Wearable technology has revolutionized personal health tracking, and while fitness trackers have dominated the wearable space, there is a new wave of innovations specifically designed to support women’s health. From fertility monitors to mental health tools, wearables now go beyond counting steps or tracking calories to address a range of female health concerns, making healthcare more personalized and accessible.
This article explores how wearable tech is transforming women’s health, providing specific examples of devices that are expanding the wearable category to focus on issues unique to women.
For women monitoring their reproductive health, wearables provide valuable insights into ovulation cycles, hormone levels, and overall fertility. Devices now use advanced technology to offer more accurate data, helping women make informed decisions about family planning.
Examples:
Ava Bracelet: This wearable uses sensors to monitor skin temperature, resting pulse, breathing rate, and more. By wearing it overnight, women can track their ovulation cycle more precisely, making it a useful tool for those planning pregnancies or seeking to understand their cycles better.
Oura Ring: Originally a sleep and fitness tracker, the Oura Ring recently partnered with Natural Cycles to offer an FDA-cleared birth control option. The ring tracks body temperature changes throughout the night, which can indicate fertile windows when used alongside the Natural Cycles app.
Impact: These devices give women more autonomy over their reproductive health and can replace traditional methods with non-invasive and hormone-free options for family planning.
Pregnancy wearables focus on supporting both mother and baby throughout the pregnancy journey. These devices track important health metrics like fetal heart rate, uterine contractions, and maternal stress levels to promote safer pregnancies and help detect issues early.
Examples:
Bloomlife: This wearable monitors contractions, providing pregnant women with real-time data and insights into their labor patterns. By tracking contraction frequency and intensity, Bloomlife allows users to distinguish between Braxton Hicks contractions and labor, offering peace of mind.
Owlet Pregnancy Band: Although primarily known for baby monitoring, Owlet’s wearable pregnancy band tracks fetal heart rate, kick counts, and sleeping position. This wearable helps mothers monitor their baby’s health continuously, allowing them to quickly identify any unusual patterns that may need medical attention.
Impact: Pregnancy wearables bring healthcare monitoring into the home, giving expectant mothers an extra layer of reassurance and early warning systems that can improve health outcomes.
Wearables are now emerging to assist women through menopause, offering real-time tracking of symptoms like hot flashes, sleep disturbances, and heart rate variability, which can be affected by hormonal fluctuations.
Examples:
Embr Wave: This wearable is specifically designed to help women manage hot flashes. By creating thermal sensations on the wrist, Embr Wave helps users cool down quickly, reducing the discomfort associated with hot flashes and improving overall comfort.
Leaf by Bellabeat: Known for its sleek design, this health-tracking wearable monitors stress levels, sleep quality, and menstrual cycles. For women going through menopause, it provides insights into sleep patterns and stress responses, helping them understand how hormonal changes affect their body.
Impact: By offering tailored symptom management tools, wearables for menopause allow women to better understand and control the physical symptoms of hormonal shifts, providing a drug-free approach to symptom relief.
Mental health is a critical aspect of overall wellbeing, and wearable tech has evolved to provide women with tools to manage stress, anxiety, and emotional health in a proactive way. These devices track physiological changes, helping users detect early signs of stress and encouraging healthy coping mechanisms.
Examples:
Muse Headband: Originally developed for meditation, Muse uses brain-sensing technology to guide users through mindfulness exercises. It measures brain activity, heart rate, and breathing, giving women feedback on their emotional state and helping them build resilience against stress.
Spire Stone: This wearable tracks breathing patterns and alerts users to changes that indicate stress. By monitoring breath consistency, Spire Stone provides real-time feedback and suggests exercises to help users relax, manage stress, and maintain emotional balance.
Impact: Mental health-focused wearables make it easier to recognize early signs of stress and anxiety, helping women incorporate mindfulness practices into their daily routines to support long-term emotional wellbeing.
Heart disease is a leading health concern for women, but cardiovascular health wearables have traditionally been designed with men in mind. Today, however, wearables tailored for women are emerging, focusing on factors that affect female heart health specifically.
Examples:
Fitbit Sense: While not exclusively for women, Fitbit Sense includes features like electrocardiogram (ECG) monitoring and heart rate variability tracking. This information can help women detect early signs of cardiovascular issues and track the effects of stress on heart health.
Apple Watch: Known for its ECG functionality, the Apple Watch also includes menstrual cycle tracking and can alert users to irregular heart rhythms. For women at higher risk of heart disease, it provides a convenient way to monitor cardiovascular health alongside other health indicators.
Impact: Wearables with cardiovascular monitoring empower women to keep track of heart health and detect irregularities early. By combining cardiovascular data with other health metrics, these devices create a holistic picture of overall health.
As women age, they face an increased risk of osteoporosis and musculoskeletal issues. New wearables are emerging to help track and manage bone health, especially in post-menopausal women, who are at a higher risk for bone density loss.
Examples:
Ultrasonic Bone Health Devices: While still emerging, ultrasonic wearable devices that monitor bone density are being developed to help women track bone health over time, detecting any decline early.
RAISE Lab’s Body Tracking Wearables: Though generally used in fitness, body tracking wearables like RAISE Lab’s technology can provide data on posture and joint health, which is critical for women as they age. These devices alert users to any imbalances or postural issues that could affect long-term musculoskeletal health.
Impact: By monitoring bone and musculoskeletal health, these wearables empower women to take preventative steps in maintaining physical wellness and potentially reducing the risk of bone-related issues in later life.
Pelvic health is essential, especially for women who are postpartum or entering menopause. New wearables are addressing pelvic floor health, a commonly overlooked aspect of women’s health, by helping with bladder control, strengthening exercises, and pelvic floor muscle monitoring.
Examples:
Elvie Trainer: This device, designed to improve pelvic floor strength, is used with an app that guides women through targeted exercises. The Elvie Trainer provides real-time feedback, making it ideal for postpartum recovery and bladder control support.
Flyte Pelvic Floor Device: Approved by the FDA, Flyte uses gentle, low-energy impulses to strengthen pelvic floor muscles, improving bladder control without the need for surgery or drugs.
Impact: These devices help women address issues like incontinence, often considered “taboo” topics, by making pelvic health accessible and manageable from home, with personalized feedback and support.
Wearable technology is moving far beyond fitness tracking, offering women new ways to understand and manage their health with real-time data and tailored solutions. As wearables continue to evolve, they are playing an increasingly important role in addressing issues unique to women’s health, from fertility and mental health to bone density and cardiovascular wellness.
These devices not only empower women to take charge of their health but also provide healthcare professionals with valuable data to improve diagnoses, treatments, and long-term health outcomes. With innovations continuing to emerge, the future of women’s health tech looks promising, ensuring women have more control and insights into their wellness than ever before.