May 22, 2025

(May 22, 2025) Every Thursday we send out a curated newsletter on all things femtech and women’s health innovation. This is an excerpt from the latest edition. If you’d like to subscribe, you can do so at the bottom of this page. Image: SpotitEarly PHASE Scientific secures $34M  to advance urine-based women’s health diagnostics. Maternal and NICU care management company ProgenyHealth secures strategic investment  to fund expansion. WeightWatchers files for bankruptcy  amid diet drug growth and changing consumer preferences. Major US hospitals adopt  DeepLook Medical‘s AI platform for breast cancer detection. Merck’s immunotherapy  shows survival benefit  in platinum-resistant ovarian cancer trial. BilliontoOne expands its prenatal test  to screen for 14 genetic conditions from single maternal blood sample. Landmark study  by Clue, MIT and University of Colorado links air pollution to menstrual cycle irregularities. Major endometriosis research institute established at UNSW Sydney with  historic $50M donation . This week’s newsletter is sponsored by Flex: 🌟 Women’s Health Month with Flex: Turning Pre-Tax Dollars Into Growth for Women’s Health Brands In celebration of Women’s Health Month,  Flex  is raising awareness and helping women’s health brands unlock new revenue through pre-tax HSA/FSA spending. Flex enables e-commerce businesses to accept Health Savings Account (HSA) and Flexible Spending Account (FSA) payments—accessing $150B+ in pre-tax dollars for eligible health products. From menstrual care and fertility to postpartum recovery and menopause, Flex boosts conversion and removes friction at checkout. Take Embr, for example. Their wearable, the Embr Wave, helps manage hot flashes and other menopause symptoms. By enabling HSA/FSA payments through Flex, Embr has reached more customers who prefer to use pre-tax dollars. “HSA/FSA has become a key growth channel. Since partnering with Flex, we’ve exceeded six figures in FSA sales and seen double-digit growth,” said Sam Shames, Co-Founder and CRO of Embr. “It aligns with our mission to provide accessible, effective support for women’s health.” Interested in unlocking HSA/FSA for your business? 👇 In the Know Open Innovation: How Panasonic Well’s $1M Family Wellness Challenge Created Value for Startups and Corporate ( Femtech Insider ) How Climate Change Is Impacting People’s Ability to Have Healthy Pregnancies ( Time ) Women’s health is under attack – protecting it is the smart investment for everyone ( The Telegraph ) New Guidelines Call on Doctors to Take IUD Insertion Pain Seriously ( The New York Times ) Could this be the end of menopause as we know it? ( National Geographic ) Should companies offer period leave? ( Sifted ) Can TikTok Turn Doomscrolling Teens Into Meditators? ( Athletech News ) The longevity gap between men and women is getting bigger. Here’s why ( GQ ) ‘I wasn’t me any more’ – a photographer tackles her postnatal depression ( BBC ) Who’s Hiring?