Could this app change the way we live and work?

Imagine a tool that could help women align their daily schedules around their menstrual cycle – it exists thanks to two passionate tech entrepreneurs and start-up co-founders.

Elina Vale, chief executive officer and Rustam Galiev, chief product officer, are on a mission to dismantle society’s 24/7 work culture and replace it with an “evidence-based” approach where women can thrive – regardless of the menstrual phase they are in.

The concept, also known as cycle syncing, is a way by which women adapt their health and lifestyle habits to fit the four phases of their menstrual cycle, namely menstruation, the follicular phase, ovulation and the luteal phase. During these phases, it is thought, women experience changes in key hormone levels that can affect their mood, energy and productivity.

The idea isn’t new. In fact, the practice was introduced by nutritionist Alisa Vitti in her book WomanCode in 2014.

What is new, however, is the way Vale and Galiev adjusted the method to suit women’s needs in the workplace. The founders developed an employee benefits platform that claims to combine science, coaching and artificial intelligence to help female employees improve their productivity and performance by working with their menstrual cycle. 

The app, they say, combines a to-do list, habit tracker, period tracker and mindfulness app in one tool.

“The way women’s menstrual cycle works is very different from the common nine to five routine that we, as a society, tend to prioritise. That’s what we are challenging at Essence,” says Vale.

“We aim to provide women with a tool that allows them to think [of what they could do] based on the phases of their cycle and not just in the traditional work routine.

“We are looking at things such as the type of activity that you do, the intensity, your workload and what your needs are to balance your performance and wellbeing.”

While there aren’t many scientific studies to support cycle syncing, evidence does show that hormone fluctuations affect energy, mood, appetite and sleep.

Vale says there is some research on how each phase of the menstrual cycle affects the types of activities women do. “We know, for example, that in the follicular phase it’s better to start new projects and in the luteal phase it’s better to wrap them up.”

She also says there is evidence to suggest that cultivating an inclusive workplace and actively supporting employees could improve their wellbeing and unlock their full potential.

“An inclusive workplace has been shown to improve motivation and engagement. The problem is that currently, everything in the workplace is structured in a ‘gender neutral way’, which is, by default, very male-focused. From our research, we know that most women don’t know much about their menstrual cycle, so they don’t look at the month through the four phases of the cycle.

“However, we are trying to change this perception and help women think differently.”

The end goal, the founder says, is to make employers prioritise menstrual health in the workplace and take women’s needs seriously.

“Most companies have mental health and wellbeing programmes in place – we think menstrual wellbeing should be a part of that too.”