decade earlier. Don’t we all know someone who is going through menopause? How can we help them age healthier? Let us know.