WoW Woman in Femtech | Giordana Mahn, an IP attorney’s personal story
Like millions of mothers before me, I was shocked to discover how little I knew about my own body and how it would change during and after pregnancy.
Childbirth classes and meetings with my midwife and doula didn’t spend much time on the serious complications that can occur, such as clogged milk ducts that gave me chronic mastitis while nursing my baby.
I had no idea that mastitis could become so severe that you could be hospitalized with a 106-degree fever, uncontrollable chills, severe pain, and shaking. By comparison, giving birth to my son without any pain medication was, for the most part, without complication.
Numerous antibiotics and prescriptions were dosed out to combat the recurring infections, while I was in and out of the hospital. I tried homeopathic and natural treatments like lecithin, which some studies show can help alleviate clogged milk ducts, and oregano, which has natural antibacterial properties.
Refusing to Give Up
Over the next 11 months, I saw three doctors, three lactation consultants, an infectious disease specialist, two radiologists, a breast surgery specialist, and a team of midwives.
Mastitis happened over and over, and one time my son spit up a blood clot after feeding.
I asked the breast surgery specialist what other women do in my situation, and her answer was sobering: "They usually give up breastfeeding by now."
I had clarity and conviction on that – I didn’t want to quit nursing my baby.
I saw more doctors and specialists, took the prescriptions, and sacrificed two hours of lost potential billable time each day at work while I pumped, washed parts, massaged myself, and applied heat.
My midwife suggested keeping me on a powerful antibiotic to prevent infections before they could occur, which wasn’t perfect and came with its own side effects, but that strategy worked for me.
The entire time, I kept thinking: “There had to be something that could help me with this health crisis.”
As I searched for possible solutions, I became captivated by femtech.
With a background in mechanical engineering and professional experience as an intellectual property attorney, I was riveted by incredible innovations that are helping women learn about their health and sexuality, become advocates for themselves, find better solutions to under-researched and overlooked women’s health issues, and use technology and wearables to allow women the freedom to focus more on what matters to them – their families, careers, and well-being.
Autonomy Through Femtech
What astonished me was learning how little most women know about their own bodies, their reproductive systems, and how their bodies change as they age. Moreover, these issues affect not only women who identify with their female biological anatomy assigned at birth but further encompass all individuals who menstruate or will go through menopause.
More than 90% of women fail this health IQ quiz by MDVIP that assesses health literacy on important topics like heart disease, Alzheimer’s, and skin cancer.
Certain health conditions that only affect females – like endometriosis, menopause, polycystic ovary disease, and gestational diabetes – can increase the risk of coronary artery disease, government data show.
Many women, and especially women of color, also face incredible hurdles in getting the health care they need, including financial strain, absence of insurance coverage, childcare so they can go to appointments, time off work, transportation, and lack of access to doctors or clinics.
Pregnant women have even greater risks, especially women of color. Black women are still more than twice as likely to die in childbirth in the U.S. compared with White women, regardless of economic status.
Beyond health issues, femtech can also play an important role in sexual wellness and satisfaction, which is still taboo in many cultures and gets shortchanged in R&D that is largely focused on men.
The more I researched products for mastitis and other issues new mothers face, the more inspired I became by the femtech innovators who are creating solutions and raising awareness of women's physical, mental, emotional, and sexual health.
Advocating for Femtech Innovators
I was so taken with the femtech space that I saw a newly added purpose for my career. I decided to focus my practice on helping these innovators protect their inventions.
Historically, only 4% of healthcare R&D has gone toward women’s health, according to data from PitchBook.
That’s starting to change. Femtech is poised to grab more dollars and attention as female founders bring new femtech startups through the pipeline, Forbes says.
Femtech is exploding with creativity, cooperation, community, and opportunity for a whole range of women’s issues such as:
Menstruation tracking apps, medications, homeopathic and natural treatments
Reusable menstrual cups and absorbent disc products
Advances in birth control
Apps and products that track ovulation cycles and fertility indicators
Products that address menstrual cramping and endometrial pain
Products that meet the unique health and sexual needs of transgender people
Menopausal support products
Products that help with incontinence
Devices and apps that help strengthen pelvic floor muscles
Wearable technology designed for a female body
Sex toys and lubricants designed specifically for female pleasure, LBGTQ+ couples, and those with disabilities
It’s incredibly fulfilling to use my expertise in intellectual property to help these innovators protect their innovations, expand marketability, and ready their products for the market.
Many femtech inventors were inspired by their own struggles. With mechanical engineering and technical backgrounds, the founders of roura created a wearable product called Relief Brief that uses patent-pending heat and massage technology to soothe menstrual cramps. It’s just a half-inch thick, so it can be worn discreetly under clothes. (Disclosure: roura is a client, and I am helping the founders patent their technology.)
WoW Builds a Community
A pillar of the femtech industry is how supportive the community is through organizations like Women of Wearables and professional networking groups. I’m amazed at how freely women share advice and wisdom, invite each other into their professional networks, make introductions to other professionals who can help, and open doors.
Members of the femtech community are also extremely conscious of the mistreatment of women of color, the LGBTQ+ community, and others who have been systemically disadvantaged or marginalized.
Femtech leaders bring diverse perspectives to the products and services they create, and they are fighting injustices, raising awareness, and advocating to expand the world's view of what "health technology" means as they build an inclusive and collaborative community.
While I didn't find a femtech solution to my mastitis, I’m certain it’s only a matter of time before an innovator tackles this problem and comes up with a brilliant idea.
Giordana Mahn is an associate attorney at Marshall, Gerstein & Borun LLP in Chicago, and she concentrates her practice on intellectual property and patent rights for clients in the mechanical, biomechanical, electromechanical, medical device, and consumer products industries. She earned a Juris Doctorate degree, cum laude, from Loyola University Chicago School of Law and a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Michigan. Connect with her on LinkedIn.