Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions:
How does Petal work?
How does Petal work?
Petal has eight advanced, clinical-grade Bio-Impedance Analysis (BIA) sensors. This low-power technology safely measures your body's unique electrical resistance to gather data. These sensors are non-intrusive, produce no harmful radiation, and are completely safe. They use the same technology found in high-end smart scales.
Petal's sensors collect data at the source of origination for greater accuracy — right at the locations of heart, breast, and thorax.
Precision Heart Metrics:
- We measure ECG/EKG with accuracy verified against FDA-approved devices, providing highly reliable Heart Rate and HRV data to monitor your fitness level and overall health.
- Additionally, Cardiovascular Disease is the leading cause of death for women in the US, yet symptoms often present differently in women than in men—particularly during perimenopause and menopause when hormonal changes can affect heart health. Petal provides women with the tailored insights needed to monitor their cardiovascular wellness through every stage of life.
Advanced Cycle Tracking:
- Unlike traditional wearables that rely on basal body temperature taken from peripheral locations like the finger or wrist, Petal uses breast tissue measurements as a more direct biological indicator.
- Your breast tissue and hydration levels undergo distinct, predictable changes throughout your cycle. Our sensors create a private, bias-free characterization of these fluctuations, allowing Petal to accurately track your cycle through your body’s unique tissue and ductal patterns.
Body Composition:
- Your breast tissue is made of adipose (fat) tissue, which Petal's sensors can measure to understand your midsection and visceral fat percentages. This allows you to mitigate metabolic health risks and inform sustainable, data-driven lifestyle changes, as well as support your fitness goals.
- Moreover, monitoring and reducing visceral fat (the fat surrounding your internal organs) can help with long-term wellness and disease prevention, especially post-menopause.
By combining this data with our proprietary AI based on real women's data, Petal gives you a 'big picture' view of your cardiovascular, metabolic, and hormonal health and how they interrelate. For example, you’ll be able to see how your cycle affects everything from stress to physical tenderness.
How does Petal compare to other wearables?
Petal is the first wearable built for a women's physiology, using the breast as a bio-marker for health data.
- Petal's unique form factor is comfortable for anytime wear, as it's fully discreet and invisible to others.
- Petal measures at the source of data origination for greater accuracy — right at the locations of heart, breast and thorax — compared to a distant extremity like a finger or wrist.
- Petal uses Bio-Impedance Analysis (BIA) as opposed to light or basal temperature input, which has the ability to get deeper insights for heart, breathing, cycle and body composition.
How does Petal track my midsection and visceral fat if it's worn on the chest?
Petal utilizes eight advanced, clinical-grade Bio-Impedance Analysis (BIA) sensors. This technology safely measures your body's unique electrical resistance—the same safe, non-invasive technology found in high-end smart scales.
Your breast tissue is made of adipose (fat) tissue, which Petal's sensors can measure to understand your midsection and visceral fat percentages. We benchmark our midsection and visceral fat readings against smart scales to ensure that the trends you see in your Petal app are both consistent and clinically relevant. This allows you to mitigate metabolic health risks and inform sustainable, data-driven lifestyle changes, as well as support your fitness goals.
Visceral fat (the fat surrounding your internal organs) is statistically highly correlated with cardiovascular wellness and health risks. Therefore, monitoring and reducing visceral fat can help with long-term wellness and disease prevention, especially post-menopause.
How does Petal provide accurate heart and cycle metrics without being worn at night?
Most wearables require overnight wear because they use light-based (PPG) sensors on the wrist or finger, which are easily "noisy" or inaccurate during daytime movement. Petal takes a different approach:
- Precision Heart Metrics: Because Petal is positioned directly over the heart, its Bio-Impedance Analysis (BIA) sensors capture clear, direct signals that are generated when the heart beats. Unlike wrist-based trackers that struggle to capture accurate data with movement, Petal provides high-fidelity Heart Rate (HR) and Heart Rate Variability (HRV) data throughout your active day.
- Advanced Cycle Tracking: Petal doesn’t rely on morning basal temperature, which can be affected by sleep quality or environment. Instead, our BIA sensors monitor natural shifts in breast hydration and ductal tissue density. These changes are directly correlated with your cycle phases and symptoms (like breast tenderness), allowing for accurate tracking without the need for sleep-tracking.
Is Petal right for me?
Is Petal suitable for women of all ages?
Petal is designed to support women 18+, providing them with measurable health data related to their heart, mind, body and cycle.
Does Petal work for all chest sizes?
Yes, Petal is one size. For the best accuracy, the sensors require snug contact with your body, so we recommend wearing Petal with a closer-fitting bra.
Can I wear Petal if I don't wear a bra?
For the best accuracy, Petal's sensors require snug contact with your body, so we recommend wearing Petal with a closer-fitting support-top or bralette if a traditional bra is not for you.
Will Petal work if you’ve had a mastectomy?
Yes. The electrodes need to make good contact with your body, so we recommend wearing Petal with a closer-fitting bra.
Is Petal safe to wear while pregnant or breastfeeding?
While Petal is safe to wear, we do not recommend wearing Petal when you are pregnant or breastfeeding, as changes in the fibroglandular tissue will cause the sensor readings to be inaccurate.
Can I wear Petal if I have a pacemaker or other implanted cardiac device?
No, we do not recommend wearing Petal with implanted cardiac devices such as a pacemaker or ICD.
Will Petal work with breast implants?
Yes, heart and mind metrics will function correctly; however, cycle and body composition metrics may be inaccurate.
Usage
Will my Petal come with one or two bra inserts?
Petal comes with two symmetrical thin bra inserts.
Petal’s sensors are only located on the left insert, as it’s closest to the heart. The right comfortable insert is included for balance and symmetry.
How often do I need to wear Petal?
One of the core benefits of Petal is that it works with your existing schedule and wardrobe. While Petal captures meaningful data every time you put it on, we recommend wearing it whenever you wear a bra or close-fitting support top to build the most comprehensive picture of your health. Consistent daily wear allows Petal to better understand your body’s natural fluctuations, identify long-term trends, and provide more personalized insights.
However, whether you wear Petal every day or just during your workouts, you’ll still receive accurate snapshots of your health metrics whenever you choose to wear it.
Is Petal water-resistant?
Yes, Petal is water-resistant and will withstand sweat, but cannot be soaked or fully submerged in water.
How do I clean my Petal?
Petal can be cleaned with any antibacterial wipe safe for use on the skin.
How long does Petal's battery last? How long does it take to charge?
Petal offers up to 18 days of use on a single charge and recharges completely in under one hour via the included USB cord.
Can I wear Petal at night?
Absolutely! If you chose to sleep in a bra or support top where Petal's sensors can make close contact with your skin, Petal can monitor your health at night too.
How do I replace my charger cable?
Charger cords will be available for purchase on the site once Petal begins to ship.
Safety
Is it safe to wear Petal on my chest?
Yes, Petal is guided by an unwavering commitment to the highest medical standards. Led by our Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Prionas—a breast radiation oncologist at one of the most prestigious medical institutions in the US—we ensure that clinical safety and medical accuracy are at the heart of every feature.
Petal uses advanced, medical grade bio-impedance sensors—the same safe, non-radiative technology trusted by medical professionals in clinical devices and BMI scales, but operating at significantly less power.
Additionally, Petal is crafted with premium, biocompatible materials, featuring soft European-knit fabrics and a polyurethane-coated interior that meets OEKO-TEX Standard 100 – a globally recognized certification ensuring they are tested for harmful substances and designed for safe, comfortable contact with your skin.
Does Petal use cellular radio or WIFI?
No, Petal functions entirely without WiFi or cellular radios.
Does Petal use Bluetooth® technology?
Yes, Petal uses Bluetooth® Low Energy (LE) technology, one of the safest wireless technologies available, for seamless communication with the Petal app. It operates at an incredibly low power level—significantly lower than typical smartwatches and fitness trackers.
Privacy
Do I have control over my data? Do you sell my data?
You have complete control over your data, and we do not sell or share your information to third parties without your consent.
If you consent, we will utilize anonymized and obfuscated health and demographic data for research purposes only. This research will involve analysis of statistical trends concerning the development, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer, cardiovascular conditions, and other disease conditions. This data will be owned by Us, but you can opt out of providing further anonymized data at any time by navigating to your account settings once you receive the product, download the app, and set up your account.
Learn more in our Privacy Policy.
I am very protective of my cycle data and do not want it stored. Do you have a solution?
Yes, you can enable Petal's Incognito Mode on your Petal app. With this setting, your cycle data is used briefly to generate your health insights and is then automatically purged after viewing.
Petal App & Membership
How much does Petal App Membership cost?
If you placed a pre-order, your first year of Petal membership is included with your purchase. After a year, you will be able to purchase another year of membership for $99 or $9.99/month.
We will be continuously updating our feature set as we complete the necessary clinical and regulatory steps, and every new feature will be included automatically with the membership
We will also offer opportunities to earn free future months of membership. Stay tuned!
How do I download and connect the Petal App?
Instructions will be included in the Quick Start Guide included in the box with your Petal.
The Petal App is compatible with iOS and Android.
Does Petal integrate with Apple Health and Health Connect by Android?
Yes! You can choose to sync your data with Apple Health or Health Connect by Android in the Petal app.
Orders & Payment
Can I use FSA/HSA? How does that work?
Most items available on the Petal online store, including taxes and shipping, can be reimbursed with HSA or FSA funds. Eligibility rules may vary by plan or employer, so we recommend checking with your HSA or FSA provider before making a purchase.
I placed a pre-order. When will I be charged the remainder of the cost after placing my deposit?
You will be charged the remainder of your balance when your Petal ships.
What do I do if I need to change my payment method before my Petal ships?
Please email us at hello@petal.today. When your Petal is ready to ship, we’ll send you an invoice to pay the remainder of your balance. When you click on the link to pay, you'll have the option to pay another way.
How do I track my pre-order?
After you place your order, you'll receive an email with a link to view your order status. Once your Petal is ready for shipment and you've been charged the outstanding balance, you’ll receive another email with tracking information.
How do I cancel my Pre-order?
Before shipment: You may request a refund of your preorder at any time before it ships. Please email us at hello@petal.today.
After shipment: Once your Petal is shipped, the standard return and warranty terms apply.
Refunds will be made to your original payment method within thirty (30) days of your refund request, unless otherwise required by law.
Shipping
What does shipping cost? What shipping methods are available?
Shipping is included in the purchase price. Orders will ship ground.
Where do you ship to?
We currently ship to the contiguous United States. We are not yet shipping to Alaska, Hawaii, or other U.S. territories, but plan to expand soon.
What do I do if I need to change my shipping address before Petal ships?
Please email us at hello@petal.today and we'd be more than happy to adjust your shipping address.
Returns & Warranty
What is Petal's return policy?
We want you to be fully satisfied with your purchase. If you’re not happy with Petal for any reason, you may return it under the terms outlined below.
You may return your Petal within 30 calendar days from the date of delivery, provided that:
- The device is in like-new condition, with no visible damage or excessive wear.
- All original packaging, accessories, manuals, and proof of purchase (e.g., order confirmation or receipt) are included.
- The device was purchased directly from our official online store.
Devices that are damaged, altered, or missing components may either be eligible for a partial refund or deemed non-returnable.
What is Petal’s warranty policy?
Upon delivery, the Product is covered by our standard limited warranty. The warranty covers defects in materials and workmanship for one (1) year from the date of delivery. It does not cover damage from misuse, accidents, unauthorized repairs, or normal wear and tear.
Still have questions? We're happy to help! Please email us at hello@petal.today and we will get back to you within 2 business days.
The Bluetooth® word mark and logos are registered trademarks owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and any use of such marks by Petal is under license. Other trademarks and trade names are those of their respective owners.