When considering disease testing, traditional methods like nasal swabs and blood draws often come to mind. However, the potential of menstrual blood for health insights is often overlooked. With approximately 1.8 billion menstruating individuals worldwide, this untapped resource could revolutionize diagnostics.
Dr. Naseri, a former medical student, recognized this potential a decade ago. Intrigued by the idea of utilizing period blood for health assessments without invasive procedures, she embarked on her own research journey. At Stanford University School of Medicine, her team’s groundbreaking study revealed that menstrual blood contains valuable health information comparable to traditional blood samples.
Published in 2019, the study demonstrated the ability of menstrual blood to provide crucial data on biomarkers related to diabetes, inflammation, and reproductive hormones. This discovery opens up new possibilities for non-invasive diagnosis and health monitoring.
Date: 2024-04-16 10:30:00
Source: www.sciencenews.org