Apple's women health study reveals key insights on menstrual cycle

Apple's health study reveals wide range of menstrual cycle symptoms including some that are less commonly known or discussed.

Apple Women’s Health Study team in collaboration with Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health released a preliminary report offering insights on women's menstrual health.

The report is based on the feedback from more than 10,000 voluntary participants wearing Apple Watch via a special Research application. It is said to be the first-of-its-kind research study that aims to advance the understanding of menstrual cycles and how they relate to various health conditions such as polycystic ovary syndrome, infertility, and the menopausal transition.

Apple's health study revealed a wide range of menstrual cycle symptoms including some that are less commonly known or discussed.

Over 60% of women reported abdominal cramps, bloating, and tiredness during menstruation. Also, more than 50% of respondents also revealed they developed acne and suffered headaches too.

Around 37 percent of participants logged in some less widely recognized symptoms, like diarrhea and sleep changes.

The interesting thing to note is that the symptoms were reported in a wide range of demographies including age, race (Black, Hispanic, and white), and geographic locations.

Women can track their menstrual cycles on Apple Watch and iPhone via the native Health app. Picture Credit: Apple

“The preliminary data we are sharing today suggests women across the country have a shared experience of a wide range of menstrual symptoms, and that this natural monthly occurrence is something we should be having more discussions about,” said Dr. Shruthi Mahalingaiah, one of the study’s principal investigators and an assistant professor of environmental, reproductive, and women’s health at the Harvard Chan School.

“We look forward to continuing our work to create a long-term, foundational data set over time, which can inspire more research going forward,” Dr. Shruthi Mahalingaiah added.

For now, the Apple Research app is available only in the US. Women can participate anonymously to log in their symptoms during the menstruation cycle. This information will be collected and matched with other participants to do research on women's health.

Most of the time, symptoms of menstruations are dismissed or even minimised as overreaction or oversensitivity. The publishing of the report to the media is an attempt to destigmatise menstruation as it is a natural biological process and can be openly discussed with friends and family.

The full detailed report on women's menstruation health is expected to be published soon and also be sent to peer review and journal publication.

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