Women's Personal Advisor: Gynecology App Detailed Analysis Files IPO Prospectus

As living standards continue to rise, people’s lifestyle habits have undergone significant changes. Many women have adopted habits detrimental to their health, leading to an increasing incidence of gynecological disorders and causing considerable inconvenience and distress in their daily lives.

A survey by the World Health Organization indicates that 40% of women in China suffer from gynecological diseases to varying degrees, with the rate exceeding 70% among married women. China accounts for one-third of the global incidence of cervical cancer. There are approximately 460,000 new cases and 250,000 deaths from uterine cancer annually. Notably, both the incidence and mortality rates in developing countries are significantly higher than those in developed countries. According to sampling surveys conducted by major gynecological hospitals, the incidence of gynecological diseases in China exceeds 70%.

Moreover, statistics from gynecological outpatient clinics in recent years indicate a clear trend toward younger patients for gynecological diseases such as cervical cancer and ovarian cancer. For instance, among cervical cancer patients at the hospital in 2010, the youngest was only 19 years old.

As is well known, gynecological diseases are highly prevalent and increasingly affecting younger demographics. How, then, can we keep pace with the times by leveraging advanced tools to swiftly neutralize these unpredictable “invisible killers” and eliminate future health risks? Through market research and synthesis, VCBeat Internet Research Institute has found that, in addition to seeking treatment and care at accredited hospitals, individuals can also utilize an emerging and trendy tool—gynecology-focused mobile apps—for consultation, prevention, and other services. Our search reveals that there are currently nearly 100 gynecology apps available across major platforms in China, a surprisingly small number compared to other medical app categories. Moreover, only six such apps were identified in overseas markets. Why do products in this substantial market attract so little attention? How do their features differ from the apps analyzed in our previous reports? The following section provides a detailed product analysis.

The Contest Between Startup Teams and Hospitals
According to statistics on gynecology apps, app developers fall into two main categories. The first consists of hospitals that outsource app development for their own business promotion and brand awareness; these apps have relatively limited functionality and are primarily designed to guide patients and drive traffic to the hospital. The second category comprises apps developed by startup teams, which offer richer content focused mainly on consultations and providing information on gynecological diseases. The statistics reveal no pharmaceutical companies have yet developed gynecology-focused apps. As indicated in VCBeat’s article last month, “Internet Healthcare Strategies of Pharmaceutical Giants (2010–2014),” their internet healthcare initiatives have been primarily concentrated in the area of clinical trials.

Few Specialized Single-Disease Gynecology Apps
Given the complex classification of gynecological diseases, VCBeat follows mainstream practices by categorizing them into seven major groups: gynecological inflammation, induced abortion, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), menstrual disorders, infertility, gynecological cosmetic surgery, and gynecological tumors. Subsequent statistics reveal that few gynecological apps are developed for single diseases within these seven categories; their combined total does not exceed the number of apps serving common gynecological conditions. Apart from comprehensive disease management apps, those focused on infertility are relatively popular, accounting for 11.8%, while apps specifically targeting STDs number zero. According to the 2015 Global Epidemiological Statistics Report, STDs have consistently ranked first in the total number of epidemic cases, with the current patient population exceeding 500 million. In China, the incidence of STDs is increasing at an annual rate of 20% to 30%, showing a year-on-year upward trend. However, due to privacy concerns, most patients prefer seeking treatment at small clinics, resulting in significant underreporting of STD outbreaks. It would be ideal to have a platform that ensures privacy while facilitating effective communication. Of course, this consideration is primarily based on human needs, and the profitability model still requires careful deliberation.

Similar to other medical apps, gynecology-focused apps primarily concentrate on promoting gynecological knowledge.
The functionalities of gynecology apps are primarily distributed across 14 categories. The most highly regarded features include gynecological knowledge, medical consultation guidance, news and information, and patient services/online consultations. As with most healthcare apps, the dissemination of gynecological knowledge is the primary prerequisite for gynecology apps. One notable difference from other healthcare apps is that the functionalities of "early detection" and "medical record management" both account for 0%.

We also analyzed the download volumes of major gynecology apps. The majority, accounting for 39.1%, fell within the range of 0–99 downloads. Apps with over 1,000 downloads accounted for only 21.7%, while those exceeding 10,000 downloads represented the smallest share at 2.2%. VCBeat speculates that this may be due to the heavy marketing orientation of hospitals within these gynecology apps, which has led to low user engagement and retention.

In summary, the mobile health sector for gynecology remains an underdeveloped market. Most existing applications lack specialized, disease-specific knowledge, a gap that entrepreneurs should pay close attention to. To date, only Qingdao Lianchuang Younei has been identified as having secured two rounds of financing totaling nearly RMB 10 million in 2013 and 2014. There are still viable business models to be created; it all depends on whether you can be the eagle soaring at the eye of the storm.

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