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Period Blood: A New Health Diagnostic Tool?
9 Mar
Summary
- Period blood can offer insights into women's health conditions.
- Emma Backlund experienced severe pain for 13 years before diagnosis.
- Endometriosis affects one in ten reproductive-aged women globally.
Period blood is increasingly recognized by scientists as a vital indicator of women's overall wellbeing. It offers a potential window into conditions ranging from endometriosis and cervical cancer to diabetes and vitamin D deficiency. This biological fluid is also being studied in relation to environmental factors like pollution exposure.
Emma Backlund, a graduate student from Minnesota, readily contributed her menstrual blood to a biotech startup in 2023. She recalled experiencing severe pain from her first period at age 11, which persisted for thirteen years before her endometriosis diagnosis. This condition, affecting one in ten women of reproductive age globally, causes significant pelvic pain and can lead to infertility.
Biotech firms, such as NextGen Jane, are actively collecting and analyzing menstrual blood samples. Backlund's contribution involved saving eight tampons from one cycle and mailing them to their laboratory in Oakland, California. The goal of this research is to leverage menstrual blood for more accessible and comprehensive women's health diagnostics.
