Wearables in Women's Health: Are We at Peak Data?

Dr Natalie Hutchins
Apr 22
7 min read

By Eleanor Riches and Dr Natalie Hutchins

Explore how wearable health tech empowers women's health, from cycle tracking to self-advocacy

Over the past decade, wearable health tech has evolved from simple step counters to sophisticated health monitors. Today’s devices track everything from heart rate to stress levels. For women, this shift has been transformative, offering tools to deeply understand their bodies and advocate for better care. But with this flood of data, are we truly empowered – or just overwhelmed?

What Are Wearables?

Wearables are devices worn on the body to track health metrics, including watches, rings and even earrings.1 What started as basic step counters have evolved into high-tech devices capable of monitoring sleep, heart rate, blood pressure, exercise, recovery and more – recently expanding into menstrual cycle tracking.

The wearable tech market is set to hit almost $500 billion by 2030,2 but how much of it truly serves women’s needs?

The Evolution of Wearables in Women’s Health

Women Were Initially Overlooked

Despite women being more likely to own wearables than men,3 early devices ignored female-specific health needs. In fact, the first Apple Watch was marketed as “the ultimate health tracker” but completely forgot to include menstrual cycle tracking,4 arguably one of the most critical health metrics for women.

Women Need More Data

Men and women both function on a 24-hour circadian rhythm,5 but women also deal with the ups and downs of a 28-day menstrual cycle.6 These hormonal shifts impact everything from sleep to energy, recovery and mental clarity. For many women, tracking their cycle helps them make sense of these constant changes.

As demand for personalised health insights grew, mainstream brands adapted and new female-focused wearables emerged. Since 2020, there’s been a 35% increase in female-focused wearables7 like the Oura Ring,8 Whoop,9 Evie10 and Bellabeat,11 which now offer cycle tracking and hormone-based insights.

Gender Bias in Algorithms

Despite progress, wearable technology still struggles with gaps in female-specific data and how that data is communicated. The majority of algorithms are built around male physiology, leaving plenty of room for improvement in how these devices serve women’s health.

The Benefits of Wearable Health Data

Bridging the Knowledge Gap

Shame and stigma around women’s health create education gaps, leaving many women in the dark when it comes to their own bodies. Wearables help bridge this gap by providing real-time insights, fostering self-awareness and a sense of control.

Online communities12 are filled with stories of women using wearable data to better understand their health. From identifying menstrual patterns to detecting pregnancy and disorders like PCOS or endometriosis, wearables offer valuable insights women aren’t getting elsewhere.

One woman shared how tracking her sleep with an Oura Ring helped her realise her sleep challenges were cyclical.13 This knowledge transformed how she managed her health, allowing her to take control of the situation and feel prepared – there was nothing “wrong” with her; it was just a normal part of her cycle.

Encouraging Early Detection

Lack of education around women’s health makes it difficult to know what’s “normal” and when to seek medical support. Wearables provide baseline data, helping women spot health concerns early on. As tech improves, long-term personal data will allow us to identify issues before they become major problems. Being able to recognise someone’s “normal” based on their wearable data is far more valuable than textbook averages.

Many women detected early pregnancy14 due to changes in their body temperature and heart rate – long before they tested. However, others expressed frustration and sadness over having their miscarriage experiences dismissed by doctors, despite clear changes in their wearable data.

One woman experiencing persistent chest pain and an elevated heart rate hesitated to seek medical help. However, seeing data that confirmed significant changes in her vitals convinced her to go to the hospital, where she was diagnosed with pericarditis.15 “Without oura, I don’t think I would’ve gone”, she shared.

A Tool for Self-Advocacy

A 2022 survey found that nearly 60% of women feel their health concerns aren’t taken seriously by doctors.16 Wearables can be a powerful self-advocacy tool by offering tangible data.

One woman struggling to confirm a hormone imbalance was repeatedly dismissed by her doctor. She compiled her sleep data and advocated for further testing using real, accurate data.13 Another woman under observation for ectopic pregnancy used her Oura stats to convince her medical team to do an ultrasound, which led to urgent surgery for two cysts and internal bleeding.17

While wearables can provide valuable insights, they’re not a replacement for professional medical care. Not all doctors accept wearable data as legitimate health markers, highlighting an ongoing divide between consumer tech and clinical medicine.

Contributing to Research

Some wearable brands are partnering with medical research centers to gain deeper insights into experiences like PCOS and perimenopause.18 This collaboration helps ensure that wearable data contributes to wider scientific progress and medical understanding.

One study found that 82% of participants were willing to share their health data for research,3 though willingness varied based on the type of data collected. However, cost remains a barrier to wearable ownership, limiting widespread participation and highlighting the socioeconomic disparities in digital health.

The Challenges of Unlimited Health Data

Data Overload & Anxiety

While some women find wearables empowering, others experience heightened anxiety from constant tracking. Hyper-awareness of every bodily fluctuation can lead to stress rather than reassurance.

For example, some users have reported feeling anxious over “stress” scores that don’t align with how they feel physically. “I wish the app did a better job at giving insights and explaining what it means exactly”, one user said. For those prone to health or sleep anxiety, being confronted with low health or sleep scores can put even more pressure on them, triggering a vicious cycle.

Negative Language

The language used in wearable apps can contribute towards anxiety. For instance, Oura’s use of the term “stress” refers to physiological strain rather than emotional stress, leading to confusion and frustration. One user noted, “My stress levels were stressing me out so I had to take the ring off”. A 2024 study7 found that up to 50% of wearable users abandon their devices within 6 months due to discomfort, overwhelming data and lack of actionable recommendations.

Lack of Personalisation

Menstrual cycle tracking in wearables is still evolving. Many users report frustration when their devices don’t acknowledge natural hormone fluctuations. They’re alerted to “major signs” or potential sickness when their bodies are simply functioning differently due to their luteal or menstrual phases.

One Reddit thread titled “I wish Oura ring acknowledged my luteal phases”19 received over 1.2k upvotes and 175 comments from users sharing the sentiment. Oura has since updated its cycle-tracking features, but personalisation remains a challenge.

Detachment from the Body

Over-reliance on data can disconnect users from their body’s natural signals. Some find themselves relying on an app to tell them how they feel rather than tuning into their intuition. “I wake up feeling fine, but if my Oura score says I slept poorly, it affects my whole day,” one user admitted.

However, it’s important to note that women have long been conditioned to discount their intuition and “push through”. So, wearables could have a net positive impact on re-connecting women to their bodies in some cases.

Accuracy & Medical Trust

Despite their benefits, wearables aren’t always accurate. Algorithms often fail to account for hormonal contraception, irregular cycles, or individual variations in menstrual patterns, sometimes leading to misleading insights. When it comes to pregnancy prevention, wearable devices are not yet developed enough to be fully reliable, requiring caution.

Hormone tracking has great potential, but it’s still in the early stages and needs more research. Apps that use saliva to measure hormones haven’t been validated because hormone levels in saliva don’t align with blood levels, so it’s difficult for doctors to interpret the data. As a result, these apps aren’t yet accepted in clinical practice, potentially leaving women feeling dismissed when doctors can’t use their results.

Privacy & Ethical Concerns

As wearables collect more personal data, privacy concerns are growing – especially for reproductive health tracking. Since the reversal of Roe v. Wade, discussions around tech companies sharing menstrual tracking data with law enforcement have intensified. Many women in the US are now switching to offline tracking methods.

Are We at Peak Data?

So, are we at peak data? Maybe, but we’re definitely not at peak quality.

Wearables have become powerful tools for body literacy and self-advocacy in women’s health, but there’s still a long way to go. The next phase is about making these tools smarter, more personalised and better connected to real-world care.

To get there, we need:

Smarter Connections: Deeper insights that link health metrics with menstrual cycles, helping users spot patterns and make more informed decisions.
Supportive Language: A shift away from stress-inducing terms toward more cycle-aware language that reflects the complexity of female bodies.
Stronger Collaboration: Ongoing partnerships between tech companies, researchers and healthcare providers to bridge the gap between self-tracked data and clinical care.

We don’t just need more data, we need better data. Data that’s accessible, useful, and supportive.

Should You Invest in a Wearable?

If you’re curious about your health, want to better understand your cycle, or simply want a tool to track changes in your body, then yes, a wearable can be a valuable investment.

While no device is perfect, wearables offer something many of us never had: a window into our own bodies. They can help you define your unique ‘normal’, spot when something’s off, and approach conversations with healthcare providers with more clarity and confidence.

It’s not about tracking everything obsessively. It’s about tuning into what matters to you and using those insights to make better decisions for your health.

Sources:

Further Resources: