Biosensing patch embroidered into panty liner prototype
Many women lack accessible, intuitive tools to track and understand their menstrual health. Fluctuations in vaginal pH during the menstrual cycle can indicate normal changes or signal potential health concerns, but this critical data is often overlooked.
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 that has been died 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.
Conceptual diagram of our patch integrated into a larger product design including a digital app
Rooted in feminist posthumanist design principles, our product recognizes the body as part of a larger ecological system, emphasizing care for both human and more-than-human entities. By offering a simple, natural, and biodegradable method of menstrual tracking, we aim to empower users to make informed decisions about their health while embracing an intimate connection with their body’s materiality and its impact on the environment.
Cumulative presentation showing the fabrication process through material exploration
The project began as an exploration of materials in a web lab — the basis of our project began with wanting to develop a wearable material that reacted to pH to help the user track their body's internal health. 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.
My group and I each explored separate fabrication methods using different application techniques. I tested methods of biopaint application while my partners tested bioplastics, embroidery, and yarn. I also led the team in creating a color spectrum to which we could refer during testing to determine whether our prototype was correctly changing colors.
Color spectrum of butterfly pea dye mixed with different strengths of acid and base
