Frustrated by years of missed diagnoses and medical dismissal, Australian women now have a powerful ally in Ovum, a breakthrough app using artificial intelligence to turn symptom tracking and health insights into action, advocacy, and better outcomes.
Image Credit: Ovum
For too long, women have been suffering in silence. More than half of Australian women suffer from a chronic health condition and wait years to be diagnosed after being ignored or dismissed by health professionals.
An Australian first women’s health AI partner, Ovum, is set to fundamentally change the game, disrupting the health system and empowering women with the information to advocate for their health.
Officially launching on the App Store, Ovum is powered by the Ovum Brain, an AI engine purpose-built to help women understand their body and advocate for it. Women log symptoms and lifestyle changes, and Ovum responds with personalised insights based on their health history and goals, helping them track their health as it evolves. It also integrates media reports and generates health summaries for women to take to their doctor.
Founder and CEO Dr Ariella Heffernan-Marks said women are waiting far too long to be diagnosed, and Ovum hopes to empower women to take control of their health journey. “It takes an average of six to eight years for women to be diagnosed with endometriosis. This happens because too often the medical system dismisses women,” she said.
Ovum was co-created with Nakatomi — Ovum's day-one venture partner and one of the first investors, who helped validate, design, build, and launch the company and product. Earlier in the year, Ovum closed its raise of $1.7 million with backing by Nakatomi, Giant Leap, Antler, Alice Anderson Fund, and Wollemi Capital Group.
Dr Heffernan-Marks said Ovum, which has been nearly four years in the making, has been backed by data and insights from real women from the beginning.
“We have tested the app in the beta stage and have held two clinical trials at The Royal Hospital for Women and St George Hospital to understand the experiences of healthcare for women and how AI can increase preventative health behaviours.”
“Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive and my driving force, including ‘Everything that women have needed to track their health, feel empowered, and have ownership of their own data.’ I’m so proud to deliver an Australian first that genuinely supports women navigate their health.” Dr Heffernan-Marks said. Ovum will help to revolutionise the health system for women like Joyce Jaio. Joyce was told by a doctor she couldn’t be pregnant, only to find out later she was actually halfway through her pregnancy. "I had been to the doctor for symptoms. One of the symptoms was kicking in my stomach. I had done pregnancy tests and they came back negative. They dismissed this particular symptom and didn’t order a blood test. They told me I had postpartum depression.” Joyce explained. “That was when I realised the medical system was broken.”
Ovum draws from female-centric medical literature to understand and learn from a wide range of health factors, identifying patterns over time and providing timely, intuitive reminders when attention is needed.
Ovum Ambassador and Perimenopause advocate Grace Lam said that Ovum would have been invaluable when she was navigating one of the most challenging times in her life, battling perimenopause without support from her General Practitioner. "I thought doctors knew everything but my GP didn’t know much about perimenopause. Because I wasn’t sleeping at that point for three months, she gave me sleeping pills,” Ms Lamb said.
“I didn’t want to rely on the sleeping pills. That’s when I went down the rabbit role of perimenopause symptoms online ... I learnt more about perimenopause online than from my doctor.”
With an ambitious mission of ending gender health inequity across Australia, Ovum is now available for a free trial on the App Store.
"This is just the beginning. Our mission is to ensure every woman has access to the personalised insights she needs to make confident decisions about her health, no matter her age, location, or background,” Dr Heffernan Marks said.