Women ’ s Health
Technology is the future of obstetrics
Indeed , femtech developers , like Nair of Biorithm , are increasingly embracing the idea that female patients should be treated as stakeholders in the process of pregnancy and developing technology in this vain .
“ This is an extremely problematic technology that we ’ re trying to get rid of , and it ’ s great that there are technologies coming on to the market that can hopefully be game changing in that women ’ s bodily autonomy is respected in labour ,” said Dr Fox .
The treatment of women during childbirth is often overlooked in this way , experts believe , and it ’ s a matter that receives less attention than it ’ s due . It ’ s also believed that the way we ’ re born and the way women give birth have distinct implications for society .
For instance , research has shown that women who receive interventions , such as a caesarean section , when giving birth have a higher likelihood of suffering from certain morbidities , and their children are more likely to have health issues after birth and during the course of their lives . There ’ s now mounting recognition of the importance for society that these interventions be limited around the world and particularly in high-income countries where C-sections are most common .
Fortunately , improvements in technology are increasingly being used to the assist in conventional birth , for example when there ’ s stress during pregnancy .
“ We know there ’ s a direct association between maternal stress responses and the blockage of hormones that women need to grow their babies during pregnancy , for labour and birth , and to breastfeed their babies ,” said Dr Fox , referring to oxytocin , a hormone that ’ s absolutely crucial for these processes , and others such as endorphins and prostaglandins that are also very important .
“ When women become stressed , they produce stress hormones that block those , so it has a direct physiological impact on the growth of that baby , the birth of that baby , and the feeding of that baby . It ’ s very much relevant to how we design technologies , and it ’ s why I ’ m excited as a midwife to be involved with those technologies ,” she added .
A particularly exciting development for obstetricians and midwives has been the release of a replacement for the generations old CTG machine .
The new , non-invasive foetal electrocardiogram ( ECG ) could soon overtake the CTG in widespread use . These are lighter and wireless to the point that mothers in labour often forget that they ’ re wearing the sensors on the belly .
Midwives have reported that the new ECG has been changing the way they work , especially since much of their role during childbirth involves moving around the bulky straps of the CTG every time the foetus or mother moves .
When one compares the technical advances made in cardiology to those of midwifery , the differences are stark . For instance , heart patients can monitor their health from home with a wide range of devices and smartphone apps , but pregnant women are still forced to visit clinics for most services , even after childbirth .
“ In terms of the antenatal space , we really have to address the issue that women are working , they are parenting , they are pregnant , and we need to completely change the way we care for them during pregnancy and bring it back into the community by taking women out of hospitals ,” said Dr Fox .
“ Hospitals are not the place for pregnant women who are well , so the development of technologies that can increase flexibility in women ’ s lives is crucial , � she added .
Indeed , femtech developers , like Nair of Biorithm , are increasingly embracing the idea that female patients should be treated as stakeholders in the process of pregnancy and developing technology in this vain .
Pregnancies , he says , are not “ problems ”, and it would be wrong to “ pathologise pregnancy ”. Instead it ’ s important to recognise the need to take care of expecting mothers who have problems and take care of them in as sensitive a way as possible while including them as “ stakeholders .”
“ When you look at the level of pregnancy care , it still hasn ’ t changed fundamentally . Mothers go into a hospital for all their needs , so that ’ s really one of the driving factors behind why we ’ re developing femtech ,” he said . “ It may not be perfect now , but we ’ re taking it one step beyond what it ’ s always been , and we ’ re giving women options in care .”
Dr Low concurs , stressing the need for women ’ s physical , mental , and emotional needs to be taken into account collectively when designing femtech .
“ Unless women feel safe when using a platform , they will not use it . So delivering a safe and effective space for women who are already feeling vulnerable is key ,” she said . “ That ’ s one of the reasons why keeping women out of hospitals , unless they need to be there , is something that ’ s critically important .” n
58 AUGUST 2021 GlobalHealthAsiaPacific . com