Digital health tools

Apps, online information and feedback are part of everyday life, but how can they expand our understanding of hormones? To help ascertain how, Health & Her has collaborated with the University of South Wales in a PhD project co-sponsored with KESS-2, examining how symptom monitoring can improve women’s experiences of menopause. This project involved conducting a systematic review, a survey on the Health & Her website alongside symptom tool users, and a randomised controlled trial. The findings from this research led to the development of a large-scale observational study exploring the Health & Her app.

Current Findings in Digital Health Tools

Evaluating the Effects of Symptom Monitoring on Menopausal Health Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Published in Frontiers in Global Women’s Health, (a journal dedicated to researching women’s health across their lifespan) this review [i] explored whether tracking and monitoring symptoms could improve menopausal symptoms and generally lead to better health. Eighteen studies involving 1,718 participants were analysed to reveal that regularly using a symptom diary significantly reduced the frequency of hot flushes. Monitoring symptoms was also associated with being better able to manage side effects, improved patient-doctor communication, increased health awareness, and a stronger engagement in treatment goal setting. However, the review was limited by the small number of eligible studies and concerns about methodological quality and bias. While the findings suggest symptom monitoring may be a valuable intervention, further research is needed to confirm its effectiveness.

Symptom monitoring improves physical and emotional outcomes during menopause: a randomised controlled trial

This study [ii] published in Menopause, the journal of The Menopause Society, assessed whether symptom-monitoring could benefit perimenopausal and post-menopausal women. This was done with 100 participants who were randomly assigned to either a symptom-monitoring group or a control group, with symptom changes assessed over two weeks. The intervention group reported a 42% reduction in physical symptoms compared to 12% in the control group, along with significant reductions in negative emotions. These effects remained even after allowing for individuals who were more likely to display ‘negative’ or ‘neurotic’ coping styles and traits such as anxiety, fear, anger and sadness. Overall, the findings suggest that symptom monitoring can be a simple and accessible way to alleviate menopausal symptoms while waiting for, or used alongside, conventional medical care.

Does using the Health & Her app improve menopausal symptoms? A longitudinal cohort study

This study [iii] examined whether weekly engagement with the Health & Her app over the course of two months led to improvements in menopausal symptoms. Data obtained from over 1,900 users showed that greater app engagement correlated with a greater reduction in symptoms. Specifically, everyday use of the in-app activities including symptom logging and menstrual tracking were linked to improvements in symptoms. These findings suggest that menopause-specific apps like Health & Her could be a significant support for women experiencing potentially life-affecting menopause symptoms, thereby highlighting the potential benefits of digital tools in supporting menopausal health.

Upcoming research

Health-Related Outcomes & User Perceptions of Health & Her’s Online Symptom Tool

This small study involved 55 women who completed an online survey looking back on their retrospective experiences of menopause to evaluate whether using Health & Her’s online symptom tracker had been helpful. The results showed that participants recalled seeking help from other sources after using the tool, notably from medical professionals, and this was more likely to lead to improvements in their symptoms. Qualitative findings indicated that users found the tool helpful, easy to use, and beneficial, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic when healthcare was obviously harder to access. While the findings suggest that digital symptom-monitoring tools may support and guide health-related behaviours, the study's observational design and small sample size highlight the need for ongoing research.