Period care has long been positioned as a low-interest, low-innovation consumer category functional, discreet, and largely unchanged for decades. In reality, it sits at the intersection of healthcare, sustainability, consumer trust, and emerging technology. As we settle into 2026, period care is no longer simply about managing menstruation; it is becoming a gateway into broader women’s health insight, diagnostics, and empowerment.

At Glacie Health, we work with founders, investors, policymakers, and healthcare organisations to understand where women’s health is heading and where it must go. Period care provides a particularly revealing lens. Menstrual blood is one of the most accessible yet underutilised sources of health data. Period products are used monthly by millions of people, creating repeated points of interaction that few other health categories can match. Yet regulation, innovation, and investment have historically failed to reflect this importance.

What’s Inside the Report

• Pads Reimagined: Why the world’s most used period product is becoming a primary entry point for the Femtech ecosystem.

• Tampons Under Pressure: Exploring the shift from lifestyle products to quasi-medical devices and the rising call for stricter regulation.

• The Innovation Gap: Why innovation has stalled in the period underwear market and how it can be revitalized through smart technology.

• Data as a Diagnostic: How menstrual blood—one of the most underutilized sources of health data—is being used to support earlier clinical diagnoses for conditions like endometriosis and PCOS.

• The 2026 Vision: Our founder, Dr. Rumbi Mutenga, shares why period care is now a critical entry point for women's health.