Innovations and Advances in Women’s Health: Addressing Data Gaps with Technology-Enabled Care

About this Research Topic

Background

Progress in women’s health has gained momentum in recent years, yet major challenges remain. Persistent stigma, gaps in access to care, and historic underrepresentation in medical research have created a gender data gap that limits understanding across life stages (e.g., pregnancy, menopause), reproductive and gynecological disorders (e.g., endometriosis, PCOS), physiological systems (e.g., vaginal microbiome, hormone and metabolic profiles), and conditions that disproportionately or differentially affect women (e.g., cardiovascular disease, autoimmune disorders, mental health disorders).

Femtech—the application of technology to female health—offers transformative potential to close both knowledge and care gaps. Advances in AI, wearable and implantable sensors, molecular diagnostics, and big data analytics are enabling more personalized and accessible approaches to health management, while also generating new research insights. Beyond technical innovation, femtech can also raise awareness, reduce stigma, and help normalize women’s health within public health discourse. To ensure these benefits are realized, thoughtful approaches to privacy, security, and regulation will be critical for building trust and sustaining impact. Taken together, these developments present an opportunity to deepen understanding of women’s health and move toward more equitable healthcare for all.

This Research Topic seeks to advance women’s health by showcasing innovative technologies and approaches that address the gender data gap, while also considering the societal, ethical, and regulatory factors that shape their use. We particularly welcome interdisciplinary contributions spanning biological, technological, clinical, societal, or policy domains, reflecting the multifaceted nature of women’s health and femtech. By bringing together these perspectives, the issue aims to highlight responsible, equitable, and impactful femtech solutions, and to inspire future research and practice that can positively influence women’s health outcomes worldwide.

We welcome contributions from researchers, clinicians, engineers, public health experts, and policy specialists focused on female health and technology development. Submitted manuscripts may include original research, systematic reviews, perspective, mini-review, opinion, case report, policy brief, research report, study protocol, and hypothesis and theory covering (but not limited to):

● Novel diagnostics using non-invasive sampling (e.g., menstrual blood, urine, and vaginal secretions)
● Vaginal microbiome research exploring its diversity and implications for fertility, immunity, and disease
● Development of real-time hormonal, metabolic, and microbiological monitoring devices
● Innovative strategies for (peri)menopause management
● Technologies for earlier diagnosis and more effective care in conditions that disproportionately or differentially affect women (e.g., endometriosis, PCOS, cardiovascular disease, autoimmune disorders, osteoporosis, neurological conditions)
● Data privacy, ethics, and regulatory frameworks tailored to femtech applications
● Responsible and explainable AI/ML approaches in women’s health
● Societal and psychological factors influencing women’s health behaviors and technology adoption
● Gender biases in funding and policy affecting femtech research and implementation
● Equity, inclusivity, and engagement of users in the design and evaluation of femtech solutions

This topic aims to highlight advances from molecular discovery to policy and practical applications, fostering collaboration that accelerates equitable, privacy-conscious, and effective femtech solutions worldwide.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Classification
• Clinical Trial
• Community Case Study
• Curriculum, Instruction, and Pedagogy
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Classification
• Clinical Trial
• Community Case Study
• Curriculum, Instruction, and Pedagogy
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Policy Brief
• Review
• Study Protocol
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Women’s health, femtech, gender data gap, menstrual blood diagnostics, vaginal microbiome, menopause, endometriosis, PCOS, wearable technology, data protection, data privacy, health equity, responsible AI, personalized medicine.

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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