The New Wave of Women's Wearables: What's Next for the Popular Devices
Over the past few years, women's wearables have gained popularity as women of all ages have become increasingly concerned with their health metrics. These devices are the best known for tracking your steps, heart rate, rest and more—all from your wrist or finger. Recently, the Oura Ring made its way into the space with its innovative technology that tracks health even closer than traditional devices like Fitbits and Apple Watches.
But what's next for these devices?
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At the 2025 Orrick-Near Future HealthTech Summit held earlier this month, a panel of tech experts discussed the innovations happening with electronic fitness devices and touched on whether these tools should be FDA-approved and reimbursed. The panel included Amy Gaston, vice president of strategic growth at OhmBody; Monica Plath, founder and CEO of Littlebird; Keara Sauber, chief strategy officer at Incora Health; Shaina Lawler, managing partner of Tippetting Capital; and moderator Georgia Ravitz, FDA & Healthcare Regulatory partner at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP.
Ahead, the panel discusses new innovations in the wearable space plus what to expect in the future.
'You know, what's interesting about wearables?' Ravitz asked. 'It's that many of them lie at the crossroads of lifestyle products and medical devices.'
Many new devices aim to go beyond tracking your steps and heat rate, and now they can help you monitor your menstrual cycle, manage opiate withdrawal and more. Although wearables are not heavily regulated, many still require labeling as 'wellness devices,' according to Gaston.
At OhmBody, there is an in-house clinical team, and an in-house RMD team 'that will continue to do research and run down the pathway around endometriosis, PCOS, postpartum hemorrhaging, adolescent HMB, the list for bleeding is just so long,' Gaston shared. That's why 'we want FDA approval for indications in those spaces.'
Many approved FDA devices require reimbursement to be covered by insurance, and Gaston noted that they did not want to create further barriers for women to access help today, meaning that their innovative devices must be included as wellness devices.
'We always want to be over the counter and never want to put a prescription onto our device, because it's already hard for women to get the access to care that they need. It is almost impossible for some in low socioeconomic scenarios, people who just like can't get to their doctor, etc.' Gaston explained. 'So why would we want to further that? And so, OhmBody really exists to help bridge the gap and try to close the accessibility gaps there that are happening in the awareness space.'
Lawler shared that a significant challenge investors run into in the wearables space is the issue of reimbursement.
'That is a big one, especially if you're trying to work with providers,' Lawler said. 'You know, FDA clearance is something that provides a lot of comfort to providers. Not only that, your data is secure, but it's accurate and it's going to be helpful in terms of what they provide in terms of support to their patients.'
Another issue is the cost of new wearable devices.
If the tools were to be reimbursed, a threshold would need to be established. Most of these wearables cost over $750, and the panel noticed that people were backing away from purchasing them. That's why creating an accessible point of view is key and on the radar of most wearables device companies looking toward the future.
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