JMIR Publications released a News and Perspectives story on Jun. 11 highlighting technological innovations in women's health care. In the article "Bridging the Gender Gap in Health Care Innovation: The Evolution of FemTech," JMIR Correspondent Jenny Castillo Cato describes how FemTech has expanded over the past decade to become a significant force for women's health globally.
Cato writes that FemTech, or female-focused health care technology, emerged as a response to longstanding disparities in women's health care. These disparities include major gaps in research funding and medical treatment stemming from what she calls "deep-rooted gender biases." What began as a handful of initiatives focused on menstrual tracking and fertility awareness has grown into a broad range of reproductive care resources, enabling women to proactively monitor and manage their own health. Some initiatives, such as Invocares or Health in Her HUE, aim to address women's health inequity within broader systemic contexts like racial and socioeconomic disparities.
According to Cato, changing attitudes towards women's health, demand arising from regulatory changes in reproductive rights—including the 2022 overturning of Roe v. Wade in the United States—and expanding access to telehealth services have all contributed to growth in this field. As FemTech becomes a multi-billion dollar industry, international funding bodies are creating opportunities for further innovation through programs such as Qatar Science & Technology Park and Merck's collaborative FemTech Accelerator Program.
Looking ahead, Cato writes that the future of FemTech will extend beyond reproductive health issues. The sector is beginning to focus on conditions that disproportionately affect women or are under-researched—such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, and certain chronic illnesses. She states that these innovations are driven by continued investment, policy support, and improved access: "to address longstanding gender disparities and redefine how women access and experience medical care outside of traditional pathways."
