#3_01
CHALLENGE
GOAL 3: GOOD HEALTH AND WELLBEING Destigmatize menstrual health by expanding current period tracking apps, like Maya. By adding a feature to detect irregularities in menstrual cycles it could then notify the users that they should seek medical attention and connect them with additional resources.
SOLUTION #3_01_1
At Your Cervix Early detection of cervical cancer ABOUT THE TEAM At Your Cervix is a team of interdisciplinary undergraduate students from New York University who competed in the Open 17 Challenge as Team Public Cervix Announcement.In the final pitch of the challenge, the team was selected to join the SDG summer school.The school is hosted by the Geneva- Tsinghua Initiative, under mentorship from the Be Healthy Be Mobile team at the WHO and the ITU, with the aim to create a supportive, collaborative space for students with innovative interventions targeting the sustainable development goals.
from fertility to general reproductive health. Many of the early symptoms of cervical cancer are similar to those of an irregular menstrual cycle. By adding an algorithm that can begin to detect irregularities as a user inputs them, the app could track when a concerning trend forms in those irregularities and notify the person that further testing is necessary.
The team focuses on SDG 3: “Good Health and Well-being”, by targeting early detection of cervical cancer. When caught early, cervical cancer is treatable. The five-year survival rate drops significantly from 99% when caught at stage 0 to 35% when recognized at stage IIIA. Too often women’s symptoms are dismissed, even when they indicate a larger problem.
We are collaborating with an already existing app, Lunar, so the current user base will benefit from the proposed detection services. Lunar is an app based in Buenos Aires that would allow us to include symptom input at this stage of development. The definition of an irregular cycle cannot truly be generalized; it varies depending on the person. The current state of menstrual cycle applications asks individuals to input a variety of symptoms ranging from discharge, flow, pain, sex, doctors visits, mood etc. This information hypothetically allows for the app, with the proper algorithm, to determine what each person’s “normal” is. Once a user’s normal is determined, the app will be able to notice their abnormal. For example, if one woman always has 3-5 day periods with minimal cramping, but over the past 6 months they have started to shift to 5-7 day periods with heavy cramping, the app registers that data and notifies them that an irregular trend is occurring.
The proposed intervention expands the focus of period tracking apps
Irregularities can be caused by many things which is why2 it is important
THE TEAM FOCUSES ON SDG 3: “GOOD HEALTH AND WELL-BEING”, BY TARGETING EARLY DETECTION OF CERVICAL CANCER.
R ME 8 M SU L 201 G SD OO ct H e SC proj
illustration 3.01.1 Current version of At Your Cervix Logo
to refer the user to a healthcare professional or facility that can accurately assess the situation and cause. We hope to add not just an algorithm, but a platform for users to identify local health care and educational resources that can aid them in taking agency over their own health. In a world where sexual health is rarely talked about, it is time for individuals to be given the opportunity to educate themselves and seek the help that they need without needing to have a medical degree. NEXT STEPS Our next steps are to expand the algorithm to detect other reproductive health issues like bleeding disorders and establish an engagement agreement with Lunar. Once additions are made to the algorithm, it will be approved by gynecologists.
solutions
DATE/
SEPT 2018
AT YOUR CERVIX
CODE/
#3_01_001
DATE/
VERSION/
SEPT 2018
2
CODE/
#3_02_001
VERSION/ 2
Illustration 3.01.2 Screenshot of a possible Alert sent to the user by At Your Cervix add-on
OTHER RELATED SDGS
LINKS https://sdginprogress.com/projects/116/steps
COMPETENCES NEEDED
Programming skills, user experience design
THE TEAM
Coco Wander USA cw2488@nyu.edu
Paula Schicchi USA ps3105@nyu.edu CREATIVE HUB/ FACILITATOR
Francesca Pucciarelli USA fip205@nyu.edu
Alessia Carreon USA ac6321@nyu.edu
Geneva
SDG Solution Space