The Lowdown
The Lowdown is a London-based femtech platform founded in 2019 that lets women share and read peer reviews of contraceptives, HRT, fertility, PCOS, endometriosis, and weight loss treatments, and offers NHS-integrated online prescriptions and paid doctor video consultations.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What The Lowdown does
The Lowdown is a London-based femtech company founded in 2019 by Alice Pelton, operating a community-centered digital health platform for women across the reproductive lifecycle. Its core offering is a peer-review database covering contraceptives (pills, coils, implants, patches, injections, rings, non-hormonal methods), HRT, fertility treatments, PCOS, endometriosis, and weight loss medications, with 2,780 reviews on the combined pill alone. The platform layers decision-support tools — a contraception recommender quiz, a CoSRH-endorsed missed pill calculator, a compare tool, and a fertility quiz — onto the review content, and converts users into an integrated online prescription service delivered via the NHS Pharmacy Contraception Service and a partner pharmacy, plus paid 20-minute video consultations with female NHS-registered doctors.
Underlying technology is a content/community platform with rule-based clinical decision tools rather than an AI/ML system; CoSRH endorsement of the missed pill calculator is a notable medical-credibility asset. The company makes money primarily through a hybrid of data-monetisation partnerships (anonymised insights shared with NHS and clinical trial recruiters), affiliate-style partnerships with women's health innovators, and pay-as-you-go doctor consultation fees. NHS prescriptions are free to end users. The platform is headquartered in London, serves the UK as its primary market, has expanded into Germany and broader Europe using its $2.5M Speedinvest-led seed, and operates a US subdomain.
Customer segments are organised vertically by use case: women seeking contraception information (primary), plus PCOS, endometriosis, trying-to-conceive, and menopause/perimenopause cohorts. The company remains privately held with 1-10 employees and no parent company, distributing through its self-serve website, the NHS service channel, a partner pharmacy, and PR coverage in Forbes, BBC, Wired, The Times, and Vogue.
The Lowdown firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Lowdown
- Legal name
- The Lowdown
- Website
- https://thelowdown.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- The Lowdown is a London-based femtech platform founded in 2019 that lets women share and read peer reviews of contraceptives, HRT, fertility, PCOS, endometriosis, and weight loss treatments, and offers NHS-integrated online prescriptions and paid doctor video consultations.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Lowdown industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Women's Health Services
- NAICS
- Family Planning Centers (621410), Offices of Physicians (6211)
- SIC
- Services-Offices & Clinics Of Doctors Of Medicine (8011)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Contraception & Family Planning Telehealth (birth control, counseling, follow-up) (HLALAHAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Women’s Health & Contraception Prescribing + Pharmacy Delivery Platforms (HLALAIAI), Maternal, Women’s & Family Virtual Care Programs (Payer-Sponsored) (HLALACAJ)
Keywords
Where The Lowdown is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Lowdown business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others
Revenue model
- NHS Partnership: Partnering with NHS to share anonymized insights into women's health, enabling collaborative innovation in women's health services
- Women's Health Innovators Partnership: Working with innovators in women's health to gather anonymized insights on what women want, and promoting new products and awareness campaigns to the community
- Clinical Trial Recruitment: Partnering with companies that help recruit patients for clinical trials, increasing the number of women involved in health research and development
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | NHS Pharmacy Contraception Service - Free oral contraceptive pill |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Private doctor consultation - 20 minute video call |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
The Lowdown product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Lowdown operates a community-centered women's health review platform where women share and read authentic reviews of contraceptives and related reproductive health conditions. It provides free decision-support tools (contraception recommender quiz, missed pill calculator, compare contraceptives tool), an online NHS-integrated contraceptive prescription service, and paid 20-minute video consultations with NHS-registered female doctors covering contraception, PCOS, endometriosis, fertility, and menopause.
Product overview
The Lowdown is a women's health research and review platform that operates as a unified digital health ecosystem. The core offering is the contraception review platform where women share and read authentic experiences about birth control methods. This is supported by an online prescription service integrated with the NHS Pharmacy Contraception Service for ordering contraceptive pills. The platform includes decision-support tools including a contraception recommender quiz, missed pill calculator, and compare contraceptives tool. Doctor consultation services provide 20-minute video appointments with women's health specialists. Additional content categories cover HRT reviews, fertility experiences, PCOS, endometriosis, and weight loss medications. The platform is free to access and monetizes through partnerships with healthcare organizations and clinical trial recruitment.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Quantifiable outcome
- 87% of women are happier with their contraceptive choice after speaking with The Lowdown's doctors
Companies that use The Lowdown
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
The Lowdown technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
AI capability1 record
Feature3 records
The Lowdown partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- NHScorePartnering to share anonymized insights into women's health, enabling collaborative innovation in women's health services. The NHS references The Lowdown on their website.
- Women's Health InnovatorscoreWorking with innovators in women's health to gather anonymized insights on what women want, and promoting new products and awareness campaigns to the community
- Clinical Trial Recruitment CompaniesminorPartnering with companies that help recruit patients for clinical trials, to increase the number of women involved in health research and development
- Partner PharmacycorePharmacy partner conducts consultation call, reviews health questionnaire to ensure medication is safe and suitable, then dispenses and delivers contraception to users
- CoSRH (College of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare)coreMedical guidelines source for missed pill calculator. CoSRH sets clinical guidance and standards for sexual and reproductive healthcare
- Primary Care Women's Health ForumminorEndorsed the missed pill calculator tool
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
The Lowdown competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- LloydsPharmacy Online Doctor: UK-registered online doctor service that prescribes oral contraception and other women's health treatments with pharmacy delivery, overlapping directly with The Lowdown's NHS Pharmacy Contraception Service and private consultation flow.
- Superdrug Online Doctor: UK online doctor offering contraception prescribing and women's health consultations with home delivery, competing for the same consumer telehealth demand as The Lowdown.
- Zava: European (UK/Germany/France) online doctor and pharmacy platform offering contraception and women's health prescriptions, directly comparable on cross-border telehealth and European expansion ambitions.
- Nurx: US telehealth platform focused on contraception, STI testing, and women's health prescriptions — same product category (DTC contraception prescribing) with similar consultation-to-prescription funnel.
- The Pill Club: US contraception telehealth and pharmacy-delivery service bundling prescriptions with ongoing women's health content, comparable in combining review/education content with online contraception prescribing.
- Tia: Women's health platform combining virtual and in-person primary care, gynecology, and mental health — comparable women's-lifecycle positioning with integrated clinical services.
- Natural Cycles: Hormone-free contraception and fertility tracking app with FDA-cleared digital contraceptive — explicitly referenced on The Lowdown's site and competing for the same UK/European users seeking non-hormonal methods.
Broad incumbents
- Maven Clinic: Virtual care platform for women's and family health across preconception, pregnancy, postpartum, and menopause — overlapping with The Lowdown's reproductive-lifecycle ambition but operating at much larger scale, including payer-sponsored programs.
- Hers (Hims & Hers Health): Publicly-traded DTC telehealth brand with dedicated women's health vertical covering contraception, skincare, and mental health — comparable consumer brand-led telehealth approach, though with broader scope and far larger capitalization.
Emerging players
- Clue: Period and fertility tracking app with growing women's health content and Clue Birth Control digital contraceptive — competing for women's reproductive-health attention and offering an adjacent decision-support layer.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The Lowdown social profiles
Digital presenceThe Lowdown financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Lowdown leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
The Lowdown funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds3 records
Investors6 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Lowdown M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Lowdown
What does The Lowdown do?
The Lowdown operates a community-centered women's health review platform where women share and read authentic reviews of contraceptives and related reproductive health conditions. It provides free decision-support tools (contraception recommender quiz, missed pill calculator, compare contraceptives tool), an online NHS-integrated contraceptive prescription service, and paid 20-minute video consultations with NHS-registered female doctors covering contraception, PCOS, endometriosis, fertility, and menopause.
Is The Lowdown a public or private company?
The Lowdown is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was The Lowdown founded?
The Lowdown was founded in 2019. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is The Lowdown based?
The Lowdown is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does The Lowdown make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. NHS Partnership is the primary driver. The others are women's Health Innovators Partnership and clinical Trial Recruitment.
Who are The Lowdown's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are LloydsPharmacy Online Doctor, Superdrug Online Doctor, Zava, Nurx, The Pill Club, Tia and Natural Cycles. Broad incumbents are Maven Clinic and Hers (Hims & Hers Health). Clue is listed as an emerging player.
Does The Lowdown have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Lowdown.
What industry is The Lowdown in?
The Lowdown's product category is Women's Health Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLALAHAB, Contraception & Family Planning Telehealth (birth control, counseling, follow-up), with a secondary code of HLALAIAI, Women’s Health & Contraception Prescribing + Pharmacy Delivery Platforms. Its NAICS code is 621410 and its SIC code is 8011.