Sword today announced the expansion of its partnership with Portugal’s National Health Service (Serviço Nacional de Saúde, or SNS) to include women’s pelvic health. Beginning October 13, physicians across the country’s public health centers and hospitals will be able to prescribe Sword’s remote pelvic health rehabilitation program, providing women with access to care at no cost.
Pelvic floor disorders include urinary and fecal incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse, and pelvic pain. These conditions affect thousands of women across Portugal, many of whom suffer in silence. In a population-based analysis involving more than 10,000 Portuguese women, one in 10 reported urinary incontinence. Prevalence increased from 6.3% among women aged 18–39 to 40.8% among those aged 75–85. A separate national study of 1,200 women over the age of 50 found that 61% had experienced episodes of incontinence. Half of those women had never discussed the issue with a physician.
Stigma, the normalization of symptoms, and barriers to accessing care continue to prevent many women from receiving first-line treatment: pelvic floor muscle training.
Sword’s partnership with the SNS dates to June 2026, when it became Portugal's leading musculoskeletal care provider. More than 1,200 patients have accessed that program to date.
“In June, we took the first step toward bringing AI-powered healthcare to people across Portugal," said Virgílio Bento, Sword CEO and founder. "Today, we take the next step in an area where thousands of women live with symptoms for years, often because of embarrassment or lack of access to care. With Sword’s solution, women can receive recommended treatment in the privacy of their own homes, at a time that works for them, with ongoing support from a specialized clinical team. We have already helped thousands of women in the U.S., and now we are bringing this care to Portugal.”
“The projected impact of this new care model suggests that up to one million women in Portugal could benefit from improved access to pelvic floor rehabilitation. These women could access care that is closer, more convenient and better suited to their everyday lives, with the opportunity to complete their treatment programs from the comfort of their own homes, without unnecessary travel or waiting times,” said Ana Povo, Secretary of State for Health.
“Health is a fundamental right, and ensuring equal access to high-quality, personalized healthcare is essential to building a more equitable society. Women’s specific healthcare needs must be recognized and addressed through appropriate care, ensuring that every woman can access the support she needs with dignity and quality,” said Carla Rodrigues, Deputy Secretary of State for Equality and Youth.
From left: Fernando Correia, Virgílio Bento, Carla Rodrigues, Isabel Aldir, Ana Povo, Pedro Azevedo, and André Eiras
The program’s inclusion in the SNS is part of Portugal’s national framework for contracted telerehabilitation in Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine, established under Ministerial Order No. 1211/2026. The framework explicitly covers pelvic floor disorders and requires the use of medical devices bearing CE marking and registered with INFARMED, Portugal’s national authority for medicines and health products.
Under the program, family physicians and other attending physicians within the SNS, including specialists in obstetrics and gynecology, will be able to prescribe Sword’s pelvic health rehabilitation solution to women experiencing pelvic floor dysfunction. Eligible conditions include urinary and fecal incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse, pelvic pain, and pelvic floor changes associated with pregnancy, postpartum recovery, and menopause.
Published clinical evidence supports outcomes
Sword’s pelvic health solution is supported by evidence published in peer-reviewed scientific journals. Two studies involving more than 3,000 women reported program completion rates ranging from 77.6% to 81%.
In one study involving more than 3,000 postmenopausal women, the intervention reduced the impact of pelvic floor symptoms on daily activities by 54.6% and work productivity loss by 48.3%. Participants also experienced meaningful improvements in anxiety and depression.
An independent health economic study following patients over 12 months found an 88.6% reduction in pelvic floor surgeries compared with conventional treatment.
The program is also designed to overcome common barriers related to time and scheduling: 72% of sessions take place outside standard working hours. By the ninth session, 81% of participants report significant improvements in quality of life.
Expanding access while reducing waiting times and costs
The rollout is expected to make pelvic floor care accessible to more than one million women across Portugal, without requiring travel to a clinic and with more equitable access regardless of where they live. The program is projected to reduce waiting times to begin treatment by up to 95% and deliver savings of approximately 52% to the SNS compared with conventional contracted care.
The Sword care pathway consists of four steps:
- Physician prescription. During a consultation, an SNS physician identifies the need for pelvic floor rehabilitation and issues a prescription for telerehabilitation. Women can then register at sword.com/pt to begin the enrollment process.
- Clinical assessment and personalized treatment plan. Each patient has an initial consultation with Sword’s specialized pelvic health clinical team. The team develops an individualized treatment plan tailored to her condition and stage of life.
- Remote rehabilitation at home. Following the assessment, the patient receives a certified intravaginal medical device at home. The device measures pelvic floor muscle activity and transmits data to the Sword app in real time, providing immediate feedback to help her perform the exercises correctly.
- Ongoing clinical supervision. Session data is shared with the clinical team, which monitors progress and adjusts the treatment plan when necessary. AI supports monitoring, while clinical decisions remain the responsibility of healthcare professionals.
About Sword
For most of human history, access to high-quality healthcare has been determined by circumstance. Sword is changing that. A pioneer in AI-powered healthcare, Sword develops healthcare-specific foundation models trained for clinical reasoning and safety. Its AI Care platform combines these models with clinical professionals and multidisciplinary care teams to deliver high-quality care at scale.Sword has impacted more than one million patients through AI-powered solutions spanning physical pain, women’s health, mental health and cardiometabolic care, while working to extend access to millions more worldwide.The company partners with more than 2,500 leading organizations, including governments, the U.S. military, and major Fortune 500 companies. To date, Sword has helped avoid more than $1.5 billion in unnecessary healthcare costs.
