Technology is constantly evolving, and as it does, it presents us with new ways to improve our lives. This is especially true for women with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), which affects 10% of women of childbearing age.
Women with PCOS are often faced with a complex combination of issues that can be difficult to manage, but the right apps can make it easier. Here are some the best apps out there for women with PCOS.
Table of Contents
Best Apps For Pcos
An analysis of polycystic ovary syndrome symptoms using a menstrual tracking app shows common traits of the disorder may be broader than Rotterdam criteria symptoms, according to data published in Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology.
Tarun Jain
“Our findings are based on the largest known PCOS data set and indicate that PCOS phenotypes are complex and vary significantly between countries,” Tarun Jain, MD, associate professor and medical director, division of reproductive endocrinology and infertility, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, told Healio. “The most frequently reported symptoms — bloating, facial hirsutism, irregular cycles, hyperpigmentation and baldness — are broader than those included in the present criteria to diagnose PCOS. Bloating was the most frequently reported symptom and appeared to be the main predictor of PCOS in our model.”
Bloating, high glucose, and high cholesterol plus high glucose are three of the top predictors for PCOS. Data were derived from Jain T, et al. Reprod Biol Endocrinol. 2021;doi:10.1186/s12958-021-00719-y.
Flo is a widely used female health and well-being app with period tracking functionality that provides a globally representative and medically unbiased perspective on PCOS symptomatology, the researchers wrote. As Healio previously reported, such apps are part of a growing effort to provide women with digital tools to better track menses and reproductive health concerns, and hundreds of apps are now available to track cycle length.
For this study, a chatbot dialogue on PCOS was administered on the Flo app to users from 142 countries with at least 100 respondents who have the app running in English during September and October 2019. The dialogue included 18 questions related to reproductive and general health. Researchers then selected the five countries with the greatest number of respondents: the U.S. (n = 243,238), the United Kingdom (n = 68,325), India (n = 40,092), the Philippines (n = 35,131) and Australia (n = 29,926).
PCOS diagnosis status was determined based on user response to the question, “Have you been checked by a doctor for PCOS recently?” Users who replied “no” were excluded from the analysis. Across the five countries, 14.4% self-reported a PCOS diagnosis (n = 59,871), 8.1% self-reported a negative PCOS status (n = 33,824) and 77.5% had not been recently checked by a physician (n = 323,017). The mean age of women was 27 years.
In four of the top five countries, the most frequently reported symptom among women with a PCOS diagnosis was bloating, observed in 73.8% of U.S. women, 78.6% of U.K. women, 80.4% of women in Australia, and 75.4% of women in the Philippines. Bloating was also a main predictor of PCOS in the researchers’ model, with an OR of 3.76 (95% CI, 3.6-3.94). Additional top predictors of PCOS were high glucose level, with an OR of 2.88 (95% CI, 2.67-3.12); and high blood cholesterol and glucose levels, with an OR of 3.56 (95% CI, 3.26-3.88). Other frequently reported symptoms among all women with a PCOS diagnosis were facial hirsutism (65.47%) and irregular cycles (68.14%), as well as hyperpigmentation among women living in the Philippines (68.46%) and India (66.53%).
Additionally, as BMI increased, the percentage of women who reported a physician-confirmed PCOS diagnosis also increased; however, women in India did not follow this trend.
“The clinical presentation and diagnosis of PCOS may not be straightforward, given the significant variability in its symptoms among women from different parts of the world,” Jain told Healio. “Future work should reevaluate and consider refining the criteria used in diagnosing and caring for the many women with PCOS around the world.”
For more information:
Tarun Jain, MD, can be reached at tarun.jain@nm.org; Twitter: @TarunJainMd.
PERSPECTIVE
BACK TO TOP Andrea Dunaif, MD)
Andrea Dunaif, MD
We are beginning to get a wealth of information about reproductive health from the widespread adoption of menstrual cycle tracking apps, including a recent analysis published in NPJ Digital Medicine (Bull JR, et al. NPJ Digit Med. 2020; doi:10.1038/s41746-019-0152-7). The article is interesting because the massive sample size likely makes the findings of self-reported PCOS fairly robust. The presence of hirsutism and irregular cycles among those women reporting PCOS supports the accuracy of the diagnosis. Therefore, the finding of bloating as the most prevalent symptom of PCOS is intriguing.
It is unfortunate that there is not more information on what is meant by this symptom. Does it signify the presence of fluid retention? Menstrual cycle bloating usually implies progesterone-mediated fluid retention and is considered as a moliminal symptom related to ovulation.
The next step in better understanding bloating as a symptom of PCOS would be to contact a sample of women for interviews or at least to add questions further probing what is meant by bloating. Otherwise, the findings are consistent with what is known about PCOS symptomatology and racial/ethnic variations in these symptoms. Therefore, the findings support the use of this app for identifying women with PCOS, which could be a boon for recruitment and monitoring of women for PCOS-related research studies.
Andrea Dunaif, MD
Endocrine Today Editorial Board Member
Professor, Chief of the Hilda and J. Lester Gabrilove Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Bone Disease
Mount Sinai Health System
pcos challenge app
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common hormonal condition affecting up to 1 in 5 women of childbearing age. A healthy diet, regular exercise and generally staying healthy is the best way to manage the common symptoms of PCOS.
In a bid to help bring quality healthcare into the 21st century, researchers at SPHPM’s Monash Centre for Health Research and Implementation (MCHRI) are working towards developing an evidence-based smartphone app for women with PCOS.
Originally considered a reproductive condition because it is one of the leading causes of infertility, we now know that PCOS affects women throughout their lives and can have many negative health consequences, such as type 2 diabetes and other risk factors for heart disease, symptoms of anxiety or depression and reduced quality of life.
It is hoped that the proposed smartphone app will support and empower women to manage PCOS more effectively, leading to improved health outcomes. It is also hoped that this app may form the first part of a series of healthcare apps for a variety of women’s health conditions, thus helping women all over the world to live the healthiest and most fulfilling life they can.
In order to create the best possible app for women with PCOS, MCHRI is conducting a survey to get feedback and insight from women with PCOS. Women who are over the age of 18, who live in Australia and have a confirmed diagnosis of PCOS are invited to be a part of this exciting and pioneering scientific research.
View and complete the PCOS app survey here.
Read the full article here: http://sphpm.blogspot.com.au/2016/02/mchri-developing-smartphone-app-for.html
PCOS Polycystic Ovary syndrome App Fertility Infertility
You can get pregnant while dealing with PCOS but you will need to make certain lifestyle and eating modifications to help regulate your weight and blood sugar levels. Check out these fitness tips by doctors to overcome pregnancy challenges by battling PCOS
Doctors share fitness tips to overcome pregnancy challenges by battling PCOS (Photo by Anna Hecker on Unsplash)
Doctors share fitness tips to overcome pregnancy challenges by battling PCOS (Photo by Anna Hecker on Unsplash)
Updated on Feb 12, 2022 01:26 PM IST
ByZarafshan Shiraz, Delhi
One of the leading causes of female infertility in India, Polycystic Ovary Syndrome or PCOS is a severe genetic, reproductive and metabolic disorder and a major health issue that has taken the world of women by storm as it affects at least one in every 10 women in India and approximately 26-27% of women worldwide, with 80% of obese women and 20% of women with a lean frame . The symptoms of PCOS include missed, irregular, infrequent or prolonged periods and excess androgens that cause acne and unwanted body and facial hair in girls.
Understanding PCOS:
It increases the risk of other health problems like diabetes and high blood pressure, darkened skin or excess skin on the neck or in the armpits, mood swings, pelvic pain and/or weight gain but not all women suffering from PCOS may have cysts on their ovaries. In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Dr Tanveer Aujla, Senior Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist at Motherhood Hospital in Noida, elaborated, “PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) is a hormonal disorder that affects millions of people. It’s a disorder in which the ovaries create more male hormones than normal (androgens).”
She added, “The woman’s looks, fertility, and the menstrual cycle may all be affected. PCOS can cause irregular or absent menstrual cycles, weight gain, infertility (due to irregular ovulation), acne outbreaks, greasy skin, severe hirsutism (facial and body hair growth), thinning or loss of head hair, and ovarian cysts.”
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Fitness tips to overcome pregnancy challenges by battling PCOS:
When you have a variety of possibilities, there is always hope and a way, comforts Dr Tanveer Aujla. Insisting that women can get pregnant while dealing with PCOS but need to make certain lifestyle and eating modifications to help regulate your weight and blood sugar levels, she offered that there is always hope and success rates are fairly high, regardless of the treatment you pick.
Dr Arockia Virgin Fernando, Fertility and IVF Consultant and Gynecologist advises, “A good lifestyle that includes regular exercising, no smoking, alcohol reduction, fewer carbs, less sugar, high protein and a high fibre diet can reduce the effect of PCOS and can help prevent diabetes and preterm labour in pregnancy.”
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