Daye, a venture capital-backed British femtech startup merging period care and healthcare to better the experience of menstruation, has launched e-commerce in the United States. 

Known for reimagining tampons as part of what it calls “tampon gynecology,” the company sells tampons with a CBD coating to minimize period cramps, Nude CBD-free tampons and At-Home Vaginal Microbiome Screening taking samples via tampons. It also runs the Period Pain Clinic, a virtual service that provides personalized routines to tackle period pain, and its selection extends from tampons to bamboo menstrual pads and cycle care products like a ProViotics supplement to support gut and vaginal microbiome health and a CBD Balm to ease PMS symptoms, including aching muscles and upset stomachs.

At-Home Vaginal Microbiome Screening

At-Home Vaginal Microbiome Screening

At-Home Vaginal Microbiome Screening

The period care products are 100% organic and free of dyes, pesticides and fragrances. Daye’s plastic-free tampon applicators are made from sugarcane. The brand claims its wrappers are the world’s first flushable wrappers, and they’re deemed ocean-safe.

Along with its own website, Daye will be launching on Amazon in the United States in the coming weeks. The brand hopes to enter physical retail in the U.S. as well. On the brand’s site, an 18-pack of tampons infused with 100 milligrams of CBD is priced at $24.99 on a one-off basis and a 36-pack is $44.99 on subscription. Nude tampons are $10.99 for an 18-pack on a one-off basis and $19.79 for a 36-pack on subscription. An 18-pack with both Nude and CBD tampons is $17.99 on a one-off basis and a 36-pack is $31.99 on subscription. 

“We want to use tampons as a broader drug delivery platform.”

According to Daye, its CBD tampons have been purchased by over 100,000 people in Europe. The brand was launched in 2018 by Valentina Milanova after she didn’t receive proper care for her painful periods and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). “Initially I thought that my experiences were uniquely unfortunate and unlucky, but, as I was growing up and spending more time with my peers, I realized this is actually the standard in the women’s health experience,” she says. “You don’t get answers, you don’t get solutions and, in general, you’re dismissed, not every step of the way, but most of the steps of the way.” 

A central hypothesis at Daye is that tampons can do a lot more than just soak up menstrual fluid. Milanova says, “The vaginal mucosa is actually one of the most effective ways to deliver medications in women.” Daye isn’t alone in delivering ingredients via the vagina. The brands Foria, Personal Fave, Enuf and Glissant have vaginal suppositories, lubricants and intimate oils with CBD and other active ingredients to diminish pain during sex, and Milanova points out that the abortion pill is now delivered vaginally rather than orally.

“When they’re given through the vagina, they don’t affect your digestive tract or your liver,” she says. “They’re only recycled through the pelvic organs. They can work faster. Also, you can lower the dose because you’re providing medication locally. That increases the safety profile of the medication. That’s where we want to go and expand on the tampon side. We want to use tampons as a broader drug delivery platform for the administration of medications like hormone replacement therapy, contraception, vaginal infection treatments.”

Daye’s most innovative product to date, its $199 Diagnostic Tampon, takes the idea of using the vagina as a health tool even further. It’s a non-invasive screening method that tests the vaginal microbiome, which is quickly emerging as a key predictor of the risk for gynecological health outcomes like fertility challenges and miscarriage. Users wear the tampon for at least 20 minutes when not bleeding and send it to Daye for diagnosis. 

Daye expects to harness the Diagnostic Tampon to screen for sexually transmitted infections such as human papillomavirus (HPV) in early 2024. By detecting HPV at home, it could reduce the prevalence of cervical cancer. More than 95% of cervical cancer is due to HPV. The company is partnering with Lindus Health on European clinical trials to study the Diagnostic Tampon.  

Daye has taken measures to ensure the privacy of screening results. The results are double encrypted. “If you lose your activation code, you will have to redo the test because we wouldn’t be able to give you your data,” says Milanova. “As politicians proposing abortion legislation across the country look for ways to access people’s medical information to aid in potential prosecution, this security measure help consumers feel secure using Daye’s tools and services, including those the brand looks to launch in the near future. 

Currently, users can bring a PDF of their results to their physician. “We also summarize your symptoms in your physician-facing report because frequently you have a really small window with your doctor and in that window you have to share a lot of information, and it’s intimidating being in the doctor’s office,” says Milanova. “Sometimes you’re half naked, sometimes it’s a stranger, sometimes you have your feet up in stirrups. It’s not the most conducive environment for you to share the realities of your gynecological health experience.”

Daye wants to be a one-stop-shop for gynecological health. Its Period Pain Clinic can help diagnose conditions like endometriosis and PCOS. The clinic conducts a thorough assessment of a patient’s symptoms and offers consultations with specialists, including sexual health nurses, gynecologists, pelvic pain and fertility specialists, nutritionists, dermatologists and acupuncturists. The Clinic’s $34.99 Standard Service features a snapshot period pain report, and its $79.99 Advanced Service features a complete period pain report plus a 30-minute nurse consultation.

Since its launch, Daye has raised almost $24 million in funding. Last October, it secured $11.5 million in series A funding from the firms Hambro Perks, MassMutual Ventures and Cross Border Impact Ventures. Milanova is working on the financial model for the brand’s next round.