In a world where over 1.8 billion people menstruate, the science around menstrual blood has barely evolved. But a team of Swiss researchers is breaking that silence with MenstruAI, a new pad-integrated technology that uses menstrual blood to detect early markers of inflammation, endometriosis, and even cancer. It’s a radical reframing of a bodily function long pushed into the shadows — and a reminder of how much women’s health stands to gain when we finally pay attention.
Researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH) have developed, for the first time, a pad technology that detects biomarkers in menstrual blood. The device, called MenstruAI, promises to diagnose conditions like endometriosis — and even certain cancers — earlier and with minimal invasion. Here’s how it works: you wear the pad, which contains an integrated sensor, and once you’ve used it, you photograph it and upload the image to an app that analyses the sample.
Endometriosis affects an estimated 11% of women of reproductive age and often causes severe pain. Yet doctors can diagnose it only through surgery, and women typically wait about ten years before receiving a confirmed diagnosis.
The untapped science of menstrual blood
What’s striking, the researchers note, is how little medical science has studied menstrual blood, despite the fact that more than 1.8 billion women worldwide menstruate. “This reflects a systemic lack of interest in women’s health,” said Lucas Dosnon, lead author and PhD candidate at the University of Zurich.
“Until now, people have treated period blood as something useless. We show that it is actually a valuable source of information,” Dosnon added. Menstrual blood contains hundreds of proteins, and fluctuations in those proteins may signal a range of diseases — including endometriosis and ovarian cancer.
The Swiss researchers are focusing on C-reactive protein, a general marker of inflammation; the cancer marker CEA, which typically rises across many cancer types; and the protein CA-125, which increases in cases of endometriosis and ovarian cancer. They are also studying additional protein-based biomarkers that may be added to the testing panel as the technology evolves.
Read also: How I switched careers spurred by an endometriosis diagnosis at 40
A simple, affordable tool that could save lives
Following an initial trial with a small group of volunteers, the scientists now plan to test MenstruAI on more than a hundred additional participants — this time in real-world conditions. They are also working with designers to optimise the user experience.
If the next phase succeeds, MenstruAI could become a simple and affordable diagnostic tool — one that may even save lives. Crucially, it would do so by relying on a bodily function long shrouded in taboo. “When we talk about caring for our health, we simply cannot exclude half of humanity,” says University of Zurich professor Inge Herrmann, noting that even in scientific circles, menstruation remains a taboo topic. Dosnon adds: “Bold initiatives must break entrenched behaviour patterns and finally give women’s health the attention it deserves.”
This story was originally published by MC Team on the Marie Claire Greece website.
Translated and syndicated for Marie Claire Nigeria by Denise Eseimokumoh
