Products for women

[charllejane]

Hi all,

I'm a third year Industrial Designer studying at Loughborough University and will be heading into my final year in October.

For my final major project I'd like to design a product in the 'FemTech' space - a product designed for women for periods of their life cycle such as puberty, pregnancy, post-pregnancy and menopause.

I would love to hear any issues or problems you have struggled with that I could possibly develop a solution for, and gaining real insight from real women will be immensely helpful for me, as I myself haven't gone through all of these stages yet.

It could be absolutely anything, even if there is something already there but could be made better, more intuitive, more accessible or more convenient. For example, moving a product into the 'at home' space so that women can use it within their own time and at their own discretion. Or as another example, I've been exploring the condition endometriosis and the possibility of developing a discreet and portable product women can use to help alleviate pain.

Any advice would be really helpful! Thanks all.

Fascinating project. I can't think of anything odd the top of my head... but I'm sure wiser heads will be along.

If you can find something that tackles all the symptoms of endometriosis you'll be rich and famous. I'd concentrate on that.

Agree, endometriosis is a neglected area that causes awful pain to women and is often only diagnosed after years of suffering without any relief other than otc painkillers.

I agree with above about endometriosis

At home smear tests. Lots of women miss testing or find it extremely anxiety provoking, for many reasons including past sexual assault and pain/discomfort.

Endometriosis is brutal, I agree that a portable (simple) pain relief system is needed. Passing out: at your desk, walking from one end of the building to the other, or in the bathroom, creates extreme duress not to mention leering from onlookers. Onlookers avoid assisting or ignoring your plight to gaze away as if you are a film for their enjoyment/derision.

Co-workers tend to stare and ask odd personal questions as well as make assumptions when you use a heating pad or hot water bottle at your desk.

Please focus on effective pain mitigation that is entirely concealable (without needing supplement from narcotics or other heavy pharma).

My armor is strong but it could be so much stronger with a viable portable pain relief system. Your aim is true. Please give the girls/women behind me stronger armor.

some sort of TENS machine?

much simpler, but I remember when I was a teenager you could get 1 legged tights
when you wore 2 of them (1 on each leg) you had a sort of open crotch effect, which was great if you were prone to thrush. I don't think that was the selling point, the selling point was that if you got a hole in one leg you would wear the other one (I think they were sold in 2s but I suppose inevitably you'd end up with an assortment

anyway, if I could buy those in lightweight cotton, especially in a variety of colours, I would

One thing that always annoys me is seat belts. I have large breasts and if I wear the seat belt as intended it will slip up over my breasts and dig into my neck. It’s distracting and painful when I’m driving.

In the winter I sometimes wear scarves to cushion it, but if it’s too warm for that I either have to put up with it or wear the belt less safely under my arm.

They’ve clearly been designed and tested only on men’s bodies.

Try reading Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez. That is full of examples of things that are designed for men and don't work for women.

A wearable that you could have on (or in, I suppose) overnight that would automatically take your temperature as soon as you wake up. For ovulation tracking. You're supposed to take your temperature as soon as you wake up before you get out of bed and it's a huge faff.

One thing that always annoys me is seat belts. I have large breasts and if I wear the seat belt as intended it will slip up over my breasts and dig into my neck. It’s distracting and painful when I’m driving.

This is a fantastic suggestion - I too struggle with the seat belt! I have a short torso with large breasts and I have a perma scar on the left side of my neck from the seat belt, it seems no matter what I do I can't get comfortable so I sacrifice any semblance of comfort for safety every drive. Living in a tropical monsoon climate the heat just exacerbates the belt rubbing against the neck.

Try reading Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez. That is full of examples of things that are designed for men and don't work for women.

Best suggestion so far - if you haven't read it you should. Eye-opening, data driven, and immersive - for you as an Industrial Designer student it is a must-read IMO.

@Kantastic look up OvuSense, it's exactly what you describe :)

Oh, and this is something I've been thinking about since all the news came out about sleeping on your front being an effective Covid intervention - I haven't been able to sleep on my front since puberty! I think someone invented something to enable that already though I don't know if it was tech, per se, or if it was basically just a giant pillow with boob holes in it. But if sleeping on the front is beneficial for the lungs it really would be nice to have that option, i have no idea what an ergonomic and affordable solution would be though.

Thank you coffee! That's brilliant.

Another one that struggles with seat belts these days.

I found it less of an issue when I was much younger with small boobs but I also have a short torso and now 20 years later quite big boobs and a bit of a tummy. This combination means the belt never sits right and constantly slides into my neck.

Hi not sure this counts as ‘tech’ in the traditional sense but if someone could invent pants (and swimsuits) with more inbuilt support (sort of like targeted control pants) for those ladies like myself carrying a different ‘pouch like’ fat distribution post c sections I would think they too would be rich! Maybe the tech part could be how the materials support in specific ways?

PPE for women. 75% of the health professional is women and PPE is designed for men. Masks that fit soft jaws and gowns that fit in boobs but are short. Massive problem in my department at work (ITU Nurse)

I really struggled with seat belts when I was pregnant as no belts fitted comfortably around my bump.

I've always found that disposable sanitary towels don't have strong enough adhesive to stay in place. They come unstuck and stick to my butt and pull my pubic hair. I think that if the wings were long enough that they could overlap and stick to each other that would help. My reusable ones popper together underneath and stay in place much better.

A product to help women express and collect colostrum after giving birth would be helpful as well. Its hard to do manually, especially if you're exhausted and in pain. My baby wouldn't latch at first so I spent hours pinching and twisting my nipples over a syringe, whilst feeling like I'd just been in a car crash. Traditional pumps aren't really suitable until your milk comes in, there's nothing specific to the colostrum phrase.

An app which let's women easily find information on their rights and choices during childbirth. I know a few women who were railroaded into having c sections when actually NICE guidelines meant there were other options available. My doctor informed me that a c section was the "next step" after my induction failed, but actually the NICE guidelines indicated that I could try a second induction at a later date. My doctors never even told me this was an option and just expected me to go along with surgery. It's only because I have a medical background myself that I was able to find the information and advocate for my preferences. My second induction worked and I was spared an unnecessary major operation. Most women wouldn't know where to find that information, or maybe even that it exists.

Another big boobed seatbelt wrangler here.

as I myself haven't gone through all of these stages yet
That line jumped out at me.
What a thoughtful person you must be charllejane

None of us realise how challenging our female milestones are going to be.

So many of us believe it won't be so bad for us and we will be better than our mothers and grandmothers... until we become them, and only then, our eyes are opened.
Sad really.

Wow. I'm totally overwhelmed by everyone's comments. I wasn't expecting so much feedback so quickly and all of this is immensely helpful. There are some very real problems here than all need addressing and solving.

Firstly, I'm so glad some of you are on board with the product that could help alleviate pain for women with endometriosis. Although it's a condition that has recently gained a little more attention, very few people are aware of it. A friend of mine wasn't diagnosed for several years, all that time in unbearable pain and she sacrificed many social interactions because she only felt at comfort in bed. I'm so glad some of you see the value in me exploring this project.

@stillathing I absolutely agree about at home smear tests. Current procedures are especially invasive for people who have survived sexual assault, but also a shocking amount of women don't attend their cervical screening examinations due to embarrassment and convenience. I also believe that smear tests don't really consider people who are transitioning from f-m, where their hormones make the process a lot more distressing for the individual. Great idea!

@TooMinty I haven't read this but I have been told to, it's a must! Thanks for sharing, I'll have to buy it

Wow ladies, who knew seat belts were such an issue! I have to admit, even though I know the anthropocentric data is sourced from men, I never realised the issues it could cause for women (especially pregnant women). This is some great insight, and although its not a 'tech' project, this is absolutely something I could look at in my own time. @FireUnderTheHand @OvaHere @ByGrabtharsHammerWhatASavings

@RoxytheRexy You're absolutely right and given the current crisis you'd have hoped it would've been addressed. I would love to know more about this though and all the ins-and-outs of different ways the PPE is less suitable for women. I really think this is something that needs attention!

@ByGrabtharsHammerWhatASavings Totally overwhelmed (in the best way) by your post. I struggle with the same issues with sanitary towels, which makes me more prone to leaking too!

But, your insight about colostrum is absolutely fantastic. I can't describe it any other way! I had not really heard about colostrum before this and wasn't entirely sure what it was, but this is absolutely a problem that needs addressing. I can't imagine how difficult it would be after a painful and possibly lengthy childbirth to have to have such discomfort from trying to express and collect colostrum! This is also a great example for a product that fits into the FemTech space, and its something that could help a lot of women in the future.

Have any other ladies had experienced as above? I would love to know yo experience of attempting to express and collect colostrum.

(Who thought i'd be writing that here )

@ByGrabtharsHammerWhatASavings I also think this insight about women's rights is great, and certainly needs to be addressed. I don't think I had ever even heard the phrase 'second induction', no wonder women aren't aware of their choices. I think this could be a great service for women. Thank you!

Thank you all again so much! This is very insightful and there are many real issues here that need addressing. I would love to know more, so if you think of anything else don't hesitate to let me know!

YY to crappy sanitary towels. Libra in Australia used to have really good ones. They were thick, absorbed blood properly without the disgusting top layer you see on so many pads, they rarely became dislodged. Then for sone reason they switched to the rubbish body form ones.

Something to help with PMS (or even scheduling yourself around PMS) would help. I am hopeless in the week before my period. It’s like my brain shuts off. If there was an app that could be used to easily track my PMS (have tried period tracking apps but they don’t work for me). Something with daily prompts to report/evaluate cognitive function as well a a regular reminder of when my next PMS week was supposed to happen so I was aware.

@WrathofFaeKIopp

Thank you so much for your comment, I have to say, it's made my morning.

I'm a firm believer in human-centric design, and to do that effectively you have to talk to your users. I guess there's only a certain level of empathy when you haven't experienced those milestones yourself!

A Mooncup changed my life. At the time I thought it would fly off the shelves and give tampons a run for the money, but no, they're not even in the shops.

I have never seen a menstrual cup in a high street shop or supermarket.

And we all know why.

@Reginabambina

An app to help schedule PMS is a great idea, although its a fairly saturated area I also struggle to use the current tracker apps out their. I always become so forgetful. I think that's a great idea to include about cognitive function. Peoples feelings are so turbulent so this could be great from a wellness and mindfulness angle. Thanks for your insight!