Sakshi Mehta, a teacher from Chhattisgarh – a densely forested state in central India – was frustrated with her PCOS (Polycystic ovary syndrome) condition. Sakshi’s menstrual cycle had been irregular since her teenage years but given her conservative household, she never felt comfortable discussing it with her family. In March 2020, she visited a gynaecologist and was diagnosed with PCOS, cysts found in both her ovaries. Desperate for a cure, Sakshi began taking Ayurvedic medicines from the Indian femtech brand Gynoveda, following a strong recommendation from a friend who had successfully treated her own PCOS with remedies from this brand. Started in 2019 by husband-wife duo Vishal Gupta & Rachana Gupta, Gynoveda uses ayurveda, an ancient Indian medical system, to solve the common problems of PCOS, period pain and infertility through a natural approach. After a few months, Sakshi noticed a remarkable change: not only did her menstrual cycle become regular but one of her ovaries was completely free of cysts. “I was shocked. What I am taking is actually working! I cannot tell you how happy I was, ” says Sakshi. Sakshi is among the growing number of Indian women turning to femtech solutions to address a range of health challenges: One in five Indian women have PCOS while 10-14% Indian couples struggle with fertility. World Health Organization (WHO) highlights that globally, women face greater barriers than men in accessing health services and information. These restrictions include lower literary rates, lack of mobility and low decision-making power. This gender inequality is exacerbated in India which is ranked 131st and second lowest in the World Economic Forum’s Gender Gap Report 2025. Indian women especially have low internet penetration rates compared to men which poses a hindrance in accessing online femtech solutions: Indian women are 33% less likely than men to use mobile internet. To make health access easier for women, Gynoveda operates fertility clinics across India to reach women who are not active online. In many parts of India, menstruation is viewed as dirty and impure. Discussions around PCOS and infertility are often stigmatized and discouraged. These cultural taboos make it challenging for femtech startups to start conversations about their solutions. To challenge this, femtech startups are increasingly relying on social media platforms to engage with more women using relatable and humorous content. “It’s still taboo in our country but with the privacy of a phone screen. .. you could communicate one-on-one with the consumer on any topic and there’s no taboo or shame, ” says Ravi Ramachandran, founder of NUA, an Indian femtech start-up building a range of wellness products for women. “You could talk about anything from periods or sexual health to whatever you want but in the privacy of the screen. ” NUA boasts a combined following of 387, 000 followers on Facebook and Instagram. Their reels are relatable, capturing a distinct Gen Z vibe with guides educating young girls on navigating their first periods and parents on how to aid their daughters during period days. Social media influencers such as Laxmi Shetty (381, 000 Instagram followers) have also partnered with NUA and openly share their use of NUA sanitary pads, helping drive discussions around menstruation and according to Ravi, ‘costing a fraction of what a TV ad would require. ’ Despite strong social media followings and robust revenues, Indian femtech startups face substantial challenges in securing funding. “It’s a very difficult journey because most of private equity people are men on the other side and (femtech) is something that men don’t even understand, ” says Ravi adding that it takes more effort to persuade VCs to invest in women’s health solutions. Ravi recalls a funding round where male investors repeatedly questioned NUA’s subscription packages that allow women to choose the size of sanitary pads they need, based on their menstrual flow. “The problem was that they were equating this to an underwear. Because as a human being, you just need one underwear size, ” says Ravi stressing that male investors struggle to understand the health issues faced by women. Comparing femtech to the beauty industry, Ravi highlights that funding less challenging in the latter because male investors can personally experience the products. “The men also can take (the moisturizer) and apply it and see and smell it and say, ‘it’s good’. But here, (they) cannot experience it. ” India’s female population is rapidly growing, creating more opportunity for femtech start-ups. Although Gynoveda has served thousands of Indian women, Vishal mentions the brand is not “even a drop in the ocean at this point” considering that India’s female population was over 702 million in 2024. Femtech in India is what Ravi calls undergoing a period of “massive growth”. This growth can be seen in numbers: India’s women’s health market is projected to reach $1. 325 billion by 2030. As femtech solutions continue to evolve, Ravi hopes that the average Indian woman, both now and in the future, will be able to do what he never saw the women in his family do: prioritize their health instead of everyone else’s.
Why are women increasingly turning to femtech solutions?
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