The Netflix documentary, “The Man Who Wants to Live Forever”, is about Bryan Johnson’s quest to extend his life - and quality of life, which inspired my curiosity about how the femtech & women’s health ecosystem in Asia is addressing longevity for women.
In the Asia Pacific, the fastest aging region in the world, one in four people will be aged over 60 by 2050.1 According to the World Economic Forum, women tend to live longer than men, but spend 25% more of their lives in poor health (and women with less education even more so). Women’s later years are also often marked by economic insecurity from limited employment opportunities and increased out-of-pocket healthcare expenses, along with limited healthcare access. Older women are more likely to suffer from high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, gout, symptoms of depression and disability than men. Inequality in health-care coverage limits the timely diagnosis and treatment of disadvantaged groups 2, often including women.
With women’s health historically under-researched, underserved and underfunded, how are femtech startups and those specialising in women's health approaching longevity for Asian women today?
Starting with Reproductive Longevity
“Reproductive longevity” seems to be the starting point for women’s health longevity in Asia. Reproductive longevity has gained support through stakeholders like the Bia-Echo Asia Centre for Reproductive Longevity and Equality (ACRLE), established under the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine in Singapore specialising in research for women’s reproductive health, aging and digital medicine. The Bia-Echo Asia Centre is approaching research through:
Ovarian biology & senescence: Acquiring a better understanding of changes in reproductive health with increasing age and preclinical studies to generate interventions that can be translated to clinical studies.
Translational & Clinical Studies: Bridging the gap between laboratory-based findings and real-world clinical applications by translating discoveries from preclinical research.
Population Health Studies: Investigating the determinants and health consequences of female reproductive healthspan and lifespan in Asian women over the life course and across generations.
Public Education & Advocacy.
Experts agree that reproductive health is just one part of women’s longevity.
As a femtech company specialising in fertility and reproductive health assistance, femtech startup PLans in Indonesia shares that they consider themselves a “longevity company,”
“Ovaries are one of the organs that age the fastest in women, so we want to take care of reproductive health first with the goal to live longer”. Sastya Wardani, Co-Founder, PLans
The PLans digital AI Assistant will help predict future problems, then can help design and support a broader and longer-term care plan with interactive consumer engagement.
When female patients visit Dr. Hisham Badaruddin in Singapore to discuss longevity, they often have an initial concern about fertility; however, he clarifies what he identifies as the four key areas of women’s health longevity:
fertility
cancer risk
menopause and hormonal health
bone health
Dr. Badaruddin also shares that there are many misconceptions about longevity medicine and that above all, his speciality is preventative medicine starting from baseline biomarkers to track health conditions and create plans for improved lifespan and healthspan for women.
The Global Centre for Asian Women's Health Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine (GloW) also looks beyond reproductive health, aiming to promote healthy ageing and longevity for Asian women with a focus on modifiable lifestyle factors and impactful intervention and education programmes, to work towards not only a longer lifespan but, importantly, a life of high quality, with delayed onset of age-related diseases. GloW conducts cutting-edge research on the health and well-being of women and their families and works to narrow the gaps between research, policy, and practice.
Regional Considerations
Asia Development Bank suggests a lifecycle approach to healthy aging: “health promotion policies must include free annual health checkups and lifestyle evaluations, comprehensive health literacy campaigns, investment in healthy diets, sin taxes on unhealthy food and beverages, and the creation of an age-friendly environment and society”. Reflecting on consumer education, in the 2024 report “Insights into the FemTech Landscape in Southeast Asia”, FemTech Association Asia & Milieu Insight found that women in Singapore feel they are less knowledgeable about hormonal health changes throughout various life stages (i.e. menstruation, perimenopause, and menopause) at a 3.09 out of 5 rating compared to Southeast Asia average at 3.47 out of 5:
We also have to consider cultural norms in longevity and the impact. One example is that children are considered a blessing in rural China, though women who bear more children in these areas tend to live shorter lives.3
Managing Longevity
Longevity still appears a domain of the wealthy given the cost of extensive testing requirements, specialty equipment required and a limited number of specialists for women. One example in Singapore is Chi Longevity, a healthy longevity clinic founded by expert Professor Andrea Maier, recently announced a strategic partnership with the Four Seasons Hotel Singapore offering guests health optimisation through specialised medical services. There is an opportunity for longevity-focused femtech startups in Asia to start addressing the gap or support specialists like Chi Longevity for ongoing health tracking and management and gender-specific data collection.
Even without a femtech company in Asia yet to focus solely on longevity (and you are not staying in a luxury hotel), there are actions consumers can implement today to improve long-term health, such as:
Knowing your risks (e.g. lifestyle, genetics, medical issues)
Tracking your health (e.g. menstrual or ovulation tracking)
Seeing a doctor regularly
Hologic and Gallup identified a significant relationship that exists across all countries (in Asia and globally) between a woman going to a healthcare professional regularly and the life expectancy at birth for women in her country. “Researchers found that within the dimension of Basic Needs, women who have been able to afford food for themselves and their families are 29 percentage points more likely than women who have not been able to afford food to have gone to a healthcare professional.”4 Economic equality and empowerment is a key component of longevity for women. Interestingly, the number one solution suggested in research to gender inequity in longevity was policies to care for older women. Some countries have introduced policies to support the retention of older workers through flexible employment opportunities. For example, South Korea has introduced the government-subsidised "Senior Internship Programme" to promote the employment of older people.5 Successful aging and longevity is about more than just physical health, also including: wellbeing; productivity and engagement; equity; community engagement or social wellness; and security.6
Looking Ahead
At the FemTech Connect Asia Conference in June 2024, as a physician, entrepreneur, and health futurist, Dr. Steven Tucker shared about women’s health and longevity that “it’s not about a cookie-cutter kind of approach. Personalised screening will take into account your needs”, which is what longevity is all about, the personalised health experience. Mirroring Bryan Johnson’s mindset, women’s longevity is as much about extending lifespan as it is about improving healthspan and ensuring access to quality care. While reproductive longevity is a key starting point, a holistic approach that includes preventative medicine, education, and innovation is essential. Bridging gaps in healthcare access and affordability will be critical to making longevity solutions more inclusive across Asia.
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