Canadian researchers develop new seaweed-based tablet to transform menstrual cups into health tracking tools

In a breakthrough Canadian researchers have enhanced the existing menstrual cup into a safer easier and more environmentally sustainable tool using seaweed to track womenrsquos healthThe new menstrual cup can be leveraged to detect infections monitor reproductive health and improve diagnostics for conditions such as endometriosis and urinary tract infections said researchers at McMaster University in OntarioThe new component described in a paper published in the journal ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces is a flushable tablet made from highly absorbent seaweedbased materialIts designed to hold menstrual blood and minimise spills during removal a common barrier to wider adoption of menstrual cupsThis project opened my eyes to how urgently innovation is needed in menstrual care said Zeinab Hosseinidoust Associate Professor of biomedical and chemical engineering from the varsityTheres been little movement in the conversation around menstrual care Some of that is due to stigma and some is lack of interest but cups have the potential to make a serious difference in the lives of women around the world Hosseinidoust addedBeyond convenience and safety the technology has the potential to significantly reduce the environmental impact of disposable menstrual products and improve access to menstrual care in lowerincome communitiesEach cup is designed to last for several years offering a costeffective and sustainable solution for users who may not have reliable access to tampons or padsThough menstrual cups have long been available their uptake has been limited due to usability challenges These new cups address those concerns while opening the door to future healthmonitoring capabilitiesThe team envisions future versions of the menstrual products equipped with sensors to detect early signs of infections and bloodborne illnesses using menstrual blood as a rich source of biological informationThis could be a new form of wearable technology that could be even more valuable than a smartwatch said associate professor of mechanical and bioengineering Tohid Didar who coled the researchThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever