Offering holistic, patient created, pelvic health rehabilitation for patients & clinicians

Like one in three women worldwide, Rachel Bartholomew, the founder of Hyivy Health, also experienced a pelvic health complication during her lifetime. In 2020, her personal life changed at the same time as she had the idea of founding a Femtech start-up dedicated to help women suffering from pelvic issues and who are negatively affected in terms of work productivity, relationships, mental health, and self-esteem. Innovation in this field is necessary. Indeed, Rachel’s personal experience battling her cervical cancer became the driving force behind the creation of Hyivy Health.

While on bed rest during her treatment, Rachel turned to an online community for people facing similar challenges and discovered the lack of comprehensive options available.

Determined to make a difference for the 300+ million women diagnosed with non-curable pelvic health problems, Rachel founded Hyivy Health to provide a personalized approach to pelvic health. Based on her knowledge from her own patient journey, she launched the first at-home use, data-driven pelvic rehabilitation, and gynecological monitoring platform addressing each woman's situation. This new system aims to use technologies to empower women and people with vulvas through clinically validated therapy, one pelvic floor at a time.‍

Hyivy believes you deserve better‍

The actual pelvic health system is broken and traditional treatments experiment limits leaving women suffering from chronic pelvic pain, but also incontinence, pelvic floor dysfunction, pain, or discomfort during sexual intercourse. Indeed, the current options available, such as hard plastic dilators, lack essential features like objective tracking, clinical validation, and personalized treatment plans. Consequently, many women have discontinued treatment, spent excessive money searching for relief, and resorted to extreme measures in desperation. In Rachel's interviews, she discovered that some women had experienced relationship difficulties, made decisions not to have children, and missed out on essential aspects of their lives due to managing their symptoms by isolating themselves. Additionally, women expressed experiencing depression, anxiety, and other mood disorders related to their pelvic health.

From Rachel's perspective, saying that suffering from pelvic conditions is not life-threatening is unfair to justify the lack of innovation in this field. It is not negligeable that patients experience an 86% loss in productivity and work, with 1 in 5 women reporting difficulties in caring for their children due to these challenges, while 1 in6 women indicate that their pelvic health issues negatively affect their relationships. Rachel would argue that living with a debilitating health condition that's ignored and often stigmatized directly threatens these patients' quality of life. ‍

Delivering solutions to improve quality of care ‍

To put the power back in the patient's hands, Hyivy Health developed several solutions as part of their pelvic health rehabilitation system. Those solutions are consisting of the Floora™ Vaginal Wand, Hyivy Patient App, and Hyivy Clinician Software, data-driven approach providing clinically validated therapy and personalized treatment plans to every woman.

• By utilizing the Floora™ Vaginal Wand and the Hyivy Patient App, women suffering from chronic pelvic pain and pelvic floor dysfunctions can access effective and self-managed therapies. The system allows patients to monitor their progress, book appointments, and communicate with clinicians at their convenience.

• Rethinking the solutions available to these women experiencing devastating consequences would also benefit clinicians. With an annual increase of 35% in demand for these services, doctors directly benefit from Hyivy's data-driven solution. Hyivy Health's Clinician Software enables healthcare professionals to track patient progress, analyze data, and provide real-time remote care. This empowers clinicians to deliver more efficient and effective care while reducing administrative burdens.

• In addition to its core offerings, Hyivy goes above and beyond. A dedicated community of hundreds of women and people with vulvas, who have personally experienced similar situations, have eagerly volunteered to participate in focus groups and product testing, demonstrating an unprecedented 100% interest in adopting the solutions offered by Hyivy. This level of enthusiasm surpasses that of previous projects conducted by the external firm developing the software. Additionally, Hyivy has received strong support from healthcare professionals across various specialties, including OBGYNs, pelvic floor physiotherapists, gynecological urologists, gynecological oncologists, and sexual health therapists. All of them firmly believe in the potential of Hyivy to provide adequate care for their patients.

‍Together we go further‍

Considering the overall research gap in women's health, particularly pelvic health, Hyivy has partnered with esteemed institutions like McMaster University, GrandRiver Cancer Centre, and Women'sCollege Hospital. These collaborations aim not only to validate Hyivy's technology but also to advance the study of the pelvic floor for women and people with vulvas. Some preliminary findings, such as intervaginal temperatures, represent pioneering data points in this field. Hyivy is committed to contributing to the body of knowledge on women's health through rigorous clinical trials and research endeavors.‍

What is the market asking for ‍

The pandemic has accelerated the need for telehealth and digital health solutions, extending beyond general healthcare and into specialized areas like pelvic health. The Femtech industry is witnessing a prominent trend centered around data. Numerous companies focus on data collection, addressing data gaps, conducting clinical trials, and advancing research. This surge in data will pave the way for innovative ways to interpret and utilize the information, ultimately leading to improved services for women and people with vulvas.

Given that women comprise 50% of the population and make 80% of healthcare purchases and decisions for their households, there is a strong demand for better solutions. As the founder of a Femtech company, Rachel recognizes that this challenge is not unique to her, and part of the solution lies in education and validation efforts.‍‍

‍Rachel’s piece of advice as a Founder

‍She shares that taking risks and embracing failure is crucial to strengthening ideas, building resilience, and enhancing endeavors' overall robustness. It is critical to seek help or advice as it demonstrates a willingness to learn, adapt, and improve. It allows for acquiring valuable insights and perspectives that can contribute to success. Also, establish connections and foster a supportive community to engage with individuals in the Femtech and women in tech spaces. By connecting with like-minded women who share similar paths and challenges, one can find solidarity, exchange advice, and offer support in navigating the entrepreneurial journey.‍

About joining the Tech4Eva program‍

“Besides networking and collaborating with other industry leaders on a global scale, we aim to exchange knowledge, leverage synergies, and contribute to the advancement of FemTech as a whole during our participation in the Tech4Eva program. “‍

About Rachel’s Bartholomey‍

Rachel Bartholomew brings a wealth of experience into the Femtech industry as she has actively participated in the start-up community for the past decade, engaging in various capacities within small businesses, venture capital, innovation labs, and ecosystem partnerships. Her initial venture involved developing automotive e-commerce software catering to prominent corporate clients such as eBay and Canadian Tire. She holds a degree from the University of Waterloo's Masters of Business, Entrepreneurship, and Technology program. Following her graduation, she served as an entrepreneurial advisor for over 250 early-stage businesses, worked as a lecturer in entrepreneurship focusing on quantum computing, acted as an Analyst for a venture capital firm, served as an Innovation Manager at a notable Canadian financial institution, and played a crucial role in revitalizing Laurier University's startup incubator program.‍

Hyivy, a growing company ‍

Hyivy is a human-centered company with the wellbeing of individuals at the heart of everything they do. Over the past three years, Hyivy Health has achieved significant milestones, including securing funding, filing patents, and being recognized as a leading Femtech trendsetter. They have also emerged victorious in several pitch competitions. Notably, they are preparing to launch six clinical trials that will contribute valuable data to pelvic health research. Above all, Rachel takes immense pride in assembling a diverse, and predominantly female team dedicated to developing solutions that empower both clinicians and patients.

More info on: https://hyivy.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/HyivyHealth

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hyivyhealth/  

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hyivy-health/?viewAsMember=true