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Meet out Sassy Sponsors: inne, the at-home fertility-hormone tracker that exists to help women and menstruating people make informed decisions about their reproductive health.
inne and their incredible hormone-tracking at-home minilab has been changing the game for menstruating people by offering a non-invasive, at-home fertility-hormone tracker. They first came on our radar at the beginning of 2020 when launching their product and creating the Radical Self-Knowledge Blog. Thanks to inne's tracking device, app, and blog, we're able to source super accessible information about the science of menstrual cycles and reproductive health. As well as tuning into and tracking our hormones with lab grade accuracy!
How does it work? Well, inne has created a special little reader which measures the progesterone you have in your saliva. The reader is linked directly to the inne app which gathers this information to show you the trends of your hormones and when you are most likely to be fertile. It’s easy, it's quick, all you have to do is pop a little collector strip in your mouth every morning, place it in the minilab, and then let inne do the rest. As a user, you can assign a 4-hour testing window that works best for you. This makes it super flexible compared to other methods and it accommodates even the busiest of routines.
After learning that inne is the brainchild of Eirini Rapti, we were eager to hear more about how her experiences as a woman have shaped inne's journey today. So read on to learn more about the development of femtech and how inne is helping change people's lives one saliva strip at a time.
Can you describe inne in three words
Innovative
Personalised
Powerful
What was the main motivation for launching inne?
Science and medicine has largely neglected female health. In fact, it was only in 1993 that the USA passed a law requiring research trials to include women! Today, most medical research is still done on men. This is because the male-dominated world considers females “complicated” due to their hormonal changes and menstrual cycles. We believe that the female body and hormones are a source of wonder that should be known, understood and celebrated. The minilab gives women the opportunity to easily gain scientific knowledge about her own unique cycle, hormonal trends, and health. Let’s reclaim female health, together.
It was only in 1993 that the USA passed a law requiring research trials to include women! Today, most medical research is still done on men
As a female-founded company, how have your own experiences of womanhood shaped the development of inne?
I have been supported by the women in my life. My womanhood and journey with different fertility trackers/devices/medical procedures during my life has given me an understanding that has inspired my own drive to create a product for female health. I want to continue developing a product that supports women just as the women in my life have supported me my whole life.
What challenges have you had to confront and overcome as a business?
Having spent 3 years developing a complex product, we were set to launch inne in 2020. However, due to the pandemic, we faced many obstacles as well as a wave of online competition we didn't predict. You can read more about how we navigated this via our blog post here
The inne minilab learns about your unique cycle, giving you personalised predictions and knowledge
What’s one truth about reproductive health and fertility that you want to bust?
One myth about reproductive health is that everyone who experiences a cycle will see it on a 28-day cadence, with ovulation on day 14. That’s just not the case because every body is different. The inne minilab learns about your unique cycle, giving you personalised predictions and knowledge.
Tell us one thing you’d like to change about the femtech industry
The prioritization of funding and support for opportunities that improve, consider, and emphasize women’s health.
What are your hopes for the future of reproductive health and radical self-knowledge?
That everyone who has a cycle has access to understand their bodies to their best abilities so they can make the best decision for themselves. With knowledge comes power.
For many inne users, the minilab has helped them truly understand their cycles and access information with ease and accuracy
Can you share a moment where inne helped transform somebodies life?
We are proud to support women in whatever capacity we can. For many inne users, the minilab has helped them truly understand their cycles and access information with ease and accuracy. It's been particularly wonderful hearing how we've helped those on their journeys to conceive. Many users have shared with us that the minilab made their journey to pregnancy easier and we are so happy to have been a part of that. We don’t make promises of “getting pregnant in X months with inne”, but we love knowing that inne has supported women in this way.
Can you give us a cheeky insight into the projects inne is working on?
Currently, the inne minilab is being used by folks who are trying to understand their bodies/cycles as well as those who are trying to support their journey to pregnancy. However, we are excited to share that we are currently running a clinical study to test the use of the inne minilab as a contraceptive device! After completing the study and receiving a Pearl Index, inne can be an offering for a hormone-free contraceptive. Stay tuned!
To learn more about their product and how all you sassy wonders, particularly those based in and around German, can benefit from their hormonal tracker, visit www.inne.io
PLUS inne is offering all you wonderful Sassy fans a 10% discount with the code SASSY10 . So you can really treat yourself and your health with extra love today.
Be sure to stay up to date with inne on IG @inne_io