AI creating solutions bridging the female health inequality gap
By Nicola Finn, OggaDoon Digital Marketing and PR
In the ever-evolving landscape of healthcare, technology has been a driving force in revolutionising the way we approach various aspects of well-being. Femtech, a subsector of health technology focusing on women’s health, has seen significant advancements in recent years, thanks to the integration of artificial intelligence (AI).
In 2016, Ida Tin, the CEO of Clue coined the term “femtech” to validate and promote the female health technology market, this important stake in the ground plated by Tin stimulated and increased attention together with investment and innovation in this field.
The size of the global femtech market has gone on to be valued at $40.2 billion in 2020, and it is anticipated to experience a consistent Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 13.3% from 2020 to 2025. This trajectory is expected to culminate in a market value of $75.1 billion. Despite gaining more attention and recognition in recent years, the femtech sector still stands as an undervalued industry with significant untapped growth potential.
Much of modern medicine has been developed around the male genes and based on male data. Now by using AI, femtech developers can create solutions that not only bridge the female health inequality gap but also bridge the wider female health data gap. All of which empower females to have a better understanding of their bodies, health and well-being through science-based data.
At a broader level, to promote health equity for women, it is essential to integrate a sex and gender perspective into data, algorithms, and healthcare. This includes incorporating proactive bias testing in AI innovations and advocating for gender diversity in new research, funding policies, and practices.
Now it’s time to delve into some of the most prominent AI trends that are shaping the future of FemTech and highlight some of the pioneers leading the charge in bridging the female health gap.
Personalised Healthcare
AI’s ability to process vast amounts of data allows for personalised healthcare solutions. In FemTech, this means tailoring apps and devices to a woman’s unique physiology and needs. From fertility tracking to menstrual cycle predictions, these technologies help women make informed decisions about their health.
Menstrual Health Tracking
AI-powered apps and wearables have made menstrual cycle tracking more accurate and user-friendly. They can predict ovulation, monitor fertility, and even alert users to irregularities or potential health concerns. This not only empowers women to understand their bodies better but can also be invaluable for family planning and reproductive health.
The product MyFORM™, from Forth is a good example of this as it allows women to enhance and optimise general well-being and exercise performance. It can also provide insight in helping navigate the challenges of perimenopause or in managing conditions influenced by female hormones, including fertility issues, PCOS, and PMS.
AI for personal training
In the era of wearables and health and fitness applications, there is a more advanced category of A.I.-driven health and fitness apps. Again, there is another data female health gap as 6–8% of sports research is done on female-only groups. This differentiation can again be addressed by AI by offering women personalised care and products that cater for their specific needs, women are not men and every woman has their unique hormone orchestra.
Wild AI has a training dashboard that interacts with the data from fitness apps like Strava, Garmin, Oura or Apple. It analyses the vital statistics during performance together with resting and then makes nutritional, recovery and training recommendations specifically to their physiology. This helps women reach their peak performance by understanding the internal barometers of fitness.
AI for Mental health
In recent years, mental health, especially since the pandemic, has been elevated in importance and created a much-needed platform for us to understand and address mental illness. With the continuous progression of technology, AI-driven resources are becoming increasingly attainable, empowering individuals to assume greater responsibility for their mental well-being.
Mental health is a critical component of women’s well-being. AI-driven chatbots and virtual therapists offer women discreet and readily available emotional support. They can identify signs of stress, anxiety, or depression and provide coping strategies or suggest professional help when needed.
Through the utilisation of machine learning and natural language processing, these AI tools can effectively process user input and provide individualised guidance and assistance.
Furthermore, they have the potential to diminish the social stigma associated with mental health issues and expand the accessibility of high-quality care.
Clementine is one such app which helps women conquer challenges related to their mental well-being, such as stress, anxiety, and sleep disturbances while fostering self-confidence by transforming their mindset from ‘I cannot’ to ‘I can’.
Clementine offers digital access to cognitive hypnotherapy; a type of therapy that can transform thoughts, feelings and behaviours by teaching the brain more positive thought patterns. It does this through both its app and community that is dedicated to aiding women experiencing fatigue, stress, anxiety, and low moods in finding tranquillity and self-assurance. Its goal is to empower women by disrupting and transforming negative thoughts into empowering ones.
Pregnancy and Postpartum Care
AI is transforming pregnancy and postpartum care with smart devices that monitor fetal health, offer pregnancy advice, and track postpartum recovery. These tools can help reduce stress and anxiety for expectant and new mothers.
This app supports women through the initial 1,001 days of parenthood. Its mission is to support families in addressing a wider spectrum of challenges aligned with the UK Government’s A Better Start in Life initiative.
Anya AI is a virtual assistant developed to provide broader, more in-depth, and highly efficient 24/7 support, combining AI-driven assistance with specialist guidance. Users can now access both ongoing and past chat interactions. Additionally, the newly introduced insights and explore features deliver personalised articles, videos, webinars, and content to cater to parents at every stage of the pregnancy, parenting, and infant feeding journey. Virtual community groups have also been expanded to include moderated peer support. All information is shared in a compassionate, non-judgmental, and supportive manner.
The best promotional strategies to boost awareness
So, these are just a few examples demonstrating the surge of development and demand for retail health apps and services. Here at OggaDoon we have supported many femtech clients as their products transition from their alpha stage to beta and ultimately reach commercialisation. Health tech innovators and strategists face the challenge of selecting a combination of promotional strategies to promote awareness, stimulate adoption, increase downloads, or boost sales of a brand’s offerings. It’s important to recognise that there is no one-size-fits-all approach in this endeavour. Here are some femtech case studies from OggaDoon projects that highlight different effective strategies.
It’s important to demonstrate authenticity and some key content marketing strategies include data within the story content mix to set the scene. This needs to be science-led to re-enforce credibility. Other content categories that are important to add to your tool kit include qualified experts, real people case studies around ‘real impact’, reviews, partnerships with brands or health and lifestyle influencers together with community case studies.
Read out 7 effective strategies to promote your health, well-being and fit tech brands here. Get in touch with OggaDoon if you’d like a friendly ear to chat through your content marketing goals.
