Creating a safe space for personalized menstrual health

Fems, Sri Lanka’s feminine hygiene brand, has launched ‘Fio’, the country’s first trilingual period tracking app on 15th October 2024. The app is designed to empower women by providing credible menstrual health education, cycle tracking, and a safe space for personalized health advice.

The groundbreaking app drives Fems mission to enable women to be independent and rise, breaking the taboo surrounding menstruation, promoting period support for women across the nation. Fio is designed to be a 100% free resource, enabling users to track their menstrual cycles, access trustworthy menstrual education, and engage in discussions with medical professionals. Breaking barriers, the app is available in Sinhala, Tamil and English, ensuring inclusivity and accessibility for all women in Sri Lanka.

Fio app was developed in response to questions received through the Fems Fio WhatsApp chatbot, which generated 17,000 automated messages and facilitated over 4,000 individual chats within 40 days of its launch in August 2023. This revealed a critical gap in knowledge and awareness about menstrual health and indicated a strong need for personalized menstrual health support.

The launched Fio app presents unique features including users being able to easily log their period dates to receive accurate predictions on their cycles and ovulation. Co-created with medical professionals, Fio ensures these predictions and the educational resources in the insights section are medically sound and offer valuable coping strategies.

Additionally, the app features an ‘Ask a Doctor’ function for personalized health advice, a community section for sharing experiences and seeking support, reminders for important dates, and an e-store for convenient ordering of sanitary products, all aimed at building a supportive and informed environment for users.

Janakie Karunaratne, Director – Group Corporate Affairs, Hemas Holdings PLC, said, “The introduction of the Fio app reflects our deep commitment to breaking the silence and societal barriers around menstrual health in Sri Lanka. By empowering women with access, knowledge, and control through an inclusive solution, we are helping women across the country rise above outdated stigmas and take control of their health with confidence.”

Shiromi Masakorala, Executive Director of Hemas Outreach Foundation / AYATI Trust Sri Lanka & Consultant of Hemas Holdings PLC, and Dr. Chamodya Fernando at Hemas Hospitals to officially launch Fio, Sri Lanka’s first trilingual period tracking app.

Fio is more than a period tracker; it is a safe and knowledgeable community platform designed to support women at every stage of their menstrual health journey. Fems has also partnered ‘Ayubo Healthcare Solutions’ to connect users with access to verified medical professionals.

Shiyan Jayaweera, Director of Marketing, Hemas Consumer Brands, noted, “We realized there was a widespread lack of understanding about period health, which inspired us to create an accessible platform available in all three local languages. Fio provides all Sri Lankan women  with access to the tools to strengthen their understanding of menstrual health and hygiene.”

The app is available for download on both iOS and Android platforms. Fems partnered Afno Asia Pacific to develop the app.

Sachini Gamage, Marketing Manager, Fems added “Fio will continue to evolve as a knowledge platform and a safe place for all girls with period-related questions. Our goal is to create a community where no question goes unanswered, and every user feels supported in their menstrual health journey.”

The Fio app launch is an important milestone in Fems vision of empowering women by driving a culture of health, knowledge, and inclusion. It is a platform designed to give women the confidence to take control of their menstrual health, regardless of language or background.

Pix by Thushara Attapathu