Every time I talk to people who work on the quantified self (health and fitness trackers) there is a murmur about how little attention is paid to literally half the population. For people who menstruate, cycle tracking is a crucial health indicator, but too often it's a metric that somehow seems to go unnoticed.
Withings began preview of its cycle tracking feature in some markets in September 2023 when ScanWatch 2 was launched. The company has just launched the feature globally, available for the ScanWatch 2 and ScanWatch Light hybrid smartwatches, and for all Withings users in the app. The company is far behind archrival Apple, which launched a comparable feature four years earlier.
At its core, the cycle tracking feature allows users to record the stages of their menstrual cycle, including symptoms, flow, and period dates, as well as log moods and emotions and have a view of where they are. found in their cycle. Once the app knows your typical cycle, it predicts future period dates, helping users create personal routines that align with their monthly needs and optimize sleep, activity and nutrition.
What took you so long?
TechCrunch spoke with Etienne Trégaro, product director in charge of, among other things, the company's watches.
“The menstrual cycle tracking feature was one of the most requested features by our community. That is why it is important for us to provide this feature to the new ScanWatch,” Trégaro said in an interview with TechCrunch.
It's no surprise to me that this was one of the most requested features. What surprised me is why it took Withings so long to release the feature and why it is a completely manual feature. The feature's implementation relies on people entering data manually, rather than, for example, using biometric data like heart rate, temperature, or something else to track cycles more automatically. (By the way, it is possible to use temperature tracking as a substitute for cycle tracking, but you have to be very precise with the measurement).
As I write this, women's health is at the center of the Withings website. Image credits: Facsimile of Withings home page.
“We have focused a lot on overall health, with new biomarkers and innovative ways to track health. Choosing which feature to develop next is difficult. So (cycle tracking) came a little, maybe you would say late, but first we want to be able to track activity, heart and other metrics. We measure things competitors don't, like temperature 24/7. Nobody in the market is doing that yet. Except us,” says Trégaro. “We now felt that our team was ready to launch this feature. I also learned a lot while developing this feature. To be honest, as a man, of course, and working with female colleagues and professionals to understand the importance of launching such a tool was really key.”
I was a little surprised that the company couldn't find a product manager who had had experience tracking their cycles in the past, but I was curious to see what Trégaro learned along the way.
“One of the biggest findings was that about 25% of women in the world actually have irregular cycles. So that's a lot. Also, something I learned is that from a doctor's point of view, (cycle tracking is) one of the most important metrics to track in relation to overall health, as important as blood pressure for women, for example. ”explains Trégaro.
Building the functionality
Withings has been at the forefront of healthcare technology for some time; building attractive, high-quality equipment that he would like to have in his home or on his wrist, from smart scales to advanced wristwatches. Each product launch has been met with anticipation and excitement as they consistently deliver on form and function. Persistent rumors that Apple wants to buy Withings refuse to subside, but no one on either side is willing to confirm or deny them.
Trégaro explains that monitoring the menstrual cycle represents an important advance in personalized health monitoring. For too long, the tech world's approach to health has been somewhat generic, focusing on step counting, heart rate monitoring, and sleep tracking. As important as these metrics are, they provide an incomplete picture of an individual's health. By integrating menstrual cycle tracking, Withings recognizes the complex and nuanced nature of health and adds more features to help track, measure and predict.
It may be late (ironic, really, in the world of bike tracking), but the introduction shows Withings' continued commitment to listening to its community and understanding the diverse needs of its users. To its credit, in a market full of devices vying for attention, Withings has managed to carve out a niche for itself by focusing on meaningful innovation.
The market Withings is addressing with its cycle tracking feature is absolutely mind-bogglingly large. App stores are full of tracking apps and some analysts predict that money spent on bike tracking alone already amounts to $750 million and will double by 2032.
To address this need, Withings had to embark on an extensive development process, which involved both adapting existing hardware and creating new algorithms. Trégaro and his team spent months researching and developing, working closely with healthcare professionals to ensure accuracy and reliability.
Trégaro explains that Withings' goal wasn't just to add another feature: the team wanted to seamlessly integrate menstrual cycle tracking into our users' health monitoring routines, giving them valuable information that could inform their daily lives.
In the United States in particular, period tracking is in the spotlight for not very important reasons related to abortion-related legislation.
It's reassuring, then, that Withings has highlighted its commitment to privacy and security. With sensitive health data at stake, Withings says it implemented robust measures to protect users' information, although the company also opened the door to syncing their data with platforms like Apple Health.
It's worth highlighting the differences between Withings' and Apple's approaches. While the Apple Watch is the mini iPhone that you can wear everything on your wrist, Withing's watches are taking a different tack.
“We have our strengths (about Apple Watch). We have a market-leading battery life of up to 30 days on our watches, compared to one or two days on the Apple Watch,” Trégaro smiles. “And we have a beautiful design, almost like a real wristwatch. That allows us to have this battery life because we have a smaller screen. “We focus on continuous measurement of health.”
