Characterization of polycystic ovary syndrome among Flo app users around the world

Jain, Tarun; Negris, Olivia; Brown, Dannielle; Galic, Isabel; Salimgaraev, Rodion; Zhaunova, Liudmila

doi:10.1186/s12958-021-00719-y

Cited by 17 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 40 publications

(12 reference statements)

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“…For women in our study, irregular periods were their top concern related to PCOS (63%). This is similar to a previous study conducted by Jain et al, where they reported irregular periods (66%) as the third most common symptom of PCOS in Indian women [ 43 ]. Therefore, educating women about menstruation and its irregularities is an important aspect of diagnosis and treatment planning.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

A Global Survey of Ethnic Indian Women Living with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: Co-Morbidities, Concerns, Diagnosis Experiences, Quality of Life, and Use of Treatment Methods

Rao

Cowan

Armour

et al. 2022

IJERPH

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Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrinopathy that is highly prevalent in women of Indian ethnicity. Clinical practice guidelines do not adequately consider ethnic–cultural differences in the diagnosing and care of women with PCOS. This study aimed to understand co-morbidities, key concerns, quality of life (QoL), and diagnosis experiences of ethnic Indian women living with PCOS. Methods: Global online survey of ethnic Indian women of reproductive age living with PCOS. Results: Respondents (n = 4409) had a mean age of 26.8 (SD 5.5) years and reported having a family history of type 2 diabetes (43%) and PCOS (18%). Most of them (64%) were diagnosed with one or more co-morbidities (anxiety/depression being the most common). Irregular periods, cysts on the ovaries, and excess unwanted facial hair growth were their three top concerns. On average, women experienced symptoms of PCOS at the age of 19.0 (SD 5.0) and were diagnosed at the age of 20.8 years (SD 4.8). We report a one-year delay in seeking medical help and a seven-month diagnostic delay, which were associated with poor satisfaction with the information provided related to PCOS and its treatment options (p < 0.01). Women living outside India reported difficulty losing weight as their most key concern; however, they had higher dissatisfaction with the information provided on diet (OR, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.6 to 0.8; p = 0.002), exercise (OR, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.6 to 0.9; p = 0.002) and behavioural advice (OR, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.6 to 0.9; p = 0.004) than women living in India. Most women reported poor QoL in weight and emotion domains. Conclusions: Ethnic Indian women experience early onset of PCOS symptoms and delay in seeking professional help. Timely diagnosis, providing cultural-specific education related to lifestyle and weight management, and improving psycho-emotional support are key areas that should be addressed in clinical practice and future research.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

A Global Survey of Ethnic Indian Women Living with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: Co-Morbidities, Concerns, Diagnosis Experiences, Quality of Life, and Use of Treatment Methods

Rao

Cowan

Armour

et al. 2022

IJERPH

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“…Such functionality includes menstrual cycle and pregnancy tracking or tracking of cycle-related symptoms, e.g. hormone triggered migraines or mood swings [50][51][52][53]. Previous studies have shown that health mobile apps also facilitate good habits formation and health promotion by providing a number of functions to map behaviour patterns across time, including, but not limited to, sleep, diet, physical activity, mental health practices etc.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition to tracking functionality, Flo provides its users with evidence-based and expert-reviewed educational content available through the in-app library. To check for symptoms against an array of conditions, Flo also has interactive questions available via so-called 'health assistants' or 'chatbots' [52]. Finally, Flo has a secure place called 'Secret Chats' where women can discuss intimate topics, ask questions anonymously, and get support from millions of women worldwide, thus reducing perceived taboos and stigma surrounding topics such as menstrual health and sexual life [58][59][60].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characterisation of self-reported improvements in education and health among users of Flo period tracking app: cross-sectional survey

Zhaunova¹,

Bamford²,

Radović³

et al. 2022

Preprint

Self Cite

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Introduction: Low health literacy among girls, women, and people who menstruate is associated with worse reproductive health outcomes. Mobile apps promise tools for improving women’s health literacy, however, there is little information about subscribers’ perceptions of app functionality and its impact on their knowledge and health. Objective: This study aimed to explore knowledge and health improvements related to menstrual cycle and pregnancy, as well as improvements in general health in Flo app users. We also investigated what components of the Flo app were associated with the above mentioned improvements, and evaluated whether those improvements differed based on education level, free or a premium subscription to the app, short or long term use of the app, and frequency of use. Methods: Flo subscribers who had been using the app for no less than 30 days completed an online survey. A total of 2214 of complete survey responses were collected. The survey included demographic questions, questions about motivations guiding usage of the Flo app, to what extent and what components of the app may have helped improve their knowledge and health (i.e., reproductive, sexual, physical, mental health, health behaviours, and communication with healthcare providers).Results: Most study participants reported menstrual cycle (89.0%) and pregnancy (84.6%) knowledge improvements from Flo app use. 62.3% of Flo users reported ‘period predictions’ and 72.2% reported ‘reading and/or watching articles and video sources in the app’ helped them feel the most informed about their cycle and pregnancy health. Higher educated, Flo Premium, frequent, and short term app users reported using the app mainly for getting pregnant and pregnancy tracking. Lower educated and long time users reported using the app to learn more about their body, sexual health, irregular cycles and related conditions, and to avoid pregnancy. Importantly, intended uses of the app for both lower and higher educated users matched areas in which they have gained knowledge and achieved their health goals upon the Flo app use. Flo Premium, frequent, and long term users were more likely to report improvements in knowledge and health in all areas they chose to use the app for and even beyond.Conclusion: There is a need to increase reproductive health literacy in the global female population. This study has shown that the use of the period tracking app, Flo, as self-reported by its users, improved their menstrual cycle and pregnancy knowledge and health. Additionally, more frequent, long-term, and Flo Premium users were more likely to report knowledge and health improvements across multiple health areas. Thus, the use of digital health apps, such as the Flo app, should be considered for integration into healthcare systems to increase women’s health literacy in the wider population.

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“…Regulatory imbalances between reproduction and metabolism caused by disorders such as PCOS (in which symptoms are due to elevated androgen levels) often result in ovarian dysfunction, and increase the risk of cardiovascular and metabolic disorders in women ( Dokras, 2013 , Studen and Pfeifer, 2018 , Torchen, 2017 ). PCOS is a complex and multi-faceted endocrine disorder in women of reproductive age, affecting approximately 2–20% ( Jain et al, 2021 , Pal, 2014 ), depending on the clinical inclusion criteria. PCOS impacts various aspects of a woman's life, such as aesthetics, reproduction, metabolism, psychological well-being and sexuality ( Aversa et al, 2020 ).…”

Section: Polycystic Ovary Syndromementioning

confidence: 99%

Metabolic risk factors and fertility disorders: A narrative review of the female perspective

Westerman

Kuhnt

2022

Reproductive Biomedicine & Society Online

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Characterization of polycystic ovary syndrome among Flo app users around the world

Cited by 17 publications

References 40 publications

A Global Survey of Ethnic Indian Women Living with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: Co-Morbidities, Concerns, Diagnosis Experiences, Quality of Life, and Use of Treatment Methods

A Global Survey of Ethnic Indian Women Living with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: Co-Morbidities, Concerns, Diagnosis Experiences, Quality of Life, and Use of Treatment Methods

Characterisation of self-reported improvements in education and health among users of Flo period tracking app: cross-sectional survey

Metabolic risk factors and fertility disorders: A narrative review of the female perspective

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