Asterisk addresses the persistent gap in women’s non-reproductive health data which has remained overlooked by the medical field for decades. This issue stems from the false belief that women are just small men (aka. Bikini Medicine) and was deepened in the 1970s when women of reproductive age were systematically excluded from clinical trials.This resulted in men being used as the baseline for health research and treatments for the majority of Western Medicine. Such exclusion created an ongoing deficit in female-specific health data, especially outside reproductive health, where 80% of MedTech funding is concentrated. This underfunding and lack of targeted research have left many aspects of women’s health underserved. Asterisk is bridging this gap by establishing the first female-specific decentralized data union dedicated to collecting and monetizing anonymized health data specifically focused on non-reproductive health. The data union empowers women to securely contribute to the advancement of healthcare solutions tailored to their unique health needs with the goal of someday being able to vote on their own healthcare. Learn how.
All women can use the app to contribute to women's non-reproductive health research. Additionally, we are launching in support of women with OCD. The first study that involves the menstrual cycle's effects on OCD was just published (summer 2024). We feel that is a dismal show of support for women's non-reproductive health.
We believe that women know their bodies best. We've been left out of the research equation for so long, researchers and practitioners don't even know what questions to ask!
We're working with women's health organizations and advocates to build an app that will feel like a menstrual app — but for non-reproductive health documentation. Your expriences will be extracted from you through an encryption protocol that has no key. We're HIPPA and GDPR compliant, and your information can never be connected to your profile.
How does this help women? Your experiences, extracted from your personal information, can be used by researchers, publishers, FemTech startups, and NGOs to better understand what female health truly looks like day-to-day. With your help, we'll build the first female-only research database in the world!
We'll let you know when it's ready. Thank you for considering joining us.