Ep 99 Women's Health: The real Super Hero, Spiderwomen/man with Jenna Parker?

Before we begin, A little bit about: Jenna

Jenna Parker grew up outside of Boston, MA and attended Harvard University where she earned a Bachelor's degree in Psychology. A member of both the swim and track teams at Harvard, she found a natural transition to a professional career as a triathlete. As a member of the US National Team, she finished 2nd at the 2009 US National Championships, represented the US at the 2012 Olympic Trials and won the NYC Triathlon in 2013. After 10 years competing professionally, she retired in 2013 and went on to star in the SyFy film Ice Sharks in 2016. Jenna currently serves as the Chief of Staff at Healthie, an ONC certified API-first EHR, patient engagement and scheduling platform used by thousands of clinicians across more than a dozen healthcare verticals including behavioral health, women's health, MSK, weight loss and chronic pain. Prior to joining Healthie, Jenna served as the COO and CoS at two other early stage startups and served as the operating partner at an early stage venture fund. 

Insights and Talking Points from the Podcast

1. Importance of Women's Health: Jenna highlighted the importance of addressing disparities and inequities in women's health, sharing her personal experience with egg freezing.

2. Fertility Awareness: Jenna emphasized the need for women to educate themselves about fertility early on and recommended egg freezing for women in their early 30s as a form of insurance.

3. Financial Barriers: The high cost of fertility treatments and the lack of insurance coverage for women compared to men were discussed, highlighting the need for more affordable options.

4. Innovative Companies: Jenna mentioned companies like Kindbody and others that are trying to make fertility treatments more accessible and affordable.

5. Menopause Awareness: The lack of support and research for women going through menopause was discussed, emphasizing the need for better healthcare options and awareness.

6. Personalized Birth Control: Jenna shared the importance of personalized birth control options based on individual health factors, citing a startup that uses DNA and blood type to recommend the best options.

7. Political Issues: The conversation touched on the politicization of women's health, particularly around reproductive rights, and the need to keep healthcare decisions out of political agendas.

8. Impact of Social Media: The negative effects of social media on young women's mental health were highlighted, including issues like body image, cyberbullying, and addiction.

9. Parental Guidance: The importance of parents having open conversations with their children about social media, body image, and mental health was emphasized.

10. Big Tech Accountability: The need for greater regulation and accountability for big tech companies to protect young users from harmful content and behaviors was discussed.

11. Grassroots Efforts: Jenna advocated for grassroots efforts starting at home, where families engage in meaningful conversations about health and social media's impact.

Conclusion

The episode underscored the critical need for addressing disparities in women's health, regulating the impact of big tech on mental health, and fostering informed and proactive approaches to these issues.

Interesting Startups in Women’s Health:

Several startups are making significant strides in addressing women's health issues:

1. Beá Fertility - they enable women to do IUI at home and just recently had their first baby born utilizing the at home device 

2. Adyn - birth control based on your genetic markers, no more guessing and more more putting women on the wrong kind 

3. Kindbody: Specializes in providing accessible and affordable fertility services, including egg freezing and IVF.

   • Kindbody

4. Maven Clinic: A digital health platform offering access to a network of healthcare practitioners and personalized care plans for women and families.

   • Maven Clinic

5. Modern Fertility: Provides at-home fertility hormone tests to help women understand their reproductive health.

   • Modern Fertility

6. Carrot Fertility: Offers fertility benefits for employers, supporting employees with fertility planning and treatment.

   • Carrot Fertility

7. Progyny

   • Overview: Progyny is a leading fertility benefits management company that offers a comprehensive suite of services to support fertility and family building. Their programs include coverage for IVF, egg freezing, surrogacy, and more.

   • Website: Progyny