October 8, 2024
Unicharm conducted a survey on women's health issues.
Approximately 80% of women experience general discomfort. It is important to understand the relationship between hormones and physical condition.
Unicharm Co., Ltd. (Representative Director and President: Gokyu Takahara) conducted a survey on women's health issues with 724 women as part of the release of the menstrual management app 'Sophie Be' which aims to understand the relationship between hormones and physical condition. As a result, it was found that approximately 80% of women are troubled by the general discomfort they experience, so we would like to share some of that information.
Summary of survey results
① Frequency and Impact of Discomfort
✓ One out of every four womenFeel discomfort for more than half a month.
Women's discomfort is diverse, About 80% of people are troubled.
About 90% of women experience a decrease in performance due to discomfort.
② Lack of understanding of the causes of discomfort
More than 70% of women do not fully understand the causes of discomfort.
✓ Approximately 80% of women who have experienced irregular health problems..
③Challenges in addressing health problems
✓ The majority of women are unable to address health problems.
✓The most common reason for not addressing health issues is "not knowing what to do (49.7%)".
Following that, there is a certain number of women who give up on addressing health issues, with reasons like "not knowing when the discomfort will occur (37.4%)" and "seeing discomfort as inevitable and giving up (33.8%)".
Summary of the survey
Survey Name: Survey on Women's Health Issues
Survey Method: Internet Survey
Survey Participants: 724 women aged 15 to 49 who have experienced health issues
Survey Period: August 2024
Survey Results
① Frequency and Impact of Health Issues
Q. When during a month (1 menstrual cycle) do you experience health issues?
When investigating the period during which discomfort is felt every 7 days over a month (1 menstrual cycle), it was found that one in four women feel discomfort for more than 2 weeks, with over half of them feeling discomfort for over half a month.
Q. How much do you worry about feeling discomfort in your daily life?
Many people are troubled by female-specific discomfort such as menstrual pain and PMS. Furthermore, when the degree of worry was investigated based on symptoms, it was confirmed that in most cases, over 80% of people are troubled. Particularly, 88.5% of those who are troubled by symptoms like 'getting irritated over small things', 89.4% experience severe mood swings and sudden mood changes, and 88.8% are troubled by symptoms like 'easily tired and feeling exhausted'.
Q. When the most concerning symptom of discomfort that you usually experience appears, to what extent are you able to act as you wish or perform as usual? Please answer on a scale where 100% means you can act as you wish.
Approximately 90% of women answered "performance declines more than usual".
② Lack of understanding of the causes of discomfort
Q. Are you aware of the causes of discomfort in your daily life?
It was revealed that many women do not understand the causes of their usual discomfort and symptoms, with 32.6% responding "I have no idea" and 40.7% responding "I vaguely remember, but I don't really understand".
Q. Do you experience discomfort in your daily life at the same timing every month?
When asked if they experience regular symptoms at the same time every month, 33.8% of women answered that both regular and irregular symptoms occur periodically, while 46.1% of women answered that symptoms occur irregularly. As a result, it was found that approximately 80% of women experience irregular symptoms.
Challenges of addressing symptoms
Q. Are you able to take measures against symptoms you feel in your daily life?
Approximately 80% of women responded that they are not able to take preventive measures against the symptoms they feel in their daily lives.
Do you have measures in place to address any discomfort you may feel in your daily life afterwards?
Moreover, about 60% of women answered that they are unable to take measures after symptoms appear, indicating that they are not facing their discomfort for improvement.
Q. Please select all the reasons why you have not taken preventive measures for discomfort you may feel in your daily life.
The most common reason for not taking preventive measures was "I do not know how to take measures" at 49.7%, followed by "I do not know when the discomfort will occur" at 37.4%, and "It is inevitable that I will feel discomfort (I have given up)" at 33.8%.
How to deal with women's physical discomfort
According to the above survey results, about 80% of women feel irregular discomfort vaguely, while many of them do not fully understand the causes. Furthermore, it was found that about 80% of women who have not taken measures against discomfort, cite reasons such as 'do not know the countermeasures,' 'do not know when discomfort will occur,' 'have given up,' highlighting the difficulty of facing discomfort.
Despite the fact that many women are troubled by physical discomfort and are unable to find solutions, Dr. Miho Takao, an obstetrician and gynecologist, advises that it is important to cultivate a habit of daily reflection on one's physical 'fluctuations.'
Comment from Dr. Miho Takao, Obstetrician and Gynecologist
Women's bodies experience fluctuations in health due to various factors. While there are discomforts with clear causes like before and after menstruation, many women seem to struggle with irregular discomforts that suddenly come upon them in daily life, such as feeling tired, getting annoyed over trivial matters, or experiencing sudden mood swings.
Women's discomfort is caused by various factors such as hormonal imbalances, daily lifestyles, and changes in atmospheric pressure intertwining.
Many people are in a 'mindless state' thinking that it's inevitable because of menstruation or premenstrual period when facing their own bodies on a daily basis. As indicated in survey results, there are many individuals who are not taking measures against discomfort, and even more who resign themselves to just enduring it. Whether there is discomfort or not, it is important to 'know' the daily changes happening within oneself.It is very important to proactively understand your own physical condition in advance.While there is interest in easily understandable values such as weight and body fat, I haven't paid much attention to this fluctuation in mind and body. So, how do we confront discomfort? It's not about trying to do something difficult all of a sudden. Start by developing the habit of thinking about what the cause of discomfort might be. It's okay to question yourself, such as 'perhaps because I didn't sleep well last night.' Begin by understanding your daily condition and trying to find the reasons for feeling good or not so good.
Miho Takao, M.D., Ph.D., Occupational Physician. Deputy Director of the Integrative Health Clinic 'EEK Omotesando' for women.
Miho Takao, M.D., Ph.D., Obstetrician and Gynecologist, Occupational Physician.
Miho Takao, M.D., Ph.D., Deputy Director of the Integrative Health Clinic 'EEK Omotesando' for women.
As a female industrial physician, I am in charge of employee training at the Cabinet Office Gender Equality Bureau and Personnel Bureau, etc.
I have been a yoga enthusiast for many years and have instructed many yoga instructors.
On YouTube's 'Real Voice from Mio Takao', I answer women's concerns every day and share ways to live easily.
Use the period management app 'Sophie Be' to understand the relationship between hormones and physical condition and deal with discomfort in advance.
'Sophie Be,' a menstrual management app provided by our company, visualizes not only the menstrual cycle but also the waves of hormones in a graph, making the relationship with physical condition clear at a glance. Each woman can skillfully handle her own hormone fluctuations and 'Sophie' from Unicharm will support her to be active in her own way. Starting from September 26, 2024, the Android version has been available in addition to the existing iPhone version.
Our company promotes the corporate brand essence 'Love Your Possibilities' and provides products and services that increase self-efficacy (belief in one's abilities) for women who are limiting their lives due to discomfort such as menstruation. Through these services, we support each woman in managing her physical and mental health to improve the quality of life.
Overview of the 'Sophie Be' app features:
(1) The relationship between hormones and physical condition is visualized in a graph for easy understanding
-Simply by recording your menstrual cycle, it visualizes the relationship between hormone changes and physical condition, mood, etc. as a "hormone graph".
-By looking at the graph, you can identify the triggers for good and bad conditions, making it possible to provide effective care.
(2) Equipped with a unique chat function utilizing generated AI.
-The generated AI answers questions related to mind and body. Through dialogue with AI, users can easily consult and receive tailored conversations and advice.
(3) It is also possible to receive support for fertility by selecting the fertility mode.
-Through a "Fertility Progress Guide," you can share the fertility progress method suitable for you with your partner.
-Through "Fertility Plan Simulation," you can progress with fertility while envisioning the future together.
Download the "Sophie Be" app
iOS version
Android version
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Unicharm Co., Ltd. ESG Division Public Relations Department TEL: 03-6722-1019
Email: brand-pr@unicharm.com
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