What we do
We are a one-stop shop for women to choose, access and use the right contraception and reproductive healthcare for them. We combine user-generated content; our real world reviews and community surveys, with up to date medical advice, guidelines and research. We firmly believe in patient centred care and are on a mission to put women in control of their healthcare decisions.
What we offer to our customers
As a community based women’s health review, advice and prescriptions platform, we provide free access to our unique dataset of contraception medication reviews as well as PCOS, endometriosis and trying to conceive experiences from real people, alongside our content and digital tools which have been written and designed based around UK Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Health (FSRH) guidance and reviewed by medical professionals.
Top resources to share with your patients
Our free to use resources can be used before or during consultations with patients as helpful adjuncts.
Our blog contains in depth, patient friendly information on all the different methods of contraception, side effects and other health topics concerning women.
You can use the contraception comparison tool to compare contraceptives side by side.
Our contraception recommender (used by over 2,000 people a month) guides user’s choice based on their preferences and medical history using the FSRH UKMEC guidance.
Our missed pill calculator is more user friendly than leaflets or written instructions and has been endorsed by the FSRH and the Primary Care Women’s Health Forum.
Our fertility quiz can help individuals at different stages of their fertility journey get answers and plan for the future; whether they’re just curious, want to learn how to optimise their fertility or are currently trying to conceive.
How we make money
We offer paid-for online consultation and prescription services:
- Our consultations are with GPs or speciality doctors and a range of women’s health professionals. They are generally one-off, are very competitively priced and we receive amazing feedback.
- Customers can also order the combined pill, patch, vaginal ring, progestogen-only pill and Sayana Press injection through our partner pharmacy. To do this they complete an online consultation which is reviewed by a prescribing pharmacist and their contraceptive is delivered to their door.
- Customers who would like to explore long acting reversible contraception or alternative methods are counseled then signposted to their GP or sexual health clinic.
Who we are
We are a female team of tech, content, customer service and growth experts who are passionate about women’s health. We’re led by our founder Alice Pelton who was inspired to set up The Lowdown after having her own problems finding a method of contraception and was frustrated by the lack of clinical data and issues with access to advice.
Our medical directors and clinical leads are all NHS GPs or speciality doctors who hold the FSRH diploma or speciality qualification. Read more about our fantastic team on our About Us page.
Who we are funded by
The Lowdown is self-funded by our founder and institutional venture capital investors like Entrepreneur First, Calm/Storm VC, Nina Capital and SpeedInvest.
Who we work with
- We’ve worked in partnership with the NHS on a campaign and series of patient-facing resources for cervical screening awareness week.
- We’ve also worked with NHS England to develop patient-facing resources on the Covid-19 vaccine related to pregnancy, periods and fertility.
- We’ve worked with Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust to develop a webinar and resources around Human Papilloma Virus (HPV).
To find out more about how we produce and review content, including sponsored content, take a look at our Content and Editorial policy.
Want to work with us or have a question?
If you have any questions or concerns, or if you want to work with us please email our medical director melanie@thelowdown.com.
