Understanding the Dangers and Benefits of Femtech

Nora Love Studener, Erika Zelko

Keywords: femtech, female health, fertility, menopause, urinary incontinence, mental health, fitness, cancer, health risks, health benefits, electromagnetic radiation, blue light, data collection

Introduction:

Femtech, an abbreviation for female technology, a rapidly growing industry, which creates female focused solutions for unique health challenges. While many studies have explored its sociological impacts and raised concerns about privacy and data security, less attention has been given to its clinical outcomes and potential risks.

Method:

A literature search was conducted using PubMed, Google Scholar and Semantic Scholar. To be eligible for inclusion sources needed to provide innovative femtech solutions and clinical relevance. Product websites were included in this review. In sum, 113 studies and 38 websites were identified as relevant.

Results:

The use of femtech showed significant advances in cardiovascular health, pregnancy, postpartum, pelvic floor health, endometriosis, menopause, mental health, cancer, migraines and reproductive health. However, femtech typically relies on internet-based devices, which emit electromagnetic radiation and blue light. Electromagnetic radiation has been shown to cause significant damage to reproductive cells, while blue light has the potential to disrupt hormonal balance, potentially increasing the risk of infertility and cancer development. Furthermore, femtech has the ability to reinforce societal and gendered expectations and presents significant privacy and data security concerns.

Conclusions:

Femtech offers women support throughout different life phases and health issues, by providing unprecedented opportunities for personalised care. However, its potential for cellular damage, psychological harm and lack of regulation poses a risk, which requires raising user awareness.

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