Written by Natasha Barrow, Edited by Caroline Babisz and Rachel Thompson.
The first period tracking app was released in 2013, and approximately 100 million people use a period tracking app today. With this growth, over 10 years, period tracking apps seem like an exponential success. Yet, every month, around 1.8 billion people in the global population menstruate, suggesting there is a side of the market that is currently being unfulfilled. In addition to this, studies have found people in the United States are deleting their period apps, suggesting more tools to meet different needs are required.
The IMMI watch is doing just that. IMMI is a digital watch that tracks menstrual cycles without the need for an app. Currently, they are working with the United Nations Population Fund to educate and empower women globally. Their technology highlights the current inadequacies within menstrual health education and equitable tech, and where the IMMI watch could fill that gap. Last month I spoke to the Founder of IMMI watch, Sarah Cottee, to uncover her motivation for starting IMMI, and learn more about how they are using their watch to educate and empower girls globally.
For Sarah, the concept of IMMI was born from personal experience. While working abroad for a Philanthropic Foundation in Manila (The Philippines) Sarah was looking for a way to track her periods after coming off hormonal contraception. After discovering the multiple apps that were available to her, she became interested in how the girls within the community she was working in were tracking their cycles. This is where she uncovered the lack of solutions for girls and women who didn’t have regular access to mobile apps, data or electricity. In addition, they lived in an area where this issue was a cultural taboo.
While period products received significant attention and innovation, menstrual tracking was overlooked. The only available options were period apps or a physical diary/calendar. Then she thought, “What if menstrual tracking could be as normal as tracking the time?”. With that, the idea for IMMI was conceived. Sarah set about creating a low-tech wearable period tracker, with the ability to radically improve menstrual cycle knowledge, whilst remaining subtle and discreet.
“Why should we be happy with a catch-all solution for everyone?”
— Sarah Cottee, IMMI Watch Founder
The IMMI watch looks, feels and even acts like a normal digital watch. The device includes a separate screen where users can track their menstrual cycle, displaying their current day and average cycle length. The watch also displays notifications icons during the “fertile window” and when the user’s period is due to start. As you input more information, the notifications become more tailored to the user’s cycle. All of this works without an app, or the need for mobile data, and with a battery life that lasts up to 3 years.
Unlike some period apps, IMMI does not store or have access to the user’s data. This is something that has become increasingly more relevant in the US, since the overturn of Roe v Wade. The decision to overturn Roe v Wade removes the constitutional right to abortion. As some period apps collect and retain users’ data, there is potential that prosecutors could request this information when building a case against someone for an illegal abortion. This fact has encouraged people to delete their period trackers, in fear of their data being used against them.
It's important to note that this issue is not exclusive to period apps, and other apps could gather important data (for example your location) for use by prosecutors. However, the debate here does hint at a larger issue of privacy that needs to be addressed by tech companies to ensure user confidence and safety. Locally stored data is generally considered safer and more private, which is the approach adopted by IMMI.
If you want to compare privacy-focused period tracking apps, you can check out this link!
A key reason for tracking your cycle is to understand when you will bleed and when you are most fertile. These are both extremely significant stages of the menstrual cycle, however, they are not the only stages. IMMI wants to shift the narrative, to show women that the menstrual cycle is every single day. Each stage of your menstrual cycle has a unique and important effect on your body, both emotionally and physically. Therefore, understanding where you are in your cycle can lead to a better understanding of holistic health, potentially encouraging adaptations to lifestyle. For example, the week after your period you are likely to experience an increase in energy, understanding this can help you channel it into creativity!
“There is this truth that your menstrual cycle is every day, and this has not been the focus”
— Sarah Cottee, IMMI Watch Founder
The wider message surrounding menstrual education is something IMMI is working on globally. IMMI recently partnered with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), using the IMMI watch as a tool to increase the impact of education programs on sexual health and reproductive rights, menstrual health and hygiene, and gender equality. The IMMI-UNFPA pilot programmes in Moldova and Burkina Faso, with women aged 13-19, have produced impactful and distinct results.Feedback from the pilots showed that women in Moldova have experienced an increase in basic knowledge, along with feeling more confident in their bodies. While women in Burkina Faso have had a significantly better understanding of when their period will start, and when they are most likely to get pregnant. In Burkina Faso, women’s knowledge of when their period was due to start increased by 35%. On top of this, women reported a 43% increase in knowledge of their most fertile window. Based on these findings, it’s clear IMMI is having a significant impact, empowering women and girls within these communities.
What’s next for IMMI? IMMI are looking to continue developing their international programmes and increase global access to the IMMI watch. They want to develop the commercial arm of the business and provide consumers with some new fresh designs. Make sure to keep tabs on their website and sign up for their newsletter to see what’s next.
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