by Menstrual cycle data should be routinely documented by medical experts and researchers because they can be used as an indicator of other health problems, according to experts.
This information – including cycle length, regularity, intensity and duration of the bleeding – is not routinely collected in health systems or research, unless reproductive problems are assessed.
According to experts who write in the Lancet birthday, gynecology and health of women, this lack of documentation has led to a relatively fundamental understanding of the effects of menstrual cycles on health as well as the underdiagnosis and neglect of concerns in connection with menstruation such as pain and severe bleeding.
These menstrual cycle properties can be indicators of diseases such as diabetes, thyroid diseases, polycystic ovarian syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
In England, information about the menstrual cycle of a patient is not routinely collected by members of the health professions, in contrast to other measures such as BMI, blood pressure and cholesterol.
According to the largest survey of their kind, more than a quarter of women in England live a serious problem with reproductive health. Experts said that “systemic, operational, structural and cultural problems” prevent women from accessing care.
Almost a fifth (19%) of women who took part in the study had severe pain over the period last year, and 40% of the respondents stated that severe menstrual bleeding.
Last year, a report by the parliamentary committee for women and equality showed that women and girls have years of pain because their reproductive conditions are released due to “medical women’s enemy”.
Dr. Ranee Thakar, the President of the Royal College of Obstricians and Gynecologists, said: “Serious conditions such as fibroids and endometriosis can have devastating effects on almost every aspect of a person’s life, including the effects on their physical and mental health and their ability to work and establish contacts.
“Too often systemic, operational, structural and cultural problems mean that women do not receive care they deserve, and our current system is risks to anchor the health inequalities that we can see in these findings.”
The authors of the study came to the conclusion: “The menstrual cycle is an unused but powerful instrument for understanding the gynecological and general health. It acts as an important sign of the entire lifespan, which provides crucial information that becomes the management and monitoring of clinical treatment and symptoms and the screening and the preventive care can be informed.
“The detection of the menstrual cycle as an essential health indicator will strengthen health services and influence research with regard to the disciplines. This recognition will also improve the health of women throughout their life.”
In recent years, the devices for the time tracking have been asked, but there are concerns about personal data and information from private companies. Public health authorities such as the NHS have been asked to develop their own rival apps to protect data.
NHS England was addressed for a comment.
