E D I T O R ' S N O T E
ELLEN FLANNERY , EDITOR
Welcome to the firstever FemTech edition of Intelligent Health . tech magazine . I decided to commit an entire issue on the disparities in women ’ s healthcare . Besides being a woman affected by the topics discussed , a fire was lit within me at the HLTH Europe event earlier this year . After entering this space , I became painfully aware for the first time of the opportunities , challenges and gaps existing . The women ’ s health community attending inspired me with their passion for progress and I was ignited with a desire to ‘ do my bit ’. And so here it is ! An impactful edition that doesn ’ t dilute the topic at hand .
Starting with our fantastic cover , I had the pleasure of receiving insights from Dr Helen O ’ Neill , a molecular geneticist and associate professor , who co-founded the respected and fast-growing company , Hertility , to bring accessible , at-home hormone and fertility testing to women .
In this interview , Dr O ’ Neill shares how her academic and personal experiences shaped Hertility ’ s mission . Discussing the importance of empowering women with data to make informed decisions about their hormonal and reproductive health , and uplifting women with their memorable slogan : ‘ You ’ re not ovaryacting ’. Which is so memorable that I just had to place it on our cover !
“ As a woman myself , I struggled with the idea that I couldn ’ t find any answers about my own body . Despite having such a strong academic background where you ’ re looking at the most detailed molecular signatures of embryo formation , I still didn ’ t know whether I , as a woman , would have eggs that would fertilise to become embryos . This felt to me like a real failure in modern medicine ,” Dr O ’ Neill shared .
Read the full interview on page 48 .
One of the speakers that really sparked this edition was Sara Naseri , Cofounder and CEO of Qvin , and in her honour , I simply had to pay homage to the work her company does . On page 17 , we explore how menstrual blood , long overlooked due to stigma , is finally being recognised as a method of unlocking new possibilities in health diagnostics . By transforming menstrual blood into a valuable diagnostic tool , this approach challenges taboos , offering an affordable , accessible way for people who menstruate to gain essential health insights .
Three months ago , I received a letter apologising for the delay in addressing my ADHD diagnosis , with a three-year wait and an expectancy of an extra year ( a goal post that keeps moving further ). In the meantime , I am relearning everything about my psychology – without access to NHS counselling or prescription medication . I am one of many women in the UK navigating delayed diagnoses . This lack of awareness has led to lifelong struggles in education , social interactions and relationships . I asked experts for their insights on how technology can streamline access to diagnoses and
SUBSCRIBE
TO OUR MONTHLY MAGAZINE
treatment , reducing these delays for women with ADHD on page 25 .
Many of us have experienced the devastating effects of breast cancer , directly or indirectly . On page 63 , Herat Joshi , Data Science Lead at Great River Health , highlights how ensemble AI models can improve early breast cancer detection by boosting accuracy and reducing invasive diagnostics , marking a major advance in precision medicine .
Unnecessary or badly targeted antibiotics are being prescribed to between 34 % -60 % of women presenting with UTI – between 5.1ml and 9ml women annually . It ’ s very clear that to improve female health outcomes , bring an end to UTI misdiagnosis and turn the tide on AMR , women urgently need access to alternative urine sampling technologies . Giovanna Forte , CEO of Forte Medical , tells us more on page 63 .
Don ’ t forget to check out this month ’ s Under the Microscope , where we hear from Sarita Stefani , Co-founder & CEO at Amilis , who shares insights on overcoming historical biases and systemic barriers impacting women ’ s reproductive health .
Ellen Flannery , Editor
www . intelligenthealth . tech 3