From Taboo to Treatment: How 400 Proteins in Menstrual Blood May Be the Future of Preventative Care

In this episode, Dr. Sara Naseri, CEO and co-founder of Qvin, shares the powerful origin story behind the Q-Pad — a revolutionary menstrual health technology transforming the way women monitor their health.

Qvin is pioneering the use of menstrual blood to provide clinically relevant, accessible diagnostics for conditions like diabetes, thyroid imbalance, fertility challenges, and even cervical cancer. Dr. Naseri discusses her 10-year journey from med school to FDA clearance, the data gap in women's health, and how menstrual blood — long stigmatized and overlooked — holds incredible untapped potential for global healthcare impact.

From redefining preventative care to making diagnostics available at home, this conversation is a deep dive into innovation, accessibility, and the future of femtech.

Timestamps & Sections:

(00:00) - Introduction & Background
Dr. Sara Nasseri, CEO and Co-Founder of Qvin, introduces the company and its mission to empower women's health through the Q-Pad—a revolutionary diagnostic menstrual pad.

(01:00) - Origin of the Idea
Sara shares how the concept of using menstrual blood for diagnostics was born during medical school and the long journey that followed.

(04:00) - Diagnostic Utility of Menstrual Blood
Discussion of early research, the lack of existing data on menstrual blood, and Qvin’s role in pioneering this new area of science.

(07:00) - The Q-Pad's Functionality & Empowerment
How the Q-Pad works, and why accessibility, affordability, and user empowerment are core to its design.

(09:00) - Clinical Applications & FDA Clearance
Details on the Q-Pad’s FDA clearance for hemoglobin A1c monitoring and its ability to support chronic condition management like diabetes.

(13:00) - Expanding Use Cases: Cervical Cancer & Beyond
Exploration of new biomarkers and the potential for non-invasive cervical cancer screening through the Q-Pad.

(17:00) - Tracking Fertility, Thyroid, and Inflammation
Future plans to roll out clinical-grade insights into fertility windows, hormone levels, inflammation, and perimenopause—based on strong patient demand.

(22:00) - App Integration & Doctor Collaboration
How the app provides users with insights, tracks health trends over time, and creates doctor-ready lab reports for easy sharing.

(30:00) - Mission, Team & Global Impact
Sara talks about the Qvin team’s resilience, the mission to close the gender data gap, and their vision of transforming women’s health globally.

Key Points:

• The Q-Pad enables women to collect menstrual blood at home for lab testing
• FDA-cleared for Hemoglobin A1C, offering diabetes insights (Type 1 & Type 2)
• Cervical cancer detection using menstrual blood could be a game-changer
• Clinically validated biomarkers include fertility hormones, thyroid, inflammation, cholesterol, and vitamins
• App integration allows women to track biomarkers and easily share lab reports with doctors
• Built for convenience: wear like a normal pad, mail sample with prepaid return, results in one week
• Accessible pricing matches average U.S. co-pays and is HSA-approved
• 400+ unique proteins in menstrual blood — a largely untapped diagnostic resource
• Global potential: useful in areas without regular access to doctors or labs

Notable Quotes:

“Menstrual blood is the most overlooked opportunity in women’s health.” – Dr. Sara Naseri
“We’ve been throwing away something that could save lives.”
“No woman today should die of cervical cancer — we have the tools, we just need access.”
“Be active in designing the future we want.”