PMS, pregnancy, and menopause are not simply a part of life, to be tolerated passively, with an approach that inevitably disadvantages women in terms of employment and work. They are a part of being a woman that deserves research, interest and a desire to take action to improve women’s well-being in life and work.

Studies on premenstrual syndrome, menopause, and pregnancy have finally multiplied in recent years, and the emerging data show that more than 82% of women suffer from pain, fatigue, and mood swings during the premenstrual phase. The condition does not improve when dealing with menopausal women, a similar percentage, about 80 percent of women say menopause interferes with their daily lives, and a third also suffer from depression. (1)

But isn’t better health an indispensable element that allows each individual to live better and also work more productively?

Instead of thinking that PMS, pregnancy, and menopause are simply a part of life, to be tolerated passively, with an approach that inevitably disadvantages them in employment and work, we need to look at how to manage all the different symptoms to improve women’s well-being in life and work.

If funding neglects women’s health, it is our mission to attract it

However, to improve women’s health conditions, research, studies and investments are needed, and it should be noted at this point that medical research and investments are still mainly focused on male issues.

Consider, for example, that in Canada and the United Kingdom, only 5.9 percent of funds between 2009 and 2020 were allocated to research that targeted women-specific outcomes or women’s health. (2) Or, consider that until 2015 there were five times as many scientific studies on erectile dysfunction as on PMS. (3)

More recently, for example, in the period between 2019 and 2023, funding for companies that focused on erectile dysfunction was as much as six times that for companies that focused on endometriosis. (4)

If one assumes that, in medical research, one should start from the real needs of the population, one can only conclude that, so far, funding for women’s welfare and health has been scarce.

Repeated studies have amply demonstrated the essential contribution to economic growth made by the increased participation of women in the labor force, and thus their contribution to economic output. (5)

Therefore, the issue of women’s health is closely related to that of economic productivity.

Addressing conditions affecting working-age women with a more functional and effective approach also has a positive economic impact.

It is then even more important to affect solutions to protect women, to prevent specific conditions from not only causing women pain but also reducing their quality of life, affecting their ability to work and their earning potential.

Women, then, are the primary decision-makers in health services not only for themselves but often for their families, so better quality outcomes for women’s health can lead to significant outcomes for society.

In any case, it seems that intervening on sex-specific issues can bear fruit. Such is the case with Viagra for erectile dysfunction, which generated $400 million in sales in the United States in the first three months of marketing in 1998. (6) And in 2012, worldwide sales reached $2.1 billion. (7) Therefore, considering the similar high unmet need for women’s specific diseases, such as endometriosis and menopause, one can well hope for innovative treatments, if not for a more honest approach to research, then at least for the capitalist thrusts of Western society.

Finally, it should not be overlooked that a more inclusive and women’s health-conscious system could also help more women to become inventors, investors, doctors, and founders, who in turn will be more likely to care for the health conditions of other human beings, in a virtuous circle. Research has shown that when inventors set out to solve a health problem, there is a gender difference: male inventors are more likely to solve a male-driven condition, while female-led teams aim to solve problems for both. (8)

The FemTech revolution of women entrepreneurs

Being here to talk about these issues is, however, a clear sign that there is a push in society to change the approach described so far, a push that involves women all over the planet, not only on a conceptual level but also on a technological, medical and financial level.

And in fact, it appears that the current one is, at last, the time for significant growth in technology start-ups that address women’s health and well-being (FemTech), on the topic of maternal, menstrual, sexual health, gynecological devices and fertility solutions, (9) to reverse the trend of the past four years in which the most successful start-ups have focused on men’s sexual and general health.

The world of FemTech companies is significantly led by female entrepreneurs: more than 70 percent of companies have a female founder, compared to an average of 20 percent for new companies, and this is also an interesting aspect.

Besides Sequoia Red, whose mission is to put women at the center of everything, bringing pregnancy into the hands of every single woman, setting a new standard of opportunity and education in women’s health, fueling a new movement of women proudly supporting their bodies and life choices, other startups are boldly and determinedly entering the international arena.

For example, startup Barcelona-based Domma has been awarded €950 million to provide several natural products to support during the menopause transition to alleviate discomfort before, during and after menopause.
The app The Essence, based in Paris, has been awarded more than €500 million to address menstrual health disparities in the workplace. The artificial intelligence-based app aligns work schedules with the 4 phases of the cycle. It is a digital coach for women to build micro routines, intending to transform menstruation from a burden to a superpower. While a male hormone cycle lasts about 24 hours, a woman’s cycle lasts an average of 28 days. Essence wants to challenge society’s habit of the 24-hour cycle and help women reach their potential in work and life.
Another startup, based in Paris, Sorella, received 5 million to enhance its hybrid health system dedicated to women, taking into consideration every stage of life from puberty to post-menopause and recognizing the close interconnection of physical, mental and emotional well-being.

In terms of pregnancy care, in the United States, there is a growing move toward maternity centers and clinics that offer a collaborative care model. The startup Oula, based in New York City, has secured an additional $28 million in Series B funding to open new clinics and offer more services, bringing its total funding to nearly $50 million. (10)

The merit of these facilities is that women feel considered and listened to precisely during a time of transformation in their lives, the health care system thus being able to respond to changing expectations and address the disparity in maternal care.

There is no one-size-fits-all system for pregnancy and how it should be treated.

A highly medicalized approach can lead on the one hand to more interventions and on the other hand to leaving some women without the services they need. This method of maternity care, therefore, more often leads to unsatisfactory experiences for women, poor outcomes and higher costs. According to the Listening to Mothers Survey, in California, 74% of women said they wanted a less medicalized approach to pregnancy and childbirth. (11)

The phenomenon of miscarriages, in the early months of pregnancy, is also very common, and even this, medically, is not considered a big problem, while for the woman it has a significant impact, which can extend over time.

Studies show that forms of care and attention to a woman’s physiological situation throughout pregnancy, as well as services that prioritize midwives’ intervention, reduce the incidence of preterm delivery and cesarean delivery and improve women’s satisfaction because they increase awareness and confidence in themselves and their abilities both during pregnancy and after delivery.

Often the journey of motherhood is hindered by the fragmentation of care processes, resulting in discontinuity of care, so that the experience of motherhood is negatively affected, and this was even more evident during COVID-19, even to the point of being unable to choose who to have next to them. In contrast, care provided by a broad and diverse group of skilled professionals allows women to be the focus of comprehensive assessment, with greater personalization of care. (12)

The pregnancy landscape needs to be redesigned because gaps in care at the beginning of pregnancy and immediately after delivery also need to be filled. It is important to emphasize that even when medical needs are not encountered, thus forcing the intervention of a dedicated professional, these are times when women need at least emotional, and then practical support as well.

It is increasingly clear that what women are looking for is a modern, compassionate model of pregnancy support that offers better outcomes than the system has shown to date.

And we must realize it.

You know yourself better than anyone else. If your symptoms are causing you distress, your experience is valid and you deserve help.