A new national survey commissioned by BD-Canada and conducted using the Leger Opinion panel adds fresh evidence to a conversation the Femtech Canada community knows well. Of the 748 Canadian women surveyed, 94 per cent agree more investment is needed in women’s health innovation. The findings also show that this demand isn’t being met by clear pathways to care. One in three women surveyed (34%) say they don’t know what happens next after an abnormal breast screening result. Nearly all want to hear about every medically appropriate option (93%), and most want a less-invasive option when medically appropriate (86%). Together, these numbers suggest that there is a strong market for women’s health innovation.
For Femtech Canada, the survey reinforces what we’ve heard repeatedly from founders, clinicians and researchers, and what recent work such as Women’s Health Collective Canada’s Blueprint for Action has documented: women’s health has been underfunded, and good ideas too often stall before they reach patients. Strong public demand is an important signal for investors and health system leaders, but on its own it won’t close the gap. Femtech companies continue to face structural barriers, including limited sex-disaggregated data, difficult paths through regulatory approval and procurement, and uneven access to capital. Turning demand into adoption will take systemic change across the whole femtech landscape.
These findings are a timely starting point for the conversation at Femtech Forum 2026 on November 3 in Toronto, where leaders from health care, research, policy, industry and the founder community will meet under this year’s theme, Turning Strategy into Impact. The day centres on one shared question: how can innovation translate into clearer information, better choices and better care for women?
“Data like this matters because it puts women’s own voices at the centre of the case for innovation. BD-Canada has shown a sustained commitment to women’s health in Canada, from supporting the Femtech Canada Forum to helping drive national conversations on where the gaps are and how to close them. Findings like these help everyone in the ecosystem, from founders to funders to policymakers, see where to focus next,” said Karen Linseman, VP Operations at Innovation Factory, which operates Femtech Canada.
The results will also help inform ongoing advocacy by Femtech Canada and partners across the women’s health ecosystem. Sustained progress will depend on more funding and coordinated investment in the foundations of innovation. That includes better data collection, support for entrepreneurship and commercialization, clinical trials that include women, research into conditions that affect women uniquely or differently, education for patients and providers, and capital for companies bringing new solutions to market.