Unveiling the Ultimate Solution: UK Femtech Daye Revolutionizes Menstrual Pain with Jaw-Dropping Virtual Clinic!

UK femtech day has a new thread in its bow: it has opened what it is billing as the world’s first virtual menstrual pain clinic.

The new service, which expands the direct-to-consumer business of the startup that sells women’s health products, like its signature CBD Infused Cramp Fighting Tampon — is meant to help women get a faster diagnosis of what’s causing their period pain, according to founder Valentina Milanova.

Femtech startups often share a mission to close the gender care gap by designing and creating products and services that address the needs of women, often picking up the slack left by traditional healthcare services that have a history of dismissing (or at least under-interrogating) issues. affecting the non-male population, no matter how much pain or how many women are suffering.

In the case of paid period it is a problem some studies suggest it affects up to nine out of 10 women, so Daye sees an opportunity to further broaden the support she sells.

In addition to the misery of recurring pain, conditions such as endometriosis, adenomyosis, PCOS, fibroids, and others associated with chronic pelvic pain may have menstrual pain as a symptom, some of which may also affect the fertility of a woman. So there are many reasons people with periods want to get to the root of what’s causing their painful menstrual bleeding. And Daye touts faster diagnosis of linked conditions as one of the goals of the service.

Daye’s clinic is the latest in a series of on-demand private telehealth services springing up in the UK (and in other places) to offer a faster/more convenient response to problems compared to the free NHS at the point of use, which continues to struggle to meet demand on a very tight public budget. So while UK citizens can always go to their GP free of charge for help with period pain, they may not easily get the kind of specialist care that is more likely to get to the root of it. of your problem.

Daye’s Period Pain Clinic tests clients with a full or partial personalized period pain management report, depending on how much they pay. They may also discuss the results of their report with a nurse or pelvic pain specialist, again depending on the product they purchase.

To scale the individual assessments, Daye is using a proprietary (no-learn) algorithm, which he says is “based on national guidelines and medical research for the diagnosis and management of pelvic pain conditions,” which is based on responses from patients. users to menstrual pain. questionnaire that Daye sends them to generate their “personalized” pain management report.

“We use a proprietary non-learning algorithm, which has been reviewed and validated by physicians,” Milanova tells TechCrunch. “The algorithm has also been tested with real-world people with confirmed diagnoses of pelvic pain conditions. The algorithm is trained on existing clinical guidelines and aims to replicate the experience a patient would receive from highly trained pelvic pain specialists.”

Daye says this report may recommend pharmaceutical (i.e., drugs) and non-pharmaceutical (“holistic”) treatments (such as acupuncture or pelvic floor trainers), with the stated goal of “maximizing pain relief and patient well-being.” patient”.

It’s worth noting that Daye’s advice actively discourages the daily use of traditional pain relievers to manage menstrual pain, given the risk that women end up taking high doses of over-the-counter medications that they suggest may have chronic health consequences. intestinal, kidney and liver health. Thus, Pain Management reports that clients pay to focus on changes they can make to reduce the “negative side effects of over-the-counter pain relievers.”

Of course, Daye also sells its own alternative to pain relievers (the aforementioned CBD tampons), so there’s a (very direct) potential conflict of interest in selling a service that can recommend the use of its own products and discourage traditional pharmaceuticals. But on this Milanova claims his pain management. The recommendations are “based on clinical guidelines” and “do not favor our own products over other interventions.”

She also stipulates it. address any conflicts of interest delegating the prescription of specific pain relief measures to a separate entity, such as a pharmaceutical partner or physician, who views an individual’s request and decides if CBD tampons would be right for them based on their medical history.

Prices

The online clinic, which is only available to UK users for now, has tiered prices, starting at £24.99 for what’s called the “standard” service. This provides the user with a “snapshot” of the custom report and “top insights” (but not a query). (According to Milanova, this includes an assessment of their current pain medication intake, with a focus on safety. The client also gets a preview of other sections in the full report, such as lifestyle tips and managing other symptoms. But seems largely intended to encourage updating to the full report.)

The remaining price levels are as follows: an ‘advanced’ version of the service includes the full client report and a 30 minute consultation with a nurse to discuss the results, at a cost of £54.99. While a “premium” version of the service, priced at £199.99, buys the customer a half-hour consultation with a pelvic pain specialist to discuss the report.

“DayThe nurses at are experts in sexual health and contraception with more than 15 years of experience in supporting patients with gynecological problems”, says Milanova, developing the value proposition that she seeks to sell to women. “They can offer a comprehensive consultation to help patients make informed decisions about birth control, which is one of the main treatments for painful periods but can also have significant side effects if not carefully selected.

“Nurses can also offer more detailed information on different methods of pain relief, including safe intake of pain relievers, acupuncture, massage, etc. Lastly, they can help create a clear roadmap for patients on strategies to address their symptoms and obtain a diagnosis. Providing nursing consultation allows us to speed up treatment time while keeping cost to patients low.”

The clinic’s pelvic pain specialists are Obstetricians and gynecologists, who she says bring “a wealth of experience in diagnosing pelvic pain conditions and supporting patients throughout their fertility journey.”

“Many pelvic pain conditions can also inhibit the ability to conceive naturally or carry a pregnancy to term, which is why we partner with reproductive health specialists who can offer support and guidance to those struggling to get pregnant,” she adds.

Daye did not specify how many nurses and doctors are working at the clinic at this time. She’s also not employing all of the experts that she works with, and Milanova notes that she has “a very small full-time team” along with a number of “trusted external partners” to whom you can refer the client, including pelvic pain experts, fertility doctors, pphysiotherapists and nutritionists, who she says act as external consultants and offer booked consultations through day.

“We will increase the availability of clinicians as we scale and more people access our service,” he added.

virtual vs physical

One question to consider is whether a virtual clinic can really get to the root of something as potentially hard to pin down as menstrual pain without the client being able to undergo physical tests or even be examined in person to confirm a diagnosis, as they are seated. at home with your Internet connection, not in a doctor’s office.

However, Milanova suggests that the the diagnosis of chronic gynecological health conditions such as endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome is “evolving towards a symptom of believing the patient’s symptoms versus the use of more invasive diagnostic protocols such as minimally invasive surgeries.”

“Our clinic incorporates a clinically validated questionnaire and a symptom comparator that adhere to the guidelines of gynecological health regulators and organizations such as NICE, ACOG and RCOG,” it also specifies. “This ensures that conditions such as PCOS, endometriosis, and other chronic pelvic pain conditions are accurately evaluated.

“To ensure accuracy and effectiveness, our assessment tool was developed in collaboration with NHS GPs and UK-based chronic pelvic pain specialists. Our platform aligns with medical experts and industry best practices. Additionally, our digital assessment tool goes beyond just considering symptoms and medical history. It takes into account a wide range of lifestyle-related risk factors that can contribute to menstrual pain. By considering these additional factors, our goal is to provide a more holistic assessment that takes into account each individual’s unique circumstances.”

It is also important to emphasize that Daye’s algorithm does not automate diagnosis. Rather, it is a data processing tool that aims to speed up diagnosis along with connecting clients to (human) examinees. experts in gynecological conditions who are qualified to connect the dots of symptoms and make a call about what might be going on.

“By completing the questionnaire, patients receive a report that includes probability scores for common conditions associated with menstrual pain,” he explains. “It is important to note that these scores are calculated based solely on symptoms and medical history and should not be considered a final diagnosis on their own. A key part of our value proposition lies in connecting our patients with pelvic pain specialists who can confirm the diagnosis and provide further medical advice.”

Daye intends to further expand the range of human experts she can connect clients with, with an eye on other “largely uncontrolled symptoms” women can suffer from, such as hair loss, obesity and severe acne. . So the plan seems to be to build a broader telehealth platform focused on women’s issues and continue to grow its user community.

“DayThe service offers follow-up consultations with vetted specialists such as sexual health nurses, pelvic pain specialists, fertility specialists, nutritionists and lifestyle coaches,” he notes, adding: “As our platform expands, our The goal is to include additional specialists such as physiotherapists and dermatologists.”