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17th June 2025
05:35pm BST
Women and people who get periods are all too familiar with the stigma surrounding them in Ireland. We have come so far in recent years, but there is still a lot of taboo when discussing 'your time of the month.'
So much so that we have half a dozen different words we use before daring to say the word period.
Many of us are trying to break the stigma, but one woman leading the cause is Joii founder, Justyna Strzeszynska.
Joii is a trailblazing Irish femtech startup that has raised €2.4m in funding to date. The app and range of sustainable period care products aim to transform the way menstrual health is understood, monitored, and discussed in Ireland and beyond.
A world-first, Joii’s menstrual pad and mobile app measure period blood volume and clot sizes, offering users unprecedented insights into menstrual health through AI-powered image analysis.
Backed by clinical research and real-world validation, Joii offers a data-driven way to monitor menstrual health, finally giving people with periods the tools to see what’s really going on.
In an interview with Her.ie, Justyna explained the inspiration behind the app.
She shared that her own personal experience inspired Joii:
"It was my personal experience. I suffer from heavy bleeding, and my mom also used to suffer from heavy periods, so for a while I thought it was it was normal.
"My mum would tell me to sit on a plastic bag, and I just thought it was a bit crazy, but because people were not really talking about it, I wasn't really sure if that was normal."
Justyna took matters into her own hands and started researching heavy periods and realised how common they actually are.
"Through data and research, I came up with an idea for an app and a convenient way of measuring period volume. I noticed that there is very little real innovation in women's health, and that for years, women were excluded from research."
While wearables track steps, sleep, and heart rate, Joii is pioneering a long-overdue frontier in female health, providing data-driven insights into the menstrual cycle and female health. By combining specially designed evaluation pads with a mobile app, users can scan used pads to receive a quantified evaluation of their period flow and clotting patterns. These data points are clinically relevant but often overlooked.
Joii is focused on setting a new standard for menstrual health. Joii introduces objective data to the conversation, empowering users with measurable, visual, and shareable insights that can accelerate diagnosis and care.
"We really want younger females to start using the app, or people who have ever felt dismissed, because the app empowers you.
"It gives you information so you can use it for yourself to see where you are, to validate how you're feeling, but also you can use it to present to your doctor."
"We have managed to prove that the app really helps with symptom screening, helps communicate with doctors, and increases health literacy. What we want to do is help shorten diagnosis time for conditions like PCOS and endometriosis."
The Joii app will undoubtedly help encourage young women to seek medical support now that they have somewhere to gather vital data.
Here's hoping they won't grow up with the stigma that has lingered in Ireland for far too long.
The company is now partnering with leading institutions to develop predictive models for menstrual conditions, such as endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), transforming menstrual blood into a powerful diagnostic tool.
Supported by clinical research and validated through real-world studies funded by the NIHR (National Institute for Health and Care Research), Joii products show remarkable results.
62% of users reported improved communication with their healthcare professionals, symptom screening efficacy increased by 288%, and menstrual health literacy rose by 134%, demonstrating the app’s positive impact on menstrual health awareness and management.
This technology is particularly beneficial for individuals experiencing heavy bleeding, those on long diagnostic journeys, such as endometriosis, which currently can take up to 10 years, as well as those seeking a better understanding and control over their menstrual health.
Joii empowers users to advocate for themselves and also provides healthcare professionals with objective data that can improve diagnosis and treatment.
Joii’s AI-enabled app is free to download on iOS and Android devices, and Joii Evaluation Pads RRP €6.95 are available now from selected health stores and pharmacies nationwide as well as online from www.joiicare.com.
