Strong Growth Forecasted for Women's Health Diagnostics

Each of these key diagnostic areas is showing growth greater than 4% and as high as 6%. The women's health arena, once limited to obstetrics and gynecology, now includes other fields, such as urology, maternal-fetal medicine, as well as autoimmune disease and cystic fibrosis. Kalorama's new report “Diagnostic Markets for Women's Health” analyzes current and potential world markets for key diagnostic tests: pregnancy and ovulation, bone density, prenatal screening, ultrasound, mammography, Pap smear, colposcopy, HPV, UTI, and other testing.

"The life expectancy of women is longer than for men and is climbing steadily due to advancements in medicine," said Joseph A. Constance, author of the report, "Diagnostics are playing an ever-increasing role." One example is the growth in the mammography systems marketplace, which will continue thanks in part to increased public awareness of breast cancer and the high efficiency and low dosage capability of advanced digital equipment.

Fertility testing is another growth sector as, for example, more than 7 million Americans, approximately 12% of the population in reproductive years, are estimated to be infertile. As more couples address fertility issues and are presented with different treatment options, the market, namely lab-based immunoassays, should be strong, with growth in the 4% to 5% range annually worldwide.

Bone densitometry is another example. A woman's risk of hip fracture is equal to her risk of breast, uterine, and ovarian cancer combined. Osteoporosis is estimated to affect 200 million women worldwide: about 10% of age 60; 20% of age 70; 40% of age 80; over 65% of women aged 90. The disease impacts approximately 75 million people in Europe, the US, and Japan. The rise of osteoporosis has propelled the need for early detection and pushed demand for bone densitometers, driving this market up.

Kalorama's report generally forecasts future market growth for diagnostic tests to 2018. It also reviews the nature and direction of research and trends, and gives insight into some of the issues facing the industry. The report provides market forecasts based on an examination of current market conditions and on investigations into the development of new products by key companies. The market data are generated into multiple year forecasts for different product segments covered in the report.

The report profiles several key companies, including large known companies as well as smaller firms with market niches. These companies are involved in developing and marketing over-the-counter (OTC), point-of-care (POC) in vitro diagnostic (IVD) tests, and screening systems.

Related Links:
Kalorama Information
Diagnostic Markets for Women's Health, report