New women’s health app aims to bridge diagnosis gap for endometriosis

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Australian health professionals have launched an app aimed at simplifying the pathway to diagnosing women's health issues. 

Charli Health uses AI, telehealth and self-logged data to pick up on conditions like endometriosis.

The app is intended to help people like Bianca Zouppas, who has suffered debilitating period pain for more than half her life.

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Australian health professionals have launched an app aimed at simplifying the pathway to diagnosing women's health issues. Charli Health uses AI, telehealth and self-logged data to pick up on conditions like endometriosis.

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"I would get severe cramping, I couldn't exercise properly," Zouppas said.

"I'd feel like my stomach was having contractions."

Her condition was only diagnosed when she struggled to fall pregnant. 

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"That they discovered that they could see maybe something shadowing that looked like endometriosis," Zouppas said.

The condition affects many girls, women and people born with a uterus but takes nearly six years to diagnose.

Charli Health is using AI to answer questions, track reproductive cycles and flag when a user should seek medical attention for not only potential endometriosis but all kinds of women's health issues.

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"This opens up the door for preteens all the way through to perimenopause," Charli Health co-creator Samantha Costa said.

"Hopefully what will happen now is women will be more aware there is actually a problem," Endometriosis Australia associate professor Anusch Yazdani said.

"Endometriosis is a condition where the lining that is similar to the inside of the uterus or endometrium grows outside of the uterus," Costa said.

Charli Health is free to use for the first three months.

"I wish it was around when I was having all that pain," Zouppas said.