pHeminine – plough

A wearable patch that transforms natural pH shifts into a vivid, interactive visual record of menstrual health.

PROJECT: pHeminine Panty Liner
DATE: Sept. 2024 — Dec. 2024
SKILLS: Prototyping, product design, research

Many women lack accessible, intuitive tools to track and understand their menstrual health

After conducting interviews with college-aged women, we quickly learned that while tracking menstrual cycles was important, there was a gap in existing menstrual products. Smart underwear, smart menstrual cups, and digital tracking apps on the market were advanced and intuitive but lacked personalization and tangible factors that interviewees desired.

pHeminine takes a hybrid approach by combining physical and digital platforms to provide users intuitive analysis as well as a sustainable alternative to disposable, wasteful products.

The natural pH indicating properties of butterfly pea powder informed our product direction.

In addition to our tangible and sustainable approach, we also found that pH fluctuation was an overlooked metric when it came to menstrual tracking and analysis. Early research revealed that fluctuations in vaginal pH during the menstrual cycle can indicate normal changes or signal potential health concerns.

The biomaterial reactivity of our product results from a natural material known as butterfly pea powder, a natural bioindicator that changes hue depending on the acidity of what it comes into contact with. I led the team in creating a color spectrum swatch to refer to during testing to determine whether our prototype was correctly responding to acids and bases.

Extensive material prototyping led us down a variety of avenues

Each member of our group explored separate fabrication methods using different application techniques.

Peter: Biopaint
Karlee: Bioplastics
Bryn: Embroidery and yarn

In addition to the method of fabrication, we also tested environments of the material such as cotton, silk, and polyester. By exploring a wide range of methods and fabrics, we were able to narrow our options down and eventually go with the easily reproducible, comfortable, and best looking option: embroidery.

Our final product is a combination of sustainable, intuitive, and tangible data tracking

We envision a panty liner that empowers women to understand their body’s natural rhythms through the visual tracking of pH color changes from cervical fluid. Our panty liner is made with 100% cotton fabric and thread dyed with butterfly pea flower and embroidered into a moon cycle shaped patch.

With the pH-reactive properties of butterfly pea dye, users track pH fluctuations across the four stages of menstruation (menstruation, follicular, ovulation, and luteal) to create a personalized, digital map of their hormonal and physiological changes. This mapping provides actionable insights into both regular symptoms—such as acne or mood changes—and irregular indicators, like infection or imbalance, fostering a proactive approach to health.