What you probably already know: The Global Wellness Trends Report puts it succinctly: 2026 is “the year of women.” Noting that the global health industry is set to explode to $10 trillion in the next three years (up a striking 47% from today), the annual report, in conjunction with the recent Global Wellness Summit, says “women get their own lane in longevity” after years of male domination, noting that the future of longevity is female thanks to a noticeable shift in awareness and record levels of investment. Women themselves are taking control of companies, raising money and leading innovative research efforts targeting diseases that disproportionately harm women, including cardiovascular and autoimmune disease and Alzheimer’s. Melinda French Gates even predicted that 2026 would lead to a “big breakthrough.”
Why it matters: In a word, “ovaries.” The report notes that recent research shows the ovary is a long misunderstood, under researched and underestimated aspect of women’s health. “The end of ovarian function during perimenopause and menopause is the single biggest accelerant of unhealthy aging in women,” Piraye Beim, MD, says in the report. Beim is the founder of New York-based biotech company Celmatix Therapeutics, a startup with a pipeline of innovative drug programs targeting ovarian aging and endometriosis. “The ovary is the only organ we let stop working, claiming it’s natural. As a female biologist, I just can’t accept that.”
What it means: Investment momentum is building across the globe. French Gates’ company, Pivotal — in partnership with global health company Wellcome Leap — has committed $100 million to women’s health research and development initiatives. The share of venture capital devoted to women’s health has tripled since 2019, though it still focuses heavily on reproduction and fertility and represents only 2.3% of overall VC investment. The report adds that women’s longevity is growing across all wellness segments, including in telehealth, wellness resorts, diagnostic platforms and wearables. Research firm SNS Insider predicts the women’s health wearables sector will be worth $119 billion within six years.
What happens next: The report predicts several big shifts:
• Biotech research around ovarian aging will become mainstream, noting that labs are already experimenting with ovarian stem cell therapies.
• A shift in the goals of hormone replacement therapy that will focus more on healthy interventions rather than just alleviating the symptoms of menopause.
• Programs designed for each state of woman’s biology, from teenagers to those in their 90s.
• The longevity market will expand from “tacitly male” to women specific.
“The fact that women live longer, but with many more sick years (up to 25% of their lives) will accelerate the wider, positive shift underway from the biohacking bros’ narrow chasing of a number to a healthier focus on healthspan,” the report says. “Programs will become more integrative, their tone more human.”
