Is menstrual fluid ‘the most overlooked opportunity’ in women’s health?

The Guardian recently reported that period blood has long been thought of as ‘stinky and useless’, but startups are exploring using the fluid to test for a wide range of health conditions — including endometriosis.

Katherine Burns, an associate professor in the Department of Environmental and Public Health Sciences at the University of Cincinnati's College of Medicine, lives with endometriosis. Her lab is working on a diagnostic test for the condition based on a set of cellular abnormalities. Her lab collects menstrual fluid samples using menstrual cups for further analysis. 

Yet menstrual cup collection, as it stands, could be a barrier. The cups can be messy, prone to spills and difficult to insert and remove, particularly for someone who has pelvic pain or for teenagers. Other researchers say developing a more comfortable and less spillable cup is a goal.

Nonetheless, the good news for those with endometriosis, Burns notes, is that there are multiple irons in the fire. “We are all working towards the same goal to help diagnose endometriosis without surgery,” she said. “Do I hope and wish and pray that any of them are correct? You bet.”

Burns had to pause development on her diagnostic test because it was unfunded. See below to give to her research fund.

Read the full article in The Guardian.

Featured image at top: A woman holds a menstrual cup and storage pouch in her hands. Photo/iStock/Prostock-Studio.