Decoding the Future of Women's Health: My Experience

Written by Megan Fuller, Former Chief Operating Officer, FemHealth Insights

Attending the 'Decoding the Future of Women's Health' event was truly an engaging experience. The event had grown in scale since last year, and with a large and talented attendance, the conversations were vibrant and plentiful, reflecting the strong communal interest in the future of women's health.

About FemTech Lab

Hosts FemTech Lab, are a pioneering global femtech accelerator. Their mission is to achieve a balanced approach to female health, aiming to improve the lives of one billion women globally through impact-driven innovation. The Decoding event itself was a 2-day multimedia conference. Taking place during London Tech Week, it gathers visionaries, investors, corporate innovators, and cutting-edge startups to reimagine the future of women's health.

Pictured: Karina Vazirova and Katia Lang - Founders of FemTech Lab

The overarching theme of this year’s event was The Future, and began with Rhiannon Jones asking us to imagine a world where technology could analyse our personal data to recommend precise dietary and supplement needs, and work environments tailored to our individual schedules. Immediately I was struck by how easy some elements of this imaginary world were to picture - wearables and personalised vitamins are already a part of our daily lives. But other elements, such as tailored work environments, still seem far-fetched. Sure, flexible working is becoming more commonplace - but with period and menopause leave still open for such debate, it was harder to visualise those concepts as the norm. 

Following in the theme, Anna Butterworth of Ultraviolet Agency then took to the podium to launch the FemTech Futures 2035 report. I particularly enjoyed the emphasis here on the connection between healthcare and the planet. Anna highlighted that currently, it’s businesses that are trusted to innovate positive change rather than governments, therefore it’s imperative that we put the planet at the heart of everything we do. We need to be creative when working with the future, we need to fund diversity, bake in inclusion, and vitally - remember that it’s okay to disagree. Differing opinions drive discussion and provide a fertile ground for innovation.

Then came the choices - which of the many topics to pick? There was a huge amount of content to choose from, including Reproductive Tech & Human Fertility, Female Longevity, AI & Big Data for Health, Scientific Breakthroughs, Psychedelics & Alternative Medicine, and the Clinician-Creator Economy to name just a few.

Day 1 Highlights

I started at The Future Female Consumer, which highlighted significant opportunities in personalised healthcare. Elena Rueda Carrasco from Dama Health emphasised the need for genetic research to understand varying hormonal responses among women, and the discussion touched on the growing demand for personalised healthcare solutions, with Gen Z leading this trend. Tania Boler from Elvie - a personal femtech hero of mine - forecasted a shift towards preventative care, which was a theme echoed later on in the Medicines 3.0 panel. 

Moving into the Mother Earth panel - I’ll admit I was sceptical. As much as I personally believe in the connection between a woman’s cycles and the earth - I don’t know how helpful it is as an argument for the FemTech industry, when compared to science. However, my doubts were quickly erased as the panel underscored the intrinsic link between health and climate - something I am truly passionate about. Farah Ereiqat from Pact VC, stressed the importance of educating people on the relationship between sustainability and profitability. Much as our industry finds profitability is a solid way to raise funds, we must bring in sustainability as a consideration in these early stages. The best future technologies, it was argued, would integrate environmental considerations. This is certainly a trend we’re seeing, with a number of UK women’s health companies already achieving their BCorp status.

Pictured: Anna Butterworth (UltraViolet Agency), Dougal Alexander Fleming (Clean Growth UK),  Magnolia Pretell (Genes and Wellness), and Farah Ereiqat (Pact VC), for the Mother Earth panel.

I also attended the Maternal Healthcare session. Discussions in this panel covered the potential of AI in monitoring CTGs, and the need for inclusive innovation to address disparities in maternal mortality rates. The panel also focused on how to make healthcare journeys simpler, more accessible, and outcome-oriented for women, whether that’s integrating apps with existing service pathways, or reaching communities for whom an app is not accessible.

A final highlight for me personally, was bumping into Alexa Murray - a former colleague at FemHealth Insights! My time at FemHealth Insights was entirely remote, so it was a real treat to finally meet a colleague IRL!

Pictured: Alexa Murray (WHOOP) and Megan Fuller (Formerly FemHealth Insights)

Day 2 Highlights

The second day focussed on Action (to day 1’s inspiration), and began with a keynote from FemTech royalty Ida Tin, who reminded us all of the need for innovation in our field. I then attended the standout panel of the whole event - ‘FemTech Heros: Untold Stories’ - which discussed what it takes to make it in femtech, and featured four exceptional founders. Dr. Sioned Jones of BoobyBiome shared their discovery about the anaerobic nature of the breast milk microbiome, and their innovative device to preserve its benefits, and Alice Pelton of The Lowdown discussed her experience of taking maternity leave as a founder. The panel provided practical advice for startup founders, emphasising storytelling, identifying unique advantages, and persisting through challenges. A memorable quote from Hannah Samano was, "Being a founder is not about being a unicorn but a cockroach - scuttling around and doing what you need to do to survive!" Whilst I personally don’t intend on becoming a founder, this was the panel that inspired me most, and gave me the most tangible takeaways of the whole event.

Pictured: Dr. Sioned Jones (BoobyBiome), Alice Pelton (The Lowdown), Hannah Samano (Unfabled), and Laura Vidal Borrell (HappySneeze)

Another highlight of day 2 was the panel on Social Media. This discussion addressed the usual issues of censorship and misinformation in women's health ads, but insights from Holland & Barrett’s Lina Chan also highlighted the importance of making women's health accessible and culturally relevant. Lina noted that aggressive, feminist messaging is easy to get behind when you’re in the women’s health space, but doesn't always translate for consumers. This resonated strongly with my own experiences, and is something I will take with me moving forwards.

Personal Reflections

The variety of talks and panels throughout the event was excellent, and covered a broad spectrum of issues. I particularly liked the emphasis on sustainability and the integration of environmental concerns into discussions about women's health. While some discussions occasionally strayed from a women's health focus, overall, the event for me had come a long way since last year.

A recurring theme for me - as always - was the need for education. Investors mentioned it as beneficial in pitches, healthcare professionals commended apps for giving patients autonomy, and founders emphasised the importance of providing educational resources alongside their products. Personally, I see a significant need for a centralised women's health education hub - an accessible, scientifically backed repository of information on female anatomy, health issues, and medical advice. While startups offer valuable resources, they will likely remain undiscovered unless a patient is actively seeking that information. Ideally, such education should be integrated into school curriculums and act as preventative care, rather than the reactive system we lean on now. But initially, creating a centralised hub would be a significant step forward.

Conclusion

In summary, the 'Decoding the Future of Women's Health' event was thought-provoking and inspiring, highlighting the importance of innovation, personalization, and education in shaping the future of women's health. I look forward to 2025!

All photo credits:

Alena Zhiltsova - Official Decoding Event Photographer

About the Author:

Megan Fuller is an Operational-wizard and former COO at FemHealth Insights. Passionate about breaking stigma, removing access barriers and bridging gender gaps, Megan believes firmly that better education equals better healthcare for both current and future generations. Megan is currently looking for her next opportunity in Women’s Health - if you’re looking for someone to get things done and propel your organisation to new heights, reach out!