Menstrual health testing equipment

Home menstrual testing instruments that are compliant with medical device qualifications are effective menstrual health auxiliary management tools that can help users establish long-term health baselines and detect abnormal signals in a timely manner. However, they can never replace clinical examination and diagnosis. When purchasing, give priority to matching your own needs rather than blindly pursuing high prices and full functionality.

To be honest, I have been working in the gynecological digital health research group for almost two years, and I have met too many people who have gone to extremes in their understanding of this type of equipment. They either think it is all a lie, or they treat the equipment data as edicts, and there are not a few people who mess with it and cause problems. Last month, I met a 23-year-old Internet operator. His aunt had postponed it for more than 10 days for three consecutive months. He bought a 99-yuan internet celebrity tester. The test showed "low progesterone", so he took progesterone randomly. He took it until he felt dizzy and nauseated before he came to the hospital. After checking, it was just a transient endocrine fluctuation caused by staying up for more than half a month on a project recently. He didn't need to take medicine at all, and he suffered for half a month.

Nowadays, the industry's attitude towards this type of household equipment is actually divided into two groups, and there is no absolute right or wrong. Most doctors on the clinical side are cautious. After all, the operation of home testing is not standardized, there are many environmental variables, and the error rate is generally 15%-20%. If users use inaccurate data to prepare their own medicines and insist on not going to the hospital, it will easily delay the condition. Most women's digital health practitioners are more optimistic about its value: many young girls may not have a gynecological examination once a year. Home instruments can help everyone accumulate scattered menstrual data into a long-term health baseline. For example, if an abnormal increase in luteinizing hormone is detected for three consecutive months, the user can be reminded to go to the hospital to check for polycystic cysts in time. On the contrary, it can achieve early detection and early intervention, which is better than the pain that makes you unable to straighten your waist and the aunt who has been confused for half a year before remembering to go to the hospital.

If you search on the e-commerce platform now, you will be spoiled for choice with all kinds of products. I looked through nearly 20 models when I helped my cousin choose them a while ago, and I encountered a lot of pitfalls. Most of the ones that pop up first are wearable ones, including sensor patches attached to underwear, and small devices tied to the waist. They mainly measure basal body temperature, local blood flow, menstrual blood volume, etc. Without pricking your hands, you can synchronize the data to your mobile phone while wearing it. It is suitable for healthy girls who find it troublesome and just want to record menstrual cycles and measure ovulation to prepare for pregnancy. But a reminder, when choosing a wearable model, you must look at the waterproof level. It is best to choose one that can be washed directly. My best friend bought a certain Internet celebrity patch last year. She sweated a lot in summer and was not breathable. After three days of being stuffy, she developed vulvar eczema. Later, she changed to a model tied to the waist to solve the problem.

If you have a history of polycystic disease, premature ovarian failure, or are undergoing pregnancy preparation, and have high requirements for the accuracy of sex hormone data, you can use fingertip blood collection. Compliant products of this type are registered as Class II medical devices. The error rate can basically be controlled within 5%, and it is very consistent with hospital venous blood testing. But this kind of test also has strict requirements on timing. It must be done on an empty stomach and before 8 a.m. in the morning. When I was doing user research before, I met a girl who took the test every night after get off work after work. The data fluctuated high and low. I thought I had a big endocrine problem, so I went to the hospital to check if anything was wrong, which made me anxious for less than half a month.

Nowadays, many merchants' claims that "it can detect the cause of dysmenorrhea" and "can predict gynecological cancer" are purely exaggerated propaganda. Currently, all home period detectors cannot do this. Dysmenorrhea is divided into primary and secondary types. To determine whether it is caused by endometriosis or adenomyosis, you must rely on clinical examinations such as B-ultrasound and serum CA125. At most, the home instrument can give you a "recommended medical treatment" reminder through the degree of dysmenorrhea and accompanying symptoms recorded by you. If the pain is so painful that even taking ibuprofen is useless, don't wait for the instrument to give a conclusion, and directly call a gynecologist is the right answer.

Let me tell you my own purchase experience. Don’t believe in “full-featured top-of-the-line” models. You won’t be able to use many functions, and it’s a waste of money. If you have regular menstruation and no discomfort, but just want to record your cycles and measure ovulation, buying a basal body temperature model worth over 100 yuan is enough. You don’t have to spend thousands to buy one that can measure sex hormones. If you have a medical history related to menstruation, you must first check whether the brand name is registered. Internet celebrity models that only have cosmetics registration, or even no registration at all, no matter how cheap they are, do not touch it. The measured data will be inaccurate and will mislead you.

Oh, by the way, one last thing to say, no matter how accurate the instrument is, it is just an auxiliary tool. I followed a user before and measured data as required every day. As a result, while staying up late dancing to the disco and drinking iced milk tea, her menstrual period was still a mess. Instruments can help you find problems, but if you really want to take good care of your body, you still have to rely on yourself to eat well, stay up less late, and be less anxious.