Low-Dose Melatonin, Climacteric Symptoms and Sleep in Female Shift Workers: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Saraiva et al.
The finding, in our words
In female shift workers, 0.3 mg melatonin reduced climacteric symptoms by 15.8% compared with placebo and improved sleep quality on days off by 35.33%, with no shift interaction; home blood sampling enabled measurement of LH, FSH, estradiol and progesterone.
A paraphrase to the Library’s standard, never the abstract. The source is one link away and is always the authority.
In a study of 46 perinatal nicotine users, dried blood spots and saliva were used weekly to measure reproductive hormones, finding that lower postpartum estradiol and greater peripartum declines in oxytocin were associated with increased nicotine craving and use. This demonstrates the feasibility of decentralised microsampling and remote surveys for longitudinal hormone tracking in vulnerable populations.
Allen et al., Drug and alcohol dependence reports (paywalled) · source ↗
A remote protocol combining daily surveys with weekly self-collected dried blood spots achieved a 92% study completion rate and high acceptability among reproductive-age women smokers, with 87% of participants collecting most samples and the same proportion extremely willing to repeat the study. This feasibility demonstrates that decentralised microsampling can support longitudinal research on hormonal contraceptive effects and smoking behaviour.
Medvescek & Allen, Drug and alcohol dependence reports (paywalled) · source ↗
Self-collected salivary progesterone and the ratio of estradiol to progesterone showed strong agreement with serum levels, supporting the use of saliva as a noninvasive matrix for monitoring the menstrual cycle.
Goldenstein et al., Physiological reports · source ↗
In a large study using self-collected capillary blood, current vaping and smoking were independently associated with lower levels of anti-Müllerian hormone, a marker of ovarian reserve. This demonstrates the utility of decentralised capillary sampling for large-scale epidemiological research on reproductive health.
Getreu et al., BMC women's health (paywalled) · source ↗
Menstrual blood offers a noninvasive, patient-centric matrix for detecting endometriosis, cervical cancer, and hormonal disorders through self-collected samples. Wearable in-pad biosensors enabling real-time monitoring and long-term tracking could transform fertility evaluation and early disease detection, though standardisation and large-scale validation remain critical gaps.
Shafiq et al., Annals of medicine and surgery · source ↗