The WHrC provides resources around women’s health
best practices and care pathways.
Women’s Health research Collaborative and Avana Health
Launch Joint Initiative Around Acute Heavy Menstrual Bleeding Care
NEW YORK, NY – January 28, 2025 – The Women’s Health research Collaborative (WHrC), a Petauri Kinect network of excellence, and Avana Health announced their new initiative to help improve Acute Heavy Menstrual Bleeding (HMB) care. Acute HMB refers to episodes of heavy uterine bleeding, unrelated to pregnancy, that require urgent or emergent care. Currently, there are no diagnostic or therapeutic codes. In addition, no FDA-approved interventions exist.
The goal of this collaboration is to improve the care of affected girls and women by raising awareness of the condition in a fashion that fosters improved education, research and the development of effective interventions.
“The clinical problem of Acute HMB has received little attention despite the adverse impact on the lives of millions of women and the costs incurred by our healthcare systems,” said Malcolm Munro, MD, FACOG, FRCSC, clinical professor at UCLA and co-founder of the WHrC. “The WHrC is committed to raising awareness of this circumstance among policymakers, clinicians, healthcare systems, medical educators and the life sciences industry. By doing so, we hope to stimulate everything from developing and deploying the ICD and CPT codes needed to identify, track and otherwise evaluate affected women to addressing the glaring need for regulatory approval of interventions designed to prevent and treat this disabling situation.”
The International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) and American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) have defined Acute HMB as “an episode of heavy uterine bleeding in the reproductive years, unrelated to pregnancy, that, in the opinion of the clinician, is of sufficient quantity to require immediate intervention.”
“At Avana Health, we are committed to addressing critical gaps in uterine health. Raising awareness of Acute HMB and driving meaningful change in its treatment are core to our mission. By collaborating with diverse stakeholders including medical experts, patients, healthcare providers and the WHrC, we are developing innovative solutions that broaden access and empower healthcare practitioners. Together, we can transform care and improve lives,” said Peter Pacult, CEO and co-founder of Avana Health.
Mindy Olivarez, senior vice president at Petauri Kinect, added, “This partnership will bring the voice of women, necessary research and innovative stakeholders to the table as well as continue to advance women’s health in the US and globally.”
To learn more about this initiative, please contact Mindy.Olivarez@petauri.com
About Petauri
Petauri is a purpose-built pharmaceutical services platform based in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded by CEO Dan Renick in partnership with Oak Hill Capital, the platform is launching, acquiring, and combining best-in-class companies with recognized expertise in global market access, medical affairs, commercialization support, patient services, and data and analytics. Since it was founded in 2023, the platform has launched Petauri Advisors and acquired The Kinetix Group, the agencies of FORCE Communications, Mtech Access, Delta Hat, the agencies of the Brightly Network, and Formulary Insights, all now Powered by Petauri™. For more information, go to www.petauri.com
About Women’s Health research Collaborative (WHrC)
WHrC is a global initiative focused on working with multistakeholder partners to identify gaps in women’s health care and address unmet need. As part of the Petauri Kinect Networks of Excellence, the WHrC brings women’s health to the forefront by promoting patient-centered research and innovation to define and spread best practices related to women’s health issues. For more information, go to www.womenshealthresearchcollaborative.com
About Avana Health
Avana Health is a clinical-stage women’s health company focused on treating areas of unmet need. Avana has developed a drug and device system. The company is focused on addressing abnormal uterine bleeding, which affects at least one in three women, and postpartum hemorrhage, which is the leading cause of maternal death globally. The treatment is designed to work in less than three minutes, to be used by many different health care practitioners, and increase access to care in low resource settings like maternal care deserts and low and middle income countries (LMICs). For more information, go to www.avana.health
International Day of Action for Women’s Health 2024:
Reproductive Health & Endometrial Trauma
May 28th is International Day of Action for Women’s Health! This year's infographic centers around issues related to reproductive health and endometrial trauma.
Women's Health research Collaborative is part of TKG's Networks of Excellence. Discover how these networks are helping to advance care delivery at https://thekinetixgroup.com/networks-of-excellence/
The IJGO has published a new supplement, “Our path from abnormal uterine bleeding and iron deficiency to impaired fetal development: A long and winding road”. This supplement, developed by the FIGO Committee on Menstrual Disorders and Related Health Impacts, aims to lay out a comprehensive overview of the links between heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB), iron deficiency (ID), and neonatal development.
Michela Bedard, executive director of PERIOD. and Mindy Olivarez, vice president at The Kinetix Group and co-lead of the WHrC, discuss period poverty related to health and quality of life
The Impacts of Iron Deficiency Related to Reproductive Health and Quality of Life
View the webinar lead by Dr. Malcolm Munro and Dr. Richard Derman.
The New FIGO Policy Statement on ID and Anemia in Women and Girls
“Anaemia is an under-recognised and undertreated chronic state that adversely impacts more than 2 billion people worldwide, predominantly women, the fetus and children.1 Iron deficiency is the most common micronutrient deficiency worldwide and is the most frequent cause of anaemia.”
How to Know if You’re Iron-Deficient, and What to Do About It
Written by Alisha Haridasani Gupta and Alice Callahan
Explains how to keep menstrual bleeding in check and how to make smart nutritional choices
If you’ve determined that your iron levels are low, “we have this approach — we say we have to ‘stop the leak and fill up the tank,” Dr. Munro said. Here’s what that might look like.
Image by Marta Monteiro
Oct. 17, 2023
Illustrates the risk of iron deficiency, its causes and if you should get your levels checked
“The condition can cause fatigue and other symptoms but is rarely tested for. Here’s what to know.” Alisha Haridasani Gupta
Image by Marta Monteiro
Oct. 17, 2023
International Day of Action for Women’s Health 2023: Period Poverty Awareness
International Day of Action for Women’s Health is Sunday, May 28th! This year, the Women’s Health research Collaborative (WHrC) has worked to raise awareness for period poverty and the negative impact it has on people who menstruate. Check out the infographic below to learn more.
WHrC’s chair, Malcolm Munro, MD, FACOG, FRCSC, and committee members, Alan Mast, MD, Jackie Powers, MD, MS, Peter Kouides, MD, Sarah O’Brien, MD, Toby Richards, MD, FRCS, Michelle Lavin, PhD, and Barbara Levy, MD, FACOG, FACS, publish an article on The Relationship Between Heavy Menstrual Bleeding, Iron Deficiency, and Iron Deficiency Anemia in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Abstract
For reproductive-aged women, the symptom of heavy menstrual bleeding is highly prevalent and a major contributor to iron deficiency and its most severe manifestation, iron deficiency anemia. It is recognized that these two clinical entities are not only highly prevalent, but their interrelationship is poorly appreciated and frequently normalized by society, healthcare providers, and affected girls and women themselves. Both heavy menstrual bleeding and iron deficiency, with or without anemia, adversely impact the quality of life - heavy menstrual bleeding during the episodes of bleeding and iron deficiency on a daily basis. These combined issues adversely affect the lives of reproductive-aged girls and women of all ages, from menarche to menopause, while their often-insidious nature frequently leads to normalization. The effects on cognitive function, as well as the related work and school absenteeism and presenteeism, can undermine the efforts and function of women in all walks of life, be they students, educators, employers, or employees. There is also an increasing body of evidence that suggests that iron deficiency, even in early pregnancy, may adversely impact fetal neurodevelopment with enduring effects on a spectrum of cognitive and psychological disorders, critically important evidence that begs the normalization of iron stores in reproductive-aged women. The authors seek to raise individual, societal, and professional awareness of this underappreciated situation in a fashion that leads to meaningful and evidence-based changes in clinical guidance and healthcare policy directed at preventing, screening, diagnosing, and appropriately managing both disorders. This manuscript provides evidence supporting the need for action and describes the elements necessary to address this pervasive set of conditions that not only affect reproductive-aged girls and women but also the lives of children everywhere.
Munro, M G et al. “The Relationship between Heavy Menstrual Bleeding, Iron Deficiency, and Iron Deficiency Anemia.” American journal of obstetrics and gynecology, S0002-9378(23)00024-8. 24 Jan. 2023, doi:10.1016/j.ajog.2023.01.017
The International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics’s (FIGO) Committee on Menstrual Disorders and Related Health Impacts and Committee on Reproductive Medicine, Endocrinology and Infertility have published a joint open access special article on the FIGO ovulatory disorders classification system in the International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics (IJGO), Human Reproduction and Fertility & Sterility
Addressing the global challenge of ovulatory disorders
Ovulatory disorders are extremely common. For instance, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is experienced by up to 20% of reproductive-aged women worldwide. Ovulatory disorders are common causes of amenorrhea, abnormal uterine bleeding and infertility.
According to Professor Malcolm Munro, Past Chair of the FIGO Committee on Menstrual Disorders and Related Health Impacts,
“The FIGO ovulatory disorders classification system is the culmination of a rigorous and inclusive process directed by two of FIGO's committees and involving experts, national and subspecialty societies and journals, as well as patient advocacy groups from six continents.
This work demonstrates FIGO's ability to assemble and lead an inclusive network of stakeholders to deal with a global health care issue in a fashion that should address an important unmet need.”
Application of the new ovulatory disorders classification system
This paper describes the development of a new classification of ovulatory disorders conducted using a rigorously applied Delphi process.
The system is applied after a preliminary assessment identifies the presence of an ovulatory disorder. The primary level of the system is based on an anatomic model (Hypothalamus, Pituitary, Ovary), with a separate category for PCOS. This core component of the system is easily remembered using the acronym HyPO-P (see below).
Professor Munro highlights that the system described in this special article “should facilitate education, clinical care and the design and interpretation of basic, translational, clinical and epidemiological research in a way that improves care for the hundreds of millions of women affected by ovulatory disorders worldwide”.
Published August 19, 2022
FIGO’s Committee on Menstrual Disorders and Related Health Impacts publishes a systematic review and meta-analysis of cesarean scar defects and abnormal uterine bleeding
This paper’s objective is to synthesize the published literature to better understand the association between cesarean scar defects (CSDs) and abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB). In particular, we aimed to evaluate the risk and pattern(s) of CSD-associated AUB in addition to exploring the relationship between defect morphology with bleeding symptoms.
Published August 17, 2022
The Kinetix Group and Converging Health Release
Early Findings on Women's Health from Collaborative Partnership
NEW YORK, NY – June 7, 2022 – The Kinetix Group (TKG) and Converging Health released some early insights from their collaborative work. The joint research identified an underrecognition of the impact of heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB) and its correlation to overall healthcare costs.
Earlier this year, the two companies announced a collaborative partnership to apply data and expert insights to unmet health needs as well as determine their corresponding cost implications.
John Strapp, co-founder and chairman of The Kinetix Group, said, "Our goal was to accelerate appropriate identification of underrecognized diseases and empower executive leaders to make informed decisions, and we've found our first need – women's health."
Proprietary insights from the collaboration identified that women diagnosed with HMB cost on average $7000 per member per year more than those who do not. In addition, the findings suggested that heavy menstrual bleeding is normalized, under-reported and often leads to other conditions such as iron deficiency and anemia.
"Because this issue gets hidden with nonspecific codes, it goes unrecognized by employers. This collaboration just gave us a burning platform to raise the level of awareness around the burden of heavy menstrual bleeding on women and the cost implications to employers that haven't before been recognized and likely aren't floating to the top of their employee engagement strategies," said Scott Conard, MD, co-founder and partner at Converging Health.
The collaborative's initial focus on women's health also occurred around International Day of Action for Women's Health–a day devoted to organizations or individuals mobilizing around a priority women's health topic best suited to their local context.
For more information about the impact of HMB on women's health, please visit here. For more information on the findings, please contact Mindy Olivarez, vice president of innovation at The Kinetix Group, at mindyo@thekinetixgroup.com.
The Kinetix Group
TKG empowers life science companies to effectively engage with health system and payer customers by developing strategies and real-world solutions aimed at impacting the right patient, at the right time, with the right care. TKG also works directly with health systems and payers to build and implement value-based delivery models for identified patient populations. To learn more, go to www.thekinetixgroup.com.
Converging Health
Converging Health is a healthcare data analytics company that delivers actionable insights to enable informed decisions that improve outcomes clinically and operationally. To learn more, go to https://converginghealth.com.
International Day of Action for Women’s Health 2022: HMB 2.0
International Women’s Health Action Day was May 28th! The Women’s Health research Collaborative (WHrC) has continued to raise awareness for chronic period pain and heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB). Check out the infographic below and learn how to start the conversation today!
Women’s Health research Collaborative Partners with Pharmacosmos and Blood Management Leader to Advance Identification of Women with Heavy Menstrual Bleeding and Iron Deficiency
NEW YORK, NY – November 23, 2021 – The Women's Health Research Collaborative (WHrC) announces a collaborative partnership amongst multiple stakeholders to address the related issues of iron deficiency (ID) and heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB) through patient-centered research.
Key stakeholders include Pharmacosmos Therapeutics Inc., an industry leader in the treatment of iron deficiency anemia, Alan Mast, MD, PhD, Walter Schroeder Endowed Chair for Blood Research and Senior Investigator at Versiti Blood Research Institute, and Malcolm Munro, MD, Chair of the WHrC.
This collaboration will study ferritin levels from over 1000 blood samples from female blood donors between the ages 18 to 45 who are already participating in an NIH sponsored study. The symptom of excessive menstrual bleeding will be elicited by a questionnaire, and since ferritin is an important measure of iron deficiency, the results should allow the investigators to further explore the relationship between HMB and ID and their impact on health-related quality of life. The study runs through December 2022, with analysis in 2023 and is being funded by an unrestricted grant from Pharmacosmos Therapeutics.
"This work should help us understand more about the prevalence of iron deficiency in reproductive aged women, particularly in relationship with their self described menstrual experience" said Dr. Munro.
"Reproductive-aged women who donate blood are at high risk for iron deficiency. This study will examine how menstruation, blood donation, and donor genetics influence this risk," said Dr. Mast who is also an associate professor at the Medical College of Wisconsin and member of WHrC's HMB/ID/IDA Steering Committee.
Michael Spyridon, PhD, Global Medical Director for Obstetrics and Gynecology at Pharmacosmos said ''We are proud to support this important study and to collaborate with such a prestigious group of investigators".
For more information, please contact partnerships@womenshealthresearchcollaborative.com
About Women's Health research Collaborative
WHrC is a global initiative focused on working with multi-stakeholder partners to identify gaps in women's health care and address unmet need. WHrC brings women's health to the forefront by promoting patient-centered research and innovation to define and spread best practices related to women's health issues. For more information, go to https://womenshealthresearchcollaborative.com/
About Versiti
Versiti, a national leader in blood health innovation, was formed with the mission to improve the health of patients and enable the success of our healthcare partners nationally. We provide innovative, value-added solutions in the fields of transfusion medicine, transplantation, and blood-related diseases to meet the needs of each of our customers. The collective efforts across Versiti result in improved patient outcomes, expanded access to care, and cost efficiencies for healthcare systems nationwide. For more information, visit versiti.org.
Pharmacosmos Therapeutics Inc.
Pharmacosmos Therapeutics Inc., is headquartered in Morristown, NJ, and was established in 2019. Built upon the heritage of the global Pharmacosmos Group and structured to be agile and fast-moving, Pharmacosmos Therapeutics brings together the resources required to drive growth and an experienced, high-performing team with the shared purpose of bringing a new treatment option to those patients in need of intravenous iron.
International Day of Action for Women's Health 2021: HMB 1.0
It’s International Women’s Health Action Day! The Women’s Health research Collaborative has worked to raise awareness for heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB). Check out the infographic below on how to start the conversation today!
Women's Health research Collaborative Launches
Multi-stakeholder Initiatives Around Unmet Women's Health Needs
NEW YORK, March 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Women's Health research Collaborative (WHrC) announces the launch of a multi-stakeholder initiative designed to raise awareness and address the burden of women's health issues through patient-centered research. Key stakeholders include health systems, advocacy groups, life science organizations, payers, employers, and consumer facing technology organizations who are contributing their influence to activate change within the health care system and society.
WHrC's first area of focus is Heavy Menstrual Bleeding (HMB) and its association with iron deficiency and iron deficiency anemia. The clinical subcommittee representing providers from UCLA, Texas Children's Hospital, Nationwide Children's, Versiti Blood Center, University of Rochester and other influential international health systems. A recent publication by steering committee member Toby Richards, MD highlights the importance of recognizing and managing iron deficiency here https://doi.org/10.1111/anae.15432.
"Heavy menstrual bleeding and its correlation to ID/IDA impacts more than health. While HMB is the first women's health need we will address, it is only just the beginning," says Malcolm Munro, MD and Chair of WHrC's Steering Committee.
WHrC will expand topics and stakeholder involvement as new initiatives are identified. WHrC has engaged The Kinetix Group (TKG), a healthcare consultancy as its operational partner. "We are proud to have been selected as a partner of choice with WHrC. Organizationally we are aligned to WHrC's mission of empowering women around healthcare decisions and developing a multi-stakeholder approach to the adoption of evidence based guidelines," says John Strapp, Co-Founder of TKG.
For participation information, please contact Mindy Olivarez at mindyo@thekinetixgroup.com.
About Women's Health research Collaborative
WHrC is a global initiative focused on working with multi-stakeholder partners to identify gaps in women's health care and address unmet need. WHrC brings women's health to the forefront by promoting patient centered research and innovation to define and spread best practices related to women's health issues.
The Kinetix Group
TKG Care Delivery is committed to supporting network models to enable strategies and real-world solutions aimed at impacting the right patient, at the right time, with the right care. TKG also works directly with life science companies, health systems, payers and employers to build and implement value-based delivery models for identified patient populations. To learn more, go to www.thekinetixgroup.com.