How periods have led to the rise of Femtech
The Femtech market is one of the fastest growing areas within the world of technology and it is set to be worth around $50bn (£39bn) by 2025.
From period management technology to feminist chatbots, this sector offers a variety of unusual innovations. Let’s discover exactly how women have left their mark on the tech industry and the type of products that are currently under development.
What do we mean by Femtech?
Until recently, female-led tech companies weren’t easy to come by. However, we’re now seeing more and more strong women, trans, and non-binary people enter this innovative field, ready to make inspiring changes.
This movement has been named, ‘Femtech’ — a new wave of technological innovation. The term was first coined by Ida Tin, founder of the menstruation tracker app Clue, and has since been used to describe a surge of female-led businesses in the tech sector.
Although period management technology is only a recent innovation, we are already seeing some interesting revelations. The taboos surrounding periods are finally lifting, and this is allowing for a plethora of exciting innovations that we didn’t even know we needed!
There are now plenty of digital products to try. From birth control options to monitoring first period signs, we now have access to apps and trackers that help us better manage and maintain our periods.
How can Femtech help you manage your period?
Femtech is set to help us out in so many exciting ways. There is now an abundance of period-management and women’s health devices and apps on the market. Here are a few of the most popular options.
1) Bellabeat
This Femtech company specialises in beautifully designed wellness trackers. From leaf-themed jewellery to elegant watches and smart water bottles, Bellabeat does it all.
Their delicate products can be easily incorporated into your wardrobe without looking too techy, and they can track your physical activity, sleep patterns, stress levels, and your menstrual cycle. This product also offers guided meditation exercises to train and calm your mind.
2) Clue
This innovative app was named as one of TIME’s 50 genius companies of 2018. First designed by Ida Tin in 2013, Clue allows users to monitor a cycle, not only by recording when you begin and finish your period, but by allowing you to monitor all of your symptoms during each cycle.
3) Natural Cycles
Defining itself as ‘hormone-free contraception’, Natural Cycles is a DIY tracking system. This company is more focussed on smart birth control methods than general period tracking, and they offer a healthy and reliant contraception method that relies on data rather than hormones.
Natural Cycles’ algorithm-based fertility tracker works by referring to your basal body temperature (BBT). Just before ovulation, a woman’s blood temperature is usually around 36 degrees Celsius, but it will see a very slight increase when an egg is released, allowing the tracker to know when you are at your most fertile.
4) NextGen Jane
The idea behind this tech start-up is to give women the power to check potential health concerns at home. First established by biomedical engineer, Ridhi Tariyal, NextGen Jane aims to give women the ability to test their menstrual blood themselves if they are concerned about conditions such as endometriosis and cervical cancer.
Their products are still in the testing stage, but there are certainly big things on the horizon.
Thanks to Femtech, women are taking back control of their periods
Thanks to fantastic Femtech innovations like these ones, women are now able to take back control of their periods. The breakthrough of women in tech and the incredible period-management solutions that have so far come from it are incredible to behold, but we are still at the beginning of this journey.
Currently, for example, only 22% of the people building AI are female, so working to make sure our tech is still fully inclusive is an uphill battle. However, we are certainly on the right path to a balanced tech industry and a brand-new array of products to help better manage women’s health.
Photo by Erol Ahmed
