Experts Warn of Risks Associated with Menopause Tracking Apps

The burgeoning industry of health-tracking technology is expanding into menopause monitoring, with apps and wearable devices claiming to help users identify signs and manage symptoms of this hormonal change. However, health experts are raising concerns about the accuracy and potential drawbacks of these tools, emphasizing that they are not diagnostic devices.

Tech companies are increasingly incorporating menopause tracking features into their platforms. For instance, Apple's Health app allows users to log perimenopause or menopause status and related symptoms, providing notifications for post-menopausal bleeding and generating reports for doctors. Wearable devices like the Oura ring and Whoop wristband also offer features to track menopause symptoms and predict their recurrence.

Despite these advancements, medical professionals caution that these devices do not measure menopause itself, but rather associated physiological changes such as heart rate and sleep patterns. Dr. Deepali Misra-Sharp, a menopause specialist, notes that while wearables can reasonably track resting heart rate and sleep duration, their accuracy can decrease during physical activity and they are not reliable at distinguishing between different sleep stages. Oura, for example, is currently facing a class-action lawsuit in the U.S. over its sleep-tracking claims.

Experts warn that relying solely on tracking data can have adverse effects. Paula Briggs, chair of the British Menopause Society, points to research indicating that health metric tracking can lead to persistent stress, anxiety, body dissatisfaction, and rumination. Misra-Sharp adds that an over-reliance on numbers can increase anxiety for women already feeling a loss of control over their bodies during menopause. There is also a risk that these apps might wrongly attribute symptoms to menopause when they could be indicative of other medical conditions such as stress, illness, thyroid problems, or medication side effects.

Menopause is fundamentally a clinical diagnosis based on age, menstrual history, and reported symptoms, rather than data from a wearable device. Joyce Harper, Professor of Reproductive Science at University College London, highlights that 20% of women do not experience menopause symptoms and advises against the proliferation of marketed products. Both Harper and Briggs strongly recommend consulting a General Practitioner (GP) as the primary step for managing menopause symptoms. They stress that doctors are the only ones qualified to provide medical advice, not apps, wearables, or supplements.

For women not satisfied with their initial consultation, Briggs suggests inquiring about practitioners with additional specialized training. Both experts also caution against misinformation circulating online from unqualified sources, noting that some social media content falsely suggests GPs lack knowledge about menopause management. 'Women deserve better,' Briggs stated.