The Rise of Fem-Tech: How New Tools Are Changing Women's Health
February 14, 2025
Technology designed to support women's health—often called fem-tech—is becoming one of the fastest-growing areas in healthcare. From simple apps that help track menstrual cycles to wearable devices that ease menopause symptoms, fem-tech is helping address health issues that have been overlooked for years. But while this technology holds a lot of promise, it's important to look at both the benefits and the challenges it brings.
How Fem-Tech is Growing and Who's Benefiting
The fem-tech industry has seen significant growth in recent years. In 2024, the market was valued at approximately $28.7 billion and is projected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.4% from 2025 to 2034, potentially reaching around $82.2 billion by 2034.
However, this growth isn't reaching everyone equally. Women in big cities or with higher incomes are more likely to have access to these technologies, while women in rural areas or those with lower incomes are often left out. For example, someone living in a city may easily find an app to track their fertility or a device to help with pregnancy recovery, but a woman in a small town might not even know these tools exist, let alone be able to afford them.
To make sure fem-tech helps all women, not just those with more resources, companies and healthcare providers need to focus on making these products affordable and accessible to everyone, no matter where they live or how much money they have.
Changing the Conversation Around Women's Health
Fem-tech isn't just about gadgets and apps—it's also helping break down long-standing stigmas around women's health. Topics like menstruation, menopause, and sexual health have often been treated as uncomfortable or taboo, but new technologies are making it easier to talk openly and honestly about these important issues.
Products like Elvie's breast pump, which allows for discreet and comfortable pumping, and Ava's fertility tracker, which helps women better understand their menstrual cycles, are giving women more control over their health. Companies like Dame Products and Lioness are focusing on sexual wellness, using technology to create products that help women feel more confident and informed about their bodies. By bringing these topics into the mainstream, fem-tech is helping normalize conversations about women's health and encouraging more women to take charge of their well-being.
The Challenges Fem-Tech Faces
While fem-tech has made impressive strides, it's not without its challenges. One of the biggest concerns is privacy. Many fem-tech apps collect personal health information, like menstrual cycles, fertility data, or even sexual activity. If this information isn't handled carefully, it could be misused or shared without a person's consent. This raises serious questions about how secure these technologies really are and whether users can trust them.
Another challenge is whether these products are actually effective. Some fem-tech tools are well-researched and tested, but others may hit the market without enough scientific proof to back up their claims. For example, an app might promise to predict ovulation or manage menopause symptoms, but if it hasn't been properly tested, it could give inaccurate information that affects a woman's health choices.
Fem-tech is clearly changing the landscape of women's healthcare, but for it to truly succeed, companies need to make sure their products are safe, effective, and trustworthy. Without these safeguards, it's hard to know whether fem-tech is genuinely improving health outcomes—or just making promises it can't keep.
Who's Being Left Behind? Addressing Inequality in Fem-Tech
Even though fem-tech is helping many women, not all women are benefiting equally. The gap in healthcare between men and women, often called the gender health gap, becomes even wider when we consider factors like race, income, and location. This is where the idea of intersectionality comes in—it's about understanding how different parts of a person's identity combine to create unique challenges.
For example, Black women in the U.S. are three to four times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women, even when they have the same income and education. This isn't just a problem with access to care—it's also about systemic racism in the healthcare system and implicit biases that affect how women of color are treated by doctors.
Similarly, Hispanic and Native American women face higher rates of cervical cancer but have lower survival rates because they often don't have access to regular screenings or early treatment. Even when technologies like fem-tech could help with these issues, the people who need them most are often the ones who have the hardest time accessing them.
For fem-tech to truly make a difference, it needs to address these disparities head-on. That means not just creating new technologies, but also finding ways to make them available to all women, especially those in marginalized communities.
The Road Ahead for Fem-Tech
As fem-tech continues to grow, it's clear that technology has the power to reshape how women manage their health, from everyday wellness to complex medical conditions. The rapid innovation in this space reflects a broader shift toward personalized, accessible healthcare solutions that address the unique needs of women across all stages of life. However, the true potential of fem-tech will only be realized when these advancements are inclusive, affordable, and grounded in trust and evidence. By focusing on closing gaps in access, ensuring data privacy, and fostering diverse voices in innovation, the future of women's health technology looks bright—not just for those already benefiting, but for women everywhere. As new solutions emerge, they will play a critical role in building a more equitable and comprehensive healthcare landscape, empowering women to take charge of their health like never before.