In 2025, period tracking apps are booming, but not without serious concerns. A recent report from the Minderoo Centre for Technology and Democracy at Cambridge University uncovers the hidden cost of using popular femtech applications: users’ deeply personal data.
These apps, widely used to monitor menstrual cycles, collect more than just period dates. They gather information on physical activity, sexual habits, hormone levels, contraception use, diet, and even emotional states. While marketed as tools for empowerment, they often serve a different purpose: feeding lucrative data streams to advertisers and third parties.
According to the report, the commercial value of this data is grossly underestimated by users, who unknowingly provide intimate details to companies operating in an unregulated market. The lack of oversight raises red flags, particularly when data is transferred via cloud networks or managed by third-party developers.
Cambridge researchers highlight alarming consequences. Misused data could harm women’s job prospects, allow for employer surveillance, lead to discrimination in health insurance, or restrict access to abortion services. In the U.S., there have already been cases where menstrual data was accessed by authorities to undermine reproductive rights.
The femtech market is growing fast, with an estimated value of over $60 billion by 2027—half driven by menstrual tracking apps. Yet the rush for profit often sidelines transparency and ethical governance.
Experts now call for public health organizations to introduce safe, non-commercial alternatives and demand clearer consent mechanisms in existing apps.
As digital health continues to evolve, this report is a wake-up call: women’s health tech must protect, not exploit, its users.