Endometriosis and Software-enabled Innovation: 24 Femtech Solutions Making an Impact

It is already well known that women's health in particular has long been an under-served issue, and its attention has been delayed and it’s still insufficient. Endometriosis in particular has had very little investment in research and development. We also know that, in many cases, software can be a good ally in finding novel solutions to address the different edges of a pathology. Thus, in this blog post, we will explore the intersection between software-enabled innovations for women's health with a special focus on endometriosis. In addition, we will highlight 24 examples of femtech companies that are advancing in this field while making a significant impact on women’s lives.

The women’s health gap

Women's health can be understood as sex-specific conditions (for example, endometriosis and menopause) and general health conditions that may affect women differently. It has been long demonstrated there are health disparities for women, and that poses many challenges that encompass a wide range of issues, some of which we covered in our last blogpost.

A recent report on the women’s health gap published by McKinsey stated that women spend an average of nine years in ‘poor health’, affecting their ability to be present and productive at their homes, in the workplace, and in the community, reducing their earning potential. The report also makes the business case for investment in women's health and demonstrates the tangible gains that industries could achieve through innovations within it. Closing the women's health gap could boost the global economy by at least $1 trillion annually by 2040, and for every $1 invested in women's health, $3 is projected in economic growth.

It’s also been highlighted that the women's health gap causes unnecessary suffering and preventable income losses. In many cases, women in pain are often not taken as seriously as men, and their suffering has been dismissed or misdiagnosed by doctors. This is called pain gender bias and has been recently studied by several academics being of particular interest in endometriosis, which is usually symptomized with chronic pelvic pain.

Endometriosis, a long-underserved condition

Endometriosis has been named “the missed disease” because of the lack of knowledge about it and its underdiagnosis. In the simplest possible terms, endometriosis is tissue similar to the lining of the uterus that is found outside of the uterus, in other parts of the body. This tissue creates lesions that become inflamed, causing pain, scar tissue, and inflammation to the surrounding structures. Endometriosis is not only found in the pelvis. It is also commonly encountered in places such as the bladder, bowel, appendix, diaphragm, and even the lungs. Endometriosis is a chronic, highly inflammatory condition affecting the whole organism.

Although symptoms are highly individual, the most notable ones include chronic pelvic pain (70% of patients live with unresolved pain) and infertility (50% of patients suffer from fertility issues). It could also comprehend life-impacting pain during periods, sexual intercourse, bowel movements and urination, nausea, fatigue, depression, and anxiety. It also affects women's productivity at work, impacting their professional and student careers, and their economic prospects and engenders other health risks from exposure during treatment. Research has also shown that its effects are disproportionate in minority groups.

Roughly 10% of women and girls around the world during their reproductive years live with endometriosis, meaning there are approximately 190 million of them as of now. However, the average time to diagnosis for these people is 7 years, with a misdiagnosis in 75% of all the cases, due to the naturalization of menstrual pain, the inherent complexity of the condition, and the general lack of consciousness in the health and social spheres.

In the current state of knowledge, endometriosis has no cure, and the treatment focuses on minimizing symptoms with proven side effects and high recurrence rates. Furthermore, studies involving women with endometriosis have been conducted mainly in the United Kingdom and the United States, with small samples of women participating (Gonzalez, M.B., 2021). Across many countries, healthcare providers and the wider community are not aware of the distressing effects of chronic pelvic pain, and women with the disease do not receive minimum care. There is a lack of information and training for diagnosing and treating endometriosis, as well as providing basic pain management. The main cause of this is the lack of financial resources allocated to the research and development efforts dedicated to tackling this condition and its consequences. Moreover, endometriosis' prominence in the global health agenda can be seen by the fact that the WHO wrote its first "fact sheet" on the disease just three years ago (Gonzalez, M.B., 2021).

Software-enabled innovation for women’s health

As Theresa Neil, femtech expert and founder of Guidea, stated in her latest post at FastCompany (I highly recommend reading it!): “Women are tired of being ignored and overlooked by their doctors. Years of dismissive doctors are fueling an organic surge in symptom tracking as women take control of their health narrative.” From a digital health startup perspective this certainly represents an opportunity as 75-85% of women are more likely to use digital tools for their healthcare needs compared to men. This is evidenced by the flourishing of several initiatives that seek to give women control over their own health, with products that allow symptom tracking, access to quality education, personalized services, and tailor-made measures for each individual.

From the point of view of the lack of data, which is one of the root causes of the health disparities we are experiencing, there are also initiatives that are seeking to advance in this direction. In the case of endometriosis in particular, early and accurate diagnosis of endometriosis remains a research priority for patient advocates and healthcare providers. In this sense, the advantages and challenges presented by EHRs to support research and development have recently been explored, for example. EHRs capture diverse, real-world patient populations and care trajectories and if used in a democratized and interoperable manner, could be a pathway for the development and identification of patterns of underlying risk factors for endometriosis. This could be beneficial in helping clinicians efficiently and effectively early diagnose the disease.

Another vertical that has been explored is the use of software-enabled products for the management and reduction of pain associated with endometriosis, allowing patients to have a more tolerable lifestyle.

24 Examples of femtech companies tackling endometriosis care

So, let’s take a look at the femtech companies that are actually making a difference in the endometriosis field. From diagnosis to pain relief, there are multiple software-enabled products out there that can help those with this condition.

Butterfly Therapeutics - Endocare
Butterfly Therapeutics is a DTx company that has developed a unique product to address endometriosis-related pain. Endocare, is a CE-marked medical device that consists of a virtual reality software program that uses combinations of sound and visual frequencies to relieve chronic pelvic-perineal pain in patients with endometriosis.

Charli
Charli is the first Australian menstruation, fertility, and wellbeing app. It is directed either at teenagers starting their period, entering their fertility or pregnancy journey, living with challenges like IVF, Endometriosis, or PCOS or entering peri/menopause. It gives expert advice and connects users with healthcare professionals.

Elanza Wellness
Elanza Wellness is a virtual chronic care platform built for people with endometriosis. It provides access to multimodal support, including access to medical specialists, evidence-based therapies, and personalized treatment plans designed for more symptom-free days.

ENdi
ENdi offers a comprehensive solution that enables users to record medication, daily activities, and appointments in one convenient place and provides easy-to-understand personalized data for better management.

Endometrix
An app that allows users to better understand how endometriosis uniquely affects them. This understanding leads to better self-health, better communication with healthcare providers, and better management techniques. The app enables users to track their symptoms, and their treatment methods, as well as access to non-pharmacological self-care programs.

Endosure
Endosure Inc. offers a non-invasive, 30-minute clinical decision support tool supporting rapid diagnosis of endometriosis. It uses myoelectrical data that comes from an Electrogastrogram (EGG)/Electroviscerogram (EVG) and calculation software.

FemXX Health
FemXX provides access to crowdsourced health insights and expert medical advice for persons with endometriosis. The platform combines a series of resources in order to give patients self-help, peer support, and professional advice.

FlowIntell
FlowIntell is revolutionizing women's health with its non-invasive, at-home testing kit and innovative web platform for endometriosis. They utilize a biomarker detection process, facilitating early and precise diagnosis, and improving treatment pathways for women suffering from endometriosis.

Frendo
A mobile app that combines all the advice, insights, and information an endo-sufferer needs in one place. It provides symptom tracking, community connection, and screening for endometriosis sufferers and those with suspected symptoms.

Future Woman
A women-focused health optimization platform within which endometriosis is included. It offers at-home hormone testing and personalized health plans that include suggestions on diet, supplements, lifestyle, and daily habits.

iCare Better
iCareBetter is an online platform that helps patients with endometriosis find the appropriate surgical care for their disease. They help patients by vetting surgeons using their surgical videos and introducing surgeons who have shown excellence in their surgical skills.

Lasa Health
An AI-powered screening platform that integrates with electronic health records (EHRs) to identify undiagnosed chronic pelvic pain patients using machine learning algorithms. It comprehends personalized care for every patient from initial screening to post-appointment support. For clinicians it helps make accurate, data-driven diagnoses, significantly reducing the time and resources spent on misdiagnoses.

Luna Endoscore
Luna is an impact startup co-founded by doctors who are experts in endometriosis. They have developed a phygital care pathway reducing diagnosis time. At the same time, Luna offers a mobile application for monitoring symptoms and treatments, incorporating artificial intelligence algorithms to assist in diagnosis and treatment decisions.

Lyv App
Lyv is a French startup offering a digital self-management solution to improve patients' quality of life and ease the burden that the symptoms of the disease place on their daily lives. It provides scientifically-sourced information, personalized programs, and step-by-step guidance to improve quality of life and manage symptoms effectively.

Matilda Health
Matilda is a one-stop digital platform providing evidence-based and affordable education, symptom tracking, behavior change support, group therapy, and access to specialized clinicians.

Nura Health
A molecular diagnostics company dedicated to the development and delivery of novel practice-changing non-invasive genetic tests. They have an evidence-based approach enhanced by AI & Machine Learning in order to improve clinical outcomes for complex and debilitating diseases such as endometriosis. Their customer journey is simply delivered with results provided within days through a convenient B2C platform.

One Wave Medical
Endosolve by One Wave Medical offers an interoperable platform with connected wearable devices bringing real-time, actionable data to hospitals, physicians, and patients. It focuses on early diagnosis by remote monitoring of a physiological marker that is altered by hormones, giving an insight into pelvic conditions.

PelvicSense
PelvicSense provides an app and web-based pelvic healing program helping women with chronic pelvic pain (Endometriosis, Vulvodynia, PGAD, etc) learn pain science and practice mind/body skills at home.

PeliHealth
At Peli Health they have created a digital pelvic care platform—a welcoming space for women tackling pelvic floor issues or proactively managing their pelvic health across various life stages. It contains MD-approved educational resources, enables connection with supportive community members, and organizes and promotes expert-led events.

Samphire Neuroscience - Nettle
The company Samphire Neuroscience has launched Nettle, a medical-grade neuromodulation wearable (a headband!) for symptoms associated with PMS, PMDD, PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome), and endometriosis. They’ve built a proprietary neuromodulation technology specifically to solve the unique combination of mental and physical symptoms women feel due to their menstrual cycle.

Syrona Health
Syrona Health brings evidence-based research in underserved areas such as Endometriosis, Menopause, Fertility, PCOS, Men's health, etc. to the hands of people. They achieve this through tracking, telemedicine, diagnostics, and self-management tools.

The Endo Co.
The Endo Co. is on a mission to raise awareness, promote reliable education, and increase research funding for Endometriosis. Among other activities, there are virtual support groups for patients with endometriosis covering topics such as acceptance, mindfulness, distress tolerance, and more.

The pelvic gym
Endo can greatly affect how the pelvic structures feel and function in everyday life. That’s why The Pelvic Gym offers specific online classes and programs for Endometriosis. The exercises in this program can help release tightness in the muscles and connective tissue, downregulate the nervous system to help with pain management, and improve mood and energy to combat "brain fog".

Visana Health
Visana Health is a virtual women's health clinic providing medical care and integrated whole-person support for every phase of a woman's life. While other women's health companies focus on fertility and maternity, Visana is focused on providing longitudinal, value-based care from menstruation to menopause, including preventive care, urgent care, and complex gynecology care. They first started addressing endometriosis and have now expanded to other pathologies.

Other companies that are advancing in the field in terms of diagnostic tests, biomarkers, imaging, and technology are:

Afynia - Endomir: EndomiR tests for the expression levels of circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) that are differentially expressed in individuals with endometriosis versus symptomatic controls.
Hera Biotech: Developing the world's first non-surgical test for definitive diagnosis and staging of endometriosis.
NextGen Jane: Exploring the use of menstrual blood for early markers of endometriosis.
Serac Healthcare: Developing imaging agents for better visualization of endometriosis lesions.
Ziwig: Offering a saliva-based diagnostic device (Endotest) for endometriosis detection using microRNA analysis and AI.

Our friends from Guidea helped us out by putting together this image that shows what the current landscape looks like:

The challenges for the future

It’s no surprise that most of these companies are led by female founders, trying to respond to their own necessities or the women around them. Yet we expect (and we wish!) to see the wider spectrum of the healthcare ecosystem taking action towards this condition and women’s health in general as it’s been over-demonstrated that It's not just what’s ethically fair and right, but it’s also good business.

To further understand the current landscape and the challenges for the future we’ve asked three women leading the way in the femtech space what their thoughts are on this topic:

“Digital health for endometriosis is becoming increasingly promising. Startups and innovative apps, like ENdi, are empowering individuals by helping them track symptoms, manage medications, and gain personalized insights into their health. These tools are making a real difference in how people understand and manage their conditions. However, there's still plenty of room for improvement in the female health tech space. Many solutions need better integration with healthcare providers, increased funding, and more comprehensive research. Using AI for earlier and more accurate diagnosis would also absolutely revolutionize endometriosis care. So whilst the progress is exciting, advancements in AI-driven diagnostics, along with better support and resources, would help even more people on their endometriosis journey.”
-Jemma Bowles, Co-founder of ENdi

“The digital health landscape for pelvic health and conditions like endometriosis is promising, with a growing number of apps and platforms offering support, symptom tracking, and educational resources. However, significant gaps remain, particularly in multidisciplinary approaches that integrate physical, mental, and emotional health. Increasing the accessibility and affordability of these tools is crucial to ensure all individuals with pelvic health issues benefit. With 1 in 3 women experiencing Pelvic Floor Dysfunction (PFD), many lack support due to limited awareness, stigma, or restricted access to care. The Peli Health platform addresses this by providing a holistic, accessible digital health solution.”
-Helen Grimshaw & Kerstin Recker, Co-founders of PeliHealth

“As a doctor and the founder of a platform that serves tens of thousands of endometriosis patients every month, I would look at the landscape from the patients’ and providers’ perspectives. There are three significant challenges in endometriosis: difficult diagnosis of endometriosis; limited access to skilled providers; and lack of efficient non-surgical solutions. Unfortunately, we still don’t have enough teams and platforms to truly focus on answering these challenges. There are several promising teams that try to help. However, most of them are focused on symptom management and mostly make the same mistakes that have brought us here in endometriosis care. Therefore the digital health space has a great room for growth to serve endo patients in an impactful way.”
-Saeid Gholami, CEO of iCare Better

Overall, the intersection of technology and medicine, and in particular women's health, represents a promising path for those affected by endometriosis. The 24 femtech companies highlighted in this blog post are making advances in the areas of diagnosis, symptom management, and patient support. However, as our expert contributors in the field have pointed out, and as we have seen the evidence show, there is still a long way to go. There are thriving needs for further progress in this field, and these include the need for better integration with healthcare providers, increased funding, and critically a greater dedication to comprehensive endometriosis research.

The future of the femtech industry depends largely on its ability to ensure that all women have access to the care and resources they need. Let us hope and work to continue to expand the boundaries of technology and its scope of action, and thus, in the area of women's health, move ever closer to ensuring that women's health issues are no longer neglected and receive the attention and urgency they deserve.

Want to learn more? Check out the academic sources we’ve consulted for this article:

Gonzalez, M.B (2021). The socio-scientific formation of endometriosis, an interpretation from Jasanoff's co-production lenses. University of Sussex, Democratising Science and Technology (968N1).
Edgley K., Horne A.W., Saunders P., Tsanas A. (2023). Symptom tracking in endometriosis using digital technologies: Knowns, unknowns, and future prospects, Cell Reports Medicine, Volume 4, Issue 9, 2023, 101192 ,ISSN 2666-3791, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xcrm.2023.101192.
Hudson N. (2021). The missed disease? Endometriosis as an example of 'undone science'. Reproductive biomedicine & society online, 14, 20–27. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rbms.2021.07.003
Merlot B, Elie V, Périgord A, Husson Z, Jubert A, Chanavaz-Lacheray I, Dennis T, Cotty-Eslous M, Roman H. Pain Reduction With an Immersive Digital Therapeutic in Women Living With Endometriosis-Related Pelvic Pain: At-Home Self-Administered Randomized Controlled Trial. J Med Internet Res. 2023 Jun 28;25:e47869. doi: 10.2196/47869. PMID: 37260160; PMCID: PMC10365625.
Moumane, Karima & Idri, Ali. (2023). Mobile applications for Endometriosis management functionalities: Analysis and potential. Scientific African. 21. e01833. 10.1016/j.sciaf.2023.e01833.
Penrod, N., Okeh, C., Velez Edwards, D. R., Barnhart, K., Senapati, S., & Verma, S. S. (2023). Leveraging electronic health record data for endometriosis research. Frontiers in Digital Health, 5, 1510687. https://doi.org/10.3389/fdgth.2023.1150687