Highlights from ACOG’s 2025 Annual Clinical & Scientific Meeting

In May, members of Flo’s partnerships, medical affairs, and science teams attended the ACOG Annual Clinical & Scientific Meeting (ACSM), the largest OB-GYN conference in the United States. This year’s event, hosted in Minneapolis, MN, brought together over 3,000 clinicians, researchers, and industry leaders to discuss the latest developments in obstetrics and gynecology.

At our stand, we engaged in hundreds of conversations with clinicians about patient care, emerging trends, and digital health innovations. We also showcased our science team’s ongoing research projects to advance female health.

As part of our presence at the conference, our eye-catching bright pink stand in the central area of the exhibitor hall was hugely popular. We hosted a diagnostic challenge game and a prize draw — a light-hearted but effective way to connect with health care professionals and gather valuable insights into their clinical priorities while showcasing how real-world data from digital tools can support and enhance patient consultations.

Notably, many OB-GYNs shared that they already recommend Flo to their patients to support menstrual and symptom tracking, a reflection of how digital tools are becoming embedded in clinical practice. 

A powerful keynote address

The conference program was packed with lectures, panel discussions, product theaters, and poster presentations.

During the keynote address, Dr. Sharon Malone, a renowned health expert in female health and New York Times best-selling author, delivered a powerful message. She encouraged all attendees to believe women, acknowledging the plight of patients who have long felt unseen, unheard, and not believed by their medical care team.

She also asked that we embrace technology, leaning into artificial intelligence and using digital health to scale access. She reminded us that our vote matters and encouraged us to demand equity in the workplace.

Earning her a round of applause, she asked for support of the “Let’s Talk Menopause” initiative to remove warning labels on low-dose estrogen products.

Menopause, menstrual cycles, and mood

Dr. Jill Liss, from the University of Colorado, highlighted the persistent societal stigma and lack of clinician education surrounding menopause, during a lecture on menopause management. As untreated menopausal symptoms carry significant long-term health risks and economic consequences, she explained that this transition marks a critical window for intervention to support better aging and discussed treatment options.

We heard more about menopause in a session on a nonhormonal FDA-approved treatment for moderate-to-severe vasomotor symptoms due to menopause. Veozah (fezolinetant) is a neurokinin 3 (NK3) receptor antagonist and blocks neurokinin B binding on the kisspeptin/neurokinin B/dynorphin neurons in the hypothalamus, significantly reducing vasomotor symptoms in clinical trials.

During a lecture on menstrual cycle and mood, we learned about the complex interplay between sex hormones and psychological symptoms. A subset of women, including those with premenstrual syndrome, premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), and during perimenopause, are particularly sensitive, and this may be due to a receptor sensitivity issue. Drs. LuLu Zhao and Eric Reed, from University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, OH, discussed treatment options, including selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, hormone therapy, and surgical management. 

Anti-obesity medication, contraception, and wearables

GLP-1 medications are a hot topic everywhere, and ASCM was no exception.

In a session on anti-obesity medications, Dr. Johanna Finkle, from the University of Kansas Medical Center, focused on conditions and crucial periods when women’s risk of weight gain increases. These include polycystic ovary syndrome, pregnancy, and perimenopause/menopause. Among the medications discussed, she explained that GLP-1 receptor agonists are effective long-term options.

We also heard about the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s 2024 contraceptive recommendations. Key updates include a greater emphasis on person-centered counseling and provision and gender-inclusive language, as well as specific revisions for managing contraception in various conditions. Other updates include guidance for the provision of pain management during the placement of intrauterine devices and for managing bleeding irregularities during implant use.

A panel discussion explored the growing trend of patients using wearable devices and seeking clinical interpretation of their data. Wearables can collect valuable longitudinal physiological data, such as heart rate, temperature, exercise, and sleep patterns, offering insights across the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, and postpartum periods outside of clinical visits. While acknowledging the limitation that only a small percentage of consumer devices are formally validated, we heard compelling examples showing how wearable data reveals patterns like increases in resting heart rate during pregnancy and significant changes in sleep duration postpartum.

Health literacy

In a lecture on the use of media and social media to increase health literacy, ACOG’s senior director of public affairs, Kate Connors, highlighted the pervasive problem of online misinformation affecting patient trust and evidence-based care. Misinformation is particularly rampant regarding topics like abortion, birth control, menopause, and vaccines.

Alongside Kate, Dr. Franziska Haydanek from Rochester Regional Health, NY, empowered clinicians by providing practical strategies for using traditional and social media platforms to increase health literacy and combat the spread of harmful myths.

Dr. Haydanek, who uses the handle “pagingdrfran” on social media, offered actionable advice on setting time boundaries for content creation and managing online interactions, including dealing with comments and trolls, while maintaining professionalism and communicating effectively with your workplace about your media presence.

Health literacy is also close to our hearts at Flo, and we had the opportunity to present one of our latest research projects on this topic during an industry e-poster session.

For our study, we provided Flo Premium for free to over 6,000 women and people with periods in low- and middle-income countries, as part of our Pass It On Project. We measured menstrual health literacy at baseline and conducted follow-up surveys at between three and 12 months of app use.

Our baseline data showed very low levels of menstrual health knowledge. On average, the number of correct responses on our knowledge quiz questions was 3.4 out of 10.

After at least three months of using the Flo app, we observed significant improvements in menstrual health knowledge, menstrual health awareness, communication confidence, and awareness of sexually transmitted infections. We also saw reductions in menstrual stigma and menstrual impact.

ACSM was a great meeting, with leading voices sharing the latest in female health. We’ll be back again next year, no doubt.