Women’s Health App Market

Market Overview

The global women’s health app market size was valued at USD 3.25 billion in 2022. It is estimated to reach USD 15.31 billion by 2031, growing at a CAGR of 18.80% during the forecast period (2023–2031). The global women’s health app market is primarily driven by the surging incidence of target illnesses like Osteoarthritis (OA), anemia, menstrual health disorders, obesity, depression, and fibromyalgia. Moreover, the surging proliferation of smartphones and the growing adoption of the internet are further boosting the market growth.

The field of women's health pertains to the medical specialty concerned with diagnosing and managing ailments and conditions that impact women's physical and emotional welfare. The field comprises an extensive array of areas of expertise and concentration, including reproductive health, mental health, maternal health, and non-communicable diseases—all of which have the potential to exert a prominent influence on women.

A women's health app typically includes several monitors, including an overall female health tracker, a pregnancy tracker, and a period tracker. Various women's health applications brought about by modern technological advances better address women's health care issues. With the help of modern technologies like artificial intelligence and machine learning, these applications are designed to improve women's health care. These applications are flawless and dependable due to the incorporation of modern technology during development.

Market Dynamics

Global Women's Health App Market Drivers

Rising Incidence of Target Disorders

Dietary modifications, stress levels, and alcohol intake are significant contributors to women's hormone imbalances. Women are susceptible to some diseases, particularly after menopause, such as Osteoarthritis (OA), anemia, obesity, menstrual health disorders, depression, and fibromyalgia. With aging and a surging incidence of obesity, the prevalence of OA is anticipated to grow.

As per the United Nations, about 10% to 15% of adults over 60 have some degree of OA, which is more prevalent in women. According to the CDC, in 2013, back problems were more common in women (30.2%). Arthritis pain can be reduced by modifying daily activities and practicing healthy habits. The Track + React app lets users log their nutrition intake, exercise, medications, sleep, and mood. It tracks the information in graphs and displays and helps determine which behavior causes an increase in arthritis pain. Thus, the surge in target diseases is expected to propel the global market growth.

High Smartphones Penetration

The growing adoption of smartphones by consumers contributes to the growth of various mobile applications in the market. According to the United Nations' International Telecommunication Union, penetration of smartphones in Arab nations and Africa increased twofold between 2013 and 15, owing to improved internet access in these regions. In addition, Asia-Pacific is considered the fastest-growing smartphone market, accounting for about two-thirds of 860 million people worldwide. Continuous improvements in network infrastructure and rising network coverage boost the demand for mobile health services.

Mobile network operators view health apps as a beneficial opportunity for investment due to the increased adoption of smartphones along with a rise in awareness about health, nutrition, and diet. Advancements in smartphone technology, including digitally integrated smartphones for diagnostic purposes, are anticipated to drive the market. Smartphones provide ease of use, faster speed, and other benefits, which make them optimal for monitoring and other diagnostic services. A larger storage capacity facilitates the storage of personal health information. Thus, the affordability of smartphones has a positive impact on the penetration of smartphones, which drives the health apps market.

Global Women's Health App Market Restraint

Lack of Data Security

The increasing adoption of mobile health apps has contributed to the growing pool of interested consumers. Most health apps involve the sharing of private data and all the records of medical conditions. As a result, it generates clinical data to access and transfer securely. Data security is a prominent concern for users and will likely restrain the widespread use of mobile health and market growth. Data leak is a major issue behind declining customers, which damages the brand image.

Additionally, device manufacturers can share patient information with the third-party company. With the increasing utilization of Electronic Health Records (EHR) and Electronic Healthcare (eHealth), consumer data confidentiality and availability are a major concern for health service providers. For instance, as per Faudree and Ford 2013, 93% of clinicians use smartphones for EMR, but only 38% maintain a privacy policy. These factors restrain the market growth.

Global Women's Health App Market Opportunities

Growing Emphasis on Women's Health by Government Organization

Increased emphasis on women's health by several government organizations worldwide is anticipated to create significant growth opportunities for the women's health app market. Several government organizations are collaborating with market participants to improve women's and girls' access to health care to promote their health and well-being. For instance, HiDoc Pte Ltd. (HiDoc) announced the introduction of Nectar, a community platform for women's health and wellness, in March 2021. Nectar is designed to encourage women of all ages in the Asia-Pacific region to achieve optimal health through self-care and preventive measures. This, in turn, offers growth opportunities in the global women's health app market over the forecast period.

Regional Analysis

Based on region, the global women's health app market is bifurcated into North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East and Africa.

North America Dominates the Global Market

North America is the most significant global women’s health app market shareholder and is estimated to exhibit a CAGR of 17.71% during the forecast period. Increasing adoption of mobile health apps for health tracking and rising government interest in cutting healthcare costs are expected to boost market growth. The presence of advanced healthcare systems in Canada and the U.S., an increase in the incidence of chronic disorders, like diabetes, cardiovascular disorders, cancer, respiratory diseases, etc., and a rise in health awareness among the population are some of the major factors likely to spur this regional market. In addition, rising healthcare costs and long waiting times for E.R. have resulted in high adoption of mobile health technologies, driving the healthcare apps market. For instance, in 2015, JMIR Publications surveyed the U.S., concluding that around 58% of the population was estimated to have downloaded mobile health apps.

Moreover, most health applications downloaded belonged to the fitness and nutrition segment, indicating a strong consumer preference for fitness apps. Further, an increase in the younger population, awareness, inclination toward health-related issues, and a rise in disposable incomes owing to an increase in the middle-class population are factors influencing the adoption of different apps, thus aiding in the development of women's health app market in the region.

Europe is predicted to exhibit a CAGR of 19.5% over the forecast period. Adoption of women's health apps is rapidly growing in Europe, owing to features like self-assessment and remote monitoring, which have successfully gained more patient independence. The Department for International Trade initiated trade campaigns like Digital Health, providing global business and learning opportunities in the digital health market. In addition, the high penetration of smartphones increases the availability of mobile apps, driving the women's health app market. An increase in demand is reciprocated by-product inclusion and innovation by providers to meet the growing demand. For instance, Withings, a French company, provides an application—Withings Health Mate—for analyzing, tracking, and maintaining health. With a positive consumer response and to cater to a larger audience, the company launched the updated version of the app in 2020. Under the update, the app provides better sleep insights and schedules. Such developments are expected to boost the regional market growth.

The Asia-Pacific region is estimated to grow at the quickest rate. The Asia-Pacific women's health app market is driven by increased demand for effective healthcare technology, rising smartphone penetration, and increasing internet access. Medical device companies are increasingly collaborating with software developers to produce various monitoring and diagnostic applications, enabling the population to communicate with healthcare physicians easily. Emerging economies in countries such as Malaysia and Thailand have also encouraged the development of low-cost mobile technologies. These companies are developing and producing diagnostic tests that will ease routine check-ups. Patients can now take blood samples in the diagnostic device connected to the smartphone, and the app shows a detailed analysis and stores the report for further reference.

Latin America faces serious concerns regarding women's health, such as femicide in Mexico, lack of awareness, and gender disparity. Fertility is among the major health problems, attracting increasing imports of sperm from the U.S. to meet the demand for IVF clinics. Nevertheless, increased government participation and initiatives to increase the overall scenario of women's health, in turn, promote the adoption of health apps.

The health of Middle Eastern and African women varies widely. However, overall concerns the women population faces include maternal deaths, teenage pregnancy, and the high prevalence of HIV. However, various organizations are trying to improve women's health by raising awareness and promoting local entrepreneurs to develop women's health apps. In 2019, FemConnect won the Apps for Africa contest, organized for African entrepreneurs by NubiaNetwork. FemConnect focuses on improving reproductive and sexual healthcare through online education. Such initiatives are assisting the development of new apps by supporting local entrepreneurs.

Segmental Analysis

The global women's health app market is bifurcated by type.

Based on type, the global women's health app market is segmented into fitness and nutrition, pregnancy tracking and postpartum care, menstrual health, menopause, disease management, and others. 

The menstrual health segment is the largest contributor to the market and is projected to exhibit a CAGR of 19.1% over the forecast period. Menstrual health apps help track ovulation and guide women planning to conceive or avoid pregnancy. In June 2019, Apple Inc. added menstrual cycle tracking software, Cycle Tracker, compatible with Apple's Health App on the forthcoming iOS 13 and Watch OS 6 updates. The software consists of features such as recording cycle history, prediction of the ovulation cycle and fertility window, and tracking symptoms such as cramps and spotting, among others. However, certain service providers are sharing the data with third-party organizations, breaching their users' privacy. In 2019, the Wall Street Journal disclosed that Flo, Inc. was sharing sensitive user data with Facebook. Such revelations negatively impact the adoption of menstrual apps due to loss of product credibility.

Women are using mobile applications for health tracking at a higher rate due to growing awareness of health and well-being. Fitness apps for women offer effective and quick exercise routines for maximizing weight loss and fat burning, improving overall health. Moreover, fitness apps provide users with guidance from fitness experts and coaches for assisting in physical workouts to obtain optimum results. Increasing consumer focus on connected health and wellness solutions is anticipated to drive the women-centric fitness apps market over the forecast period. In addition, nutrition is an important category in the women's health app market, as the large-scale population is shifting toward adopting a healthy diet to prevent chronic illnesses and sustain a healthy lifestyle. Nutrition and diet tracking apps evaluate parameters, such as calories ingested, nutritional value, and weight loss, along with monitoring nutrient deficiencies, providing a comprehensive overview of a user's diet plan. Apps help individuals track their diets and provide a basic framework of a user's dietary information while consulting nutritional counselors.

Maternal mortality continues to be a significant worldwide health concern, particularly in medium and low-income nations. According to WHO, in 2017, around 295,000 women died during pregnancy and postpartum. Due to factors such as a high maternal mortality rate, mobile application developers are creating new pregnancy tracking and postpartum care applications. In May 2019, a professor at Augusta University, Dr. Marlo Vernon, developed the Vida app, which focused on providing pregnancy care to expectant mothers.

Moreover, in 2020, Dr Vernon won a cash prize at an innovative technology-based competition, the Remote Pregnancy Monitoring Grand Challenge, totaling USD 35,000 that will be used for app innovation. In addition, individuals and investors are drawn to the expanding market for postpartum applications by their increasing demand. Inova Health System invested USD 500,000 in Babyscripts in March 2019. Babyscripts provides a mobile app and remote monitoring technology to assist women with postpartum and prenatal care.

Menopause and perimenopause apps let users save any changes in their menstrual cycle and offer guidance and information. MenoPro is a free mobile application developed by the North American Menopause Society to help menopausal women, and clinicians personalize treatment based on user preferences. The app provides a list of optimal medical suggestions based on the severity of the case by interpretation of the medical history and the risk factors involved. In October 2020, Health and Her Ltd. launched an app to support women during nine key symptoms of perimenopause and menopause. The app will analyze user symptoms, provide guidance regarding the supplements needed, and provide meditation guidance, sleep support videos, and exercise routines.

Recent Developments

• February 2023- Samsung Electronics and Natural Cycles announced a partnership to bring temperature-based menstrual cycle tracking to the Galaxy Watch5 series. This partnership combines Samsung's superior sensor technology with Natural Cycles' innovative fertility technology to give users a more comprehensive understanding of their menstrual cycle.

• January 2023- Movano Health introduced the Evie smart ring. Evie provides women with medical-grade health data translated into personalized insights and delivered through a mobile application.