A new AI-powered app measures period blood volume

Amidst a host of period tracking apps out there like Flo and Natural Cycles, menstrual health startup Joii is promising something new: measuring period blood volume with AI to diagnose conditions like endometriosis, and it launches today in the UK.

One in three menstruators experience heavy bleeding during their periods, according to the UK's National Health Service (NHS), and it can be a symptom of painful conditions endometriosis, fibroids, and adenomyosis. It can take four to 11 years to be diagnosed with endometriosis, and as many as 60 percent of cases remain undiagnosed. The founder of Joii, Justyna Strzeszynska, developed the app after her own painful journey to a fibroids diagnosis.

The aim of the Joii Period Evaluation app is to use AI to track one's cycle and spot any potential issues to flag to your doctor.

To do this, users will have to buy Joii Evaluation Pads — there are day and night variations — and download the app (available on Apple and Android devices). When you want to see how much you've bled and whether there are any clots, hold your phone over the pad and scan using the app. The app will check whether you're using a day or night pad, and whether there are any clots to detect, according to a video on Joii's website.

Credit: Joii

You can also use the app to track other symptoms, such as pelvic pain and fatigue.

"We already count our steps, monitor our sleep and track our heart rate," Strzeszynska commented in a press release shared with Mashable. "Measuring blood loss is simply the next step to better understanding our bodies and demanding the care we deserve. We want every woman to have proof, not just pain."

In a five-month-long study with 72 participants, 88 percent said Joii would improve how they communicate period volume with their doctor, and just over half (52 percent) said their period health literacy improved after using the app.