menstruation
Latest
Apple needs to take fertility tracking more seriously
Apple could eliminate the need for third-party period tracking apps with dubious privacy policies. But first, it has to improve the app it has.
Samsung finally adds period tracking to its Health app
The Samsung Health app is finally offering a long-awaited feature: period tracking. According to SamMobile, Samsung is rolling out an update, version 6.9.0.055, which adds a new women's health category and allows users to track their menstrual cycles.
Apple debuts Research app with new iPhone and Watch health studies
Apple has released its Research app and opened up its latest iPhone and Watch health studies, just after the results of its heart-rate project with Stanford emerged. This time around, it's hoping to uncover insights about women's health, heart and movement and hearing.
Garmin's fitness watches are getting period-tracking via an update
Garmin has added a feature for tracking menstrual cycles to its line of connected wearables and smartwatches. Women can now track their menstrual cycle and log symptoms through the Garmin Connect app. They can opt-in to receive reminders for periods and fertility windows on their Garmin smartwatches or wearables. With its new period tracker, Garmin joins other major fitness tracking apps such as Fitbit and Apple Health in giving their female users an option to track their reproductive health.
Natural Cycles says contraceptive app is more effective than the pill
Contraceptive app Natural Cycles is more effective than the pill, according to the latest and largest study into the app's efficacy. After testing 22,785 women throughout 224,563 menstrual cycles, the startup found the app provided 99 percent contraceptive effectiveness if used perfectly. If used "typically", the app was 93 percent effective. The contraceptive pill, meanwhile, is 91 percent effective.
Scientists recreate the female menstrual cycle on a chip
Scientists don't understand as much as they'd like about the female reproductive system, both due to their historical exclusion from studies and the challenge in replicating the complexities of that anatomy. At last, however, there's progress. Researchers have developed an organ on a chip that models a woman's entire reproductive system, including menstruation and hormone-induced responses. It clearly doesn't look like the real thing (see above), but numerous key behaviors are present.
Who needs a smart tampon when you have common sense?
Does the idea of a "smart tampon" have any value?
Doctors look into the best ways to deal with periods in space
Two doctors have explored female astronauts' options when it comes to suppressing their periods in space, especially for long-haul missions. While we already know by now that there are no menstrual issues associated with microgravity, some (if not most) might still consider it a huge hassle. Who'd want to deal with a heavy flow in the middle of a spacewalk? According to Varsha Jain, nobody. Jain, one of the two doctors who already works closely with NASA, told The Atlantic: "The women that I spoke to, for short duration flights, when they went up on shuttle missions, they chose either to suppress or they chose to time their cycles, so they didn't have to deal with their menstruation..."
ICYMI: Self-driving taxis, menstruation tech and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-230093{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-230093, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-230093{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-230093").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: The self-driving car service Robot Taxi is planning on testing in Japan soon and if all goes well, will roll out legitimate taxi services within the next five years. A new product techs out the cup some women use while menstruating so that the app can tell when it needs to be emptied. And Disney is creating squishy robot skin made for holding delicate things and we are afraid. We all know where this is going, yeah?
