If you missed it, Hong Kong hosted its first-ever global summit focusing on women’s health at Asia Society Hong Kong Centre. ‘Women’s Health in Focus: A Global Summit’ is a pioneering platform co-organised by FemTech Future and OM Health Hub, uniting over 40 international experts to shed light on persisting issues that have historically been overlooked in mainstream medicine. Tackling issues such as hormonal health and longevity science as well as FemTech innovation and the investment disparity between the sexes, the summit unpacked the important question on why healthcare systems must evolve in order to accommodate and meet women’s unique biological and social realities.
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Questions In Focus:
Why The Power Of Sleep Is Not Universal
Why Hormone Replacement Therapy Is Key
Why FemTech Needs Investment & Overhaul
Why Hong Kong Is The Perfect Launchpad
Why Healthspan > Lifespan
While it’s statistically proven that women tend to outlive men, many spend those extra years grappling with chronic illness and disability. That’s the longevity paradox the summit addressed head-on from day one: advocating for a shift in focus from mere lifespan to healthspan –meaning the number of years we live in good health, free from disease and decline.
Researchers shared new insights into how oestrogen protects everything from brain to bone – until menopause hits. When these levels drop significantly, painful side effects emerge that women have been taught to just accept as part of the process. Until now.
Why The Power Of Sleep Is Not Universal
One of the key aspects of a healthy life is quality and quantity of sleep. We’ve all heard of the ‘7 to 9 hours’ rule – but did you know that women biologically need more sleep than men? The actual number is closer to 10 hours.
The summit highlighted how hormonal shifts during perimenopause and menopause often lead to disrupted sleep patterns, insomnia, or fatigue. Yet, sleep research has long skewed male-focused, leaving a major data gap in addressing these debilitating issues despite the critical role sleep plays in quality of life and essential function.
Emerging science now supports the idea that women operate on a 28-day cycle, not just a 24-hour one (another framework rooted in male-centric studies), syncing with female hormonal fluctuations throughout the month. This hormonal rhythm impacts not just sleep, but energy, mood, and cognitive function – it’s about time the medical world took it seriously.
Why Sexual Health Matters
While the importance of sleep is already widely discussed, sexuality plays a major role in wellbeing (and longevity) – yet remains one of the most stigmatised topics in women’s health. Ironically, in a world that has historically oversexualised women, the idea of women owning and openly embracing their sexual pleasure remains taboo, or even shameful. But the truth is, sexual health is health, period.
Panelist Isabelle Daza, founder of sexual wellness brand Jellytime, broke down the research showing how regular orgasms not only boost immunity, but help reduce stress, and even contribute to longevity – that’s healthspan and lifespan!
Now let’s talk about lubricant. It’s not just for sex. Vaginal dryness – especially during menopause – is common and deserves real, shame-free solutions. Whether it’s condoms, lube, or other intimate products, no woman should feel awkward or devalued for caring for her own anatomy.
Why Hormone Replacement Therapy Is Key
It’s no news that hormonal imbalances are often at the root of many mental and physical health concerns. Depression, brain fog, joint pain, and hot flashes are just some of the symptoms perimenopausal and menopausal women experience. Worst yet, these experiences are frequently either misdiagnosed or dismissed altogether – this is medical gaslighting.
This is where Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) steps in. Panelist Dr. Christopher Asandra, a Beverly Hills-based expert in hormone care, spoke about the power of bioidentical hormones. Unlike their synthetic counterparts, bioidenticals are chemically identical to what the human body naturally produces and are generally better tolerated. They can alleviate symptoms, support heart and bone health, and may even protect cognitive function long-term.
So what’s the problem? Most doctors aren’t trained to test hormone levels properly – let alone prescribe the right treatment. It’s a glaring gap in women’s healthcare that needs urgent attention.
Why FemTech Needs Investment & Overhaul
It’s interesting how despite accounting for half of the population and giving birth to new life, women’s health issues remain under-researched and underfunded. The summit called out how FemTech – technology and innovation aimed at improving women’s health – is still largely overseen and dictated by men, and often reduced to sexual health alone.
Speakers emphasised the need to back innovation tackling complex yet increasingly common conditions like endometriosis, PCOS, and lupus – all of which disproportionately affect women. Despite the huge market need and receptive audience, the investment gap is severely lacking, to say the least.
For young FemTech founders, the summit provided practical advice on navigating VC spaces with skeptical investors and how to leverage AI to bridge data gaps and personalised care.
Why Hong Kong Is The Perfect Launchpad
Holding this summit in Hong Kong is no coincidence, at the city has long served as a bridge between China and the West, and now it’s shaping up to become a major hub for women’s health innovation. With support from InvestHK and Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks (HKSTP), the city is poised to lead in biotech, healthtech, and FemTech.
It was also refreshing to see male allyship on stage – with Dr. Asandra offering perspective from the longevity space – because building better healthcare systems for women? That’s everyone’s job. And everyone stands to benefit.
Rachel Tang
Rachel Tang is the Social Media Manager and a contributing writer at Friday Club., where she combines her expertise in PR and Marketing with a passion for storytelling. She began writing for a media platform early in her career, which sparked a love for storytelling that still drives her work today. With a deep passion for fashion, music, and all things pretty, Rachel is always on the lookout for the next best thing – and she’s quick to rave about it to those around her.
