Success Stories

Lauren Fleming: From a Dismissed Postpartum Diagnosis to a 50-State Pelvic Health Brand

R
Redaction 06 novembre 2026
Lauren Fleming: From a Dismissed Postpartum Diagnosis to a 50-State Pelvic Health Brand

Lauren Fleming did not set out to become a founder. She was trying to survive postpartum. After the birth of her first child in May 2020, she developed pelvic organ prolapse, a condition she had never heard of, and she was dismissed when she raised it at her six-week check-up. Five years later, her company Hem Support Wear ships pelvic floor support garments to all 50 U.S. states and works with more than 485 clinics. This is the story of how one woman turned a humiliating gap in women's health care into a growing Austin-based brand.

Table of Contents

A Diagnosis No One Believed

Lauren Fleming's journey started with a question that her healthcare provider did not want to answer. At her six-week postpartum visit she told her midwife she thought she might have prolapse, a conclusion she had reached on her own after a frantic search through symptom lists and medical photos. Her concerns were dismissed. "I didn't set out to become a founder," Fleming later wrote. "I was just trying to survive postpartum."

The symptoms were real and limiting: a bulge and heaviness that made it hard to hold her own baby or walk around the block. Eventually a pelvic floor physical therapist confirmed what she suspected — pelvic organ prolapse (POP), in which the muscles and tissues supporting the bladder, uterus or rectum weaken and bulge into the vaginal canal. The therapist recommended an external support garment. Fleming tried everything she could find, and every option failed her in a different way: thick elastic that dug into her waist, leg openings that did not fit her body, fabric and straps that showed through her clothes. "They were bulky, uncomfortable, and unsightly," she writes on the company's Our Story page. "Every time I put one on, I knew there had to be something better."

The Lightbulb Moment

The idea for Hem Support Wear arrived in the autumn of 2020, not as a business plan but as frustration. Fleming realised she was not alone: her pelvic floor physical therapist saw women every week who were quietly struggling with the same condition and the same unusable products. "So many women were quietly struggling, unsure of what to do and often ashamed to talk about it," Fleming told Bizwomen. "That realisation became my turning point."

She framed the mission in personal terms. She did not want her two daughters growing up in a world where this kind of suffering was ignored. That framing has stayed with the brand: Hem describes itself as woman-owned and operated, built around pelvic health professionals, U.S.-based production partners and a small team of three — Cristin, Lauren and Alexa. Fleming also kept her full-time role at a nonprofit while building the company, working on Hem during breaks, evenings and weekends, and planning every Friday afternoon for the week ahead.

Prototypes, Setbacks and a Patented Design

Building the product took years, and the path was deliberately slow. After years of development, more than 20 prototypes and hundreds of hours of testing, Hem launched its first line of high-waisted pelvic floor support underwear, built around a support hammock designed to lift rather than compress. Where shapewear pushes down and squeezes, Hem's garment is engineered to provide gentle support from below, so a woman can walk, exercise and go about her day without thinking about her garment. The company now offers both "curvy" and "straight" fits, on the principle that one size does not fit all.

The setbacks were expensive. In the early days Fleming lost thousands of dollars and months of time when her first manufacturing partner, a local firm that came highly recommended, failed to deliver on quality and strung her along. She later hired a marketing agency that was the wrong fit at the wrong time and made unapproved changes to her live website; she negotiated a partial refund and ended the relationship. "Those experiences taught me the importance of trusting my instincts, vetting partners carefully, and standing up for my company's needs," she says. She describes the whole experience as an expensive MBA.

Why Pelvic Health Is a Major Market

Hem Support Wear sits in a category that is far larger than most founders assume. Pelvic floor disorders affect roughly one in five women in the United States, and pelvic organ prolapse alone affects almost 3 percent of U.S. women, according to the U.S. Office on Women's Health. A nationally representative NHANES analysis found that 23.7 percent of women reported at least one pelvic floor disorder, with 2.9 percent reporting symptomatic prolapse. Examination-based studies put the number much higher: the NCBI's StatPearls reviews report that 41 to 50 percent of women have some degree of prolapse on physical examination, even though only about 3 percent report the symptom.

Childbirth is the biggest driver. A long-term study published in JAMA in 2018 found that women who had a vaginal delivery had a 30 percent cumulative incidence of prolapse over 15 years. The numbers also climb with age: research from the Study of Women's Health Across the Nation put the cumulative probability of reporting prolapse at 2.1 percent at age 45 and 10.1 percent by age 65. With the U.S. population ageing, StatPearls projects a 46 percent increase in affected women, reaching an estimated 4.9 million by 2050. In short, the market Hem serves is large, underserved and growing every year.

From Austin to All 50 States

Hem Support Wear was founded in 2021 in Austin, Texas, and 2025 became the year the numbers caught up with the mission. In December 2025 the company shipped its final orders to Montana and Wyoming, completing coverage of all 50 states. It added 175 healthcare clinics during the year — physical therapy offices, birth centres and OB/GYN practices — for a total network of more than 485 clinics. A refreshed website doubled revenue and improved conversion rates by 43 percent, garments became eligible for HSA and FSA reimbursement, and a new beige colourway went live on direct customer feedback.

Recognition followed. Hem was named one of the top 10 finalists in its category by the Cartier Women's Initiative and a finalist in the Pelvic Health category of the Sexual Wellness Awards 2025, chosen from more than 120 submissions. The company ships internationally to Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia, and in January 2026 it launched a 0 percent interest Kiva crowdlending campaign to fund its next stage of production. The customer stories remain the point: a mother who could go for long walks again postpartum, and a woman in her late 70s who felt supported on a once-in-a-lifetime African safari. As Fleming puts it, "At the end of the day, Hem is about more than clothing, it's about giving women their confidence back."

What Founders Can Learn From Lauren Fleming

Three lessons stand out from Fleming's story. First, a dismissed problem is a market signal: she built a company precisely because a healthcare system failed to take her seriously, and she is not the only customer it failed. Second, she pushed outside her comfort zone on purpose, entering an industry — garment manufacturing — she had never worked in, and she now credits early mentorship as the thing she would do differently. Networks such as The 10th House, a community of female entrepreneurs, became central to how she scales. Third, timing matters more than outside help: hiring a marketing agency before her conversion rate was healthy cost her money and taught her to fix the foundation before buying traffic.

Fleming's definition of success shifted too. She started out wanting to run the business alone, full time and 100 percent owned; now she measures success by the strength of her network and by the customers who tell her the garment changed what their days feel like. For founders in overlooked categories — the same instinct drives the wellness and healthcare founders featured in Alexa Heathorn's recovery-to-Bloomed Wellness story and Amanda Gravitis' healthcare innovation journey — the lesson is the same: build for the person the market keeps ignoring.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Lauren Fleming?

Lauren Savage Fleming is the founder and CEO of Hem Support Wear, a women's pelvic health brand based in Austin, Texas. She is a University of Texas alumna, a mother of two, and a nonprofit professional who built the company while working full time.

What is Hem Support Wear?

Hem Support Wear is a company founded in 2021 that makes high-waisted pelvic floor support underwear. The garments use a support hammock design to lift and relieve symptoms of pelvic organ prolapse, postpartum changes and menopause, and they are sold online as well as through a network of more than 485 healthcare clinics.

How did Lauren Fleming come up with the idea?

Fleming developed pelvic organ prolapse after the birth of her first child in 2020 and could not find a support garment she was willing to wear. When her pelvic floor physical therapist confirmed how many women faced the same gap, she decided to design her own, starting with more than 20 prototypes and hundreds of hours of testing.

What makes Hem different from shapewear?

Shapewear compresses and pushes down, while Hem's garment is designed to provide gentle lift from below, supporting the pelvic floor without adding downward pressure. It is also designed as everyday underwear rather than leggings or a compression band, so it can be worn during exercise and under normal clothing.

Where can customers buy Hem Support Wear?

Products are sold through hemsupportwear.com, with shipping across all 50 U.S. states plus Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia. The garments are eligible for HSA and FSA reimbursement and are also available through partner clinics.

What recognition has Hem Support Wear received?

Hem was a top 10 finalist in its category with the Cartier Women's Initiative and a finalist in the Pelvic Health category of the Sexual Wellness Awards 2025, selected from more than 120 submissions.

Conclusion

Lauren Fleming's success story is not about a eureka moment in a garage. It is about a woman who was not listened to, who spent years and real money making a product she would actually wear, and who kept building while holding down a full-time job and raising two small children. From a dismissed postpartum complaint to a brand reaching all 50 states and hundreds of clinics, Hem Support Wear shows what happens when a founder treats an ignored problem as a business opportunity. The category is growing — millions of women are affected, and the numbers are set to rise through 2050 — so Fleming's next chapter is likely to be the biggest yet.

Sources

Lauren Fleming
R

Redaction

Auteur chez Women Entrepreneurs