Sheventures

From a young age, Kaitlin Maier’s parents were huge advocates for her pursuing a career in STEM, which still sees female participation at a paltry 28 percent of the workforce.  A mechanical engineer, Maier wanted to do something in the often-overlooked field of women’s health. While in college, she stumbled upon pelvic organ prolapse (POP), a condition that affects 35 to 50 percent of women — of all ages. In severe cases of POP,  the uterus can protrude from the vaginal opening. With such high numbers, it’s surprising more women don’t know about the condition. Maier and her team want to change that. The current most popular form of treatment for POP is called a pessary, a silicone device inserted into the vagina to support the surrounding organs: the bladder, vagina, uterus, cervix, and rectum. But current iterations of this device are often difficult for women to use, according to Maier’s research, resulting in doctor visits every few months and even surgery in some cases.  Enter Reia, the femhealth company