Developing Women Health Apps: Tech in Women’s Healthcare

Almost half of the world’s population are women. Although they account for 80% of healthcare purchasing decisions, their health needs are largely overlooked. Luckily, this is gradually changing with FemTech—the technology explicitly created for women.

Women health apps are one of the most significant FemTech subsets. These go beyond mere period trackers — they empower women to take control of their bodies and overall wellbeing. Want to contribute to this healthcare niche? Read on to discover how to build a health-tracking app for women through real-world examples.

Current Trends and Future Predictions for the Mobile Health App Development Market

The women’s health app market is growing by 19.6% each year. As per Grand View Research, it will expand from almost $4 billion in 2023 to over $13 billion in 2030. North America currently leads the market with a 39% share.

Here are several factors driving such a surge:

• Increased smartphone adoption
• Improved Internet connectivity
• Rising trend of preventive healthcare
• Growing focus on reducing healthcare costs
• Tackling previously stigmatised areas like sexual health and menopause

Menstrual health apps dominated the market in 2022 with a share of more than 37.5%. That’s primarily due to a growing awareness of the importance of menstrual hygiene and the desire for better self-care. The period and fertility tracking app Flo became a market leader, with over 200 million downloads in 2021.

Besides growing female health awareness and smartphone penetration, women are generally more likely to adopt mobile health apps than men. The ‘Online Wellbeing Centre’ Randomised Controlled Trial has found that females in upbeat moods are more inclined to use wellbeing apps and demonstrate a proactive approach to health management.

Despite representing only 1% of health technology investment in 2022, FemTech companies were worth $28 billion in 2023. Their success has fueled the rise of the following trends in women health app development:

• Artificial intelligence. AI will likely transform diagnostics, sexual and general healthcare, and fertility solutions. In 2021, 29% of FemTech companies already used this technology.
• Fertility solutions. With the global fertility services market forecasted to reach $41.4 billion by 2026, egg-freezing guidance and personalised support apps will rise significantly.
• Menopause solutions. As the number of women experiencing menopause surpasses 1 billion by 2025, apps catering to this specific life stage will be in high demand.

Of course, health-tracking apps are a prominent FemTech trend that features period, fertility, and symptom tracking. They also cover ovulation prediction and menopause management functionality.

Business Benefits of Mobile Health App Development for Women

Female health app development is a lucrative opportunity for businesses. Apart from just financial gain, it provides the following benefits:

• Market opportunity. Mobile health apps had over 300 million users in 2023, with females making up a significant portion. With an almost 20% annual growth of the women health app market, it lets businesses reach a large and expanding customer base.
• Enhanced user engagement. Women’s health apps keep users loyal and engaged. They offer numerous helpful features, such as personalised recommendations based on individual data, health-related, and goal setting. On top of that, women can connect and share experiences with community-building functions.
• Data-driven insights. Women’s health apps generate valuable user data. Businesses can analyse and use this information to find improvement areas and personalise app features following user behaviour. Also, it’s possible to identify unmet needs within the women’s health market and offer solutions to address them.
• Improved brand reputation. Building a successful women’s health app makes people see your company as an innovation and social responsibility leader. It shows you’re committed to women’s wellbeing, which resonates with a large customer base.
• Scalability and reach. Mobile apps know no borders. You can reach any person who identifies as a woman worldwide. Besides that, you can make your app inherently scalable to accommodate a growing audience.
• Subscription and freemium models. Businesses involved in health app development choose different ways to make a profit. They can offer freemium models with free basic and paid premium features. Alternatively, they may provide access to exclusive content and advanced functionality through monthly or yearly subscriptions.
• Partnerships and integrations. Businesses collaborate with healthcare providers, wearable device companies, or pharmaceutical firms to improve their app’s functionality through wearable data and integration of expert medical insights. Additionally, they reach new user segments through partner networks.

The Main Types of Women Health Tracking Apps (with Examples)

As mentioned above, women’s health app development is far more than building period trackers. Different types of applications cater to various female’s needs and life stages. Here are the core categories of such solutions:

Period Trackers

Let’s start with the most in-demand type—period tracking apps. With their help, women monitor their menstrual cycles, predict periods, and track symptoms like cramps, mood swings, and discharge.

A popular example of such an app is Flo, which offers cycle prediction, symptom logging, and educational content. Another one is Clue, which comes with period, ovulation, and PMS tracking.

Fertility Trackers

Fertility tracking apps assist women trying to get pregnant. They predict ovulation windows, let users monitor basal body temperature, and analyse cervical mucus consistency.

Ovia and Natural Cycles are decent examples of apps offering personalised fertility tracking features.

Pregnancy Trackers

Pregnancy tracking apps serve moms and moms-to-be. They provide women with valuable information and support throughout their pregnancy. These solutions typically feature fetal development tracking, due date calculators, and educational content. For instance, Ovia offers the functionalities listed above.

Menopause Management Apps

These medical tracking apps support women during menopause. Their features include tracking symptoms such as hot flashes, sleep disturbances, and mood changes. They also provide educational resources and dedicated support groups. Famous examples of this app type include Balance and Flo.

General Health and Wellness Trackers Focusing on Women’s Health

These are the apps every woman needs. They provide a holistic approach to women’s health, often combining the features of the apps mentioned above.

The functionalities may include menstrual cycle tracking, fertility tracking, pregnancy tracking, and menopause management. Other typical features are fitness tracking, nutrition guidance, and mental wellbeing tools. For example, Clue, a period and ovulation tracking app, features sleep monitoring and personalised health insights.

Want to find out how to create such a comprehensive application? Check our case study on health and fitness app development.

Building a Winning Women Health App: Essential Features

Of course, the features you need for your women’s health app depend heavily on its type. However, some functionalities and principles apply to all FemTech apps. Let’s explore those in greater detail.

User-Centric Design

The best women’s health apps cater to a wide user base — females of all ages and technical knowledge levels. Therefore, making your app intuitive and user-friendly is crucial. Consider the following aspects in this regard:

• Easy navigation with clear menus, concise information, and a visually appealing layout
• Accessible and understandable features
• Simple data entry and management

Core Features

Every successful women’s health tracker must include the following features:

• Data tracking and logging. Let users log menstrual cycles, fertility indicators, pregnancy milestones, symptoms, moods, and other relevant health data.
• Personalised insights and reports. Based on the user-logged data, your app should deliver tailored insights into cycle patterns, fertility windows, potential health risks, and overall wellbeing.
• Educational content and resources. Depending on the app type, it may provide various helpful resources for users. Those include articles, videos, and expert advice on women’s health topics, from menstrual health to menopause.
• Goal setting and progress tracking. Users need to set health goals and track their progress over time. This feature ensures better user engagement and overall in-app experience.
• Community features (optional). Women may also use your app to communicate with others and share their experiences and tips through a supportive community forum. However, this feature requires constant moderation to ensure all user-generated content is appropriate and inclusive.

The Tech Stack Requirements for Developing a Women Health Tracking App

A robust tech stack is the foundation of any successful FemTech health app. It’s responsible for functionality, scalability, and security of user data. Here are the technologies used in women health app development:

Key Components

First, let’s consider the must-have components of every health app and the technologies used to build them:

• Front-end development. To build the app’s user interface and user experience, use cross-platform frameworks like React Native and Flutter or native development with platforms like Swift (iOS) and Kotlin (Android).
• Back-end development. The technologies powering the app’s server-side functionality include Node.js or Python with Django.
• Database management. Secure and scalable databases like PostgreSQL or MongoDB guarantee reliable user data storage and management.
• Data security and privacy. Given the sensitive nature of user data, implementing security measures like multi-factor authentication, end-to-end encryption, device fingerprinting, and real-time fraud notifications is essential. Compliance with data protection regulations like HIPAA, GDPR, or PIPEDA is also necessary.
• Push notifications (optional). Use Firebase Cloud Messaging or Apple Push Notification Service to send timely reminders, updates, and personalised recommendations.
• Integration with wearables (optional). If your app integrates with wearable devices, use APIs provided by device manufacturers to enable synchronisation and data exchange. The options include Google Fit API, Apple HealthKit, and beyond.

Additional Considerations

Besides the core technologies you can use in health tracking app development, consider extra factors to ensure further growth.

• Scalability. Choose technologies that adapt to a growing user base without compromising performance. For example, cloud-based solutions offer better flexibility and scalability than on-premise infrastructure.
• Performance optimisation. Implement performance optimisation techniques like caching, code optimisation, and load balancing. It leads to a smooth user experience across various devices.
• Cloud-based infrastructure. Use cloud platforms like AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud to access scalability, cost-effective data storage, and disaster recovery.

If these technical aspects seem daunting, find a reliable tech partner and focus on your business part instead. Order healthcare software development services from GoodCore and leave the tech aspects to our experts.

How to Build a Health Tracking App for Women?

Discussing women health tracking app development is tricky, given the numerous options available. Again, different types of FemTech apps involve various feature sets.

But don’t worry, we’ll explain the general development process, which typically takes several core steps:

1. Planning and Ideation

Start with refining your app’s idea. Determine the specific health needs you want to handle — period tracking, fertility, menopause management, and so on. Thus, you will opt for the preferred app type.

Then, think of your target audience. Consider demographics, typical health concerns, and tech savviness.

Finally, you’re ready for competitor research. Explore existing apps in the chosen niche, analyse their strengths and weaknesses, and determine how your solution could stand out. Considering the gathered insights, list the most significant and additional features your app needs.

2. Development Approach Selection

Once you’ve defined your app’s idea and explored your target audience and competitors, choose the most suitable software development approach. Generally, you may pick one of the following options:

• Custom software development. With this approach, you hire a dedicated software development team to build your app from scratch. It gives you complete control over the app’s design, functionality, scalability, and security measures.
• Ready-made solution. Another viable approach is to use pre-built platforms or white-label solutions. This speeds up development and reduces costs, but it offers less customisation and flexibility.

3. User Research and Validation

At this stage, you gather a group of target users for feedback on your future app. Thanks to user interviews and surveys, you will understand your audience’s needs, pain points, and preferences in greater depth.

Use the collected information to create your app’s prototypes with basic functionalities. Then, conduct usability testing to determine the improvements necessary for your application.

4. Design and Development

After building and testing your women health app’s prototypes, move to the design and development stage. You’ll need to cover the following aspects:

• UI/UX design
• Front-end development
• Back-end development
• Database management

If tackling these processes seems like an impossible challenge, don’t hesitate to reach out to GoodCore for expert mobile app development services!

5. Testing and Quality Assurance

Once you’ve built your women’s health app, it’s time for rigorous testing. Check the following application’s parameters:

• Functionality. Test every app feature to ensure they work as intended.
• Performance. Assess how well your app operates on different devices and operating systems.
• Security. Handle security testing to identify and fix vulnerabilities that could compromise sensitive user data.
• Usability. Test your app among real users to ensure it’s intuitive.

After testing, fix all detected bugs and glitches.

6. Launch and Marketing

Finally, your app is ready for launch. To roll it out smoothly, handle the following:

• Use relevant keywords and descriptions to optimise your app for app stores.
• Turn to marketing channels like social media, influencer marketing, or email marketing to reach your target audience and increase app downloads.

In addition, regularly update your app with new features, provide bug fixes and security patches to keep your product relevant and competitive over time.

A Success Story: Flo

Flo, with over 350 million downloads and 60 million monthly active users, is a leading women health app for period, fertility, and pregnancy tracking. As the number one ob-gyn recommended tracker, it helps numerous women control and manage their health.

How did they succeed?

Flo noticed that women’s health hadn’t gotten enough support for too long. They came up with an app that offered the following features:

• Evidence-based resources on women’s health, verified by over 100 doctors and medical experts
• Accurate predictions of periods and ovulation
• Privacy of all user data ensured by compliance with GDPR
• Intelligent and personalised insights into female wellbeing

If that’s not already a win-win scenario, Flo has even more valuable offerings. The app’s success relies on the innovative technology behind it:

• Artificial intelligence. Flo uses advanced algorithms to analyse user data and provide personalised insights into menstrual cycles.
• Advanced security. Flo implements end-to-end encryption, regular vulnerability scanning and penetration testing, data integrity protection, and other measures to ensure their app is entirely safe.

As a result, Flo has significantly impacted women’s health literacy and wellbeing. In particular, they achieved the following:

• Increased awareness by providing credible health information.
• Enhanced user engagement through AI-powered insights.
• Made female health tracking accessible worldwide by introducing support for 22 languages.
• Helped over 15 million women get pregnant

Flo has gained global recognition and praise from reputable media outlets like Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, Healthline, and more. Notably, The Wall Street Journal acknowledged the app’s ambitious vision:

Flo is aiming to become more than just an app, with a hub covering all aspects of female health.

Their success story shows how technology combined with genuine care for female health leads to a healthier future for women.

How GoodCore Can Help with Mobile Health App Development

GoodCore has delivered software development services for over 19 years. With such extensive experience under our belt, we’ve been empowering women through mobile health solutions. The apps we develop are user-friendly, feature-rich, reliable, and secure.

Here’s how our healthcare application development company can assist you:

• Custom app development. Create any type of women’s health app with features tailored to your target audience.
• UI/UX design. Build a user-centric app that delivers a seamless user experience and resonates with your audience.
• Integration with healthcare platforms. Integrate your app with payment gateways, EMR/EHRs, and other healthcare solutions to offer comprehensive functionality to your users.
• Ongoing maintenance and support. Improve your app with regular updates and feature improvements handled by our experts.

Why opt for our services in the first place? We guarantee compliance with HIPAA, PIPEDA, GDPR, and other regulations. Our professional team builds apps with scalability in mind and leverages the best tech stack for healthcare products. Need more reasons? Just look at what our team can deliver through our recent project.

Our goal was to develop clinic management software for a fertility treatment organisation, London Women’s Clinic. We had to update the legacy application and create a platform that comprised three separate portals for the following audience segments:

• Clinics
• Sperm bank users
• Administration

GoodCore offered even more than that. We delivered an all-in-one platform to handle clinic, order and inventory, and medical record management. We also created an easy-to-use interface despite the solution’s complex back-end logic.

Here are the core features of our platform—iMatch: 

• Order management
• Sample allocation
• Outcomes and treatment records 
• Clinics dashboard
• Donor record management
• Stock inventory 
• Role-based access for users

Our client was delighted with the result.

Want to hear about our other healthcare projects? Check our case study on patient assistance system development.

Conclusion

The combination of technology and healthcare is gradually entering the women’s health niche. As a result, women take charge of their wellbeing like never before. Health tracking apps, such as Flo, demonstrate that personalised insights, accessible information, handy features, and top-notch security are not an option but a necessity.

As the FemTech industry continues to grow, we expect even more innovative solutions in the future. If you’ve got a brilliant idea, consider our mobile app development services. Our health tracking app development company is here to deliver secure, user-friendly, and impactful solutions.

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