Latest news with #FloHealth
Malaysian Reserve
5 days ago
- Health
- Malaysian Reserve
Flo for Perimenopause is Launching to Empower the 1 Billion+ Women Who Experience Perimenopause Without the Support They Deserve
A new feature from Flo Health aims to improve health literacy during a women's life stage that has been underserved for too long LONDON, July 17, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Flo Health, the #1 women's health app worldwide [1] chosen by over 420 million people, today announces the launch of 'Flo for Perimenopause,' a new in-app offering of personalized guidance and support for women who are in, entering, or curious about perimenopause. The feature offers educational content that is backed by research and insights, and created in collaboration with its team of 100+ medical experts. With Flo for Perimenopause, Flo Health is redefining how women navigate one of the most misunderstood and underserved stages of life. More than a billion women worldwide will have gone through perimenopause and menopause by 2025 [2], yet more than half (54%) of women in a recent Flo Health survey said they don't feel adequately informed about perimenopause and its potential symptoms and effects on their health [3]. This leaves many feeling confused, isolated and misinformed. This launch also continues Flo's dedication to perimenopause research and education. A study published by Flo's Science team earlier this year in the Nature portfolio journal npj Women's Health revealed that symptoms that are considered typical for perimenopause can occur earlier than previously thought. [4] With 72% of perimenopausal women saying their symptoms are limiting their life experiences, including self-esteem, sex, and social lives being the top areas affected [5], Flo believes it can play an instrumental role in closing the perimenopause knowledge gap and empowering women through this life stage. Flo for Perimenopause will provide expert-verified content and symptom tracking, plus personalized health insights so women can stop guessing what's going on with their bodies, and feel better prepared for the changes ahead. Users will be able to: Receive a Perimenopause Score: A key element of Flo for Perimenopause is the Perimenopause Score, developed by Flo's science and medical teams as the first digital assessment tool specifically designed and scientifically validated for perimenopause symptoms. It will evaluate users based on the symptoms they are experiencing and help them understand the real life impact of symptoms. Track (and spot!) cycle irregularities: See a window of time when your next period might come, instead of an exact date, based on the cycle data you log — super helpful for understanding how your body's rhythms might be changing, while also helping you prepare ahead of time. Better understand their bodies: Track symptoms from hot flashes to mood changes, fatigue and sleep disturbances. While in Flo for Perimenopause, users will also receive daily, medically-verified tips and information about their personal symptoms from Flo's team of medical experts. Users will also be able to access clearly laid out perimenopause milestones that will help them through this transition phase. Better manage their symptoms: Increase understanding of how perimenopause may be impacting individual users, and find solutions to stop symptoms from taking over their lives using tips from daily personalized content, revealing symptom trends from symptom reports, and improving knowledge with the perimenopause content library. Hear from experts: Get support every step of the way from Flo medical experts and OBGYNs who have supported countless women on this journey, so users can feel more confident about asking their own doctors and medical teams the right questions. Access a powerful community of likeminded women: Connect with others who can relate to what they are going through with Secret Chats, Flo's anonymous in-app feature that connects users for private discussions on female health and well-being to foster community and support. To support the launch, Flo is partnering with comedian and actress Laura Benanti, who speaks openly and honestly about her personal experience with perimenopause in her new solo show 'Laura Benanti: Nobody Cares.' 'I can only hope by speaking candidly about my experience with perimenopause it doesn't have to feel so taboo or even shameful to the countless other women going through these brutal symptoms. I was really blindsided by what was happening to me when I started experiencing perimenopause, and I'm grateful Flo is now offering women a resource to help combat that unsure feeling,' said Benanti. 'And if we can't laugh about the 'menopause appetizer' that absolutely none of us ordered, what can we laugh about?' Flo Health and its expert medical team echo the sentiment that women have suffered in silence long enough. 'Perimenopause isn't a mystery—it's a natural life stage that deserves nuanced understanding, support, and open conversation,' said Dr. Sameena Rahman, a board-certified OB/GYN, sex-med gynecologist, and menopause specialist. 'A tool like Flo for Perimenopause could be truly transformative for the many women I see who arrive confused, overwhelmed, and unaware of what their bodies are going through—simply because no one ever taught them what to expect.' Flo for Perimenopause will be available to all users starting July 21, 2025. The Flo Health app can be downloaded from both the Apple App Store (for iOS devices) and Google Play Store (for Android devices). References Sensor Tower, March '25, iOS & Android, by downloads The North American Menopause Society Flo Health survey of 1,446 US women 34-49 years old surveyed in 2024 Perimenopause symptoms, severity, and healthcare seeking in women in the US. npj Women's Health. 2025 Flo Health study of 337 US women 35–54 years old surveyed in 2024 who said they are going through perimenopause and reported symptoms that are considered typical for perimenopause. These symptoms may be caused by other underlying reasons. About Flo: Flo Health is the leading app in the Health & Fitness category; it is the #1 OB-GYN-recommended app for period and cycle tracking and is the first European femtech unicorn following an investment from General Atlantic in July 2024. The company supports 76 million monthly active users (MAUs). With over 100 medical experts, Flo is committed to supporting women at every stage of their health journey, from menstruation to conception, pregnancy, and menopause. It provides curated cycle and ovulation tracking, tailored health insights, daily bite-sized visual content, and a private community for users to share their questions and concerns. As part of its mission to build a better future for female health, Flo's Pass it on Project aims to improve health literacy by providing up to 1 billion women in need with free access to Flo Premium and has donated 20M subscriptions to date. Flo prioritizes safety and focuses on being the most trusted digital source for women's health information. Flo Health's Anonymous Mode feature was recognized as one of TIME's Best Inventions 2023 and also named a finalist for Fast Company's 2023 World Changing Ideas Awards in the Rapid Response category as part of the company's commitment to privacy. For more information, please visit PR Contact Samantha Wannemachers_wannemacher@ 717-873-9935 Logo – View original content:
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Laura Benanti Felt Like Her ‘Brain Was Melting'—Then She Realized She Was in Perimenopause
While developing material for her solo show Nobody Cares, which is headed to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Tony Award-winning actress and comedian Laura Benanti, 46, didn't shy away from any part of her life. And that includes her perimenopause symptoms, which she wasn't even aware of until they were in full swing. 'My brain felt like it was melting… I haven't really had the hot flash situation, but I was like, 'Why do I feel sort of far away?'' Benanti shared in a conversation with Dr. Adiele Hoffman, a family medicine doctor and Flo medical advisor to celebrate women's health app Flo Health's launch of 'Flo for Perimenopause.' More from Flow Space Is Relief From Menopause Just a Needle Away? The Truth About Acupuncture The new in-app feature offers not only in-depth tracking but perimenopause-related education and the ability to chat privately with other users to compare notes. And the goal is to dispel some of the confusion around beginning perimenopause like Benanti experienced. 'Something is happening to me, and I'm not going to be OK,' Benanti told her doctor, especially bewildered by her brain fog-like symptoms. Her doctor determined that she was in perimenopause but didn't really share any further information, education or solution (and didn't address some of the questions she had around HRT). Hoffman confirms that sometimes cognitive and psychological symptoms are the first ones to pop up during perimenopause, which often begins anywhere from 41 to 45. 'That includes the brain fog, this classic brain fog that we hear about a lot, but also the mood swings, the irritability and anxiety can creep up,' she says. Plus, this is a time in which life stressors are exacerbated, between looking after children and potentially also caring for aging parents. It's also a 'peak career time,' Hoffman adds. So between all those factors, it may be difficult for even doctors to know exactly what is causing some of the psychological symptoms, like forgetting why you walked into a room (if you know, you know). To get more information about her own symptoms, Benanti ended up Instagram stalking perimenopause specialist Dr. Alicia Robbins, who had so many patients over the years come to her with symptoms like anxiety and depression around perimenopause and decided to do some research, as well as advocacy about it (especially given that medical school training barely covers menopause, let alone perimenopause). 'The stat is that 20% of OB-GYN residents haven't had any training on perimenopause,' Hoffman confirms. That's why so many women in perimenopause are turning to digital sources, like Instagram and TikTok, as well as apps on their phones, until there is more comprehensive medical training around menopause. 'I feel like until it's less taboo of a conversation, which obviously will only be the more we talk about it, it's nice to be able to have something that you can rely upon in the comfort of your own home,' says Benanti. People, in many cases, are be beginning perimenopause before they have any idea that they're actually going through, like Benanti. It's possible to experience symptoms including frozen shoulder and tinnitus (ringing in your ear), both very real issues that Benanti has dealt with. She also started to feel more of a pronounced 'period flu' during her cycle. While menstrual cycle fluctuations often occur around 47, many of these other symptoms can start earlier, Hoffman emphasizes. To treat these symptoms that popped up, Benanti went back to her digital source. Robbins put her on hormone replacement therapy (HRT), and because that helped her feel better both physically and mentally, it was confirmed that perimenopause was the cause of many of her symptoms. We have a long way to go until all doctors can give patients a clear picture of all the potential perimenopause symptoms they could be having, but digital tools are helpful in the meantime. 'We want to stop blindsiding women and educate and give the knowledge that we all deserve,' Hoffman says.
Reuters
16-07-2025
- Business
- Reuters
As class action trial looms, Meta and Flo could face 'mind-boggling' damages
July 15 (Reuters) - It's hard to imagine more intimate queries than those that fertility tracking app Flo allegedly asked its users. Among them: When was your last period? How often do you have sex? Masturbate? Do you get yeast infections? As app maker Flo Health and co-defendant Meta are set to face a class action trial in San Francisco federal court next week for allegedly violating the privacy of millions of Flo users, the question now is whether the companies will cut a deal or risk what Flo on appeal, opens new tab termed "mind-boggling" damages. Litigators sometimes bandy about the phrase 'bet-the-company case,' but this could be the real thing. Facebook parent Meta is defending against claims of violating the California Invasion of Privacy Act, which carries statutory penalties of $5,000 per violation. That would add up to at least $190 billion in damages if, as plaintiffs have previously suggested, opens new tab, there are 38 million class members. If each app entry is treated as a separate violation, total damages could be quadrillions of dollars — "a sum so large it may as well be infinite," as Flo put it. A spokesperson for Meta, which is represented by outside counsel from Latham & Watkins and Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, said the plaintiffs' claims against the company "are simply false, and we are confident that the evidence at trial will demonstrate the realities." Flo, represented by Dechert, separately is dealing with claims including violations of California's Confidentiality of Medical Information Act, which carries penalties of $1,000 per violation. A spokesperson for the London-based, privately held company said Flo "is committed to protecting the privacy of its users, and any allegation otherwise has no merit." The companies have argued that Flo's privacy disclosures gave users notice of the alleged misconduct and that they impliedly consented, that the shared data did not contain personally identifying information and that Meta never 'intended' to intercept communications. According to the Meta spokesperson, the company does 'not want health or other sensitive information' and its terms 'prohibit developers from sending any.' Google, which was also named in the suit, reached a settlement in principle last week on as-yet undisclosed terms. A Google spokesperson did not respond to my request for comment. Given the risk of outsized verdicts (even those that don't involve 16 figures), class actions rarely go to trial. For example, Google last month took a chance on one involving cellular phone data, only to be hit with a $314 million verdict by a California jury on July 1. The Flo plaintiffs invoke California's 1967 invasion of privacy law, a Cold War relic that makes it illegal to covertly eavesdrop or record telephone conversations. As I previously wrote, the cause of action has enjoyed a resurgence of late among plaintiffs' lawyers, especially in connection with the use of chatbots, tracking pixels and other data analytics software. The Flo jury trial, set for July 21 before U.S. District Judge James Donato, looms as current and former Meta leaders face an $8 billion shareholder suit in Delaware that kicks off Wednesday. The shareholders allege Meta executives violated a 2012 agreement between Facebook and the Federal Trade Commission to protect users' data, my Reuters colleague Tom Hals reports. The Flo class action also has its roots in an FTC case. The agency sued Flo, opens new tab after The Wall Street Journal in 2019 reported that it was able to intercept identifying health information about Flo users transmitted by the app to Facebook. The FTC's 2021 settlement required Flo to obtain users' consent before sharing their health information and to notify affected women about the disclosure. According to the follow-on class action, opens new tab, which covers all Flo app users nationwide from Nov. 1, 2016, to Feb. 28, 2019, plus a California subclass, Flo integrated code from Meta and Google's software development kits, which are used for data analytics, into its app. That allegedly allowed the companies to review personal information on users' menstrual cycles, sex lives and pregnancies, despite promises by Flo that the data would remain confidential. The third parties were "were free to use this data for their own purposes," including marketing and advertising, the complaint alleges. "If Plaintiff and Class members had known that Flo Health would share their intimate health data, they would not have used the Flo App." Plaintiffs' lawyers from Labaton Keller Sucharow; Lowey Dannenberg and Spector Roseman & Kodroff did not respond to requests for comment. Donato certified the class in May, writing, opens new tab that the 'loss of control over one's personal information' is a concrete harm, "whether from stealing access to a personal diary in 1916 or obtaining user information in a healthcare app in 2016.' The decision prompted an interlocutory appeal, opens new tab in June by Flo to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Flo argued that Donato wrongly held that the company's class action waiver was unenforceable. The judge deemed the provision unconscionable because it was buried in Flo's terms of service. Flo also argued that the company's use of the software development kits is 'a practice as unremarkable as it is widespread,' and that it disclosed using the kits in its privacy policy and terms of service. Flo also said the transmitted data was de-identified, consisting of alphanumeric strings corresponding to the device on which the app was used. The appeals court in six-sentence order, opens new tab on June 17 denied Flo's petition and declined to stay the lower court proceedings. 'Cases of this magnitude almost never proceed to trial,' Flo noted in its appeal, describing the 'hydraulic pressure' to settle. I can only imagine. But if it does indeed go to trial, all I can say is, pass the popcorn.
