The women’s health space has long centered on reproductive care. Although this is an important area, the industry is leaving out a vast segment of women whose health needs go far beyond fertility and pregnancy, one health tech executive says.
“[About] 90% of women are outside of the active family building stage. So when we only talk about reproductive health, we’re only focusing on 10% of the population, 10% of the women. The 90% also need resources and also need a focus,” said Chevon Rariy, MD, chief clinical innovation officer for women’s health company Visana.
Rariy made these comments during an interview last week at the HLTH conference in Las Vegas. Visana, based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, serves payers and employers and treats women for a range of conditions, including menopause, endometriosis, fibroids, polycystic ovary syndrome, contraception, urinary tract infections and other conditions.
Some examples of areas that are often overlooked in women’s health are cardiovascular disease and cardiometabolic health, Rariy said. She noted that about one in three women has polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), thyroid issues or endometriosis. About 30% of women have insulin resistance and about 40% of women in the U.S. are obese.
“The economics are huge, and the downstream health impact is equally as concerning. From an economic standpoint, we have $175 billion spent on obesity in the United States. … For PCOS, it’s about $15 billion,” she said. “So it’s a huge amount that we’re not talking about if we just speak about reproductive health.”
Visana has been expanding its cardiometabolic support following its recent $24 million Series A raise. Rariy said the company decided to move into this space after recognizing a need among its patients. The company’s initial focus was on gynecological issues like fibroids and heavy menstrual bleeding. But the company found that many women have interrelated issues. For example, a patient battling endometriosis might have a hormonal disruption, like a thyroid issue, that’s impacting their bleeding.
There are several companies that offer cardiometabolic health support. However, they aren’t always focused on women, which is why Visana chose to build its own services in the space versus partnering with other companies.
“What we’ve recognized is that there are certain issues unique to women that often get overlooked… So a woman with PCOS, the very nature of their hormonal underpinnings or hormonal condition of PCOS impacts their weight, impacts how their weight is handled… and so all of these things need to be taken into account,” Rariy said.
She added that the company hopes to continue to expand its support for women, such as behavioral health and home testing for sexually transmitted diseases.
Other women’s health companies include Tia Health and Maven Clinic.
Photo: asnidamarwani, Getty Images
