Purpose:
The Ogata Lab is seeking a diverse group of participants across ages, ethnicities, and health conditions to develop a standardized protocol for menstrual blood collection and downstream biomarker discovery for various gynecological diseases, including endometriosis. Despite their prevalence, diagnosing gynecological diseases remains challenging, and diagnostic delays are commonplace due to overlapping symptom profiles, symptom dismissal and a lack of reliable diagnostic tests. Menstrual blood is readily obtainable with minimal invasiveness when using commercial menstrual products and is expected to contain biomarkers specific to the uterine lining that may be associated with gynecological diseases such as endometriosis. However, many biomarkers remain in the discovery phase, and thresholds for distinguishing the presence or absence of specific diseases are not yet established. Challenges such as inconsistent collection methods, a lack of standardized processing protocols, unclear storage conditions, and persistent societal stigma further limit the use of menstrual blood. The purpose of this study is to advance the collection and processing of menstrual samples to ensure user-friendliness, accessibility, and integration with clinical applications.
Eligibility:
- 18 or older and currently menstruate
- Can pick up a sampling kit at a time convenient for you from the University of Toronto, Mississauga Campus.
- Are willing to wear a provided menstrual cup or pad for 3-4 hours on your heaviest flow day. No prior experience necessary.
- Can drop off your sample at the University of Toronto, Mississauga Campus within 24 hours of sample collection.
- We kindly ask anyone who is unable to participate in the physical self-sampling to fill out our feedback survey to help us improve our instructions and standardize collection methods: https://redcap.utoronto.ca/surveys/?s=XFMPL34Y9DE3LYRP
- If you are interested in participating, please contact the research team at ogatalab@utoronto.ca
Disclaimer: The Endometriosis Network Canada is not sponsoring nor affiliated with the organization conducting the above study.