When Lynn Doughane and Nanette Sene met during their master’s studies at Polytechnique Montréal, they bonded over a shared frustration over debilitating menstrual pain.
“As a former professional athlete, I was upset when people said you have bad menstrual pain because you’re not healthy, or you’re not eating properly, or exercising enough,” said Doughane. “It’s the most common problem seen by gynecologists in the world. You can be healthy and still experience discomfort and pain.”
Frustrated by a lack of effective, drug-free solutions, Doughane and Sene, who are electrical and mechanical engineers, combined their expertise to create an alternative.
“We said, of course, we’re not the only ones that are frustrated. So we decided to dig a bit more, find out why solutions on the market are not enough, and test a new idea,” said Doughane.
In 2022, Doughane and Sene co-founded Juno Technologies, a medtech company challenging the traditional belief that medication is the most effective solution to menstrual pain and discomfort.
“Medication is not always effective. Sometimes it doesn’t have any effect. You take the medication, wait for hours, and you are still in pain. So we said it would be great to have a medical device that you can wear on the go, that reduces menstrual pain,” said Doughane.
Juno’s device is worn around the lower abdomen and uses microelectronic currents to relax the uterine muscles and block pain signals. The non-invasive device can be controlled via a mobile app that allows users to manage the frequency and strength of treatment.
Menstrual pain is one of the leading causes of absenteeism in the workplace around the world, affecting 80 per cent of women, with many experiencing pain severe enough to disrupt their lives.
“Women lose up to three years of quality of life and productivity just because of this pain,” said Doughane. “We don’t want women to stay at home or lose a day for any reason, not miss out on social outings, school, or have to take a personal day due to menstrual pain.”
“Our device is designed to fit into everyone’s lifestyle. We want to improve women’s lives with our device, we want it to fit into their lives so they can live fully without any obstacles in the way,” she said.
Juno Technologies recently completed a pilot study of 30 patients with gynecologist support. The trial provided participants who traditionally experience severe discomfort during their menstrual cycles with Juno’s medical device.
“We had an average reduction of 79 per cent of pain levels. So your pain might start around seven points out of 10, but after using our device for one hour, your pain drops to one point,” Doughane said.
Following the trial, Doughane said 78 per cent of participants reported they were likely to rely on Juno’s device to deal with their pain during their next menstrual cycle, instead of the medication they traditionally rely on.
“In addition to the study, when we lend the device out to our colleagues, friends, and family it’s very difficult to get back. I think that’s a positive sign. We know it makes a difference,” said Doughane.
Juno’s device is specifically suited for women suffering from severe menstrual pain including those with conditions like endometriosis, polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and fibroids.
“This summer we are starting a clinical trial with one of the biggest hospitals in Quebec. This is another big milestone for us, the trial allows us to contribute to research in an understudied and underfunded area of medicine,” said Doughane.
Doughane and Sene are recent graduates of Communitech Fierce Founders Uplift, which supports women and non-binary founders from equity-deserving groups. Participants receive hands-on mentorship, $10,000 in non-matching funds, and expert guidance from growth coaches to accelerate their startups.
“Honestly, it was one of the most personalized and effective programs we have done so far,” said Doughane. “What I loved about this program is that they asked us, what do we need?”
Fierce Founders matched Doughane and Sene with a startup growth coach who supported Juno Technologies with its go-to-market strategy.
“Even if you have the best product in the world, you need to know how to sell it, because if you do not communicate the right message if you do not go to market in the right way, it is not going to sell itself,” said Doughane. “Being matched with an incredible growth coach who is an expert in medical device sales and strategy helped us every step of the way. It was a perfect match.”
As Juno prepares to bring its device to market, Doughane and Sene remain committed to improving the lives of women through innovative scientific technology.
“We want to show women they are not alone in their experience, and that there is an alternative option that can improve their quality of life and wellbeing.”
