Greater than 2 million babies died in the primary 20 days of their lives in 2022, equating to around 6,500 deaths a day, in response to the World Health Organization.
On top of that, almost 800 women a day died from “preventable causes” in pregnancy or childbirth in 2020, an “unacceptably high” figure, the WHO says.
A Singapore-based startup, Biorithm, hopes to assist solve the issue with a tool that girls can use at home to observe their pregnancy, while a connected mobile app transmits information corresponding to the infant’s heart rate on to clinicians for review.
“Women’s health [care] has been geared towards treating women who’re sick and never keeping women well,” said Amrish Nair, Biorithm’s chief technology officer and co-founder.
“We’re trying to supply technology that puts power back into women’s hands … It’s not in hospital, but now empowering women to find a way to receive care within the place of their selecting,” he said, talking to CNBC’s “CNBC Tech: The Edge.”
Biorithm’s device, Femom, monitors each the maternal and fetal heart rate, and is designed to be easy to make use of, with the girl’s navel used as a guide for accurate placement. It will possibly be used during contractions, providing information to clinicians for interventions where needed.
Monitoring takes about 20 to half-hour, in response to Sihem Tedjar, Biorithm’s product development lead.
“It’s totally easy to make use of for a non trained person or a non-health care skilled, and that is where the usability and all of the design work reside,” Tedjar said. Femom’s five electrodes capture electrical signals on the surface of the abdomen and transmit information to a dashboard, accessible by medical staff.
“This device answer[s] a really basic query of all parents: how well is my baby?” said Dr Thiam Chye Tan, a startup mentor at Biorithm.
A ‘collapse of maternal care’
Nair said in an internet release that there was a “collapse of maternal care” resulting from socio-economic aspects and an absence of monitoring technology.
Almost 95% of maternal deaths occurred in lower- and middle-income countries in 2020, in response to the WHO, and in 2016 it tried to enhance antenatal care and reduce the danger of pregnancy complications by issuing guidance to extend the variety of contacts a pregnant woman has with health-care providers from 4 to eight.
The worldwide marketplace for medical devices is projected to grow from $542 billion in 2024 to $887 billion by 2032, in response to Fortune Business Insights. Biorithm was spun off from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore and Femom is in development, getting used in clinical research settings.
The Singapore government is investing heavily in its health sector and in 2023, Biorithm raised $3.5 million in Series A funding from government agency Enterprise Singapore and Adaptive Capital Partners. The funding is getting used for the event of Femom and for the corporate’s expansion within the U.S. and Southeast Asia.
“Women’s health has at all times faced a really tricky funding situation. It’s never been the most popular topic in medical technology,” Nair told CNBC.
“From very early on, we got funds who’ve invested in us, and now funds who’re led by women who’ve invested in us,” he said.
“We see the evolution of the funding landscape, and it’s really been encouraging for girls’s health. Although so much more must be done, it’s actually a start,” Nair said.
