So, who are we anyway? (... and how will we change your life?)

Let’s begin with two stories and see if either rings true for you.

A young woman, let’s call her Liz, gets her period. A few years later, she visits her doctor to discuss the contraception methods available to her. It’s a big life moment for our pal Liz, but a rushed appointment and a few generic questions later, she’s prescribed some form of hormonal contraception (...let’s say the same combined pill that many of her friends were on). She can’t help but feel like the experience was a bit of a tick-box exercise, but she trusts her family doctor so she picks up her crumpled packet, and away she goes. 

A few months later, Liz starts to experience some side effects. She gains weight and has her ‘off days’—aka, she feels pretty damn terrible at certain times of her cycle. But, she thinks she’s got off lightly as some of her friends have experienced worse. And, hey, she’s gained her sexual freedom, so she can’t have everything, right? Liz learns to live with it.

Then let’s think about Rebekka, who’s in her 20s. She’s been using the combined contraceptive ring since her teens. Sometimes she feels fine, but she often thinks she could feel just that bit better. She doesn’t know if what she’s feeling is linked to her contraception, or if it’s just part of being ‘her’. 

So, looking for alternatives, she googles ‘female contraceptive methods’. Overwhelmed, she chats to friends who are all taking different types of contraception (all with varying degrees of success). One has nothing bad to say about the patch, so she mentions her curiosity to her doctor and makes a seamless switch to the patch. Sure, she enjoys not having to take a pill every day, but is that a fair trade-off for her mind-clouding headaches?

Rebekka thought she would feel empowered when making choices about her body. Instead, she feels completely in the dark when it comes to her hormones and herself.

Now, however much of Liz and Rebekka’s experiences you can identify with, they’re just two of millions of stories that reflect the troubling relationship many women and people with cycles currently have with their hormones and their contraceptive solutions. Ultimately, it’s this try-first-then-deal-with-the-consequences-later approach that… pretty much sucks.

Why we need to understand our hormones (finally)

The thing is, Liz and Rebekka’s genetic profiles are unique. Their hormones behave completely differently to everyone else’s, and so their bodies will react in their own way to different methods of contraception. And until now, there just hasn’t been enough research into how our hormones are different. When it comes to contraception, well, it’s kinda just meant we’ve had to take our chances. It’s left generations of women, and people with cycles, with major gaps in their understanding of their hormones—and how their hormones impact their health and well-being with and without hormonal contraception.

So, who are we?

We’re Tuune. That gap that (sadly) still exists in our hormone understanding? We’re the people closing it—once and for all. 

And we speak from experience. Our Co-Founder, Shardi Nahavandi, was misdiagnosed with bowel cancer in her 20s. Her symptoms eventually put down to stress, she set off on her own medical journey to understand what was really ‘wrong’ with her. Two master’s and plenty of research later, she diagnosed herself with a hormone imbalance. 

And how can we help you?

We’re here to:

1. Take the time to ask you questions you’ve never been asked before; 

2. Tell you things about your body (and your hormones) that are distinct to you, and;

3. Make you wonder why it’s all taken so long 
   

Up until now, women have been dealt a bad hand(1) when it comes to their healthcare. We’re often left out of medical research(2) as our hormones are deemed to fluctuate too much that we’ll skew the results. Instead, we believe it’s high time that we’re treated as the individuals we are—and we’re here to offer a more personalized approach to healthcare that is designed to ensure you (yes, you) feel your best. 

So, starting with personalized contraception (with lots of other plans up our sleeves), we’ll work with you to understand exactly what your body needs. We’ll start by asking you in-depth questions including your past contraception methods and what’s gone wrong (or right) so far, any side effects you’ve felt, any conditions that may increase your risks from certain contraceptives, and what your goals are in the years ahead. 

Guided by our super-smart algorithm, we can explore all the options out there (beware, there are hundreds) before sharing our personalized contraception recommendations based on what your body needs. It means we can help you put a stop to those side effects that you deal with as some kind of toxic trade-off for being a woman. 

Like the sound of personalized contraception? 

You’re not the only one! Join our growing community of women around the world who are choosing to personalize their contraception.

Join our waitlist (and refer your friends!) to take back control of your hormone health and understand more about your inner workings than ever before. Sign up to our newsletters for all the latest info (we promise they’re actually interesting and totally, 100%, spam-free). Also, head on over to Twitter or Instagram and let us know which parts of Liz’s and Rebekka’s stories you recognize.

We’re excited to go on this journey together and we really can’t wait to meet you.

Written by

Hermione Wright (she/her)

An NCTJ-qualified journalist, Hermione writes for national and local publications in addition to creating thought leadership for brands with a purpose. Passionate about telling the stories that matter, she helps our community make their own clued-up choices about their healthcare.

Medically reviewed by

Dr. Arushee Prasad, GP, MBBS (she/her)

Dr Arushee Prasad is a GP for NHS England with an MBBS in Medicine and Surgery, and an MRCGP from the Royal College of General Practitioners. Passionate about digital health and algorithmic medicine, Arushee was previously an Algorithmic Medical Doctor for Docly.