Flo launches initiative to improve menstrual and reproductive health literacy

The period tracker Flo has launched a multi-year prosocial initiative aimed at improving menstrual and reproductive health literacy.

The company will grant access to its subscription membership, Flo Premium, including extended product and content features, to women in need across 58 countries.

Starting today, Flo will grant access to Flo Premium to millions of women in 21 countries such as Ethiopia, Cameroon, Haiti and Gabon with more to be announced in the future.

The countries were selected based on health literacy and health satisfaction rates data from the World Health Organization (WHO), GDP per capita rankings from the World Bank and other metrics.

WHO defines health literacy as an individual’s ability to adequately comprehend health information and to implement this knowledge into their everyday life in order to “maintain or improve quality of life.”

Low health literacy is a direct contributor to the spread of misinformation and can lead to poor health outcomes and unhealthy behaviours, especially in the areas of menstruation, sexual, and pregnancy health.

Existing research points towards a dramatically low level of menstrual health literacy and the dangers it may pose.

In Kenya, research found that only 12 per cent of girls felt comfortable discussing period management with their mothers, while one in four did not associate menstruation with pregnancy.

According to research by UNICEF and WaterAid, only 32 per cent of girls in Bangladesh, 66 per cent in Egypt and 18 per cent in Malawi, were aware of menstruation before their first period.

In Egypt, 74 per cent of girls who were unaware felt shocked, afraid or cried during the first occurrence. Similarly, in Bangladesh, 69 per cent felt scared.

However, having access to medically credible information is imperative for women to help them better understand their bodies, destigmatise taboo topics and improve their health literacy.

According to a Flo research study of over 2,000 users, 89 per cent of them reported that their knowledge about the menstrual cycle has improved after using the app, and 72.2 per cent of women said that Flo has helped them feel the most informed about their cycle and pregnancy health.

The study also found that users who subscribed to the premium version and used it regularly were more likely to report improvements in knowledge and health.

“At Flo, we’re building a better future for female health by helping women harness the power of their body signals,” said Cath Everett, VP of product and content.

“This is without a doubt one of the most important initiatives Flo has ever undertaken.

“When it comes to health, knowledge is power. We already know that Flo Premium improves attitudes towards health literacy among its users, so we believe that granting free access to Flo Premium can drive real-world impact on health literacy rates at scale.”

She added: “By offering Flo Premium to those who need it most, we hope to empower women and people who menstruate across the globe to better understand their bodies, advocate for their unique health needs and subsequently become the change makers in their respective countries.”

Flo will also launch a research study to assess how the use of its premium offering can improve menstrual health literacy and contribute to overall health and wellbeing.

The research will aim to shed light on disparities in health literacy and menstrual cycle stigma in these countries.

In March 2022, Flo made its premium subscription free for all Ukrainians in order to provide trusted health information and support during a time of overwhelming stress.

Since then, over one million Ukrainian users have activated their subscriptions.

Rachel McConnell, director of user experience, said: “We saw an overwhelming response when we rolled out free Flo Premium in Ukraine.

“Our community really welcomed this initiative, highlighting the importance of enabling access to trusted medical information in regions where it is acutely needed.

“That’s exactly what we aim to achieve with our new prosocial initiative, making medically credible information easily available to those who need it the most,” she added.