Globally empowering women’s health is beneficial to society as a whole and essential to guaranteeing people’s well-being. Women experience disparities in healthcare across the world. Gender differences in healthcare may have a severe impact on marginalized women’s access to and quality of care. These discrepancies can result in delayed diagnosis and worse health outcomes. Other major issues affecting women’s health, irrespective of their financial situation, are maternal mortality and restricted access to reproductive healthcare.
Read More: Wearable technology for women
Scientists are starting to use wearable technology developments to create new applications for women’s healthcare in recent years. These apps could be able to alleviate some of the present barriers to high-quality healthcare that women encounter globally. By giving women the ability to make educated decisions, obtain the necessary healthcare services, take charge of their bodies, and eliminate some of the present inequalities, this technology will contribute to women’s health empowerment.
Here, we provide a summary of some of the most recent wearable technology advancements that might eventually support women’s health empowerment.
monitoring menstrual health
Numerous wearable gadgets intended to monitor menstrual periods have been introduced to the market in recent years. With the help of technology, women (and occasionally their partners) may gain a deeper understanding of their own menstrual cycle and how unique it is. These wearables can track several menstrual cycle parameters, such the duration of the follicular and luteal phases, and anticipate ovulation, which helps with family planning. Additionally, irregularities in the menstrual cycle that can point to other medical issues might be flagged by these applications.
One of the wearables in this category is the Oura Ring, which is also a menstrual cycle monitor in addition to being a sleep fitness tracker. It makes monthly predictions about the start of the menstrual cycle based on data gathered on body temperature.
A user’s menstrual cycle may be tracked by several smartwatches, which can also provide insights and forecasts. Users may register menstrual cycle data with Fitbit and Garmin, for instance, and receive insights about their unique menstrual cycle in return.
Handling menstrual discomfort
Recently, new technology for the treatment of menstruation discomfort was introduced. The wearable was created by the UK business Myoovi and makes use of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) technology. It is an FDA-approved and CE-marked drug-free treatment for excruciating menstrual cramps.
The gating hypothesis of pain postulates that TENS generates electrical impulses that obstruct and interfere with pain signals as they try to reach the brain. We experience less pain when we interfere with and block these impulses, which are how we interpret pain.
tracking of fertility
The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that after a year of trying, up to 1 in 5 American women (aged 15 to 49) are unable to conceive. Technology that can assist couples in better understanding fertility and increasing their chances of pregnancy is desperately needed.
The purpose of the Ava bracelet is to help women monitor their fertility. In order to precisely determine a woman’s reproductive window, the system gathers and evaluates a wide range of data, such as skin temperature at night, heat rate variability ratio, resting pulse rate, and more.
pregnancy surveillance
The US-based wellness startup Bellabeat introduced Shell in 2015; it is a wearable that records noises from the womb and uses an algorithm to enhance and eliminate background noise in order to detect the baby’s heart rate. This breakthrough paves the way for future technologies that may securely track numerous parameters contributing to the health of mother and child during pregnancy, even though it is not currently advised for use as a medical device.
breast wellness
According to recent data, one in seven women will get breast cancer over their lifetime. Like with most malignancies, the key to a better prognosis is early identification. Early diagnosis increases the likelihood that the disease will be detected at an earlier stage when treatment may more effectively remove it from the body.
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) researchers have revealed that they have created a new gadget. To identify breast cancer early on, a bra might integrate this wearable ultrasound scanner. The apparatus is a flexible patch that can be rotated to scan the breast at different angles and provide ultrasound pictures with a resolution similar to what is achieved in medical institutions. It is now only accessible in lab settings. The invention is probably going to be aimed at women who are more likely to get breast cancer, with the idea being that it will find tumors early on, before self-checks may have discovered them.
afterpartum care
Research is being done to create wearable technology that will assist in identifying new moms who are most vulnerable to postpartum depression. Researchers think that data from passive sensing might identify women who would benefit most from postpartum psychosocial care. Pilot studies have already been carried out to show the postpartum wearable device’s potential. We could soon witness the release of a unique postpartum care equipment on the market.