Menstrual health is a very common and sensitive topic for us women, and yet it remains under-researched.

As someone who underwent ovarian surgery a few months ago, one of the things I learned from that experience is how reproductive health is often overlooked.

Usual symptoms like bloating, stomach cramps, and tiredness can be easily dismissed as “common” during periods. But these should always be monitored.

In fact, one out of ten women has Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), a health condition which can possibly affect fertility rate, menstrual cycles, changes in physical appearance, mental health, among other factors.

And yet, a huge percentage of women remains undiagnosed.

The Apple Women’s Study

This prevalent problem prompted Apple to create a digital study. It aims to gain a deeper understanding about the menstrual cycle and its relationship with a person’s overall health.

The Apple Women’s Study was launched in 2019 and is accessible via Apple Research App. It was done in collaboration with Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS).

Anyone living in the US who has ever menstruated can participate in the study. They simply need to download the app in their iPhone and sign up for the research.

With the help of period tracker Cycle Tracking on Apple Watch, or Cycle Tracking in the Health app on iPhone, participants’ menstrual cycle data and survey answers from the study will be analyzed, and help inform the development of innovative products for menstrual cycles, risk assessment, and screening of gynecologic conditions.

New Preliminary Findings

Harvard Chan School researchers used survey data from the Apple Women’s Health Study to advance the scientific understanding around the relationship between persistently abnormal periods, PCOS, and endometrial hyperplasia and cancer.

Looking at a preliminary analysis cohort of over 50,000 study participants, the study team found:

• 12 percent of participants reported a PCOS diagnosis. Participants with PCOS had more than four times the risk of endometrial hyperplasia (precancer of the uterus). And more than 2.5 times the risk of uterine cancer.
• 5.7 percent of participants reported their cycles taking five or more years to reach cycle regularity after their first period. Participants in that group had more than twice the risk of endometrial hyperplasia. More than 3.5 times the risk of uterine cancer, compared to those who reported their cycles took less than one year to reach regularity.

Previous interim updates

The Apple Women’s Health Study team has previously shared a number of other interim research updates that highlight how large-scale, longitudinal research on menstruation can help advance the science around this topic.

• Research published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology focuses on cycle deviations, like irregular or prolonged periods, which can be a sign of underlying conditions including PCOS, fibroids, malignancies, or infections. The study found cycle deviations were found in 16.4 percent of the study population. Black participants had a 33 percent higher prevalence of infrequent periods compared to white, non-Hispanic participants. Asian participants had a higher prevalence of irregular periods.
• Demonstrating just how common menstrual symptoms really are, researchers found 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. More than half of the participants who logged symptoms reported acne and headaches. Some less widely recognized symptoms, like diarrhea and sleep changes, were also tracked by 37 percent of participants logging symptoms.

After analyzing over 125,000 menstrual cycles, researchers found that participants experienced slightly longer menstrual cycles for cycles in which they received a COVID-19 vaccine. But participants’ cycles typically returned to prevaccination lengths the cycle after getting a vaccine.

How about data privacy?

According to Apple, participants can control the data types shared with the study. There’s transparency into how the data will be used for the purposes of the study.

What’s in it for users?

With iOS 16 and watchOS 9, the Cycle Tracking app can inform users if their logged cycle history from the previous six months shows a pattern of irregular periods, infrequent periods, prolonged periods, or persistent spotting. 

Users are also able to learn about the Cycle Deviation detected. They can then export the last 12 months of their cycle history as a PDF to share with their provider.

By participating in Apple Women’s Health Study, women can actively monitor their cycle and common symptoms.

In this way, participants contribute to a great cause which can create more reproductive health awareness and help other women understand their period cycles better. 

Apple Research App and Cycle Tracking is available on App Store.

Starting January 9, Apple Fitness+ users will enjoy more new offerings, from new workouts and trainers to new songs from Beyoncé.

Apple’s subscription-based fitness and wellness service has introduced a new total-body cardio Kickboxing workout under Fitness+.

Users can choose from 10-, 20-, or 30-minute-long variations which will be led by Jaime-Ray Hartshorne and Nez Dally.

In addition to the two new trainers, Brian Cochrane and Jenn Lau have been added to lead HIIT and Strength workouts, respectively.

Another new theme under Meditation, Sleep, has been launched, joining other themes like Calm, Gratitude, Resilience, and Creativity.

Sleep will consist of four 20-minute meditations that conclude with five minutes of relaxing music.

Everywhere else, Time to Walk gets new episodes, while two more Collections have been added to the Fitness+ roster: 6 Weeks to Restart Your Fitness and Level Up Your Core Training. 

Lastly, Artist Spotlight will feature new music from Beyoncé, including songs from her latest album RENAISSANCE. These will be available across Cycling, Dance, HIIT, Pilates, Strength, Treadmill, and Yoga exercises.

Succeeding Beyoncé in the next two weeks are Foo Fighters (January 16) and Bad Bunny (January 23).

With the new year just around the corner, a lot of people are bound to promise themselves a healthier 2023. However, a gym isn’t the most welcoming place for a newbie, especially those who don’t know what to do yet. If you’re struggling to start your 2023 right, Netflix is launching a library of fitness content from Nike before the current year ends.

Today, Netflix officially announced that Nike Training Club will release some of its videos on the streaming platform. Eventually totaling 30 hours of content, the library will teach both beginners and experienced users across a range of interests in the workout sphere.

Launching in two batches, the Nike Training Club will release its first batch on December 30. The first batch will include a total of 46 episodes spread throughout different series. These include Kickstart Fitness with the Basics, Two Weeks to a Stronger Core, Fall in Love with Vinyasa Yoga, HIT & Strength with Tara, and Feel-Good Fitness. Oh, and if you don’t have a gym or any equipment, you can still do some workouts on your own.

Currently, Netflix does not have a timeframe for the rest of the library. However, the platform promises more sometime in 2023. If you can’t wait, Nike Training Club also offers more content on its own app outside of Netflix.

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