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How the women’s health wearables battle is heating up
Around one in seven British adults use a smart watch or fitness tracker, with women more likely than men to use a fitness device, according to research from Silicon. But why is it that such devices are more popular amongst women than men? And how are the world’s tech giants adapting to suit this shift? Femtech World reports.
A fitness tracker can compile a variety of data about the wearer’s activities, depending on the complexity of the device. Users can monitor this data with a corresponding app, where they can manually input additional information about themselves and their lifestyle.
As a result, the makers of fitness trackers amass a wealth of data that can be used in many ways. Current privacy policies for many fitness tracking apps allow users’ information to be shared with others. Some researchers are already using data from these apps for health research.
Users have access to fitness, tips and healthcare advice at their fingertips. Women are making the most of trackers – and now, the giants of the tech world are fighting to provide the most useful resources to draw them in.
Here, we investigate how firms are broadening their technology to increase their appeal…
Apple
With Cycle Tracking on Apple Watches with iOS 13 and watchOS 6 or later, women can easily track their menstrual cycle, so they can get a better picture of their health.
This can be done in the Health app on their iPhone or the Cycle Tracking app on an Apple Watch. Notifications can be enabled to tell the user when the next period or fertile window is approaching.
In addition to the information that’s been logged for previous periods and cycle length, Health can use heart rate data from the Apple Watch to improve cycle tracking predictions.
Using heart rate data from Apple Watch to improve predictions is turned on by default, but it can be turned off at any time.
Apple announced early results from its health study in March, which was conducted alongside the University of Michigan School of Public Health. The figures are collected from those who choose to participate via the Research app the company launched back in 2019. This all forms part of Apple’s attempts to take a more serious approach to user health, built, in part, on data collected through the iPhone.
Data was collected from 10,000 participants around the United States with a range of different ages and ethnic backgrounds. Apple and research partner Harvard looked to study the connection between menstrual cycles and a variety of different health conditions, including infertility, polycystic ovary syndrome and perimenopause.
Early results note that symptoms like nausea and sleep changes are common, along with more frequently discussed things like bloating and cramps. The study also shows that many of the tracked symptoms are common and consistent across age, race and location — even though they may not be spoken about. The company says the efforts are, in part, to de-stigmatise discussions around the above.
Fitbit
Like Apple, Fitbit provides menstrual health tracking which includes elements such as helping to predict periods, a user’s estimated fertile window, and more.
The female health tracking feature was added to the watch in May 2018 to allow women to collate data about periods and ovulation alongside the other metrics. According to Fitbit, it was one of the firm’s most requested features
Tracking the cycle can allow the user to gain a better understanding of what’s happening in her body, help them to recognise any recurring irregularities, and identify menstrual patterns linked to everyday activities like sleep and exercise.
The Fitbit app will help to learn about a typical period length, estimated fertile window and ovulation day, and other information related to the cycle. Continuing to log and verify periods will provide more accurate predictions and offer greater insight into menstrual patterns.
Fitbit uses the data provided to estimate predictions, which will take into account the average cycle and period lengths provided during setup, although the period will need to be logged consistently to receive more accurate predictions.
However, in 2018, BBC News reported that women who had signed up to Fitbit’s period tracker have complained that it only allowed them to log periods of 10 days or fewer.
Many women pointed out that they can last much longer, making the tracker on the wearable fitness device useless for many users.
Fitbit confirmed that “currently a period must be less than 11 days”, and that it had asked those concerned to comment and vote on its suggestions board.
Three years later, it is unconfirmed whether the issue had been resolved.
Samsung
In 2020, Samsung took the leap (much delayed behind every other company) and now offers the long-awaited feature: period tracking.
Samsung rolled out an update, version 6.9.0.055, which adds a new women’s health category and allows users to track their menstrual cycles.
The addition of period tracking is part of Samsung’s attempt to make Samsung Health more comprehensive, allowing it to do more than simply monitor activity.
In 2019, Samsung Health added Calm’s meditation, relaxation and sleep services, along with blood-pressure monitoring and stress detection, to its Galaxy Watch Active.
As discussed above, it shows that the companies are meeting with the demand for women’s fitness. Whether it’s trackers designed to fit bodies or tech built to address specific health issues that females face, more and more companies are creating wearables to keep healthy.
Not only are these developments important because they address the needs of the female generation, they make business sense. The rise of ‘femtech’, a term coined by Ida Tin, founder of period tracking app Clue, is big news. The market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 16.2 per cent from 2021 to 2027, and FemTech Analytics reported that, while in 2013 the sector barely totalled US$100m annually, it’s now expected to exceed US$60 billion within the next decade.
Women with osteoporosis may be more likely to carry a gene linked to Alzheimer’s, according to new research.
Scientists found that APOE4, the most common genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s, can weaken bone quality in women, even when standard scans appear normal.
The study, carried out by researchers at the Buck Institute for Research on Ageing in California, US, and UC San Francisco, suggests the gene may damage bone at a microscopic level long before any visible signs.
These changes can emerge as early as midlife and remain invisible to routine imaging tests used to assess bone strength.
The findings suggest a link between Alzheimer’s risk and skeletal health and could help pave the way for earlier detection of both conditions.
Professor Birgit Schilling, a senior author of the study, said: “What makes this finding so striking is that bone quality is being compromised at a molecular level that a standard bone scan simply will not catch.
“APOE4 is quietly disrupting the very cells responsible for keeping bone strong – and it is doing this specifically in females, which mirrors what we see with Alzheimer’s disease risk.”
Doctors have long observed that people with Alzheimer’s suffer higher rates of bone fractures, while osteoporosis in women is known to be one of the earliest predictors of the disease.
Now scientists believe they may have uncovered why.
Researchers led by Dr Charles Schurman carried out a detailed analysis of proteins in aged mouse bone and found that tissue was unusually rich in molecules linked to neurological disease, including those associated with Alzheimer’s.
In particular, long-lived bone cells known as osteocytes showed elevated levels of APOE, with levels twice as high in older female mice compared with younger or male animals.
Further experiments using genetically modified mice revealed that APOE4 had a strong and sex-specific impact on both bone and brain tissue.
The disruption at the protein level was even greater in bone than in the brain.
However, the bone structure itself appeared completely normal under scans.
Instead, the gene interfered with a key maintenance process inside bone cells, preventing them from repairing microscopic channels that keep bones strong and resilient.
When this process breaks down, bones become more fragile even if they look healthy on standard imaging.
These results suggest bone cells could potentially act as early biological warning signs of cognitive decline in women carrying APOE4.
Professor Lisa Ellerby, another senior author, said: “We think targeting these cells may open a new front in preserving bone quality in this population.”
Experts say the findings highlight the need to view the body as an interconnected system rather than treating diseases in isolation.
Dementia, of which Alzheimer’s is the most common form, remains one of the UK’s biggest health challenges.
Around 900,000 people are currently living with the condition, a figure expected to rise to 1.6 million by 2040.
It is already the leading cause of death, responsible for more than 74,000 deaths each year.
Health secretary Wes Streeting has relaunched England’s women’s health strategy, vowing to stop women being “gaslit” by doctors.
Speaking before publication of the renewed strategy, the health secretary said the NHS was “failing women” and set out measures to help them access the healthcare they need.
The government said the strategy would include a new standard of care to ensure women were offered pain relief for invasive procedures, such as fitting a contraceptive coil and hysteroscopies.
Feedback would be directly linked to provider funding through a new trial, giving women more power to affect change if they have a poor experience.
Action would also be taken to ensure women no longer face long waits for diagnoses for conditions such as endometriosis, which can take a decade to diagnose.
Streeting said: “[Women] have for so long been let down by a healthcare system that too often gaslights women, treating their pain as an inconvenience and their symptoms as an overreaction.
“Whether it’s being passed from one appointment to another for conditions like endometriosis and fibroids, or a lack of proper pain relief during invasive procedures, through to having to navigate symptoms for years before receiving a diagnosis, it’s clear the system is failing women.
“Women’s voices must be central to delivering effective, respectful and empathetic care. We need to hit medical misogyny where it hurts – the wallet.
“Today’s renewed strategy will tackle the issues women face every day and ensure no woman is left fighting to be heard.”
A report last month by the women and equalities committee found that gynaecological and menstrual health had not been “sufficiently prioritised” by the government.
MPs said parts of the 10-year women’s health strategy, launched in 2022 by the Conservatives, were at risk of being scaled back or discontinued under wider changes to the NHS.
These included initiatives that had reduced waiting lists and improved women’s access to healthcare, such as women’s health hubs.
Sarah Owen, chair of the committee and a Labour MP, said: “This would be a disaster for girls’ and women’s menstrual healthcare, when it is in dire need of more support.
“It is a national scandal that nearly half a million women are on hospital gynaecology waiting lists when there are effective treatments that could be administered in primary and community care, if only they could access them.”
The report said women faced “medical misogyny” and were left to “suck it up” and suffer in pain for years because of a lack of awareness of women’s health conditions.
A redesign of clinical pathways for some women’s health issues will aim to speed up diagnosis and treatment, and there will be a review of support for families who experience repeated baby loss.
The government also promised a “single referral point” to ensure women were directed to the right place the first time they sought help.
Dr Sue Mann, NHS England’s women’s health director, said too many women were dismissed for “serious symptoms” that affected every part of their lives.
“The renewed women’s health strategy will build significantly on the work the NHS has been doing to ensure women are heard and get the specialist care they need,” she said.
Women’s health groups cautiously welcomed the renewed strategy. Emma Cox, chief executive of Endometriosis UK, said decisive action would be vital to improve women’s healthcare in England.
Future Fertility, a Toronto-based health technology company specialising in AI-powered fertility insights, has entered the Japanese market through a new commercial partnership with Kato Ladies Clinic — a globally recognised leader in IVF research and advancing clinical fertility care.
The collaboration marks Future Fertility’s first partnership in Japan and reflects growing global demand for technologies that bring greater objectivity and personalisation to fertility care.
Kato Ladies Clinic will integrate the company’s AI-powered oocyte (egg) quality assessment tools into its clinical workflows, with the aim of supporting more informed treatment planning and patient counselling across IVF and egg freezing cycles.
“At Kato Ladies Clinic, we are committed to advancing fertility care through innovation while maintaining a strong focus on individualised, patient-centred treatment,” said Keiichi Kato, chief executive officer.
“Partnering with Future Fertility enables us to integrate objective, data-driven insights into our clinical approach and better support our patients in making informed decisions.”
Future Fertility’s platform analyses images of oocytes using artificial intelligence trained and validated on a dataset of more than 650,000 unique oocyte images.
The technology is already in use at more than 300 clinics across more than 35 countries, helping clinicians better understand the developmental potential of individual eggs and provide patients with more personalised insight earlier in their treatment journey.
From Research Collaboration to Clinical Adoption
The partnership between Future Fertility and Kato Ladies Clinic began as a scientific research collaboration in 2024, marking the first use of AI-powered oocyte quality assessment in Japan.
The collaboration not only validated the technology in a new patient population and across diverse clinical protocols — including minimal stimulation cycles —but also resulted in a peer-reviewed publication in Reproductive BioMedicine Online (RBMO) and a poster abstract presentation at ESHRE 2025.
The joint research explored how AI-derived oocyte quality scores relate to early embryonic development and overall treatment outcomes. In a retrospective study conducted at Kato Ladies Clinic, researchers analysed nearly 2,800 mature oocytes across more than 1,300 ICSI cycles, linking image-based assessments of egg quality to key developmental milestones.
The study demonstrated that lower AI scores were associated with reduced fertilization rates, delays, and abnormalities in early embryo development, increased developmental errors, and lower-quality blastocyst formation.
Notably, the researchers also found that cumulative oocyte scores were a stronger predictor of live birth outcomes than the number of eggs retrieved — underscoring the importance of assessing egg quality alongside quantity.
“Our collaboration with Future Fertility has demonstrated how artificial intelligence can uncover meaningful biological differences between oocytes that were previously difficult to quantify,” said Kenji Ezoe, senior scientist.
“Bringing this technology into routine clinical use is an important step toward translating research into improved patient outcomes.”
Future Fertility’s VP of clinical embryology & scientific operations, Jullin Fjeldstad, noted that the findings provide important clinical validation.
“Our joint research with Kato Ladies Clinic has shown how AI-based oocyte assessment can be directly linked to numerous embryo development outcomes, from fertilization through early developmental milestones and blastocyst formation,” she said.
“We are excited to see this work translated into clinical practice.”
Growing Demand for Fertility Care in Japan
The partnership comes at a time when demand for fertility treatment in Japan continues to rise.
The country performs over 450,000 fertility treatment cycles annually, making it one of the largest markets globally. Delayed childbearing and evolving societal trends have also contributed to increasing interest in egg freezing.
As patients seek more clarity and personalization in their care, tools that provide earlier insight into reproductive potential are gaining traction.
“Entering the Japanese market with a partner like Kato Ladies Clinic is a significant step forward for our global commercial strategy,” said Rafael Gonzalez, Future Fertility’s VP of global sales & strategy.
“It reflects the growing demand for technologies that support more transparent, data-driven fertility care across diverse healthcare systems.”
Expanding a Global Footprint
Founded in 1993, Kato Ladies Clinic is known for its pioneering work in natural and minimal stimulation IVF and has long been a leader in clinical innovation in Japan.
For Future Fertility, the partnership represents both a geographic expansion and a continuation of its broader mission to bring AI-driven insights into routine fertility care.
“We are proud to partner with Kato Ladies Clinic, a globally respected leader in IVF and a pioneer in reproductive medicine in Japan,” said Future Fertility’s CEO, Christy Prada.
“This partnership represents an important milestone as we expand into Asia and continue our mission to bring objective, personalised insights into fertility care worldwide.”
Future Fertility develops AI-powered tools designed to generate personalised insights across the fertility journey.
Its flagship oocyte assessment technologies analyse egg images to provide objective, individualised measures of egg quality, supporting treatment planning, patient counselling, and clinical decision-making in egg freezing and IVF, while also enabling more data-driven approaches to donor egg distribution and quality assurance.
As fertility care continues to evolve, collaborations like this one are helping shape a new standard — one that emphasises earlier insight, greater transparency, and more personalised decision-making for patients navigating increasingly complex reproductive journeys.
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