User:Amacalus/Culture and menstruation

Femtech
Femtech (Female Technology), a phrase coined by Ida Tin, is a subclass of technology with a core focus in women's health. Apps, devices and other technologies under the category of Femtech provide services such as tracking menstruation, fertility, pregnancy or other reproductive health issues. In regards to menstruation and fertility apps, these services often collect data about a person's period, symptoms, sexual activity or fertility. These apps provide predictions and health observations by analyzing user's data. However, the collection and access of sensitive menstrual and fertility data from users isn't regulated and serves many people across different countries who have differing cultural views about topics such as menstruation and abortion which can put users at risk.

Data Privacy and Menstrual Surveillance
After the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the U.S. Congressional Research Service noted that personal data such as health records, financial records, geolocation information, and electronic communications may be acquired and used by law enforcement to identify and persecute the act of an abortion. Under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), the HIPAA Privacy Rule generally prohibits sharing an individual's identifiable health information, although exceptions can be granted under court order or warrant to provide law enforcement with identifiable health information under the premise that it will lessen a serious or imminent threat. However, many consumer health apps which only make general wellness claims do not need to comply with the HIPAA Privacy Act and may share or sell consumer data. These consumer health apps include ones that track menstruation, fertility and sexual information. Acquisition of data from either a primary collector or sold from another entity can be acquired by law enforcement to enforce local abortion laws. Concerns have been expressed especially for individuals who are Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) or low-income who are disproportionately surveilled at higher rates.

Flo Health which offers services such as period calendars, ovulation and fertility tracker, menstrual cycle reminders etc. was charged by the Federal Trade Commission in 2021 for mishandling user data and sharing it with third parties. Members of Congress have even requested Apple and Google to remove period trackers that do not give users the ability to opt out of data collection.

Women's Health Research
Data from menstrual apps poses a new area of study in Women's Health research. Menstrual apps collect data on various period metrics such as bleeding, pain patterns, energy levels, mood and sexual activity. This poses as a new source of data for researchers to better understand women's health, who have historically been underrepresented in medical research. Clue also suggests that by analyzing user data it can create suggestions for users to check for health issues such as polycystic-ovary syndrome if symptoms arise in user's inputted data.

Application Bias
Criticisms note that many menstrual tracking apps such as Clue, Flo, and Period Tracker reinforce prejudices by catering their designs towards cisgender, sexually active, heterosexual women through the designs of their applications, using colors, pictures or symbols that are typically associated with femininity. These apps do not account for individuals who identify with other genders and make assumptions that the user wishes to procreate or isn't infertile, providing features such as ovulation tracking, pregnancy avoidance and fertility treatment which don't account for queer, infertile or unpartnered women. Users have also complained of a lack of representation of other women's health issues in menstruation apps such as irregular cycles or menopause where predictive algorithms or features may be less precise or absent all together.