Why Do So Many Women’s Health Apps Score Low?

Why App Scores Can Be Confusing

The women’s health app market is huge and growing fast. In 2024, the market was worth about 4.85 billion dollars. Experts predict it could grow by almost 18 percent every year for the next few years. This growth is exciting, but it also means new apps appear all the time. It can be hard for women to know which apps are trustworthy and which scores are meaningful.

Some apps are very new. They do not yet have detailed privacy policies, medical references, or clear accessibility information. When we cannot find enough information, we give them lower scores. This does not mean the app is unsafe. It just means there is not enough publicly available data to give a high rating.

Older Apps Can Be Hard to Understand

Many established apps were built before there were clear rules about transparency. They may have a lot of information about privacy and medical evidence, but it can be difficult to find. That can also make their scores lower or confusing to users.

Women deserve to be able to see clearly how apps handle data and what evidence supports their features. When information is hard to find, it makes choosing the right app stressful and confusing.

Why Transparency Matters

Health apps track very personal information like period cycles, symptoms, and fertility. If an app does not explain how it protects data, it can feel risky to use. Research shows that gaps in privacy and security are common in many health apps.

When an app is transparent about data, medical references, and accessibility, we can rate it with confidence. This helps women find apps they can trust.

“Women need to know who has reviewed an app and what clinical expertise they bring. ‘Doctor approved’ should mean something clear and verifiable.”

-Dr Christina, SheRanked Founder

Why Transparency About Medical Teams Matters

Some apps claim to be “doctor approved” or “OBGYN approved,” but it is not always clear what that means. In some cases, the app founder may be a doctor in a field like physics or engineering. While they are experts in their field, that does not mean they have clinical experience treating female patients.

This can be confusing for women. They may assume that a feature has been medically reviewed when it has not. At SheRanked, we encourage app developers to be clear about their clinical teams and their level of involvement. We ask them to explain who reviewed the app, what expertise they have, and what medical guidance was followed.

Being clear about clinical involvement helps women trust the app’s medical claims and make informed decisions about their health.

How SheRanked Works With Developers

We do not just rate apps. We also work with developers to improve transparency. We ask them to make privacy policies easier to read, show the medical evidence behind their features, and highlight accessibility options.

When developers update apps in this way, their scores often improve. This means we can recommend more 5-star apps to women. Our goal is to make it easier to find safe, reliable, and trustworthy health tools.

What This Means for Women

A low score does not always mean an app is bad. Sometimes it means the app has not yet made enough information public. Women should be able to quickly and easily find answers about how their apps handle data and medical information.

By working with developers to improve transparency, SheRanked helps the whole industry become safer and more reliable. More apps can be trusted, and women can make choices that feel right for them.

“A low score often reflects missing information, not a bad app. Transparency is what allows us to confidently recommend tools for women.”

Final Thoughts

The number of women’s health apps is growing every year. Some are new and missing information. Others are older and have information that is hard to find. SheRanked’s mission is to make all this clear for women. We want health apps to be safe, transparent, and evidence-based.

We provide app developers with hints and tips to improve their transparency so that they can score well. We also work with them to improve the services they offer to women. That way, more apps can be trusted, and women can make choices that feel right for them.

Your Body Deserves Better Data

Written by Dr Christina Davies, SheRanked Founder