From WhatsApp-enabled postpartum care to AI-powered apps for managing pregnancy and mental health, digital health tools are helping women gain more control over their health, according to a new global study.
The study, published May 13 in The Lancet Digital Health, analyzed 80 research papers across 30 countries, and found that digital health technologies improve women’s access to care, increase autonomy and promote gender equity. The evidence spanned mobile apps, telehealth and social platforms.
“Technology increased women's autonomy and enhanced their decision-making capacity,” according to the study. “Women in many studies reported that digital resources helped them to feel in control, raised self-awareness, and promoted self-management of symptoms.”
While the benefits of digital tools might seem obvious, the authors noted that the gender divide in many countries “isolates women from technological advancements.” The study was designed, in part, to address this gap, and to provide a roadmap to prevent new technologies don’t reinforce existing inequalities.
Mobile Health Technologies Go Where Traditional Healthcare Can't
More than 60 percent of the studies reviewed involved mobile health technologies, including app-based self-monitoring, text message-based health education and social support tools. These platforms often reached women in rural or low-income settings where traditional health infrastructure is sparse.
One example: A mobile messaging service called Aponjon in Bangladesh sends voice and text messages to expecting mothers about prenatal and newborn care. A randomized trial in Uganda tested a maternity care app called SupportMoms, designed to help women track appointments and communicate with providers. And in India, a survey of more than 66,000 women found that economic and digital empowerment, such as phone access and financial tools, was associated with lower rates of intimate partner violence.
The researchers noted that digital health supports more than medical care. In nearly half of the studies, these digital technologies enhanced women’s ability to make more decisions for themselves by offering flexibility, privacy and control, which are critical elements for women managing chronic conditions, mental health or caregiving duties.
The study pointed to tools like SmartMoms, which screens for postpartum depression, and GestAção, a prenatal care app from Brazil, as helping address unmet needs in women’s health. In the United States, the SweetMama app is being piloted to help low-income women manage diabetes during pregnancy.
These technologies often emerge from academic research labs or nonprofit ventures before spinning into venture-backed companies.
Funding Lags for Women’s Healthcare Technology Innovators
Funding for companies developing health technologies to benefit women often lag other health areas. A 2024 analysis by Silicon Valley Bank found that just $2.6 billion was invested in core women’s health startups, or roughly 2 percent of all healthcare venture capital. The firm’s 2025 update suggested a reframing of the topic, to include adjacent conditions that disproportionately affect women, such as cardiovascular disease, autoimmune disorders and Alzheimer’s, which brings the total investment to $10.7 billion.
Some startups are benefitting from organizations like Fierce Foundry, the first U.S.-based venture nonprofit dedicated to launching and scaling female-founded startups especially in FemTech.
Even companies that do manage to secure investors often struggle to scale beyond early funding rounds. An analysis by digital health investor Halle Tecco found that 81 percent of deals in 2023 and 2024 were at the Seed or Series A stages, compared to 68 percent across the broader digital health sector, suggesting a bottleneck in late-stage capital access.
“A handful of women’s health companies are breaking through and raising sizable growth rounds,” Tecco wrote, “but they mask a harsher reality: for most, capital dries up just as the need to scale intensifies. The question isn’t whether breakout wins are possible—it’s why they’re so few and far between.”
Barriers Limit Access to Digital Health Tools
Social and financial barriers do limit access to some of these digital tools. One top reason: the cost of mobile devices and data plans. Privacy concerns, particularly in communities where women’s digital activity may be monitored, also limited adoption.
“The barriers not only prevent women from comprehensively benefiting from [digital health technologies], but might also manifest as negative effects resulting from [their] access and use,” the study authors wrote.
The review found that digital health was most effective when it aligned with women’s daily realities. Apps with audio or visual features were more accessible for users with limited literacy, and platforms that supported two-way communication were more likely to improve adherence to care plans.
To better ensure these tools are available to more women, future policy proposals should “focus on how best to enroll women in research concerning the use of digital interventions on health-related outcomes, while prioritising access, use, and barrier mitigation,” the study said.