Episode Description
In this episode of Tank Talks Asia, Manisha Tank is joined by Sastya Wardani, the CEO of Femtech Ovy Health, to discuss some of the taboos surrounding reproductive and hormonal health in Asia.
They cover topics including PCOS and the role stress hormones can play in male and female infertility. Manisha and Sastya also talk about what happens when a country’s fertility rate drops below replacement levels.
Featured Voices
Host: Manisha Tank
Guest: Sastya Wardani, CEO and Co-founder, Ovy Health
Key takeaways
- Sastya says infertility is rising fast across the globe and is now estimated to affect 1 in 6 people, but she believes this number could be even higher in parts of Asia.
- She says fertility challenges don’t just affect women, in her experience it’s now a 50:50 split between men and women.
- She explains how hormones can affect everything, showing up as brain fog, mood swings, fatigue, fat storage, and hair loss.
- Sastya believes early testing is key, with simple hormone tests able to provide crucial insights before problems may escalate.
- She talks about the economic consequences and long-term societal impact of falling fertility, highlighting some Asian countries which are already below the 2:1 replacement rate.
Chapter heads
02:55
Breaking the Menstruation Myth
Sastya addresses the stigmas that surround menstruation in some cultures and says outdated beliefs still shape women’s health experiences.
06:18
PCOS: The Silent Disruptor
She says that PCOS affects around 1 in 10 women, but is frequently underdiagnosed and misunderstood.
08:16
A Hormone Information Gap?
Manisha asks Sastya why it’s common to see leaflets about diabetes at Doctors clinics, but yet information about hormones seems to be less readily available.
10:50
Egg Reserve Reality
Sastya talks about AMH, which she says is a crucial fertility marker, but many women have never heard of it.
12:16
The Fertility Time Bomb in Asia
She notes that replacement fertility rates are falling in parts of Asia, which raises demographic and economic concerns.
14:37
The Male Fertility Taboo
Sastya says factors that can affect male fertility, such as working with a laptop on the knee or even the type of clothes worn, are rarely discussed.
17:24
The Importance of Getting Checked
She explores rising infertility rates and says that understanding hormonal health from puberty is essential to safeguard future reproductive health.
21:30
The Stress Hormone
Sastya explains how our bodies release cortisol when we are stressed, which can push us into fight or flight mode and have an adverse effect on fertility and overall health.
23:58
Be Your Own Advocate
She says we need to take matters into our own hands when it comes to our overall health and have more open conversations.
Useful links
https://www.ovyhealth.com/ https://www.euromonitor.com/article/womens-health-in-asia-pacific-adapting-solutions-to-local-consumer-needs-and-lifestyles#:~:text=Needs%20and%20Lifestyles-,Women's%20Health%20in%20Asia%20Pacific:%20Adapting%20Solutions%20to%20Local%20Consumer,traditional%20regimes%20to%20relieve%20discomfort.
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/infertility
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/polycystic-ovary-syndrome
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/male-infertility
https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.DYN.TFRT.IN
https://www.uobgroup.com/assets/web-resources/research/pdf/MN_250925A.pdf
https://www.towardshealthcare.com/insights/fertility-market-sizing
https://www.mordorintelligence.com/industry-reports/infertility-drugs-market
https://www.weforum.org/publications/women-s-health-investment-outlook-2026/
https://www.singstat.gov.sg/find-data/search-by-theme/population/births-and-fertility/latest-data
https://www.population.gov.sg/files/media-centre/publications/Population_in_Brief_2025.pdf
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12537526/
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Tank Talks Asia is an AsiaWorks production.