HITLAB Team •
Background: Innovation in Women’s Health
The 2024 Fall Versalie™ Virtual Innovation Challenge spotlighted breakthrough solutions for women’s health, particularly menopause. Designed to source early-stage startups with Minimum Viable Products (MVPs), the event emphasized digital health technologies that advance consumer engagement, education, and adherence to healthy practices. Among the winners was Proov, which earned third place and the Audience Choice Award, along with a dedicated research project conducted by the HITLAB Research Group.
The Scope of Hormonal Imbalances
Research shows that nearly 85% of women over age 35 experience hormonal imbalances, often resulting in symptoms such as insomnia, anxiety, weight gain, brain fog, and hot flashes. Many women fail to recognize these symptoms as hormonally driven until they are well into perimenopause—a stage that can last five to ten years. Despite the prevalence, many women do not seek medical support, and routine tests frequently fail to detect these imbalances. This reality underscores the urgent need for accessible, at-home solutions that empower women to understand and manage their reproductive health.
What is Proov?
Proov is a women-led digital health company that provides at-home hormone testing kits paired with the Proov Insight App. Originally designed to help women facing fertility challenges and recurrent miscarriage linked to low progesterone, Proov has since expanded to support broader hormonal health, including perimenopause and menopause.
The platform is designed for women across life stages: those trying to conceive, monitoring cycles, or managing hormone-related conditions such as PCOS, endometriosis, and perimenopause. By offering accurate, easy-to-use tests and clear digital insights, Proov helps users interpret results and take control of their hormone health.
How Proov Works
The Proov Empower test kit allows women to measure four critical hormones (FSH, estrogen, LH, and progesterone) from the convenience of home. Results are entered into the Proov Insight App, which interprets data, tracks hormone trends, and generates personalized cycle reports.
Key Tests Offered:
- Proov Confirm (PdG Test): The first and only FDA-cleared at-home test confirming ovulation by detecting Pregnanediol Glucuronide (PdG).
- Proov Complete: A comprehensive panel tracking FSH, estrogen (E1G), LH, and PdG for full-cycle hormone profiling.
- Proov Predict & Confirm: A bundled solution offering ovulation prediction and confirmation.
- Proov Empower: A urine-based test for perimenopausal women to understand hormone shifts and manage symptoms.
HITLAB’s Heuristic Evaluation
HITLAB researchers conducted a structured usability evaluation of the Proov Insight App and Empower kit, guided by Jakob Nielsen’s Ten Usability Heuristics, a gold-standard framework in user interface assessment. Independent expert reviewers examined workflows through the lens of a 44-year-old professional experiencing severe menopause symptoms, ensuring the evaluation reflected real-world needs.
Strengths Identified:
- Clear Instructions & Navigation: The app mirrors the packaging of the kit, providing a clean and consistent visual presentation. It provides stepwise guides, consistent design, and helpful visual cues.
- Data Capture & Interpretation: The app provides video tutorials to assist users on how to collect, dip, photograph and upload the images for hormone tests. The app accurately analyzes the images to generate results. Moreover, the app also provides information and resources based upon the test results.
- Downloadable Reports: The app provides easy-to-share reports and hence enhance clinical collaboration.
- Consistency and Feedback: The app maintains an organized layout, provides reminders, and a dedicated Help/FAQ section.
Recommendations for Improvement:
- Context for Advertisements: Explain why additional kit purchases may be necessary.
- Hormone Education: Provide definitions and explanations for hormone abbreviations (FSH, LH, PdG, etc.).
- Timeline Visualization: Introduce charts mapping hormone trends across the menopause timeline.
- Symptom Correlation: Clarify the relationship between hormone fluctuations and common symptoms (e.g., hot flashes, night sweats).
Future Potential & Impact
The Proov mobile app represents a significant advancement in women’s health technology. By closing gaps in fertility support, hormonal health monitoring, and menopause management, Proov empowers women to take charge of their reproductive health from home. Its privacy, convenience, and clinical rigor make it particularly impactful for underserved populations.
With the integration of HITLAB’s recommendations, Proov can further enhance its clinical value and usability, solidifying its role as a transformative digital health innovation for fertility challenges, hormonal imbalances, and menopause care.
About Proov
About HITLAB
HITLAB is a global leader in digital health innovation, evaluation, and diffusion. Through research, advisory services, and evidence generation, HITLAB empowers healthcare organizations and startups to validate technologies and accelerate their impact on patient care.
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