Origin’s Impact Story
For those of you who have seen the movie Billy Madison, you may remember Adam Sandler’s famous scene where he purposely splashes water on his pants to make a little boy feel less awkward about peeing his pants: “it’s the coolest to pee your pants!”
Well, in real life, and especially as an adult, it is NOT cool to pee your pants. Nor should it be the norm. But if you’re a female between the ages of 18 and 59, there is a good chance that you do (I sure do! Wedding dance floors should be off limits for me, honestly.)
Portfolio company Origin recognized the need to support women experiencing pelvic floor issues despite the “awkwardness” of admitting to symptoms like loose bladders or painful sex. Origin has emerged as the largest female health company focused on pelvic healthcare, with clinics in 17 locations and their virtual service available nationwide (yes, they accept insurance!)
They saw a gap in the market and a clear need - because after pushing a HUMAN out of your hoo-hah, your body might need some help recovering….and it is clearly something that females are increasingly wanting to learn more about:
Female health has historically been severely under-served and under-researched. And when it comes to pelvic floor health, we know very little. But now at least we are starting to understand the prevalence of pelvic floor issues…
Origin, in partnership with research firm Ipsos and with financial support from Rise Together Ventures, just released the 2024 Origin Pelvic Health Study, where they studied over 600 women ages 18-59. The findings are perhaps not unexpected, but shocking nonetheless: pelvic health symptoms have reached epidemic proportions. A few stark findings are below:
83% of women are experiencing symptoms – 75% with 2 or more – and yet only 4% are getting diagnosed.
Contrary to popular belief that these issues only impact women later in life, Millennials are equally or more likely to experience pelvic floor issues (especially those related to a “tight pelvic floor”) than Gen X.
64% of women say these symptoms negatively impact their lives, including their mental and physical health
Lack of pelvic health care is associated with lack of trust in OB/GYNs
Unsurprisingly, pelvic health symptoms often start or worsen after giving birth; however, 92% of women who had a baby in the past five years did not get any physical therapy to support recovery after their most recent delivery.
The goal with this research study is to start a conversation and pull pelvic health issues out of the shadows. Origin’s vision is to use their position as the leading pelvic health platform to drive awareness, education and access to care - and in turn, sparking further important research and accelerating payer coverage.
Read the full study here - and please share with your network!
A special thank you Carine, CEO of Origin, and Allison, Head of Growth, and the rest of the Origin team for making this important work happen!