Our appearance says a lot about us. But our blood can tell us more.
A Californian startup is extracting menstrual blood from tampons in order to gain valuable information.
Women can access the service by sending their used tampons for testing. At the lab, the blood is removed by machine and examined.
The results provide information both on fertility status and on possible conditions such as excess layers of tissue outside the uterus – known as endometriosis and often detected only after years of chronic pain.
An alternative to visiting the gynaecologist, which can be problematic for financial or sometimes cultural reasons.
With free hygiene products, it seems we are entering a new period of sensitivity regarding women’s health.
