Digital health for endocrinology
Digital health for endocrinology
There’s a long tail of women’s disorders (PMDD, PCOS, Endometriosis, Fibroids) that are currently most commonly addressed by prescription of birth control to use an imprecise tool to try and correct hormonal issues, or swing lows or highs in the other direction. As auto-immune disorders massively increase in the US population, and especially women (lupus, thyroid disorders), we have observed the link between a variety of hormonal issues and histamine issues, but have yet to enable precise remedies. More generally, we struggle to reliably influence prod hormonal balance in one direction or another and understand environmental influences.
It seems likely that in the long run we arrive at more precise tools to do so and a much more robust care protocol. On the data collection side, we must move past monthly/weekly/daily saliva sampling. Continuous monitoring through sweat seems most likely, but urine may be as well. The point of testing and collection for these hormonal panels is important because fluctuations day by day or even throughout the day are crucial in understanding and isolating influential variables but difficult and expensive to realistically track. We will need new sensors to tackle this effectively as there aren’t currently any available off the shelf.
- Wearable Hormone Sensors by Sarah Constantine
