Femtech: a smarter way through menopause and the climacteric period

If we look at the trends in the tech start-up scene, we cannot ignore FemTech. FemTech, short for Female Health Technology, deals with technical solutions that focus on women's health and their needs. Female health is still insufficiently researched. Women's needs and specific data on the female body are often neglected when it comes to women-specific topics such as menstruation, endometriosis or menopause, as well as diseases that affect women more often, such as osteoporosis or cardiovascular diseases.

A lack of awareness and solutions means that the health of women – who after all make up half of the population – is not understood and respected well enough. Not only does this affect the quality of life of around 4 billion people around the world, it also results in costs that could be reduced with targeted research and development. We have already taken a look at the topic of menstruation and menstrual leave. Another topic that affects all women throughout their lives is the menopause complex and the climacteric period.

We associate the menopause with the end of menstruation, the end of fertility. The image of older women briefly comes to mind. However, the menopause does not occur suddenly – it is part of the natural hormonal change: the climacteric period. This period is divided into different phases. The perimenopause refers to the years before the final cessation of menstruation – the onset of the menopause – and for a short time afterwards. The postmenopause describes the period after the end of the fertile phase – it can take a few years for the hormonal processes to re-regulate.

Many women experience a rollercoaster ride during the colloquially known menopause, both physically and mentally. Hot flushes, sleep disorders, memory problems and even anxiety and depression – all triggered by hormonal fluctuations and changes. At least 34 symptoms can be attributed to the menopause.

This is a natural phase of change that can certainly match the intensity of puberty. It occurs in women from around the age of 40 and can last until the age of 60.

The perimenopause has a significant impact on the professional environment. Around two thirds of all women have moderate to severe health problems at this stage of life. In Germany, the age group of women aged between 40 and 59 was the largest group at around 11.5 million in 2022. In 2021, over 7.6 million in this age group were in the workforce. Women in Germany take 15 sick days due to menopausal symptoms. And feel less productive and resilient due to the discomfort – according to studies by the University of Nottingham.

According to the Global Menopause Research Report, only one in ten female employees in Germany receives support in the workplace. Companies, however, run the risk of losing talented female employees: one in three to four women in the age group between 45 and 55 are considering giving up work, reducing their working hours or taking a lower-paid job. Yet they are in a phase of life in which they could reorganize their careers and make a fresh start.

However, employers would have to establish an understanding for the women concerned in their corporate culture, similar to what is already common practice for pregnancies, for example. The University of Nottingham has identified four relevant areas for the world of work in which employers can provide support:

• greater awareness of managers about the menopause as a possible occupational health issue for women
• increased flexibility of working hours and working arrangements
• better access to informal and formal sources of support
• improvements in workplace temperature and ventilation

Support not only pays off in terms of work culture, but also economically. The loss of productivity caused by menopause costs around 150 billion dollars a year worldwide – and the trend is rising due to the demographic trend.

The variety and diversity of symptoms do not make it easy for women to attribute them to the completely normal hormonal changes. In addition, 37 percent of women in Germany feel that their gynecologist provides inadequate advice and care during the menopause. Too little knowledge is transferred during medical studies and the consultation is difficult to bill: Gynecologists receive 16.89 Euros per quarter for the care of menopausal symptoms, regardless of how often the woman visits the practice. Women often remain uninformed or have to pay for private medical advice and treatment. If they turn to other specialists, they rarely receive the right help due to a lack of interdisciplinary exchange.

However, the time around the menopause is precisely the time that sets the course for health into old age: With proper prevention, osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and dementia can be significantly reduced.

Fortunately, women's health is increasingly moving into the focus of technology and innovation – partly because there is a veritable market to be tapped into. Artificial intelligence (AI) is also making its mark here.

The market is still primarily focused on the treatment of menopausal symptoms: for example, the smart Thermaband can detect the onset of hot flushes and counteract them with a cooling effect. Apps to support mental health also rely on AI and can help women through the phases of mood swings, guide meditation or support them in coping with stress.

Technologically supported innovations in the FemTech sector are still in their infancy – and the potential of AI is enormous. The key advantage lies in the processing and analysis of data sets with the ability to make predictions from them. AI can evaluate health data such as cycle data, hormone levels or vital and movement data in a personalized way and provide suitable recommendations for action.

Today, it makes sense to counteract hormonal changes with hormone therapy. Studies have shown the pros and cons of administering synthetic or bio-identical hormones. It can be a good option, but is often a case of trial and error.

If AI can recognize and predict hormone fluctuations, individualized hormone replacement would be possible. There are similarly high hopes for the diagnosis of many other diseases, such as breast or cervical cancer. AI-based diagnostic tools recognize the early warning signs and support the findings.

In March 2023, the topic of menopause also made it into the German parliament thanks to initiatives such as #wirsind9millionen (translation: #weare9million) - the birth of the political debate on menopause. Public attention is therefore growing. As a result, the topic of menopause is becoming less taboo in society and in the workplace. And the innovations expected in the healthcare market will further improve care for women. Half the population will be grateful.