Startups like NextGen Jane are developing less invasive and more effective tests that promise to diagnose conditions like endometriosis through menstrual blood analysis. Emma Backlund's experience, reported on BBC Mundo, illustrates the chronic suffering of many women due to late diagnoses that can take between five and 12 years.

NextGen Jane asked Backlund for her period blood in 2023, who without hesitation saved 8 tampons from one menstrual cycle and mailed them to the company's lab in Oakland, California.

It took Backlund 13 years to discover that she had endometriosis, a chronic and debilitating disorder in which the tissue that lines the uterus begins to grow outside of it, the BBC reported. Endometriosis generally takes between 5 and 12 years to get a diagnosis.

What you can't skip is confirmation through laparoscopy, a medical procedure in which a small camera is inserted into the pelvic cavity, said Ridhi Tariyal, co-founder and CEO of NextGen Jane.

Endometriosis causes 190 million people worldwide - a tenth of women of reproductive age - to suffer from heavy periods, excruciating pelvic pain, bladder or bowel problems and even infertility.

menstrual blood

A complex fluid: Menstrual blood is composed not only of blood, but also of proteins, hormones and other components that offer essential information about reproductive health.

“You get access to cell types and other molecular characteristics that aren't possible with whole blood, saliva, or other types of samples,” Tariyal says.

Ongoing research: Studies have begun to identify specific biomarkers in menstrual blood that could help detect not only endometriosis, but also other serious conditions.

The NextGen Jane test “is basically a natural biopsy that provides information about the reproductive organs.”

Beyond endometriosis

Menstrual blood could be used to detect immune and metabolic diseases, such as thyroid problems and diabetes.

Companies like Qvin are leading the way, introducing products that make it easier to analyze health based on menstrual blood.

“Menstrual effluent is very valuable for understanding uterine health, which we don't have access to otherwise,” highlights Christine Metz, a reproductive biologist at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research at Northwell Health, in the United States. “It is a very unique biological sample.”

Challenges and opportunities

The menstruation taboo has limited the amount of research dedicated to this crucial topic for women's health.

With increasing attention and funding for women's health research, a transformation is anticipated that could lead to better understanding and treatment of conditions that affect millions of women.

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