Endometriosis is a chronic, inflammatory disease estimated to affect more than 190 million women worldwide.
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Many suffer from debilitating pain in the abdomen, hospitalizations, and wrong diagnoses before getting the right help.
Patients must often wait up to seven years to receive a diagnosis. But the waiting time can be shortened if you track data from your menstrual cycle, says chief consultant Ulrik Bak Kirk, Aarhus University.
Ulrik Bak Kirk is the professional coordinator for a European research and innovation project on endometriosis, FEMaLe,, with partners from several EU countries, including Denmark.
Femtech solutions
Something new is happening when it comes to solutions for women with the disease endometriosis, he says.
In the EU and the rest of the world, companies are developing digital tools to monitor the menstrual cycle, manage pain, self-help, and diagnose.
“It makes sense to gain insight into the symptoms and pain associated with your period by tracking your cycle and pain in a secure app.
The advantage is that you and your doctor can look at patterns over time and obtain a more extensive database for joint decision-making,” he says.
But at the same time, he emphasizes that there is still a lack of tested offers for those affected.
Four examples
Ulrik Bak Kirk gives four examples of apps and solutions that may be relevant to those with endometriosis or who suspect they suffer from the disease.
1. Lucy app
The Lucy app was developed in Hungary in connection with the FEMaLe project. The app is based on a close collaboration between a software company, a gynecologist, and a patient association.
The app has gone through extensive tests and has contributed to reducing the time it takes to get the correct diagnosis to a few years among Hungarian users, says Ulrik Bak Kirk.
In the app, you can enter data about yourself and your cycle, mood, temperature, and activity. You can also register when you have been to the doctor.
Based on your entries over time, Lucy’s algorithm can, for example, recommend that you book an appointment with a gynecologist or assess that there is a low risk of you developing the disease.
In addition to endometriosis, the algorithm can recognize symptoms of for example diabetes and cysts on the ovaries. After tracking, the app offers an analysis of your data, which you can take to the doctor.
From the start, Lucy’s developers have focused on data protection, so it should be impossible to collate data and find the individual user. According to Ulrik Bak Kirk, your password is highly secure and encrypted and cannot be recreated by others.
Read about Lucy app
2. Endo app
TechTruster has previously written about the Endo app, which is available on prescription in Germany if you have endometriosis.
Users get an overview of their medical history and a symptom diary tailored to endometriosis.
In addition, it provides exercises and guidance on how to manage your illness better. The content includes physiotherapy, nutritional advice, psychology, yoga and mindfulness.
Ulrik Bak Kirk finds it positive that women can get the German payment app on prescription but emphasizes that the research behind self-help solutions can often be sparse.
The Endo app is at the moment only available for women in the German market.
3. Frendo app
The Frendo app was developed in Ireland and offers a social network where the user can get help from other people living with endometriosis and from experts. In the app, just like in the Lucy app, you can register symptoms and pain.
In the Frendo app, the user fills in a questionnaire, which forwards the data to an algorithm.
The algorithm uses the answers to arrive at a diagnosis faster by connecting data from other users. There are, therefore, no doctors involved in the diagnosis.
Read more about Frendo here
4. Syrona Health
Syrona is a health service offering a monitoring app, chats or video consultations with experts and personalized treatment plans for endometriosis and several other diseases.
The company aims “to change the status quo and tackle the underserved areas of healthcare, deal with taboos and shake off the stigma,” according to its home page.
Syrona has obtained CE approval as a medical device. The company is based in Great Britain.