11% of women aged 20-50 experience symptoms related to Vaginal Dysbiosis three or more times each year, most commonly caused by Bacterial Vaginosis (BV) or Vulvovaginal Candidiasis (VVC).
These conditions can cause discomfort and greatly impact quality of life, and are even linked to increased risk of contracting HIV, Pelvic Inflammatory Disease, infertility, and poor pregnancy outcomes. There is still a large knowledge gap and many taboos associated with gynecological health in general and about vaginal infections specifically. This, combined with overburdened healthcare systems, often extends the time to correct diagnosis and management of these conditions; having an annual economic burden of more than $20Billion USD.
Existing solutions such as antimicrobial medications, antifungals & antibiotics require a correct diagnosis and up to 14 days to be effective. They are often unpleasant to use, causing side effects such as nausea and headaches, and there is increasing evidence that many microbes causing BV & VVC are now resistant to these medications. For chronic sufferers this can result in there being no effective alternative treatment option.
Uvisa's Solution
Uvisa is developing an innovative therapeutic vulvovaginal device that utilises the antimicrobial properties of light to offer a safe, effective, drug-free solution to tackle imbalances in the vaginal microbiome.
Its key advantage is that it targets both yeast (VVC) and bacteria (BV), meaning a correct diagnosis is not required for the device to be effective. It also works within a day, and it’s reusable.
Sufferers will simply buy the device directly from a pharmacy or store (or have it prescribed by a doctor, depending on location), take it home, insert it and switch it on, go about their daily life for the 30 minute treatment duration, remove the device, wash it and store it in a safe place ready for the next time that the symptoms arise.
Combined with a connected digital tool that provides symptom checking, health tracking & monitoring, as well as access to high quality medically-reviewed educational content, specialists and community. Uvisa is offering the first complete solution specifically focused on addressing the challenges associated with BV & VVC.
How Femovate is Helping
Uvisa was awarded sponsorship through Guidea’s Femovate program '23-24. Designers at Guidea will help Uvisa research and design the UX for their digital tool.
For more information about Uvisa, visit https://www.uvisahealth.com/ and follow them on LinkedIn
For more information on Femovate visit www.femovate.com and follow us on LinkedIn
For interviews please contact Theresa Neil
