New Delhi: Apple has revealed new preliminary findings from the Apple Women’s Health Study, which underscore the importance of paying attention to menstrual cycles and their connection to overall health.
According to an Apple newsroom post, this is the first of its kind research study conducted with the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) that aims to advance in understanding menstrual cycles. and how they relate to various health conditions such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), sterilityand the menopausal transition.
What the findings revealed
The researchers of Harvard Chan School used survey data from the Apple Women’s Health Study to advance scientific understanding of the relationship between persistently abnormal periods, polycystic ovarian syndrome and endometrial hyperplasia, and cancer.
The study team found that 12 percent of participants reported a PCOS diagnosis. “Participants with PCOS had more than four times the risk of endometrial hyperplasia (pre-cancer of the uterus) and more than 2.5 times the risk of uterine cancer,” according to Apple.
Additionally, 5.7 percent of the participants reported that it took their cycles five years or more to reach cycle regularity after their first period. “Participants in this group had more than double the risk of endometrial hyperplasia and more than 3.5 times the risk of uterine cancer, compared with those who reported that their cycles took less than a year to reach regularity,” according to the findings.
“More awareness is needed about the physiology of the menstrual cycle and the impact of irregular periods and PCOS on uterine health,” said Shruthi Mahalingaiah, MD, MS, assistant professor of Environmental Reproduction and Women’s Health at Harvard Chan School and Co-Principal Investigator of the Apple Women’s Health Study.
“This analysis highlights the importance of speaking with a health care provider when menstruating women experience persistent changes in their period that last for many months. Over time, we hope our research may lead to new strategies to reduce disease risk and improve health throughout life.” The study team will carry out further analysis on these preliminary data for scientific publication.
