More and more women track and monitor it through mobile apps

Applications to record daily steps, glasses of water we have drunk, books read, movies watched, progress in the language we are learning… Measuring and quantifying different aspects of our lives has gone beyond the workplace – where tasks, calls or overtime are recorded – to extend to the field of sport, culture or leisure.

Technology today allows us to record activities, habits and daily changes that not so long ago were outside of any measurement. This logic has also been extended to the field of health, and especially women’s health. Applications to follow the menstrual cycle They are already common tools: some of the best known, such as Flo or Clue, exceed 100 and 50 million downloads, respectively.

And that trend is not limited to women of reproductive age. In recent years, applications designed specifically for perimenopause and menopause have also begun to proliferate, a stage traditionally much less visible. Kala Health, My Menopause either Balance are some examples of this new niche – although many apps focused on the menstrual cycle also incorporate functions to detect hormonal changes or accompany the transition to menopause.

From taboo topic to public conversation

The menopause –biological event characterized by the permanent cessation of menstruation and the end of the reproductive period as a result of the loss of ovarian follicular activity– and perimenopause –transition stage before menopause– have historically been described by professionals as invisible periods in a woman’s life. There are research that delve into how “the stigma and taboos” surrounding these stages “foster a culture of silence and a marked lack of support.”

However, professionals such as Juan José Escribano Tórtola, head of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Service of the Severo Ochoa University Hospitalcelebrate the move from “absolute ostracism” – even among health professionals – a few years ago to “greater information about these periods of women’s lives.” He comments: “More and more women come to our consultations to find out about possible treatments and/or measures related to their health at this stage, and more and more professionals are concerned about finding complete solutions (…) to improve the quality of life of our patients.”

Although media coverage continues to be scarce, according to Irene Mira, a journalist specialized in women’s health, social networks, specialized associations – such as Spanish Association for the Study of Menopause (AEEM)— and other dissemination channels – such as books, podcasts, websites or blogs – are facilitating the dissemination of information about menopause and perimenopause.

And it is precisely in this increase in visibility (and greater predisposition of women to inform yourself) where the rise of applications that allow tracking these stages is framed. In fact, Dr. Pilar Valenzuela Mazo, a gynecologist specializing in menopause at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile and creator and host of the podcast Menopause for everyonesees a clear trend in her patients: “More and more women come to the consultation using applications, either to record symptoms or to learn about menopause.”

This is how menopause apps work

Although each platform has its own focus, most apps focused on menopause and perimenopause share the same promise: helping users understand what is happening to them in this new stage of their lives.

These tools usually combine several layers. The first is the symptom log: hot flashes, insomnia, menstrual irregularities, mood changes, vaginal dryness, changes in libido, pain, energy or sleep problems are some of the parameters that allow writing down to detect patterns. Added to this is a second, also common function: explanatory health content. Many include articles, guides or “encyclopedias” on menopause and perimenopause, with information on symptoms, treatments, healthy habits or sexual health.

In addition to this offer, some applications include digital accompaniment. It is the case of Kala Healthone of the few tools available completely in Spanish. Talia Leibovitz, CEO of Kala Health, highlights the “community of support among women” and “the possibility of accessing professionals from different areas, such as gynecology, nutrition or mental health.” Explain to Xataka that the intention is to “offer reliable information, monitoring tools and professional support in one place” for a phase that can last years and affect both physical and mental health.

Although these are applications with a very specific audience, some of these applications are beginning to show that there is real interest. In the English-speaking market, tools like Balance already have more than 100,000 downloads, while in Spanish the development is much more incipient: applications like Mi Menopause or Kala Health currently have around 10,000 and 3,000 downloads respectively.

They can be useful (but not a substitute)

For medical professionals and those in the technology sector, the main value of these applications is found in their ability to organize an experience that is often experienced as chaotic. In perimenopause, for example, symptoms can appear intermittently and be confused with stress, insomnia, anxiety or specific changes in the cycle. Recording them can help detect patterns and better understand what is happening in the face of a medical consultation.

That’s where doctors and developers agree: digital tracking can be useful if it works as a support tool. The gynecologist specializing in menopause Valenzuela Mazo explains that keeping a record of symptoms helps women come to the consultation with the information “more organized” and, when the data is consistent, it can help the professional better understand the evolution of the condition.

Along the same lines, the head of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Service Escribano Tórtola maintains that this type of monitoring can be “very useful” for doctors and that, in fact, it is already being implemented in many specialized units.

The usefulness, furthermore, is not only clinical. In a field marked by the historical deficit of research in women’s health, the data collected by these applications is also beginning to have scientific value. Some are already being used as a basis for studies on quality of life during menopauseas occurs with research supported by the information collected by My Menopause, the app developed by the AEEM.

And furthermore, beyond clinical and research applications, the CEO of Kala Health highlights that the use of these tools can reduce the feeling of isolation, by combining community and support.

Public reviews of these apps reinforce that idea of ​​usefulness. Among those who value them positively, three benefits are repeated: putting order to the symptoms, better understanding what is happening and feeling accompanied. “Very easy and clear, to record all your symptoms and control your periods and changes,” writes, for example, the user “Perona” of an Anglo-Saxon application.

In the case of apps in Spanish, Déborah Orozco highlights how the tool has allowed her to “understand this process”, while Irene Morrill highlights something less tangible but also important: the feeling of support and “normality” that the app gives her. Among the positive evaluations, some users point out something to improve: the most famous tools are not translated into Spanish and there is less variety of options in our language.

Once its benefits are clear, professionals do not fail to point out its limitations: an app does not diagnose, does not interpret the complete context and does not replace an individualized assessment. Valenzuela warns that many of these applications are not designed with sufficient medical or scientific support and can oversimplify situations that require clinical evaluation. There is also the risk that some users will try to interpret their symptoms on their own or even start treatments without professional guidance.

Escribano Tórtola summarizes it: “It must be explained to the patient that it is a clinical and therapeutic support tool (…) It is not a miracle cure.” Their role should be limited to helping record, contextualize and better prepare the conversation with the healthcare professional; accompany without substituting.

Menopause, new market opportunity

For the journalist specialized in women’s health Irene Mira, the emergence and “boom” of these tools reminds her of the case of apps to track menstruation: The technology industry knew how to detect a need and turn it into a business opportunity. Some experts and disseminators already use the term menowashing to describe the combination between “the breaking of a taboo” with the “risk of a new form of commercial instrumentalization of the female body.”

As happened with part of the discourse around menstruation, menopause is beginning to appear wrapped in an ecosystem of solutions, products and promises that range from apps and supplements to cosmeticunderwear or wellness programs. They see the risk that the visibility of this stage is crossed by the logic of consumption.

At the same time, the rise of these applications does not mean that all women are waiting for an app. For some, the very idea of ​​monitoring menopause on a mobile phone seems alien or even unnecessary. María – a 62-year-old woman who prefers to keep her identity protected –, who went through this stage years ago, assures that she did not even know that these types of tools existed now: “What’s the point of applications? Years ago there were no apps, there was word of mouth.”

Although she admits that she could use them if a doctor “with arguments” recommended them, she perceives that menopause is becoming “excessively technological” and that these tools fit above all with a very specific profile: women accustomed to to record everything on your mobilefrom steps to sleep. Ana, who has just entered this stage, was also not aware of these applications and does not feel that she needs them: she has not felt the need to monitor symptoms and, although she recognizes that they may be of interest to other women, her reaction to the rise of this type of tools is similar: yes, menopause is becoming technological.

That’s where the boom femtech finds its great paradox. Menopause continues to be a historically underserved stage, with little public conversation and a lot of misinformation, but this debt also makes it especially fertile ground for commercialization.

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