A new period tracking app is hoping to cut the length of time it takes for women and menstruators to receive a diagnosis for menstrual health issues.
Joii Care is an AI-powered volume-tracking app used to measure period flow and clots.
It is accompanied by "evaluation pads" that allow users to measure their periods, detect clots, and record changes over time.
For a lot of young girls and women, having period volume and clots measured is not a standard part of healthcare, so how can it help with earlier diagnosis?
Joii Care's founder, Justyna Stzeszynska, tells Her.ie that period volume "could be really an indicator of different conditions".
For example, if you are experiencing quite a heavy period (losing over 80 millilitres of blood per cycle), "this could be a symptom of endometriosis, fibroids, PCOS, hormonal imbalances," according to Justyna.
On the other hand, light periods are often connected to stress, weight loss, under-eating, over-exercising, and/or hormones.
"If you are passing larger clots (larger than two and a half centimetres), this could be an indicator of fibroids," she adds.
Justyna Strzeszynska is urging women to treat periods as another vital sign of health and track them the same way we would track calories, steps, and hours of sleep.
Understanding this benchmark can prepare and equip women with vital information about their menstrual symptoms for their GP appointments, hopefully getting them to the point of diagnosis quicker.
"Sometimes with conditions, for example, endometriosis, one of the symptoms could be shoulder pain. You wouldn't associate this pain with endometriosis or pain during sex," the Joii Care CEO explains.
"With our app, we educate users and you know what to look for, and it will allow you to look at your symptoms, prepare your data, and then present to your doctor in an efficient way."
Many patients will go into a GP appointment with a lack of knowledge about their own symptoms. This can be one of the biggest issues that arise at GP appointments, according to Justyna.
"They don't know fully their symptoms. They don't know what language to use. Our ultimate goal would be to cut diagnosis times because it's a huge issue."
The menstrual brand was founded by Justyna Stzeszynska as part of a "personal rebellion".
After years of experiencing extremely heavy periods, anaemia, and pain every month, and being told by doctors it was "normal" - a situation that many women know all too well.
Nobody was measuring her flow and clots, so she started doing it herself and finally received a fibroids diagnosis.
Delayed diagnosis in women's health is a problem that persists even in 2025. In Ireland, it takes an average of eight to nine years for women to receive an endometriosis diagnosis.
Many women report that their menstrual pain and/or symptoms are being dismissed at GP appointments as "normal" and they continue to suffer in silence.
The app's aim is for women to be empowered with the language, data, and confidence that they need at their doctor appointments.
Joii's ultimate goal is to see these women receive diagnosis and validation for menstrual health conditions that are impacting their lives in half the time it's currently taking.
Let the "bloody revolution" begin.
