Can an app really tell if you're heading for the menopause - and ease symptoms? There's only one benefit of the tech, but plenty of risks, say experts

Britain has become a nation of health-trackers: almost half of us now use technology like apps and wearables to monitor everything from our step count to sleep. So perhaps it is no wonder that menopause is the latest metric being added to our health dashboards. The hormonal change is now an industry set to be worth £19 billion by 2030 - and tech companies are cashing in, claiming to spot signs of early menopause and monitor symptoms like hot flushes and brain fog with their array of smart devices.The Health app, which is automatically installed in all iPhone and Apple Watch devices, recently introduced a way to log whether you are in perimenopause or menopause, and related symptoms. If you log post-menopausal bleeding, you will receive a notification recommending that you contact your doctor; it can also provide a PDF of your past 12 months of cycles to take to a GP.Meanwhile Oura - the celebrity-beloved ring worn by the likes of Prince Harry, Gwyneth Paltrow and Kim Kardashian - expanded its Menopause Impact Scale last month, measuring ‘the impact of menopause on quality of life and daily functioning across 22 symptoms,’ according to the brand.Then there is Whoop, seen on the wrists of Prince William, Cristiano Ronaldo and LeBron James. The wristband tracker asks users to enter symptoms of menopause (including cramping and brain fog), with the app predicting when they are likely to experience them again. But do they actually help? Here’s what the experts say: Wearables claim to track everything from brain fog to cramping to changes in bleedingDo they measure what they claim to?These devices aren’t measuring menopause itself, but the physiological changes associated with it, explains menopause specialist Dr Deepali Misra-Sharp. That can include things like heart rate and sleep.Changes in heart rate can be an early sign of perimenopause as fluctuating oestrogen levels can impact the regulation of heart rhythm.This can cause sensations such as a racing heartbeat, pounding heart or palpitations. 'Most modern wearables are reasonably good at measuring resting heart rate, particularly when someone is sitting still or sleeping,' says Dr Misra-Sharp. 'However, accuracy can decrease during exercise or movement.'Poor sleep is a commonly reported menopause symptom, but tracking may be less accurate than we think. Devices may be able to estimate duration and broad patterns of shut-eye, but 'they aren’t as reliable at distinguishing between different sleep stages, such as REM and deep sleep,' Misra-Sharp says. This is because they are generated by algorithms, and not direct measurements of brain activity, which would be needed to provide exact results.Oura is currently facing a proposed class action lawsuit in the US regarding its sleep-tracking claims, which the claimants say have ‘a coin flip’s chance of being correct’.'A wearable is a tool, not a diagnostic device for menopause,' says Misra-Sharp. 'It can identify trends, but it cannot tell us why those changes are happening.'Will they help my menopause symptoms?'Health does not improve with tracking data and this may in fact have an adverse impact,' says Paula Briggs, chair of the British Menopause Society. Last year, researchers at the University of Newcastle found that health metric-tracking 'provided a persistent source of stress,' and that 'using fitness technologies is associated with negative emotions such as anxiety, body dissatisfaction, and even rumination.'Misra-Sharp says that while she supports the use of technology if it helps women to feel more empowered, 'there is a risk of becoming overly focused on numbers and scores'.She added: 'Menopause can already be a time when women feel less in control of their bodies, and constantly monitoring every physiological fluctuation may increase anxiety rather than provide reassurance.'There is also a concern that wearables may wrongly attribute symptoms to perimenopause or menopause. 'Menopause is a clinical diagnosis, usually based on age, menstrual history and symptoms, rather than data from a wearable device,' Misra-Sharp explains. 'An increase in resting heart rate, disturbed sleep or changes in temperature could be related to perimenopause, but they could equally reflect stress, illness, alcohol consumption, medication, thyroid problems or other medical conditions. 'The danger is that an app might encourage a woman to attribute everything to menopause when something else needs investigating.'What should I do instead?Joyce Harper, Professor of Reproductive Science at University College London, adds that 20 per cent of women do not experience menopause symptoms, and that the endless lotions, teas, clothes, toothpaste and everything else now on the market bearing the ‘m-word’ are 'just marketing'.For those who do experience symptoms, visiting your GP is the best first step, she says. 'I think people have got to stop trying to avoid going to the doctor; they need to go to a doctor. They’re the only people who can give medical advice - not an app, not a wearable, not a supplement.'Briggs agrees, and advises that if a patient is not happy with an initial consultation, they should 'ask if there's anyone in the practice who's done additional training, or if it's groups of practices that share [doctors], somebody who's got additional training,' to reach an informed conclusion on next steps.She also warns of steering clear of misinformation online from those who are unqualified to give it.When it comes to managing menopause symptoms, 'that is the biggest thing that's gone wrong - that not only are people being drawn in on social media to pay for things they don't need to pay for, they're also being given the wrong information in a very confident way, and told at the same time that their GP knows nothing,' says Briggs. 'Women deserve better.'