Apple reveals findings from menstrual health research study

Apple has published preliminary findings from its research study, aiming to advance the conversation around menstrual health.

The Apple Women’s Health Study, conducted with the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), is supposed to help researchers advance the understanding of menstrual cycles and how they relate to various health conditions, including persistently abnormal periods, PCOS, infertility and endometrial hyperplasia.

Looking at a preliminary analysis cohort of over 50,000 study participants, the study team have found that 12 per cent of participants reported a PCOS diagnosis.

Participants with PCOS had more than four times the risk of endometrial hyperplasia – precancer of the uterus – and more than two and a half times the risk of uterine cancer.

Additionally, over five per cent of participants reported their cycles taking five or more years to reach cycle regularity after their first period, having more than twice the risk of endometrial hyperplasia and more than three and a half times the risk of uterine cancer, compared with those who reported their cycles took less than one year to reach regularity.

These updates, Harvard researchers say, are a first step for helping people understand risk factors for these diseases, and encouraging people to have conversations with their healthcare providers about cycle irregularity earlier.

“More awareness on menstrual cycle physiology and the impact of irregular periods and PCOS on uterine health is needed,” explains Dr Shruthi Mahalingaiah, Harvard Chan School’s assistant professor of environmental reproductive and women’s health and co-principal investigator of the Apple Women’s Health Study.

“This analysis highlights the importance of talking to a healthcare provider when menstruators are experiencing persistent changes to their period that span many months.

“Over time, we hope our research can lead to new strategies to reduce disease risk and improve health across the lifespan.”

The Apple Women’s Health Study invites women from the US to contribute to scientific research by enrolling via the Apple Research app.

The study enables participants to share their cycle tracking data, along with other health data from iPhone, and Apple Watch.

The team have previously shared a number of other interim research updates that highlight how large-scale, longitudinal research on menstruation can help advance the science around this topic.

Research published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology focused on cycle deviations, which can be a sign of underlying conditions including PCOS, fibroids, malignancies, or infections.

It found cycle deviations were found in 16.4 per cent of the study population, with black participants having a 33 per cent higher prevalence of infrequent periods compared to white, non-Hispanic participants. Asian participants had a higher prevalence of irregular periods.

The most frequently tracked symptoms were abdominal cramps, bloating, and tiredness, the study also found, all of which were experienced by more than 60 per cent of participants who logged their symptoms .

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