Strengthening Privacy Protections for Reproductive Health Data in FemTech Apps

By
Jenny Castillo Cato
November 13, 2026

Journal Of Medical Internet Research

Overview

FemTech apps can expand access to women’s health information and support research, but the article describes substantial risks from collection, tracking, and sharing of reproductive health data. It highlights gaps in HIPAA coverage for many consumer apps and the potential for sensitive information to be accessed or used beyond users’ original expectations, including in legal contexts where reproductive care is restricted.

Background

FemTech has grown over the past decade, increasing access to information and awareness of historically understudied conditions such as endometriosis. Protecting confidentiality is a fundamental ethical and legal obligation in health care, and HIPAA applies to covered health plans, clearinghouses, and providers. The article notes that data collected by apps whose developers are unaffiliated with these entities generally fall outside HIPAA’s scope. It also describes commercial data practices and evolving legal and political conditions as factors in concerns about reproductive health information.

Data Highlights

Evidence cited	Finding
ORCHA report (2022)	67% of evaluated period-tracking applications shared data for purposes associated with “legal obligations.”
Investigation of 23 widely used women’s mobile health applications	Location tracking was enabled in 61%; third-party data sharing occurred in 87%; personal health information was collected in 100%; behavioral tracking occurred in 100%.
U.S. Senate Committee investigators (2019)	Investigators examined the Office of Refugee Resettlement’s spreadsheet containing private reproductive health information for pregnant minors, including some aged 12 and 13.
Missouri HB 807	The proposed bill would have created a central registry of expecting mothers considered at risk of seeking an abortion; it did not pass.

Key Findings

The article reports that reproductive health information collected by many consumer FemTech apps generally falls outside HIPAA when the app developer is not a covered health plan, clearinghouse, or provider.
Commercial motivations described in the article include targeted advertising and development of commercial insights through collection, analysis, and sharing of user data.
The 2019 Senate Committee investigation documented government handling of sensitive reproductive information about pregnant minors held by the Office of Refugee Resettlement.
Missouri HB 807, although unsuccessful, proposed a registry of expecting mothers considered at risk of seeking an abortion, illustrating potential uses beyond the purpose for which data were supplied.
ORCHA reported in 2022 that 67% of evaluated period-tracking apps shared data for purposes associated with “legal obligations”; the article notes that this designation is broad.
An investigation of 23 women’s health apps found location tracking in 61%, third-party sharing in 87%, personal health information collection in 100%, and behavioral tracking in 100%.

Clinical Implications

The article identifies privacy, security, informed consent, corporate accountability, and legal compliance as concerns for users and policymakers. Its findings support careful attention to how reproductive health apps collect, track, and share data, particularly when location information may be combined with menstrual-cycle or fertility records.

Conclusion

FemTech apps may advance access to women’s health information while exposing users to privacy risks when sensitive data are collected or shared without adequate safeguards. The article calls for greater action by regulators and app developers to protect reproductive health data.