Over the last decade, Apple has teamed up with various institutions to study various aspects of human health. Inspired by the Apple Heart Study conducted in the year 2019, in conjunction with Stanford, these three studies, focused respectively on heart health and movement, hearing loss, and women’s health, were conducted with prestigious partners.
Many physicians regard women’s menstrual cycles as an important window into their overall health, but the topic is notably under-researched.
Apple iOS Study
In September 2019, Apple initiated a study where iOS users can officially download Apple’s new Research app and sign up for one or more of the three studies the company announced at its WWDC event.
Based on 10,000 participants and inclusive of varying ages and races across the US, 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,”
Dr. Sumbul Desai, Apple’s vice president of Health.
The Apple Women’s Health Study is a 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.
Menstrual Symptoms: Common & Uncommon
Out of the first 10,000 participants who enrolled and responded to the demographics survey, 6,141 participants tracked period symptoms.
- The most commonly tracked symptom 83% was abdominal cramps,
- Bloating at 63% was the second most reported symptom,
- Tiredness was the third with 61% of participants responded,
- Acne (54%),
- Headache (53%),
- Mood changes and appetite by 50%,
- 48% reported lower back pain,
- 46% reported breast tenderness,
- Diarrhea and sleep changes were reported by 37%,
- Constipation and nausea were each reported by 32%, and
- The least reported symptoms were hot flashes (22%) and ovulation pain (20%).
Although menstruation is unique from person to person, women, girls, and people with menstrual cycles are not alone in their period journeys.
The Apple Women’s Health Study is working to end stigma, normalize the experience of symptoms, and expand knowledge of how to address a variety of health challenges.
