Grand Challenges: Accelerating Innovations to Address Heavy Menstrual Bleeding in Women in Low-Resource Settings

Background

Heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB) affects millions of women globally. Clinically, HMB is defined as excessive menstrual blood loss that negatively affects a woman's physical, emotional, and social well-being. In research settings, HMB is defined as directly measured blood loss exceeding 80 milliliters per menstrual cycle. Many women seek medical attention based on their perceptions of heavy bleeding and its impact on daily life. Abnormal uterine bleeding, of which HMB is a subset, is caused by various factors. Structural abnormalities include polyps, adenomyosis, fibroids, and malignancy, while non-structural factors include bleeding disorders, ovulatory and endometrial dysfunction, and other factors.

The Challenge

We invite research proposals on HMB based on the clinical definition that focus on:

• Biological Mechanisms – Advancing understanding of the fundamental biology of HMB to identify targets for innovative diagnostics and treatments.
• Epidemiology and Impact – Assessing disease burden, patterns, and impact on gynecological health and quality of life in women in low-resource settings.
• Measurement and Standardization – Developing and validating improved methods for measuring HMB and establishing standardized research protocols to enable consistent and comparable studies across diverse populations and healthcare systems.
• Innovative Diagnostics – Proposing new technology or piloting the use of existing technology to identify causes of HMB in low resource settings, including the use of artificial intelligence. Technology should be easy to use and affordable.
• Treatment and Access – Evaluating the effectiveness, acceptability, and ways to increase access to treatment including hormonal contraceptives, to inform patient-centered care in low-resource settings.

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Eligibility

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