How Digital Censorship is Hurting Women’s Health Startups—And What Investors Need to Know
Imagine launching a groundbreaking women’s health startup—one that finally addresses a long-ignored medical need.
You have the science, the team, and the funding. You go to market, only to find your ads repeatedly rejected, your content shadowbanned, and your community struggling to find you online. Not because your product is ineffective, but because an algorithm has decided that words like “menopause,” “breast health,” or “fertility” are inappropriate.
This isn’t a hypothetical. This is happening. Right now.
To dozens of early-stage women’s health companies.
And it’s costing them growth, funding, and ultimately, the ability to get life-changing products into the hands of women who need them most.
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For investors in women’s health, this isn’t just a frustrating bias—it’s a business risk.
And yet, within this challenge lies an opportunity: those who understand how to navigate this landscape will be the ones backing the next wave of market-defining femtech companies.
The question is: will you be ahead of the curve, or left behind?
📌A Billion-Dollar Market with a Digital Muzzle
The women’s health industry is booming. The global femtech market is projected to reach $50 billion by 2025 (1), fueled by rising consumer demand, increased awareness, and a long-overdue shift in investment focus.
And yet many of these companies can’t even run a basic ad.
A 2025 report from the Center for Intimacy Justice found that 159 businesses across six continents reported having their ads wrongfully blocked or accounts suspended by major digital platforms.(2)
The impacted businesses weren’t pushing illicit content; they were offering FDA-approved medical devices, fertility treatments, menopause support, and solutions for conditions like endometriosis and pelvic pain.
The double standard is staggering. Erectile dysfunction ads sail through approval processes, while pelvic floor therapy is flagged as “adult content.” Men’s health gets a green light. Women’s health gets silenced.
And when you silence a company’s ability to reach its audience, you strangle its ability to scale.
📌What This Means for the Future of Women’s Health
For all players in the women’s health ecosystem (founders, innovators, and investors), digital censorship poses real financial risks:
Customer Acquisition Becomes Costlier & Slower
Early-stage companies rely on paid digital ads to drive awareness. When those ads are blocked, customer acquisition costs skyrocket, forcing startups to spend more time and money testing alternative strategies.
Stifled Market Validation & Investor Hesitation
Many investors look for "traction" before committing capital. If a company struggles to acquire users due to platform restrictions, it may appear weaker than it actually is, making fundraising more difficult.
Longer Runways, Higher Burn Rates
Without reliable digital marketing, startups take longer to reach critical mass, requiring larger investment rounds just to compensate for artificially imposed roadblocks.
These challenges create a chilling effect:
Fewer founders enter the space, fearing they won’t be able to scale.
Some investors hesitate to fund women’s health innovations, not because the market isn’t viable, but because they don’t understand the unique hurdles.
But Here’s the Flip Side: The Investors Who Solve This Win Big
If you’re an investor looking for an edge, this is it.
The companies that break through these barriers will be the dominant players in the next decade of women’s health innovation. And investors who can provide not just capital but strategic guidance on navigating these challenges will be the ones who back them.
Winning Strategies for Founders & Investors
So, how should we navigate this challenge? Here’s what savvy investors and founders are already doing:
Diversify Marketing Channels
Companies are shifting toward SEO-driven content, affiliate partnerships, and direct community-building (newsletters, private groups, influencer collaborations) to reduce dependency on paid ads.
Example: Hertility, a UK-based startup, leveraged educational blog content and organic social media reach when their fertility ads were blocked on TikTok. They grew anyway.
Use Alternative Platforms & Emerging Ad Tech
Some startups are tapping into Femtech-friendly ad networks and emerging platforms that don’t impose gendered content biases.
Example: Startups are finding success with Pinterest ads, which have been more lenient than Facebook in approving women’s health content.
Leverage Advocacy & Legal Pressure
The more investors and founders speak out, the harder it is for platforms to ignore this issue. Some companies are actively engaging with legal experts and policymakers to demand change.
Example: Centre for Intimacy Justice has already pushed Meta to revise its ad policies—though enforcement remains inconsistent.
Investors as Allies: Add Strategic Support to Your Term Sheets
Investors can offer more than capital. Providing connections to growth marketers who specialize in censorship workarounds can be a differentiator for your portfolio.
Example: Some VC firms now include digital strategy advisors who help femtech founders navigate content moderation barriers.
💡The Censorship Paradox Is an Opportunity
Women’s health startups aren’t struggling because there’s no demand. They’re struggling because the rules weren’t written for them.
But this is a temporary obstacle, not a permanent reality.
The investors who step up, understand these dynamics, and back the right companies anyway? They stand to make market-defining returns.
If Big Tech continues to shape the digital landscape in ways that marginalize women's health, women’s health will remain an “edge case” when it should be a dominant market category.
But if investors, founders, and advocates collaborate strategically to challenge these barriers, we won’t just unlock financial upside—we will build a world where women’s health is prioritized, not overlooked.
Because the companies we fund today are shaping the future of healthcare tomorrow.
What’s Next?
If you’re an investor looking to support the next generation of women’s health innovation despite these roadblocks, let’s connect.
And if you’re a founder who has faced these challenges firsthand, I want to hear your story. DM me or comment below.
Let’s build the ecosystem that Big Tech has so far failed to create.
Sources
Femtech Market Report 2024-2025, Frost & Sullivan.
Center for Intimacy Justice Report, 2025.
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Disclaimer
The content in this newsletter is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, investment, legal, or medical advice. Opinions expressed are those of the author and may not reflect the views of affiliated organisations. Readers should seek professional advice tailored to their individual circumstances before making decisions. Investing involves risk, including potential loss of principal. Past performance does not guarantee future results.
I see it as well. Watching a few Drs addressing perimenopause/menopause on Ytube only invites more ADs for erection help. Ridiculous.
I'd like to share a version of this on LinkedIn Let's Talk Women page.