Censorship in Women's Health.Understanding digital suppression and how to mitigate its impact for growth

Clio Wood is a women's health advocate, journalist, author, and co-founder of CensorHerShip alongside Anna O'Sullivan. She founded postnatal and menopause education company Ambrieve over a decade ago, and began noticing the suppression of honest, medically-backed content about women's bodies — from breastfeeding advice to menopause support. That pattern became a campaign.What We CoveredThe censorship data — 95% of organisations surveyed have experienced digital suppression in the last 12 months. Nearly 40% experienced 10 or more instances in a single year — and Cleo believes the true figure is much higher.Why reach is a health issue — Suppressing women's health content isn't a vanity problem. It restricts access to medically-backed advice, breast cancer screening prompts, and the kind of information women need to self-advocate — especially in a system where 85% of women report being dismissed by a medical professional.The double standard — Playboy's Instagram runs freely. Erectile dysfunction ads are everywhere. But content about vaginal lubrication and breast cancer screening gets flagged and removed. The bias is stark and consistent.Financial services bias — It isn't just social media. FemTech founders are being refused bank accounts, kicked off payment platforms without notice, and denied insurance — often because the word "vagina" in a business description triggers an automated high-risk flag. Cleo's report The Bias Burden surfaces these cases in detail.What Censor Her Ship is building — Parliamentary lobbying, a Women's Health Visibility Alliance, super complaints via Ofcom, challenges under the EU Digital Services Act, a new social media algorithm in partnership with Communia and Reliable AI, and Femtech — a world-first accreditation system connecting bias-free providers with vetted FemTech businesses.Own your audience — Social media is a black box. Mailing lists and communities you own aren't. One founder had 30,000 subscribers with enormous open rates versus 10–20k Instagram followers — and the list was the real business.Key TakeawaysWomen's health censorship has real health and economic consequences — it isn't a reach problem, it's an access problem.As a FemTech founder, build your mailing list from day one. Don't rely solely on platforms that can suppress you.When Censor Her Ship wins, the whole sector rises.LinksCensHership white paper.Share your censorship experience — survey via Future Fem HealthClio Wood on LinkedInOur podcast sponsor is Progyny Global. A company that provides best-in-class fertility, pregnancy, postpartum and menopause benefits for the modern global workforce. Progyny Global offers an inclusive platform that connects employees with top experts, clinics, and treatments around the world. To learn more visit: https://progynyglobal.com/#contact or to get in touch with our team directly via email (Sasha.tory@progynyglobal.com) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.