When we talk about advancements in the field of women’s health and then look at the speculum – a device that hasn’t had an update since the 1800s – it’s easy to feel as though we’re taking two steps back for every step forwards.
In the last few years we’ve seen the roll-out of the HPV vaccine, new resources like red light devices and specialist mirrors to help with self checks, and a rising interest in health and longevity across the board for women of all ages.
However, women still face lengthy waiting lists for GP appointments, encounter doctors who lack knowledge of women’s hormones, and are offered STI tests that only check for the ‘big six’. Women’s health is chronically underfunded, misdiagnosis of infections is common and often women feel as though their concerns are brushed off.
Intimate health is still considered a taboo subject, and despite the proliferation of sexual wellness brands offering cool new sex toys, women still face myriad issues when it comes to clinical health.
A new product from women’s health company Daye could go some way to providing much-needed solutions for women experiencing these kinds of problems. Daye’s diagnostic tampon is exactly what it sounds like – a tampon that can diagnose health concerns.
For those who’ve ever struggled through a smear test, found themselves frustrated by recurring infections, or struggled to make sense of how to balance their vaginal microbiome, this invention could be a revelation.
What is a diagnostic tampon?
Valentina Milanova, founder of Daye, believes that for years, we’ve been using outdated and ill-matched technology to test for viruses and pathogens that cause women’s health issues. Daye’s diagnostic tampon seeks to change this.
“The swab was never really designed for vaginal use, like so many other examples within the women's health space. It was designed for our noses and our throats, and then simply repurposed. Our product is anatomically representative of the vaginal canal. We think the tampon should be working harder for women. It should be creating more value for the female patients,” she says.
“With diagnostic tampon, we're able to provide clinical grade screening services to every woman in the comfort of her home, without the need for an invasive speculum exam, without the need for a clinic visit, and we're hoping that by providing these services, we're able to increase the rates of participation in gynaecological health screening programmes, and importantly in cervical cancer screening programmes.”
Daye offers two types of diagnostic tampon. One tests the vagina’s bacterial levels checking for conditions like thrush, bacterial vaginosis and infections like mycoplasma and ureaplasma. The other offers a more comprehensive look at what’s going on inside the vagina and checks for STIs like chlamydia and gonorrhoea along with high-risk strains of HPV.
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Checking for HPV is the first line of defence against cervical cancer. Some strains of the common virus can cause cervical and other types of genital and throat cancer so a clinic will test for HPV during a smear test. This can be an uncomfortable experience for many people so being able to self test at home could both make the testing process more comfortable and ultimately help to eradicate cervical cancer altogether.
“Unfortunately covid, we've seen a meaningful decrease in the number of patients being checked for HPV. And as a result, year over year, there's been a steady increase in the rate of women developing cervical cancer, particularly patients aged 30 to 40,” explains Milanova.
“The women's health space can be quite a depressing space. There's a lot of underfunding, there's lack of innovation, there's a lack of clinical investigations, there's the gender advertising gap and don't even get me started on this. But one of the real bright spots within women's health today is the fact that it is perfectly feasible within our lifetime that we entirely eradicate cervical cancer, which on a global level, is one of the deadliest female cancers. About 600,000 women every year die of cervical cancer, an entirely preventable disease through regular screening and vaccination programmes.”
Gynaecologist Dr Kieron Lord explains that the diagnostic tampon has shown to be just as accurate as tests done in a clinic for certain strains of HPV and specific STIs. However, he cautions that the testing tampon is “not a complete replacement for smear tests”.
He explains: “If someone tests positive for HPV, they’ll still need a follow-up cervical screening (smear) to check for any changes to the cells of the cervix. So, it’s best to see this as an extra tool, not a total replacement for in-person screening.”
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How does the diagnostic tampon work?
The diagnostic tampon doesn’t give results right away. It needs to be inserted, then placed in the packaging that Daye provides and sent off to be tested. Your results then show in your account on the Daye website. Milanova also stresses that if you do test positive for a high risk strain, you also receive a complimentary consultation delivered by a sexual health nurse.
Milanova says: “We don't want to have anyone stuck with a set of confusing results or troubling results. So we always provide after care as well. It's three to five business days to get your results back, and then you see them on your health dashboard where you can also book your prescription treatments, you can book nurse and OBGYN consultations and you can book psychology appointments. You can also go to your GP with your results but unfortunately, in the UK even if you know you have a high risk infection, the NHS will not expedite you.”
In the UK, our sex education and clinical services have improved over the years. We now even have new vaccines to prevent sexually transmitted infections like gonorrhoea. However, there are still gaps in diagnosis and care for women.
Milanova explains that “the most commonly found STIs which are recognised as STIs in Europe and the US are not currently recognised as STIs in the UK. For me, that's another example of the gender health gap.
“Mycoplasma and ureaplasma are not yet recognised as STIs in the UK for women so what we've seen from our patients consistently is that they will go through years of thinking that they have a yeast infection or bacterial vaginosis infection, only to then to not find any relief from the treatments, because it's not the pathogen that they have. It's a different pathogen. And then they use Daye and they understand that there's actually a different pathogen that's responsible for their symptoms which finally enables them to identify and obtain the right treatment.”
There’s a long and disappointing medical tradition of women’s health issues being under or misdiagnosed. Until recently, bacterial vaginosis was not considered to be an STI but new research points to the fact that its presence is influenced by sexual partners – something many women have been attesting to for years.
Who can use it?
Milanova points out that with tools like the diagnostic tampon, women can self-screen for a view of specifically which bacteria and pathogens need to be treated and better understand symptoms and preventative care long term. She especially recommends the product for women with recurring infections and symptoms, those struggling with fertility issues and those going through perimenopause.
She also highlights several advantages to using a product like this – cost savings for the NHS, more comfortable and less intimidating screening experiences, the ability to educate women on vaginal health and sexual health and an opportunity to dispel myths around the female body. Just as we’ve become more concerned with gut health in recent years, we should be concerned about what’s going on with the vaginal microbiome, too.
However, Dr Lord explains that, “Current NHS guidelines don’t recommend routine microbiome screening for everyone. For most people, there’s no need to test their vaginal microbiome regularly unless they’re having symptoms like discharge, discomfort, or repeated infections.”
What he does recommend is that “if you're going through big changes like menopause, fertility treatment, or dealing with recurring infections, checking your vaginal microbiome every few months can help guide treatment and support long-term health. It’s something we often include in longevity-focused care plans.”
Milanova says: “We've just completed a study with first time tampon users, people who have never used a tampon before, with a multi-patient population. Across the board, we're seeing over 90 per cent preference for the tampon over the existing methods. There are a lot of assumptions that people from sub-Saharan Africa wouldn't want to use tampons, but that doesn't seem to be the case anymore. People want convenient health solutions.”
These studies come at a time where there’s genuine concern regarding the toxic load our bodies take on via products like tampons and Milanova seeks to address this too.
“There needs to be better regulation of tampons in the UK and in the EU. For some reason, they're considered a general hygiene product. So in the same category as toilet paper, even though tampons go inside one of the most absorbent mucosas in the human body, the vaginal mucosa,” she says.
“We have a number of additional safety processes, metal detection, clean room manufacturing, sanitation, ongoing lab testing. They're not that expensive, these additional safety precautions, which are standard in medical devices. If tampons were considered a medical device, there would be requirements to have these safety protocols and for some reason, neither tampons nor pads are seen as important, meaningful enough products to do lab testing on.”
Comprehensive at-home testing could be a game changer when it comes to preventing, diagnosing and treating intimate health issues more efficiently. And if women feel more capable, knowledgeable and protected as a result, we’re moving in the right direction.
The only drawback for some may be the cost of a diagnostic kit like this. The diagnostic tampon’s prices start from £99, and although this covers lab testing, results, a consultation and potentially other services dependent on results, not everyone can afford a product priced at £99-£189.
Dr Lord believes the product is worthwhile investment. “Studies show that most people who try it find it easy to use and actually prefer it over traditional swabs and it offers a private, comfortable way to take charge of your health without needing to book a GP appointment or visit a clinic,” he says.
“While it’s not yet part of the NHS cervical screening programme, it can still be a helpful option – especially for those who might delay or avoid in-clinic tests. It’s worthwhile if you're interested in proactive health checks and early detection.”
“It’s not about replacing NHS smear tests, it’s about giving women more control and choice, which can only be a good thing. Used properly, it has the potential to improve early detection of infections and support long-term wellbeing.” he adds.
Milanova hopes that new partnerships with the NHS and fresh investment in women’s health services will help to make the product more widely available.
“It all starts with the funding gap, so there's a strong limitation of both public and private funding that gets invested into women's health. It's only 1 per cent of private funding that goes into the entirety of women's health and only 2.4 per cent of grants and other forms of public funding go to the entirety of women's health,” she explains.
“So if you're lucky enough to have overcome the gender funding gap, one of our biggest challenges a day right now is censorship. Meta, Google, Amazon, TikTok, consider content on menstruation, on vaginal health, to be adult content or political content. It's very hard to get the funding, to invest in research, and once you've completed the research, it's very hard to actually reach your audience.”
With hurdles like social media censorship to overcome, perhaps you won’t have seen the diagnostic tampon advertised on your For You page. However, it’s a very real innovation and one that seeks to support all women in their search for answers about their bodies.
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