18 October is World Menopause Day, a day all about raising awareness of menopause and the support options available.
Women of menopausal age represent an increasing demographic in the workplace, and many report that they struggle with work due to the symptoms associated with the menopause. Nearly a third of women at this stage of life have taken sick leave due to their symptoms.
We shared a number of resources internally within Venner Shipley as part of raising awareness for World Menopause Day, and we have also been taking a look at some of the technological developments in this field – a selection of which are shared below.
Combatting night sweats
Amira Health Inc. have a developed a system to address night-time hot flashes and night sweats. Utilising a wearable sensor, the system predicts the onset of a hot flash and activates a cooling system in a mattress pad which pumps pre-cooled water to reduce the length and disruption of these hot flashes for a better night's sleep.
Figure 1: Amira Health Inc.'s patent application EP4178654 directed to an on-demand cooling system including a biometric sensor for monitoring thermal stability of a user, and a controller configured to activate the on-demand cooling system to counteract a predicted onset thermal instability of a user.
Counteracting hot flashes
To counteract hot flashes that occur at any time of day, Thermaband Inc. have developed a wearable thermoelectric device that provides cooling sensations to a user's wrist. The device uses a skin temperature sensor and a number of other inputs to determine when to activate the thermoelectric device in order to provide a cooling effect to counteract a hot flash.
Figure 2: A drawing from Thermaband Inc's patent application WO2022006478 directed to a wearable thermoelectric device configured to controllably heat and cool a control surface and configured to be removably carried on the body of a user such that the heated and cooled control surface is configured to be in direct contact with the user's skin.
Vaginal rejuvenation
Joylux Inc. have a number of solutions relating to vaginal rejuvenation. These include their v-fit device, which vibrates and emits red light to stimulate vaginal tissue to improve muscle tone, blood flow, and combat dryness.
Figure 3: A drawing from Joylux Inc's granted patent EP3068361 directed to a rejuvenation and massage device comprising a light emitting mechanism integrated with an insertable device, a safety temperature mechanism, and a vibration mechanism.
In addition to these technologies, a number of digital health solutions are being developed, such as Peppy which allows one to one video consultations with a menopause expert.
As a result, the menopause sector is one which is beginning to see exciting new innovation that is helping to improve the lives of women by providing technologies that allow women to take a degree of control over their symptoms and gain access to crucial support and advice.
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