Emily Bentley
Queen Mary University of London
United Kingdom
Abstract Title: Examining the Role of FemTech in Female Reproductive Health in the Indian subcontinent: a scoping review
Biography: Dr Emily Bentley is a General Practice Registrar at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. She holds an MB BCh from Cardiff University (Class of 2020), a BSc (Hons) in Neuroscience, and an MSc with Distinction in Global Health Policy from Queen Mary University of London. Her academic and clinical interests centre on women’s health, digital health innovation, and health equity. She is actively involved in the Oxford FemTech movement, contributing to interdisciplinary efforts to advance technology-enabled solutions for women’s healthcare.
Research Interest: FemTech refers to innovations designed to support women’s health and represents a rapidly expanding global market projected to exceed $100 billion by 2030. While adoption is highest in the United States and Europe, FemTech remains underexplored in the Indian subcontinent, a region facing substantial reproductive health challenges shaped by cultural, socioeconomic and infrastructural barriers. This scoping review mapped existing FemTech interventions in the Indian subcontinent and assessed their impact on reproductive health, alongside considerations of cultural sensitivity and design approaches. The review followed the Arksey and O’Malley five-stage framework and was conducted in accordance with PRISMA-ScR guidelines. A systematic search of PubMed, SCOPUS, Web of Science, ACM Digital Library and Google Scholar identified peer-reviewed and grey literature published from 2016 onwards. Eligible studies focused on user-centred technologies addressing reproductive health among females aged 12–55 years. Included studies were screened, charted and analysed using qualitative thematic synthesis. Findings revealed a predominance of mobile health (mHealth) interventions, particularly in India. Most interventions addressed menstrual health, maternal care and reproductive health education. Technologies ranged from SMS and voice messaging to mobile applications, chatbots, digital games and wearable devices. Key access barriers included limited smartphone ownership, shared device use, poor internet connectivity and gendered restrictions on phone access. The involvement of community health workers helped bridge technological gaps in rural settings. Cultural and linguistic adaptations, such as local languages, audio-visual formats and culturally familiar avatars, enhanced engagement and acceptability. Users reported increased confidence in managing their reproductive health and valued FemTech as a private, non-judgemental space, although concerns regarding data privacy and heteronormative design assumptions persist. Overall, FemTech presents a valuable opportunity to improve reproductive health literacy and access to care in the Indian subcontinent. Its success depends on inclusive, context-specific design that addresses structural inequalities and avoids widening existing digital divides.