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This sanitary pad could help you detect diabetes or vitamin deficiencies

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Choosing meds at a pharmacy
Choosing meds at a pharmacy

Menstrual products have been a strong point of conversation especially this year. 

From women and institutions calling for VAT free sanitary products, to the launch of the first biodegradable menstrual towel in South Africa, the narrative around period products has not only generated more initiatives around making pads and tampons more accessible and cheaper, but people are also thinking of new ways to make sanitary towels useful.

Take Quarasense for example. 

The US-based company is developing diagnostic menstrual pads and it could change the way you have your blood tests done. Not only is the aim of the pad (used in conjunction with an app), used to monitor your health, but it’s also used as a tool to help with early diagnosis.

READ MORE: 5 alternatives to pads and tampons you should try

The diagnostic pad, called the Q-pad, collects a sample of period blood and that sample is then useful in helping to detect different types of diseases.

According to their website, the product is due to be released in 2019, although they’re in the process of running several clinical trials. 

The app that comes with it functions as both a menstrual cycle tracking app in addition to analysing your blood and providing you with results depending on the type of test you’re conducting.

The app helps to monitor your bio markers (basically indications of whether your body is functioning as it should be) over time and measures it along with your diet, any medical conditions you may have (this is information you’ll have to input into the app).

The company has revealed that the blood could reveal your levels of blood sugar, and that in turn can help determine whether you have a condition like diabetes, for example. They’re also currently looking into fertility hormones, vitamins and minerals.

While it doesn’t look like it will be the model to replace needles completely, it seems to be designed with two different types women in mind – the holistic and wellness orientated woman and the super health focused woman - and is set to marketed as a subscription-based model.  


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