THRI & NICM researchers secure Gates Foundation funding to improve menstrual health worldwide

Four researchers from the National Institute of Complementary Medicine (NICM) are part of a project team that has been awarded funding from the Gates Foundation’s Grand Challenges in Global Health initiative to empower women and girls with greater knowledge about – and tools to detect – heavy menstrual bleeding.

Associate Professors Mike Armour and Carolyn Ee, Postdoctoral Research Fellow Dr Millie Mardon and PhD Candidate Nora Giese will bring their expertise in women’s health research to the project "Innovating Menstrual Health Management: Implementing Clinically Informed Absorbency Standards & Digital Diaries", which is led by Professor Robert Gorkin from the Translational Health Research Institute (THRI) at Western Sydney University (WSU).

They are joined by clinician Dr Talat Uppal and her team from Women’s Health Road – a clinic specialising in Abnormal Uterine Bleeding, and experts from Enersol, an Australian-based global quality testing business with decades of experience in reproductive health device.

Heavy menstrual bleeding affects approximately one in four women and those who menstruate. It is one of the most underdiagnosed reproductive health conditions globally and, if not recognised early, can lead to secondary health conditions such as anaemia – which can in turn result in fatigue, weakness and shortness of breath.

Similar to period pain, heavy menstrual bleeding can create barriers to fully participating in day-to-day activities like work or school, playing sport and social activities with friends and family.

Leading Women’s Health researcher and Director of Research at NICM, Associate Professor Mike Armour, said despite this, it's often difficult for someone to know if they have heavy menstrual bleeding because there isn't a clear standard for hygiene products, and different period products have different absorbencies.

“A common question asked by doctors to help identify heavy menstrual bleeding is ‘how often a pad or tampon needs to be changed’. But this can vary wildly depending on the brand and product type, and can be difficult to track accurately, making heavy menstrual bleeding harder to identify,” said A/Prof Armour.

“We hope our work will make it much easier for women and their doctors to identify and diagnose heavy menstrual bleeding, resulting in better treatment and the avoidance of secondary complications like anaemia.”

Project lead Professor Robert Gorkin added: “While this is a major health issue in Australia, it also disproportionately affects women in low- and middle-income countries, culturally and linguistically diverse populations, and other underserved groups.”

“This project isn’t only about improving health outcomes, it’s about advancing equity.”

I’m very humbled to be part of a team working towards improving menstrual health of women and girls worldwide.

A/Prof Armour added it was an honour to secure funding from the Gates Foundation given their global reach and reputation for tackling the world’s biggest health challenges.

“Too often, conditions that relate to the menstrual cycle and women's health are seen as taboo, are overlooked and underfunded. It's fantastic to see such a world leading organisation put their efforts and funding power towards this condition which affects so many women and girls."