Isn’t It Crazy That People Can’t Say The Word Vagina? — The Knowledge Gap In Women’s Health
October 6, 2025
30% of women are experiencing a vaginal infection at any given time—yet most are more likely to be misdiagnosed than correctly diagnosed. Priyanka Jain is on a mission to change that.
Episode Overview
Evvy co-founder & CEO Priyanka Jain shares her personal journey with chronic conditions and why she’s determined to close the gender health gap. She explains how Evvy is building the largest dataset on the vaginal microbiome, the surprising links to conditions like infertility and PCOS, and the vital role of community in breaking stigma.
What You’ll Learn:
- Why vaginal health is central to closing the gender health gap.
- How the vaginal microbiome connects to conditions like infertility and endometriosis.
- What it takes to build the largest dataset in women’s health.
- Why community is critical in breaking stigma and advancing research.
- How resilience and balance fuel Priyanka’s leadership.
Prefer to Read About the Episode:
When we talk about women’s health, we often skip the vagina. The discomfort, the stigma, the silence. But what if the very thing we’re too embarrassed to say out loud holds the key to unlocking progress in gender-specific diagnostics, autoimmune disease research, and even infertility?
In this powerful episode of Chronic Boss Unfiltered, Lilly Stairs sits down with Priyanka Jain, co-founder and CEO of Evvy, the company behind the world’s largest dataset on the vaginal microbiome. Named to Forbes 30 Under 30, Priyanka is leading a revolution in precision vaginal health through science, data, and community.
The Vaginal Microbiome: A Gateway to Reproductive and Immune Health
“Vaginal discomfort is the leading reason that women seek healthcare advice in the U.S., yet we’re more likely to be misdiagnosed than diagnosed correctly,” Priyanka shares.
Evvy is changing that by applying metagenomic sequencing to map the full picture of what’s happening inside the vaginal microbiome. It’s a scientific game-changer: instead of outdated methods like sniff tests or looking under a microscope, Evvy identifies the full spectrum of bacteria and fungi present, then uses AI to generate a tailored treatment plan.
But this isn’t just about infections.
The vaginal microbiome functions as an immune barrier to protect reproductive organs. When that ecosystem breaks down, Priyanka explains, it can lead to much more than BV or yeast infections—think endometriosis relapse, preterm birth, miscarriage, cervical cancer progression, and even infertility.
In short: the health of the vaginal microbiome has ripple effects across the entire female body.
Data-Driven, Patient-Led Research
When Priyanka launched Evvy, she set out to solve a problem she’d lived through herself, repeatedly being dismissed in the doctor’s office despite debilitating symptoms.
“I had perfect labs and 30 vials of blood drawn, but I was losing my hair and felt like a stranger in my own body. The system didn’t know how to measure what I was going through,” she says.
She left her job in AI to build Evvy with one goal: identify under-leveraged biomarkers in the female body and create real tools that work. Today, Evvy works with over 75,000 patients and 2,000 doctors, collecting opt-in research data that is already revealing groundbreaking connections between vaginal microbiome profiles and conditions like PCOS, endometriosis, and infertility.
The most exciting part? Over 98% of Evvy users consent to research, proving that women want to be part of the solution.
Resilience is the Real CEO Superpower
Despite not being a doctor or holding a PhD, Priyanka leads one of the most advanced women’s health companies in the world. Early on, she faced imposter syndrome, especially in rooms filled with medical professionals. But she quickly reframed that doubt as her strength.
“My expertise is knowing what it feels like to be dismissed. I know what patients want because I’ve been one. I can bring in talent, raise capital, and build tools no one else is prioritizing. That matters.”
As she puts it: “Our job is to pick ourselves up. And then pick up our teams. Resilience wins.”
Community: The Secret to Scientific Progress
The Evvy community isn’t just a customer base, it’s a grassroots data engine. Women actively share their experiences, support one another, and contribute to research that could change the diagnostic landscape.
Through this collective wisdom, treatments once dismissed as “unproven” are being validated with data, and deeply stigmatized symptoms are finally being understood.
“Vaginal health is mental health,” Priyanka says. “When that part of your body is in distress, it impacts how you show up in relationships, work, and the world. The emotional toll is massive.”
Evvy is creating a space where women not only find answers but also feel seen, heard, and less alone.
Why We Must Talk About Vaginas
Priyanka and Lilly agree: the only way to dismantle stigma is to talk openly about it. Vaginas. BV. Microbiomes. Say the words.
Because behind every whispered conversation is a woman silently suffering.
“You say the word at brunch, and someone else always says, ‘Me too.’ That’s how we shift culture. That’s how we build health equity,” Lilly says.
What Being a Chronic Boss Means
When asked what being a Chronic Boss means to her, Priyanka doesn’t hesitate: “It means being the type of person who is constantly handed things you didn’t ask for and picking yourself up anyway.”
That’s what we do here. We don’t wait for change. We create it.
Want to be part of the research revolution?
Learn more about Evvy, join the community, and get your vaginal microbiome tested at evvy.com.
Connect with Evvy:
Want to keep the convo going?
Share this episode. Say the word. Help another woman feel less alone.
Ready to rise into your own version of immune confidence? Explore the Chronic Boss Mastermind, access resources, and join our unapologetically ambitious community at chronicboss.com.
