Reya Health launches app to simplify finding the right birth control
The app matches users to the best fit option
A Canadian-founded start-up has launched a proprietary app which helps match users with the right birth control option for them.
The Reya Health app has been created to help Canadians with ovaries overcome the current trial and error process by matching them with the best birth control method and helping them track and manage side effects and symptoms.
Reya Health’s Founder and CEO, Dallas Barnes had her own poor experiences with trying to find the right birth control which resulted in serious reactions and two trips to the emergency room.
“Women and people with ovaries continue to be failed by the healthcare system.
“For the average Canadian birth control user, the trial-and-error process takes two years. Throughout this time, a lot of people report unwanted side effects and symptoms and a lack of support from healthcare providers.”
Better support needed
Misprescribed birth control has led to a health crisis in Canada, says Reya Health. More than 70 per cent of birth control users describe their experience using birth control negatively. The negative side effects have motivated 50 per cent of Gen-Z menstruators to stop using birth control. 45 percent of unplanned pregnancies happen because of birth control non-adherence, meaning people are stopping the use of their birth control as prescribed or they are using the option incorrectly, reducing its effectiveness.
The Reya Health App, launched February 4, aims to address these problems. The app offers contraceptive counselling that is personalized to the user—it does this through a questionnaire that uses smart algorithms to match people with the best birth control fit for them.
“The current approach to offering birth control choices lacks the precision that is possible with tech. Reya Health’s solution to personalize the options brings a much needed revolution in patient experience”, says Dr. Thara Vayali, ND, Medical Advisor for Reya Health and co-founder of hey freya.
The Reya app will be available on the Google Play and Apple App Stores to people in Canada who can sign up on their own or through their insurance providers and benefit plans as available. Reya aims to reduce the high rates of unplanned pregnancies and STIs through our nationwide partnerships, improving access to credible and inclusive information on contraceptives.
Reya was created by a team of innovators, researchers and medical professionals. Dr. Rahima Alani and Dr. Thara Vayali are two of the physicians that now sit on the Reya team.
“As a family physician, I’m thrilled that Reya will be a go-to resource for people when figuring out what birth control options might be the best fit for them. Based on their medical history, their previous history with birth control and their needs and preferences”, Dr. Alani shares in support of the Reya platform.
Dallas continued:
“Women’s health has been neglected and overlooked for far too long. Women’s health care solutions are labelled ‘good enough’ and people who are struggling are told to deal with it. I’m inspired that Reya is part of something much larger than just our app. We are contributing to health innovations, entire communities and we are bettering women’s safety and well-being globally.”