Imagine spending years with painful cramps, heavy bleeding, fatigue and fertility struggles, all while bouncing from doctor to doctor trying to figure out what’s causing them. That’s the stark reality for the more than 6 million women in the U.S. living with endometriosis.
There’s a reason it often goes underdiagnosed or misdiagnosed for so long: There’s no simple test for it and symptoms can manifest differently for different women or overlap with other health problems. The only way to know for sure that you have it is to go through laparoscopic surgery, which allows doctors to see if there’s endometrial tissue growing where it shouldn’t be. “The gold standard in diagnosis is surgical pathology,” Dr. Christine Greves, an ob-gyn at the Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women and Babies in Orlando, Fla., tells Yahoo. But surgery is invasive and time-consuming, and for many women, it isn’t an option they can afford.
But what if there was an easier, less invasive way? Thanks to advancements in technology, that’s becoming an option. Innovative diagnostic tests — some newly developed, others currently in the works — are using menstrual blood to look for biomarkers of endometriosis, as well as other reproductive conditions like uterine fibroids. These tests are as simple as inserting a tampon or putting a smart pad in underwear, allowing women to get answers quickly and painlessly.
While these tests aren’t mainstream just yet, doctors say they hold a lot of promise for the future.
The problem: Women with endometriosis and other reproductive health conditions can spend years in pain and discomfort before finding out what the problem is. Even once these conditions are suspected, surgery may be needed to get a definitive diagnosis.
By the numbers: It can take four to 11 years to get an endometriosis diagnosis. Many see four or five doctors (or more) before their pain is taken seriously, according to Yale Medicine.
The solution: Two newer, cutting-edge products are aiming to take the guesswork and long waits out of diagnosing endometriosis and similar reproductive health conditions.
Qvin’s Q-Pad, which is FDA-cleared and has been dubbed “a pad with a purpose,” features an embedded and removable strip to collect and analyze period blood. Once a sample has been collected, the strip is removed and sent to a lab for testing. The process of using Q-Pad is easy: A doctor orders the test, the patient uses it at home and results are delivered through the Qvin app.
“The Q-Pad is a non-invasive way to get access to endometrial tissue, which comes naturally and regularly,” Dr. Sara Naseri, chief executive officer and cofounder of Qvin, tells Yahoo. “This will enable women to get diagnosed faster and non-invasively. Because the Q-Pad is a modified menstrual pad, women can self-collect in the comfort of their own homes, which also means more women can get access to early diagnosis.”
In a similar vein, the NextGen Jane Smart Tampon, which is not yet cleared by the FDA, is a diagnostic tampon that collects menstrual blood to look for biomarkers of reproductive health conditions. “Our tampon-based system looks at molecular signals in tissue you naturally shed during your period and evaluates whether you might have endometriosis,” Ridhi Tariyal, chief executive officer of NextGen Jane, tells Yahoo. “We are trying to make diagnosis as simple as mailing in your tampon.”
NextGen Jane is still in development and currently has several clinical trials that are open for enrollment. “This product could change how people interact with their health,” Tariyal says. “It is hard to chase down symptoms you are having when you and your doctor are underpowered — meaning we collectively don’t have the tools to answer questions easily.” Tariyal says that women “intuitively know” when their monthly cycles may be a sign that something is off. “We are amplifying that intuition by going deeper and looking for actual molecular signals in a tampon,” she says.
Ob-gyns applaud the tests. “I love that people are thinking of ways to diagnose endometriosis and other conditions that don’t require surgery,” Greves says. Women’s health expert Dr. Jennifer Wider, cohost of the Open Wider podcast, tells Yahoo that the tests are a “pretty smart idea.”
“The shedding of the uterine lining provides the chance for people to collect on their own and send it to a lab,” Wider says. “The scientists can then look at cell markers and molecular signals and potentially speed a diagnosis of endometriosis and other diseases.”
There’s no getting around the fact that surgery is invasive, but Greves says the procedure can allow doctors to remove endometrial adhesions that form with endometriosis and ultimately help to reduce pain. “Finding out by tampon or pad will let someone know if they have a condition, but it won’t help with the pain,” she says.
Wider encourages checking in with your health care provider if you’re dealing with pain or other symptoms of endometriosis. They can give you a proper evaluation, as well as next steps to help you get relief.
Naseri urges women to think of their menstrual blood as an important tool. “Women should know that their period isn’t a waste product, but in fact a unique opportunity to get insights about their own health non-invasively and regularly,” she says. “These insights allow women to stay on top of what is going on in their bodies, which will ultimately prevent late-stage disease.”
