My team from The Brydon Group and I recently took a look at companies in the women's health space. We were excited by the range of companies we found, but also disappointed that the scale isn't even greater. This led me to do a bit of research on femtech, and the clearest way I can think of to organize it is by life stage.
The Current State
The picture that emerges is one of significant unmet need. The U.S. maternal mortality ratio sits at approximately 22 deaths per 100,000 live births, among the highest in high-income countries. Over 80 percent of these deaths are considered preventable. Women wait an average of 6.6 years for an endometriosis diagnosis and 4.3 years for PCOS. Rural areas have far fewer services, and hot topics in health tech such as personalized medicine and longevity rarely focus on women.
This represents not just a health gap but an economic one. The femtech market is valued at ~$60 billion today and projected to reach over $100 billion by 2030, yet femtech receives only 1 to 2 percent of healthtech funding. Closing Black maternal health gaps alone could add ~$25 billion to GDP annually.
Young Adulthood
Health needs and conditions begin during adolescence and early adulthood, but many won't be diagnosed for years. The average woman with endometriosis will wait over six years from symptom onset to diagnosis. PCOS takes over four years. This delay has cascading effects on quality of life, fertility, and productivity.
Contraceptive innovation has stalled in recent decades. Beyond tracking apps and minor variations on hormonal methods, women have essentially the same options their mothers had. The connection between hormonal fluctuations and mental health remains poorly understood, despite affecting millions of women.
Companies like Flo and Clue have made period tracking mainstream, reaching tens of millions of users. Daye is developing diagnostic tampons that could screen for conditions during menstruation. But the opportunities remain substantial, such as early detection tools that could identify endometriosis or PCOS years earlier, novel contraceptive technologies that expand beyond hormonal methods, and integrated platforms connecting hormonal health with mental health support.
Fertility
The fertility space has seen more innovation than most areas of women's health. Maven Clinic, Kindbody, Modern Fertility, and Oova have built platforms for fertility testing, IVF navigation, and ovulation tracking. Telehealth has expanded access to fertility expertise. And employer benefits options like Carrot are becoming ever more sophisticated.
Yet significant barriers remain. IVF costs tens of thousands of dollars and is rarely covered by insurance, making it accessible primarily to higher-income women or those with employers willing to foot the bill. Services concentrate in urban areas, leaving rural and underserved communities behind. Male fertility receives minimal attention despite male factors contributing to roughly 50 percent of infertility cases. Women often discover fertility impacts of previously undiagnosed conditions only when trying to conceive, at which point interventions are more complex and costly.
The opportunities include affordable at-home testing and monitoring, male fertility diagnostics and treatments, AI tools that predict fertility windows and outcomes with greater accuracy, and platforms that democratize access to fertility expertise in underserved areas.
Prenatal and Postnatal Care
This stage presents some of the starkest gaps. The U.S. maternal mortality rate is the highest among wealthy nations. Black women experience maternal mortality rates three times higher than white women. Over 35 percent of U.S. counties are maternity care deserts, lacking birthing facilities or obstetric clinicians. Postpartum care is minimal and typically ends at the six-week checkup, despite most maternal deaths occurring in the postpartum period. Evidence-based supports like doulas, physical therapy, and nutrition counseling face minimal reimbursement and inclusion in care pathways.
Companies like Mahmee, Expectful, Swehl, Progency, Pacify, and Pomelo are addressing pieces of this puzzle through prenatal education, postpartum recovery, pelvic floor health, breastfeeding support, and virtual care. But the scale remains far below the need. At a minimum, more telehealth could provide earlier detection and more adherence to care plans than asking expecting moms to come in for weekly visits, especially for far-away care.
The opportunities are substantial, such as remote monitoring tools for high-risk pregnancies, postpartum care platforms extending support beyond six weeks, early warning systems using AI to detect physical and mental health complications before they become emergencies (like NeuroFlow does for ante- and postpartum depression and anxiety), solutions specifically designed for maternity care deserts, and equity-focused, evidence-based interventions both pre- and postpartum.
Midlife and Perimenopause
Menopause affects every woman but remains understudied relative to its prevalence. Symptoms are frequently dismissed or under-treated. Access to hormone replacement therapy is inconsistent, with many clinicians lacking training in menopause management. The substantial increase in cardiovascular risk following menopause often goes unrecognized. These health challenges frequently coincide with peak career years, creating productivity impacts that remain largely unmeasured.
Recent years have seen the emergence of companies like Midi Health, Elektra Health, and Evernow focusing specifically on menopause care and hormone therapy access. This represents progress, but the category remains underdeveloped relative to need. Some modern approaches, including partnerships with health systems, are trying to increase cancer screening as well, such as Solis and Teal Health, but access can still be limited.
Opportunities include comprehensive menopause care platforms addressing symptoms, hormones, mental health, bone health, and cardiovascular health. Better education for both clinicians, such as OBGYNs & PCPs, and patients is needed, along with financial alignment that supports appropriate care. Workplace wellness programs addressing menopause could improve both health outcomes and productivity. Integration of menopause care with cardiovascular and bone health monitoring could address the elevated risks of this life stage.
Aging and Longevity
This represents the least developed area in women's health technology. Women have longer lifespans than men but accumulate more disability-adjusted life years. Bone health screening typically occurs after fractures rather than as prevention. Women comprise two-thirds of Alzheimer's patients, yet research into sex-specific risk factors remains limited. Pelvic floor disorders affect a large percentage of older women but are rarely discussed. Sexual health in aging receives minimal attention in both research and product development.
A few companies like Escala are beginning to focus on this demographic, along with some bone and pelvic health companies. But comprehensive solutions are rare.
In this space, opportunities include bone density screening tools for earlier intervention, cognitive health tracking with women-specific risk assessment, non-invasive pelvic floor treatments, sexual wellness products for older women, and comprehensive healthy aging platforms that address longevity enablement rather than just disease management. There is likely a market for women's concierge care, as an example.
Cross-Cutting Themes
Several patterns emerge across life stages. Better diagnostics could prevent years of delayed detection and unnecessary suffering. Longitudinal data analysis may reveal important relationships between hormonal transitions and chronic disease development. Solutions focused on access disparities could address systematic gaps in care delivery, particularly for rural and underserved populations. Mental health integration is needed across all stages, as hormonal changes impact mental health from adolescence through menopause and beyond, and women are more likely to proactively seek mental health care. Preventive rather than reactive approaches may improve outcomes across multiple conditions.
The Path Forward
The sector has seen increased attention recently. Investment reached $2.2 billion in 2024. The Gates Foundation committed $2.5 billion to women's health research and development. Public awareness is growing.
Yet the gap remains substantial. Funding levels are disproportionate to both the health burden and economic impact of women's health conditions. The difference between achievable outcomes with timely, equitable care and current care delivery represents an opportunity for meaningful innovation.
The innovators who address these gaps across the lifespan could restore hundreds of thousands of healthy life years and unlock tens of billions in economic value. The question is not whether this market will grow, but how quickly we can close the gaps.
