Who Can Women Trust With Their Health?
Women’s health has long been an afterthought in medicine. From the exclusion of women in clinical trials until 1993, to the persistent research gaps in conditions like endometriosis, PCOS, and menopause, it’s no wonder many women feel unheard by the medical establishment.
It’s not necessarily any individual doctor’s fault, medical education itself has significant blind spots when it comes to female physiology. For example, many doctors only receive a few hours of menopause education and medical schools don’t have formal menopause curricula. But the result is the same: Women are often left searching for answers outside of traditional healthcare, turning to online communities, direct-to-consumer (DTC) health solutions, and wellness products.
While this shift has empowered many to take control of their health, it has also exposed them to both misinformation and a system that might prioritize profit over patient well-being. On one hand, the wellness industry is filled with influencers pushing unregulated, overpriced, and ineffective treatments. On the other, traditional healthcare and media outlets are quick to dismiss emerging femtech solutions, sometimes without giving them a fair chance.
So where does that leave women? Trapped between a system that overlooks them and an industry that exploits their need for better care.
The “Do Your Own Research” Dilemma
It’s common to see people scoff at those who “do their own research” online. And in many cases, like the spread of anti-vaccine misinformation, this skepticism is warranted. But when it comes to women’s health, is it really surprising that women feel the need to be their own advocates?
For decades, women’s pain and symptoms have been dismissed as “hormonal,” “normal,” or “psychosomatic.” The average time to receive an endometriosis diagnosis is 8-10 years. Women are more likely than men to be prescribed antidepressants when presenting with pain. Research on menopause remains woefully inadequate, despite the fact that half the population will go through it.
When women feel unheard, they look elsewhere for solutions. And when they do, they’re often met with condescension: “What are your credentials?” or “Are you a doctor?”
But women have no choice but to advocate for themselves. If they don’t, who will?
Right now, two opposing movements are shaping the landscape of women’s health:
The rise of predatory wellness - Social media influencers and wellness coaches market unproven “natural” solutions as superior to traditional medicine. They criticize pharmaceutical companies for being profit-driven while making massive profits themselves, selling expensive supplements, detox teas, and unregulated hormone-balancing kits with little scientific backing.
The knee-jerk dismissal of all DTC solutions - At the same time, mainstream media and medical professionals often reject femtech innovations, even when early research supports their use. For example, fertility tracking apps like Natural Cycles (which has FDA clearance as a contraceptive) and at-home hormone and vaginal microbiome testing services like ScreenMe have faced misleading media coverage, despite their scientific foundations.
Of course, some femtech-related companies do make misleading claims, and robust regulation is needed. But lumping all DTC health solutions together as “snake oil” does a disservice to real scientific advancements.
The Research Problem: If You Don’t Study It, There’s No Evidence
A major reason why some femtech solutions lack strong evidence isn’t necessarily because they’re ineffective, it’s because the research simply hasn’t been done yet. Women’s health research has historically been underfunded, and many aspects of female physiology remain unexplored.
Take conditions like PMDD (premenstrual dysphoric disorder) and perimenopause, both affect millions of women, yet they receive a fraction of the research funding that conditions like erectile dysfunction do. And when studies are conducted, the general public often can’t access them due to paywalls on scientific journals. Academic papers can cost anywhere from $30 to $50 (or more) per article, putting evidence-based research out of reach for the average person.
This creates a vicious cycle:
Lack of research funding → Fewer studies on women’s health conditions
Fewer studies → Less evidence for new treatments and technologies
Less evidence → DTC solutions are dismissed as “unproven”
Lack of credibility → Less research funding
Meanwhile, large media outlets publish misleading articles that further discredit promising femtech innovations.
Femtech as a Solution
Femtech isn’t a replacement for a relationship with a trusted physician, but it’s also not the enemy. It exists because of the gaps in healthcare that mainstream medicine has been slow to fill.
Take the booming menopause market as an example. Women going through menopause often experience severe symptoms that impact their quality of life. Yet, historically, their options were limited to hormone replacement therapy (HRT), which was demonized for years due to a flawed study in the early 2000s. Now, femtech companies are stepping in with personalized HRT, digital support platforms, and symptom tracking tools, filling a void that traditional medicine ignored for decades.
Similarly, reproductive health technology has revolutionized access to fertility tracking, cycle syncing, and hormone monitoring, innovations that were once met with skepticism, much like IVF was initially dismissed as unnatural. While these tools are not a substitute for medical care, they provide women with valuable data about their own bodies, enabling them to make more informed health decisions.
The Future: Supporting Innovation While Demanding Accountability
The solution isn’t to blindly accept all DTC health solutions, nor is it to dismiss them entirely. Instead, we need a balanced approach:
Encourage accessibility - Women shouldn’t have to jump through hoops to get basic health information. Scientific research should be accessible, and affordable health solutions should be prioritized.
Push for more research - Women’s health needs to be a priority in clinical research. The more studies we conduct, the stronger the evidence base for femtech innovations.
Hold everyone accountable - Just as we should scrutinize misleading wellness influencers and companies, we should also question biased reporting that undermines real advancements in women’s health.
Women’s health has been overlooked for far too long, leaving critical gaps in care and research. Femtech companies have stepped up to bridge these gaps, offering innovative solutions where traditional medicine has fallen short. Instead of dismissing these advancements, we should focus on ensuring they are evidence-based, accessible, and effective. In a society where women’s health is still dismissed, we need more solutions, not fewer.
