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Female healthcare and hygiene have long been considered taboo in our country and most parts of the world. Even the simplest psychological issues related to female healthcare were thrown under lament euphemism.
However, the new generation of women is more body positive. With them embracing and challenging the norms around women's healthcare and the lack of proper ideas on them, femtech apps are continuing to find their way into the households of Bangladesh.
Femtech apps are a technology that uses software, services, and information to better the female healthcare experience. These apps tackle menstruation, pregnancy care, postpartum, hormonal issues, sexual wellness, and other important aspects of female healthcare.
They employ an algorithm to keep track of the user’s cycle (menstruation, ovulation, or hormonal) and improve their quality of life by informing the user about their sexual and hormonal well-being. There are different categories of femtech apps.
Tracker apps are the most popular femtech apps. These usually track the menstrual and ovulation cycles every month. As the user enters their body information into them, the Trackers keep a personalised profile and alert the users in case of irregularity, ovulation period, or upcoming cycle. These types of apps are more prominent in our country.
Pregnancy is one of the most important parts of a woman's life. Women go through so many changes and challenges during this period. They are more susceptible to emotional insecurities and mental health with hormonal changes. A pregnancy tracker app helps women understand the changes in their bodies, debunks the myths, and alerts them for various medication, exercise, or doctor visits.
Birth control apps create a personalised chart for the users based on their provided information. It tells the users about their fertile window and various methods to follow.
Usually, femtech apps combine these three categories in their apps and features.
Menstruation, ovulation, and hormones are important parts of women's healthcare. However, they are still taboo in many parts of the world. While Bangladesh is slowly changing its landscape by promoting more women-focused services, it is still lagging in openly promoting the information.
A femtech app is feasible from a different point of view. For instance, there are various issues that women hesitate to talk about, even with doctors. Most women don't bother going for a consultation, thinking it is a hassle. This, in turn, can lead to bigger healthcare problems.
A femtech app with all your information logged in can help you understand and know the deviances in your cycle and hormones. This will help you with the primary diagnosis.
These apps are more cost-effective. You can even book an online consultation with doctors at lower costs.
Many rural areas still lack proper healthcare facilities. For women in that area, these apps can be a saviour. With the internet, you can download these apps for free. However, we need to promote and educate people about these apps.
These apps help women understand their bodies better. We have been brought up in a culture where we don't put enough emphasis on our bodily functions. It is essential to take care of your sexual well-being and hygiene from a young age.
But these topics are often frowned upon and considered a matter of adults. Through a femtech app, young girls can easily access information about their bodies and learn how to care for them.
If you are a newbie still trying to figure out the femtech apps, here are some recommendations for you to choose from.
Clue
Clue works as a period, ovulation, and PMS tracker. You can get predictions and patterns of your cycle based on your logged data. They have an encyclopedia feature covering a wide range of topics, from menstruation to sexual and mental well-being.
You can use it for free and get access to trackers and an information hub. The premium version, Clue Plus, enables five modes -tracker, birth control, conceive, pregnancy, and postpartum for USD 5 per month.
Maya
Maya's digital assistant works as a tracker. They also have expert consultants to help clients with their health issues. These affordable services provide anonymity so people can come forward without hesitation. Their delivery service Maya Shop helps delivers personal hygiene and feminine products to their doorstep.
Flo
When we talk about period trackers, Flo is probably one of the most common names we get. However, the app has transitioned into much more. Today you can get daily insights and tips, educative content on various health topics, set goals, calendars, log symptoms, and more.
The Flo health assistant will help you navigate different difficulties and queries and your health and sexual well-being. There is a paid and free version. The premium version lets you access videos and articles. If you are starting, a free version is more than enough.
Femtech apps are pretty easy to use. You only need a smartphone and a fairly stable internet connection. These apps can be great tools in our day-to-day life if used to their potential.