Biobank aims to improve understanding of menstrual health

Getty/BABYCH ARTEM

By Olivia Bowthorpe

A new research project aims to improve understanding of menstrual health by gathering samples and information on individuals' periods, symptoms, lifestyle and biological changes.

Researchers say menstrual health can provide important information about overall health, but high-quality data on menstrual experiences is currently limited.

The CycleTrack study is being led by researchers from the University of Exeter and the University of Bristol who wish to create one of the world’s largest biobanks of menstrual fluid.

Gemma Sharp, professor of epidemiology at Exeter's School of Psychology, told Doctors.net.uk: "The menstrual cycle is an indicator of systemic health and routinely asking about symptoms like heavy menstrual bleeding could help identify conditions like iron deficiency.

"However, people are often not aware that their periods would be classified as heavy, and the impact of heavy bleeding varies across different populations and contexts."

The team is hoping to identify other lifestyle factors and biomarkers that could feed into a diagnostic tool to identify women at risk of harm because of their heavy menstrual bleeding.