Femtech is one of the fastest-growing sectors of the digital economy. These technologies, designed to support women's health and well-being, collect, analyse, and process sensitive data related to menstruation, fertility, pregnancy, and reproductive health. Their rapid expansion has transformed how reproductive data is generated, stored, and shared. For the first time, intimate reproductive data is being shared daily by Femtech users and collected on a global scale, moving across national borders through digital platforms operated by technology companies.
While Femtech offers new opportunities for health monitoring, self-knowledge, and access to information, it also raises important social, legal, ethical, and political challenges. Reproductive data has value that extends beyond commercial purposes and can influence issues related to privacy, surveillance, profiling, trust, and reproductive autonomy. These developments occur in a context shaped by persistent gender bias in medical research, the underrepresentation of women in the technology sector, and increasing political debates surrounding reproductive rights.
Against this background, THELMA (Reproductive Health under Algorithm Surveillance) investigated how Femtech is reshaping women's lives and reproductive experiences. Using an interdisciplinary and gender-sensitive approach that combined perspectives from social sciences, law, technology studies, gender studies, and digital governance, the project aimed to understand the implications of Femtech for privacy, data protection, reproductive rights, and gender equality. The project's overall objective was to generate evidence capable of informing more inclusive, transparent, and gender-responsive approaches to governing reproductive health technologies, placing the voice of Femtech users at the centre of its analysis.
The integration of Social Sciences and Humanities was central to achieving these objectives. These perspectives informed both the research design and analytical framework, enabling the project to examine not only the technical and legal dimensions of Femtech but also users' experiences, perceptions of privacy, trust, reproductive autonomy, and gender equality. By combining empirical social science research with legal and gender-sensitive analysis, THELMA situated technological developments within their broader social, ethical, political, and regulatory contexts.
