Innovative Solutions: Cindy Santa Cruz and the Lady Patch Journey

In this episode, I spoke with Cindy Santa Cruz, the CEO of Lady Patch, about the innovative product designed to help women with bladder leaks. Cindy shares the inspiring story of her mother's discovery that led to the creation of Lady Patch. We discuss the patch's development, effectiveness, and the challenges of addressing a taboo topic. Cindy provides insights into the product's mechanism, user feedback, and future plans, highlighting the ongoing efforts to make LadyPatch a common solution for bladder control issues.

Get more information at: https://www.ladypatch.com/

Timeline

00:28 Guest Introduction

00:46 The Origin Story of Lady Patch

02:38 Cindy's Journey with Lady Patch

04:55 Clinical Feedback and Challenges

11:01 Product Details and User Experience 1

6:00 Recognition and Future Plans

22:59 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Transcript

Hi there. I'm here today with Cindy Santa Cruz, the CEO of LadyPatch. And we're going to get started and talk about the lady patch and what it does. So Cindy, can you tell me about the lady patch and what it is and how it helps? 

Hi, Dr. Sarah, thank you for having me. I appreciate this opportunity to share my story.

And actually, you know, the lady patch story is not my story. It is my mom's story. And my mom in the late seventies, early eighties was just doing aerobics. Like, you know, it was that sad thing back in that time and never had a problem with bladder leaks. Never. I didn't even have a word to call it. Just, it was just a nuisance that started to happen when she was doing jumping jacks  and or running in place. 

And she's in her aerobics class. And. No one else is running to the bathroom as much as she is, but, but her, she's the only one running to the bathroom as much as she is. She can't stop the leaks. She's frustrated, irritated, and just kind of dealing with it for years. Tried tampons, tried pads, tried paper towels,  everything and anything she could try just to stop it.

And nothing worked. You know, we're, we're a very religious family. Uh, so she prayed and asked God, you know, I don't want to stop doing aerobics. And she said, you know, she just prayed. She said that prayer, asked God to help her, walked over to her dresser, saw a panty liner, said, huh, okay, Lord. And then what?

Cut it, cut it into one inch strip,  went to the bathroom, peed, placed it on her clitoris, not knowing what she's doing because she's a stay at home mom, she has no background in medicine, went to go do aerobics and was just shocked and amazed that she, there were no leaks. Um, and she used it for years. And at one point, I believe, uh, her and my dad tried maybe just getting a patent and they couldn't get a patent on it.

And so they just let it go by the wayside. There's not much they could have done. They had tried to do some research, just really, it just went nowhere. And so, um, I got married, had my own babies. And I was going to go back to work. My husband and I were talking, I was like, okay, you know, the kids are now in school.

I can go back to work. And he was like, babe, do whatever you want. And so I just thought, let me, what was my mom working on? And so I asked her, what were you doing? Cause she never told me or my brothers, I have two older brothers. She never told us what she was doing or what she was, it was like this big secret and it was a big secret.

I get, I get why she didn't tell me specifically cause I happen to be. Have a big mouth. And so if you're going to tell me your secret, I might tell other people. So she told me what she was, that she had a problem with bladder leaks and, and how she was treating it. And I thought, well, that's interesting. I really don't, I don't have that problem.

Well, let me just go and do my own research and see, you know, if that's even something I would want to start. And I was just overwhelmed with the amount of women that have this problem  and the amount of women that aren't talking about it. That was the biggest thing for me was no one's talking about this. 

We'll talk about arthritis. We'll talk about diabetes. We'll talk about menopause. Actually, that's kind of still taboo, but we'll talk about other ailments, but we won't talk about, Hey, I just peed my pants. Nobody will talk about it because it's just humiliating. So, that's when I just began my journey of, okay, let's see what we can do here.

So, I started trying Lady Patch. Oh, let me say this. I started trying my prototypes on women. And they were coming back with, well, I can hold my pee longer. Oh, I didn't leak. And I'm like, okay. So I had a girlfriend who is a nurse, I don't want to  say too much, but she, she would ask some of her patients to try it.

And she started cutting up panty liners too. And what I noticed is so women, please, if you're listening to this, don't do this. Don't cut up your own panty liners is the cotton was giving me nosebleeds. It was negatively affecting. So I had to start wearing a mask. It was just terrible. So yeah, don't, don't put that on you.

So lady patches is better to use. But just the feedback was a little bit like overwhelming, like these women are saying that it works so well for them. Okay. So, uh, I think it took me about three years to find Dr. Ted. I sent you his white paper. Yeah. Um, cause I called every, everyone I could think of in neurology, you know, all the way up the West coast and no one would listen to me.

And my, my attorney was like, well, you're, you're not, you don't have a background in medicine. You're going to have to find, you have to find someone. And like I said, it took about three years to find Dr. Ted and he was the only one that listened to me. And he was like, you know, you might have something Cindy.

And so he's the one that really helped me start the company. And, uh, and here I am today talking to you.  

So your mom had this idea, right? This epiphany, um, and then she started kind of a grassroots effort, right? And you took it even further and tried it out and, and you have gotten really great feedback on this.

product, right? Which I mean, you took it from the panty liners and now it's a little patch that you put on the clitoris to stop leaking. 

Yeah. 

Tell me how well it works. What kind of feedback are you getting? What are people saying? 

Well, okay. So I would say based on, based on clinical results, you know, it's about, I would say about 60 to 70 percent of women that try it stop leaking, or let me say this.

Have a decrease in leakage and a decrease in the urgency to go. But what I found anecdotal is that some women, it just doesn't do anything for it does absolutely nothing for it. And then there are women that it's a tiny miracle in a box for them. So the results vary. Drastically. So either works for 50 50, it either works or it doesn't.

And the women that it does work for, they know right away,  

can you figure out who it works for? Right? I mean, is there anything about those women? 

No, I wish I could, but I mean, because it's placed on the clitoris, I figure, you know, we all have noses, right? But everybody's nose is different. It's shaped different.

I mean, it looks different. I would think our clitorises are the same way. That is true. 

Yeah. Right. I mean, there are anatomical differences, right. And some people have more tissue over the clitoris, right. And so that might. 

Yeah. So some women have asked, do I pull the hood back? Um, so my response is you just have to try it.

Try it with the hood on. Try it. If you can, you know, pull the hood back, try that. Um, in whatever way is comfortable for you. See the thing about lady patches,  you can do whatever you want with it. So if it works for you with, with the hood, with your clitoral hood on. Awesome. If you have to pull it back and it's comfortable for you.

Awesome. If you kind of don't know what you're doing and you just stick it down there and it works. Awesome. Yeah.  And a lot of women just aren't familiar with their bodies. So this, this, and I will say, it seems like a lot of women are, I don't want to say scared, but very, um, what's the word I'm looking for?

Scared is not the word. Oh, we'll say scared of their bodies. They're, they're scared of what's down there.  

No, I mean, I think that's really true, right? I mean, we're taught, some women, many women are taught to not look, they're not comfortable with the anatomy, right? They're 

just 

not sure about things, right?

And I think that is absolutely true. And I think when people are trying things at home like this, I mean, you, you, if you're going to put on the clitoris, you have to know where your clitoris is and what's around the clitoris. And some people. You know, just aren't comfortable with that. I mean, a lot of people aren't even comfortable, you know, saying those words, right?

I mean, it,  um, it's an interesting time that we live in, right. And it's just another part of the anatomy. So when you talk to Dr. Ted, his theory about how this works is that you're stimulating. The clitoris, which in turn stimulates the pudendal nerve. There's a branch of the pudendal nerve that goes to the clitoris and that kind of down regulates the, the leaking.

And so it works by nerve stimulation and there are other nerves that we stimulate to help with the bladder. I mean, there are lots of nerves that go to the bladder and urethra. Um, and so that's, you know, kind of the theory here. Right. For you, I mean, what you found is that it works or you recommend trying it for all types of leaking.

There are lots of products that work for stress incontinence, so leaking with exercise, right, which you described so well, or that urgency. But you found that it can help with all types of leaking. 

It seems to. It seems to help with stress incontinence, urge incontinence, urinary frequency, and nocturia.

Yeah. 

Yeah, it 

seems to, but again, every woman is different. I figured this would be like your first go to if you're experiencing leaks or just,  you know, frequency. I've had some women just use it for their convenience. They're just going on a road trip and they don't want to stop at the Pit stops  to use the dirty bathroom.

So they'll just use it till they get to their destination. So, I mean, you just have to try it. If it works for you, it's great. If it doesn't, you know, we have a 30 day, you know, money back guarantee. We'll give you back your money. So, 

yeah, it's interesting. Right. Cause I have a lot of patients who, you know, are fine in their day to day life, but it's traveling that, that, you know, makes them really nervous.

And so, 

you 

know, I think having. Tools that work for you at home, tools that work for you when you're traveling. I mean, I think all of that is really important. Although the only thing I would say about that is I think it's always important to try something before you're traveling. Right. So try it at home.

Do not go far away and try something new just right. Yeah. 

Yeah. And I always suggest also for the first time users also wear a pad just in case. Yeah. You don't, like you said, you don't, right. You know, it might not. It may not work. It may not work out. 

So does it hurt  when people are placing this patch on the clitoris?

What feedback are you getting? Does it hurt when you take it off?  

I would say the majority of women say no. Some women even say that it's sliding off. Okay. So that, that's a, you know, internal company problem we need to resolve. But I don't, even that, I don't know how to resolve that if, you know, if we were to make it stickier. 

My, because I try everything personally myself and if it hurts for me to remove it, I'm not going to ask another woman to try it. I'm not going to do that. 

Well, and it's, I mean, it's delicate tissue, right? So you do have to be super careful about the adhesive and that type of thing. Can you pee with it on?

Do you 

have to 

take it off to pee? Some women can and some women can't. Some women can absolutely pee with it on and they can leave it on all day long and just they're in control of their bodies. Other women have to take it off. 

Okay. 

And I don't know. I see we need more testing. We really do. This is such a fun idea.

Just like, yeah, I really do need more testing. I have no idea. Yeah. Some women can, some women can't. 

Yeah. So, I mean, I think you would say that you're at a point where you've kind of proven your concept, right? That this does work for some people, but now you're in the process of testing things, figuring out who it works for and just how to make the product.

Better and how to guide women, right? Who should use this? Who shouldn't use it? Um, absolutely. Does menopause make a difference? Estrogen status? I'm sure you're going to say that you're still figuring those things out. 

Well, we've had women try it from the age of 18 to 70 and the, I'll say 40 plus. 

Menopause don't seem to have menopause doesn't seem to have an issue  if they're leaking and it helps them. It helps them.  

Okay. Do you find that it works better for women that have more mild leaking? If someone has severe leaking, it doesn't work as well, or you can't really comment on that yet. 

Well, I kind of don't know  because I've gotten so much feedback from various women, from women that leak a little bit.

To women that it's a huge problem where they've had surgeries. I've had one woman that, you know, she was getting Botox injections and it wasn't helping her, but I gave her a box of lady patch and it did help her. Now I'm wondering if it was a combination of maybe the Botox. I don't know the timing. See, the thing is that I don't know the timing.

So I'm wondering if it was a combination of both of the Botox injections plus the lady patch and maybe it,  because she was, she was able to go on a date with her husband and she was. Yeah. She was on cloud nine. 

Yeah. She was 

really happy. She was able to go to a concert, go to dinner and didn't have to pee at all till she got home at one o'clock in the morning.

That's kind of huge for a woman. 

That's huge. Right. And I think when you can impact somebody, uh, like that, it's pretty amazing. And you're definitely right. Sometimes it takes. Multiple interventions, right? Sometimes you have to, you know, try a medication, try Botox, you know, do a nerve stimulation. I mean, it's,  it's not always one thing that, that makes the big difference.

Um, you commented on this earlier, but I just want to ask you again, how long does it take to work  

for some women? It works immediately. Like  as soon as you put it on,  it stops the urge to go. For some women, it'll, it takes. I would say maybe three or four days of consecutive use. The first day you try it, it doesn't work that well.

The second day you try it, it works a little bit better. Third, fourth day, by day four, if it doesn't work, then it probably doesn't work for you. If you're still leaking by day four, it probably doesn't work for you. 

But you're going to suggest that people try it for three or four days in a row to see. How long can you leave it on for? 

We suggest that you leave it on for four to six hours just because normal for normal voiding. I've had some women that left it on for hours and I'm and my I'm kind of paranoid like you have to pee. That's a normal bottle bodily function. You have go to the bathroom. They're like, but I didn't have to go and I'm like, I have one lady leave it on for 12 hours.

I'm like don't do that. If you do that, you can't sue me. 

So you're thinking most of the time people have to take it off to go to the bathroom  and replace it. Okay. Right. So you have two patches. You have an active patch and the regular patch and what's the difference between them?  

So the regular patch is, I would say a regular strength adhesive.

The active patch is stickier for, I would say, more, more sweaty activities. If you're going to exercise, if it's a hotter day. 

Yeah. If 

you live in Texas, 

you should be using. 

Absolutely. Okay. If that humidity is hitting that area. Right. It's 

the summer. Okay. Right. So I wanted to ask you about the PNG innovation challenge that happened in  2022, because you, your device won that, which is a big, I mean, that's a big deal.

So can you talk to me about that? 

It was, I thought when they first called me, I thought it was a joke. Yeah. Um, But, uh, they kept calling because I didn't answer back because I was like, that can't be Procter and Gamble,  but they kept calling. And so I'm, I'm thankful that they called them and I'm thankful that I answered.

That was a great experience, learned a lot. We won. I was shocked. I honestly, I think I cried  mainly because it just seems like no one cares about women's bladder problems. I, 

I, 

that is my 

world and I would definitely agree with that, which is so funny because it is such a very, very common problem. 

Yeah.

And I mean, P and G has several products in this space, right? And I think they recognize how common it is and what an important problem it is to try to help solve. But that was a pretty competitive challenge, right? I mean, there were a lot of. different ideas and different products that were competing.

There were some really good companies. I mean, like companies that were, you know, we're still a startup. There were some companies that have passed our stage and they've got really, really good products. Again, I have to think maybe, maybe the judges, Cause I gave samples,  you know, great, 

you know, personal story about this product.

Um, you know, but it's funny, I think a lot of incontinence products, or I know a lot of incontinence products start with, you know, someone who has a personal story or a personal problem and they're just not happy with what's on the market. Right. And so then they're looking for the next solution, but this is, yeah, this You know, this could be a very innovative solution.

And I think a lot of times we find things out by serendipity, right? I mean, a lot of times there's research and then sometimes someone just tries something and they're like, this works. We're not really sure why. So, you know, let's do some more research and figure that out. So tell me how much it costs.

And I want you to talk about your money back policy again. 

Okay. So Lady Patch is 19. 99 plus tax and We have a 30 day risk free money back guarantee, like I said, when you've tried it for four days and it doesn't work, that's why we do the 30 days because you know right away whether or not if it works for you.

Um, so it's 1999 plus tax with a 30 day risk free money back guarantee. And I hope whoever's listening to this will try it. Just try it. Where did they get it? My website. I'm sorry. My website, www. ladypatch. com. In your pants. It sucks.  

I think that's a good synopsis right there. Yeah. Um, what are your next steps? 

What's the next thing that you're going to do? 

Well, right now I'm, uh, fundraising. So I'm trying to raise some more cash is, uh, can't really go any further without it. So I'd like to raise some more money, raise, you know, get a team going again and, uh, really get this, get lady patch out to the masses because there's still so many women that don't know about it. 

Yeah. And that's, that's the thing that's, um, killing us right now is just women don't know about it. They've never heard of it. Yeah. 

I mean, there is so much shame around leaking. You know, my personal feeling is that it is just another body system, right? And it is the same thing as high blood pressure or low thyroid, right?

Sometimes the body system does not work and you have to do things to fix it,  but it is hard to reach people, right? Even on social media, it's hard. It's not something that people really want to engage around or have other people know that they're, you know, checking it out. And so it can be a little bit difficult to find those people.

Yeah. It's extremely challenging because, you know, I mean, I think if I picked an uphill battle to die on, this is, um, because women don't want to talk about their leaks. They don't want to talk about their clitoris. They don't, like you said, they don't like to even say the word clitoris. I've been saying it now for, you know, almost 20 years, so.

I was going to compliment you  and how easily it comes out for you. I mean, I think all that's true, but then I think  when you start talking about it, it is amazing how  people may not want to contribute to the conversation, but everybody's listening. Right. And a lot of women. I mean, I think most people want to try something in their own home.

They don't really want to talk to a physician, right? And so if you can, if there's a product that makes it better, that is low risk,  right? Then, um, I think that's what a lot of people are looking for. 

Yeah. A first line of defense. And I mean, some,  this is extremely anecdotal and has nothing to do with bladder leaks, but a lot, some women are coming back saying they're having better sex. 

They're having better orgasms. They're, they're just, they're enjoying their time with their partner. And I, and they asked me, is it supposed to do that? And my answer is, I don't know, but I'm happy for you,  

which is a, is a good answer. I mean, I, I think that that is the point where you have to do more research and you have to look at that there. 

All  well, and, you know, that may be a good way to, to advertise it and market it, but there, you know, there are a lot of treatments for bladder leaking. I mean, anything that you do to increase public floor strength can also impact sexual function and, you know, nerve function does a lot of things. I mean, those are.

You know, pretty strong nerve. So it, I mean, it all means that you just have so much work to do, but I think it's, you know, such an exciting start. And I think you're right. It's low risk. It may help. It may not help. Right. I mean, I think you're kind of at this point in the, you know, 50, 50, 

right. 

But you can get your money back.

So why not try it? 

And here's the beauty of it too. If it doesn't work for you, you take it off and your body goes back to doing whatever it was doing before there are, there's, there's no risk of medications or surgeries or lady patches, a good first line of defense.  

So if you 

try it and it doesn't work, okay, then move on to the next step, whatever step that is for you.

I mean, I think that's a good, I think that's a good point. And I think,  you know, it's hard for women to advocate for themselves. It's hard for them to talk about these issues. And I think you're right. It's a reasonable place to start. And if it doesn't work, you know, you didn't do anything wrong. You didn't fail.

It's just time to get a little bit more aggressive and maybe talk to someone. 

Absolutely. 

Well, I want to thank you for your time and all of your work and, you know, it's always amazing to me, the amazing women who are, who become impassioned by this topic, right? Because most people don't want to talk about it.

It's a small, it's a small, crazy group of us. Right. So thank you so much for all of your work and you know, best of luck to 

you. Thank you so much. Thank you for having me. I really appreciate your time. Yeah, you're welcome.