Personalized Health Pathways Explained: A Deep Dive Into Ovia’s Individualized Approach

A significant number of women in the United States are not receiving necessary preventive reproductive health services when they need them most. Perhaps most startling is that in 2022, one in seven infants in the U.S. were born to mothers who didn’t receive adequate prenatal care or the recommended number of prenatal visits.1 Providing women early in their pregnancies with  preventative screenings, individualized care, and critical education can help lower risks of developing adverse conditions during and after pregnancy. Inadequate touchpoints with a prenatal provider can result in conditions going undiagnosed or unmanaged, leading to dangerous, expensive health issues later. 

Inadequate preventative care isn’t affecting pregnant people alone–research also reveal that 15% of American women have not visited a provider for an annual exam in over three years, and 9% had never undergone a Pap test as they were unaware that they were due for screening.2 Delaying preventive care can turn manageable conditions into serious and costly health issues, but adherence to regular preventive care is impossible without proper knowledge of the care that is needed and when. A one-size-fits-all approach to women’s health – which doesn’t consider the unique health needs of women across their lifespan – overlooks individual risks and fails to provide the information and tools women need. Ovia does the opposite by guiding members to personalized recommendations about their health and provides them with preventive education and resources tailored to their unique goals and needs. Ovia’s Personalized Health Pathways (PHPs), which are comprehensively designed to help members take evidence-based action for better health, close gaps in care and provide members with critical information to get the necessary care they need.

Available in all three journeys – Ovia, Ovia Pregnancy, and Ovia Parenting – PHPs are intuitive, easy to use checklists that outline important and relevant actions for each member based on their individual health history and goals. For example, a member in Ovia Pregnancy who is in their first trimester will see a number of action items and learning tools relevant to her personal life, health, and pregnancy. These tools deliver deeper insights and engagement with the user from prenatal through postpartum health. As the pregnancy progresses, their PHP progresses with them – making sure she knows when to attend her glucose screening or start thinking about her birth plan, ordering a breast pump, or planning for parental leave across each trimester and into the postpartum period. For parents, the PHPs in Ovia Parenting provide a holistic approach for the entire family, empowering users to track their child’s developmental milestones, monitor their child’s health and nutrition, and prompting users to talk with their providers about recommended tests and screenings.

Ovia’s PHPs are designed to be individualized for any life goal or life stage; just as no two members are the same, no two checklists are the same. An Ovia+ member who is managing menopause will receive a PHP tailored to her specific menopause journey, prompting her to confirm whether her provider has experience treating menopause or if she’s attended routine recommended preventative screenings based on her health assessment and profile. Ovia’s PHPs are integrated across the platform, working hand in hand with our in-house Care Team. Our Care Team, which is made up of professionals with backgrounds such as nurses, social workers, and midwives, reaches out to members to reinforce items on their checklist and explain what items mean for members. They can be reached by messaging or live phone or video calls. In fact, an analysis of Ovia Health members engaging with the Care Team demonstrated that those who interacted with Ovia coaches experienced a 54% reduction in preterm delivery rates.3 

Aligned with our commitment to birth and health equity, we’ve also created a specific PHP designed for Black women, who are disproportionately impacted by higher maternal death rates and poorer outcomes.4 To help support Black women’s reproductive health, our PHP offers guidance on recognizing early symptoms of preeclampsia, a condition for which many women of color are at an increased risk.5 In addition to receiving preventative education, members are encouraged to log their blood pressure within the app. If measurements are high, they receive an alert urging them to contact a doctor for care, with the ability to click to call their provider right from the app for quicker action and attention.

Through each PHPs innovative, user-centric approach, Ovia is revolutionizing how women manage their health by allowing members to take charge of their own healthcare decisions. According to a member survey, users enjoy the personalized guidance Ovia provides.6 According to one user, “I love this app so much more than all the others. I like the additional information it gives throughout the day. I also like that I can log any medications I take and my weight so I can keep track of that.” Another stated, “Ovia is like a helpful big sister through my pregnancy. I trust the articles and enjoy that they are science-based and very relevant. I honestly have learned more from Ovia than my midwife.” By empowering users with resources to actively monitor various aspects of their wellbeing, from nutrition to mental health indicators, PHPs support unique healthcare journeys. 

Whether it’s achieving a healthy pregnancy, successfully breastfeeding, or managing menopause transitions, PHPs offer proactive guidance. They are designed to distill complex guidelines into actionable items members can take – each PHP item is tied to an evidence-based clinical guideline in some way. By offering ways to enhance adherence to clinical guidelines and delivering a coordinated, action-oriented plan with ongoing expert support, PHPs complement our existing clinical programs by offering an additional way for members to manage their most important health goals and to make a healthy, happy family possible for everyone.

Want to know more about Ovia? We offer comprehensive women’s and family health programs that include 1:1 coaching, guideline-driven clinical programs, and personalized health and wellness education. Visit www.oviahealth.com.

  1. March of Dimes: https://www.marchofdimes.org/peristats/data?reg=99&top=5&stop=34&lev=1&slev=4&obj=1
  2. Becton, Dickinson and Company: https://news.bd.com/2023-01-05-New-Harris-Poll-Reveals-Significant-Gaps-in-Womens-Knowledge-About-Cervical-Cancer
  3. Ovia Health: https://images.ent.oviahealth.com/Web/OviaHealth/%7B7e8f1d16-a717-4b50-ba5a-27e18d963639%7D_How_to_Avoid_The_Million_Dollar_Baby_(Preterm_Whitepaper).pdf
  4. Njoku, A., Evans, M., Nimo-Sefah, L., & Bailey, J. (2023). Listen to the Whispers before They Become Screams: Addressing Black Maternal Morbidity and Mortality in the United States. Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland), 11(3), 438. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11030438
  5. Mayo Clinic: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/preeclampsia/symptoms-causes/syc-20355745#:~:text=Several%20studies%20have%20shown%20a%20greater%20risk%20of%20preeclampsia%20among%20Black%20women%20compared%20with%20other%20women.
  6. Ovia Health: NPS, Happiness, and Demographic Summary, 2024