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At the 51st Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of General Medical Examinations, Dr. Reimi Yoshigata gave a presentation on "The paradigm shift and prospects for female medical examinations expected with the advent of Femtech."
Dr. Yoshigata Reimi, special advisor to Midtown Clinic Medical Corporation (Chief of Women's Medical Research) and obstetrician-gynecologist, gave a lecture titled "Paradigm shift and prospects for women's checkups expected with the advent of Femtech" at the 2023st Conference of the Japan Society of General Health Examinations, held on Saturday, January 1, 28.
Five doctors and experts, including Dr. Yoshigata Reimi, gave presentations on their respective areas of expertise at the symposium titled "A Paradigm Shift in Next-Generation Women's Healthcare: Seeking Diversity and Possibilities."
[Announcement by Dr. Reimi Yoshigata]
・Health management for women in a super-aging society: Women's health check-ups aiming for total health care
For each stage of a woman's life (puberty, sexual maturity, menopause, old age), there are risks of menstrual irregularities, cervical cancer, breast cancer, GSM, etc.※ 1These include gynecological diseases such as those listed above, as well as diseases that affect quality of life (QOL) such as menopausal disorders, osteoporosis, and depression. The tests required vary depending on changes in female hormones, so health management tailored to each generation is very important from a preventative perspective.
Our original clinic's "Gynecological check-ups by generation"Or"Menopause diagnosis pack" (In addition to a simple menopausal symptom diagnosis, she also presented an example of an arteriosclerosis test, bone density test, and equol test) and introduced the tests required for each generation.
・The latest trends in Femtech: Femtech's approach to women's health and longevity
The global Femtech industry has expanded rapidly in recent years. According to Fem Tech Analysis, women have a longer life expectancy than men, and women are particularly susceptible to depression and mental health disorders. Furthermore, women's reproductive age is much shorter than men's, and it is said that in addition to gender differences, generational differences should also be taken into account when it comes to "sexual and reproductive health." As a solution to healthy longevity, the Femtech category that strongly contributes to women's healthy life expectancy is "menopause care."※ 2” and “Mental health care.”
*2 Menopause care: Measures to deal with menopausal symptoms and live a healthy life
・Paradigm shift and outlook for women's health checks - Utilizing femtech for women's health checks and self-medication
Femtech can be used at different life stages, and there are various tools and devices, such as those related to improving menstruation and menstrual pain, online prescription of birth control pills, hormone balance checks, and pregnancy and postpartum care. In the era of 100-year life spans, menopause is a milestone in a woman's long life, so GSM※ 1 "Measures to combat menopausal symptoms," including treatment, and "mental health" will be positioned as important categories of femtech that will lead to healthier, longer lives.
In the field of women's health checkups, femtech can be used to provide preemptive medical and assessment-type tests that allow women to individually understand their own health conditions and necessary measures.Furthermore, we can expect to see the use of apps that provide follow-up services such as providing information, consultations, and result reports after checkups.
*1 Abbreviation for Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause, which in Japanese is translated as "menopause-related urogenital syndrome."
-Introduction of personal case-
Age of health checkup recipients and equol production test results
Here are some of the age groups and equol test results of patients who underwent health checkups at our group clinic. The results showed that 70% of the total population had a constitution that was unable to produce equol, with only 7% being ideal equol producers. Furthermore, 66% of the total population were peri-menopausal or menopausal, which means changes due to hormone deficiency are considered to be a factor.
↑Click to enlargeFrom Dr. Yoshigata's presentation slides
It is known that the ability to produce equol in the body reduces various risks associated with lifestyle-related diseases, such as reducing body fat and visceral fat area, inhibiting bone absorption, and lowering uric acid levels. Furthermore, because equol production ability is also involved in reducing the risk of breast cancer and prostate cancer, it was announced that it is important to provide guidance on diet and the use of supplements based on health checkup results, taking into account the risk effects of female hormone deficiency, and understanding production ability through equol production ability tests.
Results of Femzone Care intervention using Lactobacillus-containing products
Materials containing Lactobacillus lactic acid bacteria, conducted by Dr. Yoshigata's group in 2021※ 3We introduced some of the research results on the effect of Femzone Care intervention using GSM and vaginal microbiome improvement. The results showed that the proportion of pathogenic bacteria decreased in all groups, both menopausal and non-menopausal, and a significant decrease was observed especially in the non-menopausal group that used soap, cream, and vaginal gel. In addition, we introduced the results that the symptoms of overactive bladder were significantly improved.
↑Click to enlargeFrom Dr. Yoshigata's presentation slides
※For more information,Press release.
※3 【Products used】
Estole® Delicate Soft Wash
Esthole® Delicate Soft Gel Cream
Estol® Inner Gel containing Lactobacillus lactic acid bacteria
Finally, Dr. Yoshigata spoke about "what is expected from female health checkups with the advent of FemTech":
1. "Self-check" to understand your own constitution and characteristics and identify necessary measures.
② "Remote assessment" to obtain information on the health check items necessary for you and receive advice on improving your health literacy, managing your data over time, and taking countermeasures.
3) "Self-medication" that utilizes products that improve QOL and product supplements based on medical evidence.
4. "Telemedicine" that allows you to connect with specialists no matter where you are, making medical care more efficient.
He concluded his lecture by highlighting the importance of combining these four elements and making good use of them.
*You can read the article supervised by Dr. Yoshigata Reimi below about female hormones and menopausal symptoms.
●ILACY, a medical media for working adult women: "Dr. Remi's Medical Diary"https://www.ilacy.jp/remi/
*The content of this page is current as of July 2023, 2.