Author's Note: Healthcare is a global and fundamental issue. The most impacted population groups are usually women of color, trans men, trans women, and other gender minorities. This article is wholeheartedly written for all s*xual and gender minorities. However, in the interest of succinct writing, the term ‘women’ will be used as an umbrella term to symbolize all minorities.

Introduction 

Historically, women's health has always revolved more around societal expectations rather than actual female physiology. The female body has been a source of control, intrigue, and disgust to the patriarchal forces. 

The absence of basic human empathy for women's autonomy and health is still as non-existent today as it was half a century ago. Over 230 million girls alive today have undergone female genital mutilation. Additionally, the horrifying story of Adriana Smith is truly a scathing indictment of the society we live in today. 

Talking openly about women's health issues, apart from reproductive health, became the norm just two decades ago. There's still a concerning lack of research on medical concerns such as menopause, PCOD, and hormonal fluctuations.

It's up to us— the marginalized people like women, people of color, and the LGBTQ+ communities— to bring the next healthcare revolution. And true enough, the femtech industry is witnessing unprecedented growth. 

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The Gender Gap in Traditional Healthcare

Due to ingrained social and cultural biases, women's health has been ignored for centuries. Stereotypes such as hysteria and homosexuality as a mental disorder were enforced to control unconventional lifestyles. What's even more terrifying, minorities were dealt with controversial treatments such as electroconvulsive therapy and conversion camps. It's clear how ‘healthcare’ used to be a measure of control for women until recently. Internalized biases have always prevented people from asking questions and demanding answers. 

Owing to systematic barriers such as gendered unemployment, financial constraints, and globalized accessibility, women have limited exposure to healthcare. There's always a shortage of female doctors in rural areas, which prevents traditional women from seeking medical care. It's the main factor contributing to the underdiagnosis of women patients in third-world countries. This leads to avoidance of symptoms, which then exacerbates chronic diseases and may ultimately lead to death. 

It's a truth universally unacknowledged that women were rarely included in clinical trials before 1990. Consequently, overmedicalization has also been a major cause of concern. For example, menopausal women have been countlessly overmedicalized with unnecessary hormonal therapy. Women's pathology has only been interesting when it is used to emphasize and reinforce harmful misogynist propaganda.

All of these inadequacies have led to women taking control of themselves and pushing for the production of inclusive female-focused health apps. 

What are Female-focused Health Apps? 

Smartphones have almost taken over the entire planet. Despite the scarcity of resources, the presence of smartphones has initiated a change in perceptions. Since we've been disappointed by traditional healthcare so often, minorities have taken up the culture of self-tracking through apps. 

Image Credits: Pexels

Female-focused health apps are used by women to track their emotional, physical, and general well-being. The viral trend of preventive care has significantly raised the standards for women's healthcare. It has given rise to apps that monitor women's health through period tracking, mood tracking, menopause management, and nutritional guidance.

However, there is still a concerning lack of privacy, as generally these apps aren't encrypted. They are usually unprotected against surveillance capitalism and government control. Both of which can be used to commodify and penalize women accordingly, especially in the U.S. 

Here is a list of those who are not: Bearable, Plant Nanny, WebMD Symptom Checker, O.school, and Stardust. 

Benefits of Female-focused Health Apps

Female-focused health apps have multiple advantages for women. Some of these include: 

Increased Accessibility Rate

Apart from working women who have more awareness and exposure to outdoor activities, homemakers can now get virtual health check-ups. In fact, telemedicine has a far more penetrating impact compared to clinical visits. With round-the-clock medical advisors ready when prompted, women can make fitness goals and achieve them. 

Spots Symptoms and Potential Illnesses 

These apps consist of features like mood-tracking, assessing symptoms, and guides for signs of infections. Some applications gather real-time data to monitor general health for primary illnesses. For instance, apps like Becca offer trustworthy advice, inspiring stories, and exercise tips. 

Helps Make Healthier Lifestyle Changes

Did you know that the rate of strokes for women aged between 35-54 years has tripled over the last two decades? Experts are drawing correlations to waist circumference and physical inactivity. With features that map step-count, recommend exercises, and regulate nutrition, women's fitness apps are actively encouraging healthy lifestyles. They also increase glycemic control, which has far-reaching benefits for reducing the risk of chronic diseases.

Challenges Involved with Female-focused Health Apps

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Apart from there being way too many apps centered solely on period tracking, some problematic areas arise with the use of these apps. Ever since the U.S. went full Gilead and passed the abortion ban, a large majority of women deleted period-tracking apps out of fear. As it turns out, they had good reasons for it. Experts say that these apps have poor security systems and may share users’ data on their menstrual cycles, s*x lives, and pregnancy status. 

As these apps continue to develop and evolve through AI-run integrations, they have changed their interfaces to include paid features. Female-focused health apps are now becoming increasingly revenue-based as opposed to their original objective. One that emphasized a holistic approach to women’s health. This also makes accessing these apps a significant challenge for low-income groups and disabled women. 

Given the lack of female representation in medical advisory boards even today, app designs have the potential to perpetuate bias and heteronormative assumptions. 

Conclusion

To say that the existing and upcoming female-focused health apps need a vibe check for intersectionality would be an understatement. We need to push for women’s health apps that are globally accessible, unbiased, safe, and uniquely informed with social cues. Apart from reproductive health, features that provide insights into endocrinology, general fitness, gynecology, and psychology for women are also necessary.