Apple Highlights Women's Health Study Data to Help 'Destigmatize Menstruation'

In 2019, Apple partnered with the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the NIH's National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to launch a Women's Health Study through its Research app on the iPhone and Apple Watch.

apple womens health study
Apple today highlighted preliminary data from the study, offering insights on women and their menstrual symptoms. Among the first 10,000 participants to enroll in the study and respond to a demographics survey, the most frequently tracked symptoms were abdominal cramps, bloating, and tiredness, all of which were experienced by more than 60 percent of participants who logged symptoms, according to Apple's press release.

More than half of the participants who logged symptoms reported acne and headaches, based on the preliminary findings. Some less widely recognized symptoms, like diarrhea and sleep changes, were tracked by 37 percent of participants logging symptoms.

Apple said the preliminary data from the Women's Health Study "highlights how large-scale, longitudinal research on menstruation can help advance the science around women's health and destigmatize menstruation."

"These findings take us a step further in validating and destigmatizing period symptoms," said Dr. Sumbul Desai, Apple's vice president of Health. "Harvard Chan researchers are leaders in the field on this critically important subject, and we couldn't be more proud to support and help scale their efforts through the Research app."

Apple said the Women's Health Study aims to advance the understanding of menstrual cycles and how they relate to various health conditions, such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), infertility, and menopausal transition. Participants must be at least 18 years old (at least 19 years old in Alabama and Nebraska and at least 21 years old in Puerto Rico) and have menstruated at least once in their life.

Top Rated Comments

DocklandNightShift Avatar
27 months ago
Are they serious

What, exactly, is the “Stigma“ around a period

Their level of wokeness is reaching insane levels I never thought I’d see
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
thadoggfather Avatar
27 months ago

Please explain how a study that "aims to advance the understanding of menstrual cycles and how they relate to various health conditions" is related to insanity and/or the "left".
--

Next we should de-stigimitize that everyone poops perhaps. Except to a broader demographic of people of all ages, not just children, because some of us are pedantic children no matter how old we get and despite new information and life experiences! weeee

x

Attachment Image
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Darth Tulhu Avatar
27 months ago

Anything that's remotely a joke is "stigma" in the West. Literally nobody in the world cares. They know it's natural and it happens and it's okay to joke about it. America has a penchant for the dramatics as usual.
Or, it's a legitimate issue. Being dismissive helps no one.

I found these articles interesting, in case you're actually interested in finding out what this is truly about:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK565611/#:~:text=The%20stigma%20of%20menstruation%20has,revelation%20of%20one's%20menstrual%20status.

https://pha.berkeley.edu/2018/06/05/menstruation-stigma-must-stop-period/
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
SuperMatt Avatar
27 months ago


[HEADING=2]'Destigmatize Menstruation'[/HEADING]
what the..?!

First world issues?
Sorry, it’s mostly not a first world issue at all. Not realizing that it’s a problem - THAT is a first world issue.


For example, in Venezuela, many women are forced to sleep in huts for the duration of their menstruation. In rural Ghana, menstruating women are forbidden from entering a house with a man or cooking food. Many young women don’t have access to any type of sanitary pad, which can cause them to miss school and cause them to be 70% more likely to have reproductive tract infections ('http://soothehealthcare.com/wp-content/uploads/pdfs/Cervical-Cancer-Research-by-Ms-Divya-Ramaswamy.pdf').

In addition, in Kenya, studies have shown that girls will miss an average of four days of school each month — adding up to about 20% of the school year. Women face discrimination, harassment, and are looked down upon because of menstruation, as it is seen as a form of weakness rather than a necessary biological function.
Full article was posted earlier in the thread.

Good thing Apple is actively educating people about this issue. From the posts I see in this thread, the awareness level about this is very low.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Darth Tulhu Avatar
27 months ago
I was not aware menstrual cycles needed destigmatization!

As a husband of 23 years and a girl's father, this is good news and I'm glad Apple is taking an interest in women's (and actually, everyone's) health.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
CrashSpyroXP Avatar
27 months ago

I was not aware menstrual cycles needed destigmatization!

As a husband of 23 years and a girl's father, this is good news and I'm glad Apple is taking an interest in women's (and actually, everyone's) health.
Anything that's remotely a joke is "stigma" in the West. Literally nobody in the world cares. They know it's natural and it happens and it's okay to joke about it. America has a penchant for the dramatics as usual.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

dynamic island

iPhone 15 Dynamic Island to Include New Integrated Proximity Sensor

Friday March 24, 2023 12:27 am PDT by
This year, all iPhone 15 models will include Apple's Dynamic Island that unifies the pill and hole cutouts at the top of the display, but there will also be a material change to the feature that wasn't included in the iPhone 14 Pro models. According to a new tweet by Apple industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the proximity sensor on the iPhone 15 series will be integrated inside the Dynamic Island ...
apple park at night 1

Apple 'Tracking Employee Attendance' in Crackdown on Remote Working

Thursday March 23, 2023 3:41 am PDT by
Apple is tracking the attendance of its employees at offices using badge records in order to ensure they are coming in at least three times a week, according to Platformer's Zoë Schiffer. Since April 2022, Apple employees have been operating on a hybrid home/office work policy as part of a gradual return strategy following the pandemic, with staff required to work from the office at least...
iphone 14 pro max deep purple feature purple

iPhone 15 Pro Rumor Recap: 10 New Features and Changes to Expect

Thursday March 23, 2023 6:42 am PDT by
While the iPhone 15 series is still around six months away from launching, there have already been plenty of rumors about the devices. Many new features and changes have been rumored for the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max in particular. Below, we have recapped 10 changes rumored for iPhone 15 Pro models that are not expected to be available on the standard iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus:A1...
maxresdefault

Nothing Launches $149 Ear (2) Wireless Earbuds to Compete With AirPods Pro 2

Wednesday March 22, 2023 9:48 am PDT by
Nothing today announced the launch of its second-generation wireless earbuds, the Nothing Ear (2), which offer many of the same features as Apple's AirPods Pro 2 at a lower price point. We went hands-on with the Ear (2) earbuds to see whether they're a viable alternative to the AirPods Pro 2 for those who want to save some cash. The Ear (2) earbuds are the successor to the Nothing Ear (1),...
TMobile Sprint

Apple Stops Allowing Sprint iPhone Activations, Removes Sprint References From Online Store

Thursday March 23, 2023 12:06 pm PDT by
Apple is no longer allowing customers who purchase an iPhone, cellular iPad, or Apple Watch to activate a device with now-defunct mobile carrier Sprint. Apple has also removed remaining references to Sprint from its online store. When checking out with a new purchase, Sprint is no longer an option for connectivity, a change that Apple appears to have implemented today. Prior to now, Sprint...
iOS 16

iOS 16.4 for iPhone Nearing Launch With These 5 New Features

Monday March 20, 2023 11:50 am PDT by
Apple says iOS 16.4 is coming in the spring, which began this week. In his Sunday newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said the update should be released "in the next three weeks or so," meaning a public release is likely in late March or early April. iOS 16.4 remains in beta testing and introduces a handful of new features and changes for the iPhone. Below, we have recapped five new features ...
Hero0009

Best Apple Deals of the Week: Samsung's Smart Monitor M8 Gets Massive $250 Discount, Along With Year's Best AirPods Prices

Friday March 24, 2023 10:23 am PDT by
We saw a lot of great deals on Apple products and related accessories this week, including Samsung's iMac-like Smart Monitor M8 for $250 off, a 30 percent off spring sale at Anker, and the year's best prices on numerous AirPods models. All of these deals are still available to purchase right now, so we're recapping them and more below. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these ...
top stories 25mar2023

Top Stories: iPhone 15 Pro Design Leak, iOS 16.4 Coming Soon, and More

Saturday March 25, 2023 6:00 am PDT by
We're still almost six months away from the official unveiling of the iPhone 15 lineup, but it seems like every day we're learning more about what to expect from the next-generation models. Notably, this week gave us our clearest look yet at what appear to be some changes for the volume and mute control hardware. iOS 16.4 and associated releases are also right around the corner with some new ...