Femtech services help Japanese workplace to support women’s wellness

How would you describe a women-friendly workplace? One of the most common problems facing women is related to menstruation. Some suffer from PMS or PMDD, which causes physical and emotional discomfort before, during and after periods. The symptoms most likely disturb daily activities and work performance.

Birth control pills are effective at alleviating these symptoms. However, many people in Japan mistakenly believe that these pills are only for birth control. Furthermore, a prescription is required to receive birth control medication, and the price is higher than in other countries. This situation raises the barrier to taking pills.

In recent years, the femtech industry has been striving to solve these issues. To make workplaces more comfortable for women, more companies have introduced new employee benefits in cooperation with femtech.

Here are two examples of femtech services that some companies have introduced as a benefit.

Luna Luna Office offers online doctor consultations to improve women’s health issues

Luna Luna Office is a program aiming to improve women’s health issues related to menstruation, pregnancy and menopause at workplaces. The program offers seminars on these health issues to increase employees’ understanding. In addition, employees can consult with a doctor online to receive the pills and other prescription medicines based on their conditions.

MTI Ltd., a Tokyo-based mobile application developer, introduced the Luna Luna’s program as an employee benefit in February 2020. MTI has covered the medical fees and the cost of pills since then, which has better enabled female employees to visit gynecologists.

According to a survey of employees, when asked to self-evaluate their work performance during menstruation, scoring their performance when they aren’t on their period as 100 points, their performance was self-evaluated as 63.1 points before introducing the program. It has improved to 83.5 points thanks to the program.

In June, 15 group companies of the Medipal Holdings Corporation, a distributor of pharmaceutical and cosmetics, introduced Luna Luna Office. One of the companies began a trial implementation in October 2021. Many of the female employees who used the system commented positively that the online diagnosis saved them time and effort to go to the hospital, and that it encouraged them to receive treatment with the pills. These results led to the introduction of other group companies.

Mederi offers online doctor consultations and delivers pills to the door

Mederi is another program that offers three services: online diagnostics, pills delivered by mail and seminars supervised by obstetricians and gynecologists. For individuals, Mederi also provides a reasonable pills subscription (about 3,000yen per month) with free doctor consultations.

In May, CARTA HOLDINGS, a group corporate management company, introduced Mederi’s service. CARTA offers its employees online consultations with doctors to promote the use of oral contraceptives for those who suffer from PMS and PMDD. They believe that this service helps female employees realize their life and career plans, as well as creates a more comfortable work environment for all employees.

Istyle Inc., an operator of the biggest beauty portal site “@cosme” in Japan, also introduced Mederi service in May. Over 70% of its employees are female, and many of them were looking for a place where they could feel easy about consulting with experts about their physical concerns, as well as taking leave for fertility and menopause. Mederi’s service matches such needs.

Understanding menstruation helps to achieve women’s wellness in the society

Both Luna Luna and Mederi also offer online consultation and pill delivery for individuals. In Japan where many people, including women, misunderstand the effects of pills and women’s health issues, society needs to change, not just the women themselves. This service can promote understanding among many people and supports us in achieving women’s wellness in society.