Gynaecological health startup Daye’s non-invasive diagnostic tampon is now available to buy on boots.com.

Unlike traditional screening methods, Daye’s diagnostic tampon collects more vaginal fluid than a standard swab and covers the entire vaginal canal. This ensures improved reliability and patient comfort when detecting a range of infections, says the company. 

The diagnostic device can screen for fertility-inhibiting pathogens, vaginal infections such as thrush and bacterial vaginosis, and sexually transmitted infections like chlamydia and gonorrhoea. It can also detect perimenopause and menopause-related changes in the microbiome.

Customers, who don’t need to be menstruating, simply insert the tampon at home, wear it for 20 minutes for up to eight hours, before placing it in the provided sterile pouch for return to Daye for analysis.

They can also access personalised health advice, prescription treatments and expert telemedical consultations with vetted physicians, adds the company.

Valentina Milanova, founder and chief executive of Daye, said making convenient, non-invasive gynaecological health screening available to Boots customers would help diagnose and treat more patients, “especially [useful] in light of the concerning 24 per cent year-on-year increase in STIs post-Covid”.