Through SisterCheck, Wendy Waweru is championing women’s health and raising critical awareness of PCOS, a condition that silently affects millions.
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most common hormonal disorders among women of reproductive age, yet it is still surrounded by misconceptions and neglect. September is recognized as PCOS Awareness Month, with September 1st observed globally as World PCOS Day, moments dedicated to spotlighting the realities of this condition. PCOS impacts nearly 1 in 10 women, but shockingly, up to 70% remain undiagnosed. For something so widespread, it is still widely misunderstood.
In this feature, Wendy Wanjiru Waweru, a software developer and women’s health advocate, shares her story and mission to change the conversation through SisterCheck, a platform she co-built as part of a group effort to empower women living with PCOS.
Meet Wendy Wanjiru Waweru
At the heart of her story is a balance between her professional expertise and her personal passion for women’s health.
“My name is Wendy Wanjiru Waweru, a software developer and women’s health advocate, Professionally, I specialize in building digital solutions that merge technology with healthcare, with a focus on women’s health.”
Wendy Waweru
With a background in technology and a passion for women’s health, Wendy is shaping solutions that merge innovation with compassion. Professionally, she specializes in building digital tools that bridge healthcare and technology, with a focus on addressing gaps in women’s health services.
Currently, she volunteers with Cyan Health Systems, where she is contributing to the development of a Primary Care Assistant tailored for middle- to lower-class clinics.
“Personally, I’m passionate about creating platforms that empower women to take control of their health journeys, while also continuing to grow my skills in full-stack development and AI integration.”
When asked what inspired her to focus on PCOS awareness and contribute to SisterCheck, Wendy shared that her motivation comes from a very personal place and a strong belief in the power of teamwork.
“I’ve seen firsthand how PCOS affects women’s lives, often silently and without enough support systems. The lack of awareness and stigma motivated me to build something practical and compassionate”
That vision materialized through SisterCheck, a project born during the CodeHerCare Hackathon for Women’s Health. Importantly, SisterCheck was built as part of a group project efforts.
“SisterCheck was born out of a shared vision with my teammates: Ruth Moraa, Celine Muthoni, and Cynthia Muemi, who each brought unique expertise in machine learning, design, mobile development, and data science. Together, we wanted to build more than an app, a community-centered solution.”
Building SisterCheck: Tech Meets Women’s Health
Wendy’s background in software development has been instrumental in bringing SisterCheck to life. “Coming from a software development background, I was able to bridge the gap between technical possibility and user needs,” she explains. She contributed to designing the system architecture, building the AI model to predict ovarian cyst growth, and ensuring the platform is user-friendly for women who may not be tech-savvy. Her expertise also ensured that scalability and data privacy, critical elements in healthcare applications, were prioritized from the start.
How SisterCheck Works
SisterCheck is an AI-powered mobile app designed to support women living with PCOS. “Women can input their symptoms, menstrual patterns, and lifestyle data, and the AI model provides insights on possible cyst formation risks while also encouraging healthy habits,” Wendy says. The app includes chatbot guidance, simplifies medical reports, and offers smarter follow-up care.
Wendy personally led the chatbot integration and AI model training, ensuring the tool remains conversational, empathetic, and medically relevant.
Clinicians benefit too, receiving insights on ovarian cyst growth, managing hospital inventory, and advising patients on treatment plans. Patients can even track treatment costs through the app, making it a holistic tool for both care and management.
“Clinicans are also able to use SisterCheck to get smarter insights on ovarian cyst growth, manage hospital inventory and advise patients on treatment plans suggested by the app. Patients are also able to get a revenue tracker for the treatments through the app too.”
Wendy Waweru
Developing such a solution wasn’t without challenges. “One challenge was data scarcity. PCOS data in African contexts is limited, so we had to rely on global datasets and refine them with localized health expert input. Another challenge was balancing medical accuracy with user accessibility. We solved this by collaborating closely with clinicians, simplifying language, and iterating with feedback from women living with PCOS,” Wendy recounts.
Real patient journeys played a key role in shaping SisterCheck’s features.
“We conducted listening sessions with women living with PCOS, gathering their stories and frustrations with diagnosis delays and misinformation. Their voices directly shaped the tool’s features.”
Reflecting on her own experience, Wendy adds,
“I personally brought in insights from my own journey living with PCOS, emphasizing the need for a compassionate tone and ensuring the app doesn’t feel clinical but rather supportive like a friend guiding you, hence the name SisterCheck.”
Wendy Waweru
Wendy’s approach highlights the importance of including lived experiences in projects designed to serve people, something many initiatives still struggle to fully integrate. When developing solutions for a specific community, it’s important to listen to their voices firsthand, because they are the ones who truly know what they need. Bringing these insights into the process ensures that solutions are relevant, usable, and truly supportive of the people they are meant to help.
The Power of Collaboration and Technology
For Wendy, one of the most fulfilling aspects of SisterCheck has been seeing technology truly empower women. “The most rewarding part has been hearing women say, ‘I finally feel seen,’” she shares. In healthcare, many experiences are dismissed or overlooked, and SisterCheck offered a way to validate those voices. “Seeing tech actually empower women rather than overwhelm them has been deeply fulfilling,” Wendy adds.
Wendy believes that technology has the power to transform women’s health advocacy in Kenya, making information more accessible and creating safe, supportive spaces for women to connect and learn.
“Technology can bridge information gaps, reduce stigma, and democratize access to healthcare. In Kenya, where healthcare access is uneven, mobile-first solutions can empower women in rural and urban areas alike. Advocacy through tech also creates safe spaces where women can learn, share, and connect without fear of judgment.”
Wendy Waweru
Wendy also has advice for young innovators aiming to tackle health issues through technology. She draws from her own lived experience with PCOS, which gives her a unique perspective on the challenges women face. She believes that young innovators aiming to address health issues with technology should start by understanding the people they want to serve, not just focusing on the code. For her, successful projects happen when tech, medicine, and lived experience come together, and when teams are willing to learn from failure.
“Start with empathy, not just code. Talk to the people you want to serve, listen deeply, and build with them, not for them. In team settings, learn to value everyone’s input. Health projects succeed when tech, medicine, and lived experience come together. Also, don’t fear failure; each iteration brings you closer to a meaningful solution.”
Wendy Waweru
Awareness campaigns like PCOS Awareness Month amplify these efforts. “Awareness campaigns break the silence. They help women recognize symptoms, seek care earlier, and feel less alone,” Wendy notes. SisterCheck contributes by extending these conversations year-round through digital platforms, offering accurate information, and encouraging women to actively track their health beyond just awareness initiatives.
Wendy Waweru’s Vision for PCOS Advocacy
Looking ahead, Wendy envisions SisterCheck growing into a comprehensive women’s health ecosystem. “I see SisterCheck evolving into a holistic women’s health ecosystem, integrating with telemedicine, fertility tracking, and broader reproductive health education,” she shares. Beyond the platform itself, Wendy hopes to continue leading its tech development while forging partnerships with healthcare providers and advocacy groups to scale its impact.
I call on all stakeholders in women’s health, technology, and advocacy to consider partnerships with SisterCheck. There is still much work to be done in areas such as telemedicine, fertility tracking, and broader reproductive health education. With the right collaborations and shared vision, SisterCheck’s impact can be scaled, creating meaningful and lasting change for women across Kenya and beyond. This approach also ensures that PCOS awareness extends well beyond September’s awareness month, the more people know about the condition, the less stigma and misunderstanding there will be.
Her broader vision extends to tech-driven PCOS advocacy and collaborative health initiatives across Kenya and beyond.
“My vision is to create sustainable, tech-driven solutions that normalize conversations around women’s health, especially conditions like PCOS that are often overlooked, I want to see AI tools like SisterCheck integrated into everyday healthcare in Kenya and beyond, and to inspire more young women in tech to step into health innovation confidently.”
Wendy Waweru
There is still much to be done, and it’s a call to young innovators, advocates, and everyone invested in women’s health to get involved on the ground. Each of us has a role to play in advancing PCOS awareness, reducing stigma, and supporting women to take charge of their health. By contributing skills, resources, or simply spreading knowledge, we can collectively ensure that PCOS advocacy goes beyond awareness campaigns and creates real, lasting impact.
In her rising, may Wendy Waweru’s work continue to inspire many more to join her in advocating for what truly matters in PCOS. We are grateful for the awareness, innovation, and support she has already brought to this space. May her efforts encourage a focus on creating real impact on the ground, because sometimes, that is all we’ll ever need to make a meaningful difference.
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