TechDoctor and Aska Pharmaceutical Present Research Results on Menstrual-Related Symptoms at the 40th Annual Meeting of the Japan Society for Menopause and Women's Health
Wearable device data reproduces correlation between menstrual pain severity and sleep quality
TechDoctor and Aska Pharmaceutical Present Research Results on Menstrual-Related Symptoms at the 40th Annual Meeting of the Japan Society for Menopause and Women's Health
- Wearable device data reproduces correlation between menstrual pain severity and sleep quality -
================================================================================
TechDoctor Inc. (CEO: Kazumichi Minato, Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; hereinafter "TechDoctor") and Aska Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (CEO: Munehiro Yamaguchi,Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; hereinafter "Aska Pharmaceutical") presented research results on menstrual-related symptoms at the 40th Annual Meeting of the Japan Society for Menopause and Women's Health held at Hotel East 21 Tokyo on November 1-2, 2025.This research was conducted as a joint study between TechDoctor and Aska Pharmaceutical, with the cooperation of users of the healthcare app "4MOON (Formoon)" provided by 4MEEE Inc. (CEO: Kazuya Ogyu, Headquarters: Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo; hereinafter "4MEEE").This presentation reports part of the results based on the joint research press release announced on September 24, 2024. Analysis revealed that groups with higher menstrual-related symptom severity (MDQ score) showed greater sleep variability, and groups with higher pain scores showed decreased sleep efficiency, successfully reproducing with wearable data the tendency reported in previous studies that "groups with strong menstrual pain experience deterioration in sleep quality." These results demonstrated the possibility of objectively evaluating the severity of menstrual-related symptoms and connecting to treatment and care tailored to individual physical conditions.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BACKGROUND
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dysmenorrhea is a common symptom experienced by approximately 80% of Japanese women, and for many women, lower abdominal pain, headaches, and fatigue associated with menstruation are perceived as "routine discomfort." However, the number of people who visit medical institutions due to pain and discomfort is limited, and it has been pointed out that treatment and support systems are not adequately reaching those in need.Recent research has reported that in addition to hormonal fluctuations, lifestyle rhythm factors such as sleep quality, heart rate variability, and daily activity levels are closely involved in the background of menstrual pain and premenstrual syndrome (PMS).* For example, reports show differences in heart rate and autonomic nervous indicators in women with dysmenorrhea compared to healthy groups, and that decreased sleep quality is related to the severity of PMS and dysmenorrhea. Furthermore, there are suggestions that exercise may contribute to symptom relief in women with PMS.However, many previous studies were based on short-term observations or self-reported data, and there was a challenge in continuously and objectively understanding how symptoms change in daily life.Against this background, this research aimed to develop a new approach to quantitatively evaluate the severity of menstrual-related symptoms by combining heart rate, sleep, and activity level data obtained through wearable devices with subjective evaluations by individuals.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
RESEARCH OVERVIEW
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Research Period: September 2024 - February 2025
Research Development Partner Organizations: TechDoctor Inc., Aska Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.
Research Subjects: 236 users aged 18-49 registered with the healthcare app "4MOON"(selected based on criteria)
Evaluation Indicators:
• Subjective evaluation indicators:
- MDQ (Japanese version menstrual-related symptom survey form)
- EQ-5D-5L (Japanese version EuroQol 5 dimensions 5-level)
• Wearable device data:
- Heart rate, sleep, activity level data obtained from Fitbit, etc.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
RESEARCH RESULTS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Analysis of this research revealed a tendency for greater variability in sleep midpoint as the severity of physical and mental discomfort associated with menstruation (MDQ score) increased. Additionally, groups with higher pain scores showed a tendency for decreased sleep efficiency, suggesting a relationship between symptom severity and sleep quality.Previous studies have also reported that sleep efficiency and sleep quality deteriorate in groups with strong menstrual pain, but this research confirmed that similar tendencies could be reproduced using objective data from wearable devices (Fitbit).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SIGNIFICANCE AND FUTURE PROSPECTS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
These results represent a new possibility for quantitatively capturing menstruation-related symptoms and provide a foundation for more objective and continuous evaluation of women's unique health issues including dysmenorrhea.
Based on these research results, we will continue to understand the reality of menstruation-related symptoms and advance the development of digital biomarkers to quantitatively evaluate severity. We will also promote the creation of systems that lead to providing appropriate treatment opportunities and improving quality of life (QOL) for women suffering from menstruation-related discomfort.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
REFERENCE INFORMATION
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Conference Name: 40th Annual Meeting of the Japan Society for Menopause and Women's Health Conference Dates: November 1-2, 2025 (Saturday-Sunday)
Venue: Hotel East 21 Tokyo
Official Website: https://kwcs.jp/jmwh40/
Press Release on Joint Research Start on Menstrual-Related Symptoms (September 2024):
TechDoctor: https://www.technology-doctor.com/news/dKF-7ohN
Aska Pharmaceutical: https://ssl4.eir-parts.net/doc/4886/tdnet/2503534/00.pdf
* Examples of Previous Research on Menstruation and Sleep:
Baker, Fiona C., et al. "High nocturnal body temperatures and disturbed sleep in
women with primary dysmenorrhea." American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology
and Metabolism 277.6 (1999): E1013-E1021.
Çaltekin, İbrahim, et al. "Evaluation of sleep disorders, anxiety and depression
in women with dysmenorrhea." Sleep and Biological Rhythms 19.1 (2021): 13-21.
Unver, Hacer, et al. "The effect of dysmenorrhea on the severity of insomnia
among university students in Turkey." Int J Caring Sci 14.1 (2021): 598-607.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ABOUT TECHDOCTOR INC.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TechDoctor Inc. operates under the vision "Towards an era where data improves well-being," developing and promoting social implementation of "digital biomarkers**" that derive health-related insights from daily sensing data collected by wearable devices and other means. We aim to realize AI-driven medicine based on data in collaboration with medical, pharmaceutical, food-related companies, and research institutions.
CEO: Kazumichi Minato
Headquarters: Kyobashi Ed-Grand 4F, 2-2-1 Kyobashi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
Founded: June 21, 2019
Business: Development and operation of digital biomarker development platform
"SelfBase," provision of digital medical solutions
URL: https://www.technology-doctor.com/
** About Digital Biomarkers
Digital biomarkers are indicators for continuously and objectively evaluating the presence or absence of disease, changes in disease status, and treatment effects based on daily biometric data obtained from smartphones, wearable devices, and other sources.
While traditional biomarkers were primarily "point data" measured temporarily at medical institutions, digital biomarkers are characterized by the ability to continuously acquire "line data" from daily life. Based on indicators such as exercise, sleep, and heart rate, they are expected to be used for early disease detection, treatment monitoring, and as new endpoints in drug development.
Development has been progressing overseas since around 2019, and attention is also increasing in Japan.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ABOUT ASKA PHARMACEUTICAL CO., LTD.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Under the management philosophy of "contributing to people's health and tomorrow's medicine through cutting-edge drug discovery," Aska Pharmaceutical focuses on three priority areas: Internal Medicine (Gastroenterology, Thyroid), Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Urology, working on business centered on new drugs aiming to become a competitive specialty pharma.We will continue to contribute to people's health while being able to respond to changes in social needs, establishing our position as a competitive specialty pharma and using pharmaceutical contributions as our foundation.