Throughout my pregnancy, I found myself consistently abiding by various pregnancy apps. I checked daily notifications on the “best practices” of pregnancy and put considerable effort into abiding by the recommendations. This seems to be a common practice with my pregnant friends. A big part of the adoption of wearable technology is about consumer behaviour.
In recent years, most consumers already have their smartphones practically connected to them. We listen to data about ourselves, and generally feel comfortable with health apps tracking our every move. Although not many pregnancy-monitoring products have come into this space yet, I’m willing to bet this is the next horizon for wearable tech. Clinical trials for nanotechnology use in hormone therapy are still underway, but there are several wearable devices for pregnant women on the market.
A Need For More Femtech Solutions
Most of us have heard about hormone tracking device called the Ava tracker, which is mostly used by women who are trying to conceive. Yet there is not one pregnancy monitoring device that has significantly taken the spotlight. We’ve seen the Willow pumps, which any breastfeeding mother is sure to be impressed with. But what I’m most interested in is how we can use wearable devices to track hormone levels. Technology allows us to live higher-quality lives, and with the ability to optimize our cycles, comes the strength to overcome many weaknesses. I think data could enhance our human instincts, allowing us to learn more about our hormones with each pregnancy.
Health monitoring using wearable devices could be significantly crucial during pregnancy and for the months after delivery. Much like a CGM for diabetes, if a pregnant mother could consistently know her hormone levels, it could alleviate concern for her overall health. Additionally, women could monitor their risk for preeclampsia and other dangerous conditions. One study from last year surveyed pregnant women and found that almost all would appreciate this type of health tracking.
“Most of us have heard about hormone tracking device called the Ava tracker,Yet there is not one pregnancy monitoring device that has significantly taken the spotlight. “
Ava Tracker, More Than Just Another FemTech Device
What did you do today? Where did you go? Was there something that caught your eye on your route to work? Now walk through your day again, but this time imagine a cold, raw, feeling of an ice pick chipping away at the back of your neck. Imagine the feeling of pressure pushing against one of your eyeballs, as if it might pop out at any moment. Imagine you’re sitting in a business meeting, yet the fluorescent lights overhead feel like they’re burning your face, and the slight tapping of a colleagues nails on the desk feels like they’re tapping on your brain itself. This is how it feels to live with chronic migraine—waking up in the morning feeling as if you’ve been hit by a bus overnight. Or waking up frequently during the night without any relief from a constant pulsing in your ear, so severe, you’re beginning to think Van Gogh was on to something.
With so much growth happening in the wearable technology space, Migrainers finally have a lot to look forward to. Researchers are already working on wearable devices that use electromagnetic pulses. Maybe this could relieve some patients, but migraines are highly variable. They can affect patients in entirely different ways, and seem to be caused by a myriad of activities from hormone levels to food intake to genetics.
Part of relief lies in finding a cause, which for many can take years, if at all. We do know that migraines are more common in women, and often persist for an extensive period of their lives. We know that for these women, high levels of estrogen are often a contributing factor, with many women indicating a difference in their migraines after a hormonal shift. For myself, after searching for five years and getting almost any treatment allowed, I found my estrogen levels were non-existent. So it seems tracking hormone levels with a device like Ava would be the first step to finding a cure for chronic migraine.
“it seems tracking hormone levels with a device like Ava would be the first step to finding a cure for chronic migraine.”
One user reviewed the device with enthusiasm. “I thought I had migraine headaches randomly throughout the month. With Ava, I realized that I always get them like clockwork right after I ovulate. Ava didn’t solve my headaches (if only!), but it does help me be more prepared for them, so they never take me by surprise anymore.” – Nurit”
Recently, I talked with a pregnant friend who had left work to go into the doctor to monitor her baby’s heart rate. Wearable health tracking could have monitored her baby’s heart rate and sent the data to her smartphone, eliminating her stress altogether. I would love to see more in this space develop. Health-focused wearables are much more likely to take the industry by storm because they have noted usefulness. For anyone who’s been pregnant, we know anything that could make our experience easier is welcome!
To conclude, using a wearable technology device like Ava could be the key for many women to understand why migraines are plaguing them and seek to find a cure. Whether they can better balance their hormone creation or work with their doctor to implement hormone therapy, wearable technology like this is much more than a chic accessory.
