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Digital innovations for women’s menopausal care

September 21, 2023

What’s new in digital health for women?

Femtech, short for “female technology,” describes the technology products, services, and companies focused on meeting the unique healthcare needs of women. Precedence Research projects that the femtech space will reach a market value of more than $103 billion by 2030.

Two recent entries to the field, Thermaband and Hello Heart, offer unique digital solutions for two menopausal concerns, heart health and vasomotor symptoms, commonly referred to as hot flashes.

What’s the potential patient impact?

According to StatPearls, approximately 1.3 million women become menopausal each year in the U.S. Of those, approximately 75% experience vasomotor symptoms, including hot flashes and night sweats.

As a woman transitions to menopause, her risk factors for cardiovascular disease rise, according to a recently published study in Therapeutic Advances in Endocrinology and Metabolism. The American Medical Association reports that menopause-related hot flashes and night sweats have been linked to a greater risk for high blood pressure and other cardiovascular risk factors.

How do they work?

Hello Heart, a startup that allows people to manage their heart health at home using their smartphone, recently rolled out a feature that provides menopausal women with the tools and information they need to take control of their heart health. The company’s mobile app incorporates its flagship solution, an FDA-cleared blood pressure monitor. The monitor automatically syncs a user’s heart health profile and creates a data-driven report that includes statistics on blood pressure, a visualization of heart rate and activity, and readouts of the impact of movement on their health. (Landi, 2023)

Thermaband offers the Zone, a smart personal thermostat that provides heating and cooling sensations designed to halt hot flashes as they happen. The Zone discreetly monitors the users’ body and can detect thermal shifts. When the Zone detects a hot flash, the device automatically delivers battery-powered cooling to pulse points while simultaneously tracking blood pressure and heart rate. (Farrow, 2023)

What’s the evidence?

Hello Heart has peer-reviewed clinical studies to back up its claims. An assessment of hypertension control among adults using the company’s product found that 84% of members with baseline blood pressure over 140/90 achieved and maintained a lower blood pressure during a follow-up period that lasted as long as three years. (Gazit, 2021)

According to Thermaband, the Zone has been extensively tested by several hundred women, scientists, and expert engineers and is continuously undergoing further testing for quality control. 

Sources:

Gazit T, et al. (2021, Oct 1). JAMA Netw Open. Assessment of hypertension control among adults participating in a mobile technology blood pressure self-management program. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34652447/

Landi, H. (2023, May 31). Fierce Healthcare. Hello Heart joins other digital health players taking on menopause as overlooked market gains attention. https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/digital-health/hello-heart-joins-other-digital-health-players-taking-menopause-overlooked-market

Farrow, S. (2023, March 7). TheHub.news. Get familiar with this mother-daughter duo behind the Thermaband Zone technology. https://thehub.news/get-familiar-with-this-mother-daughter-duo-behind-the-thermaband-zone-technology/