While it may take an average of three years for women with polycystic ovary syndrome to receive a definitive diagnosis, following multiple doctor visits, the testing company Allara hopes to reduce that time to just as many days.
After launching a virtual care platform earlier this summer aimed at treating people with PCOS, Allara is now debuting a diagnostic tool designed to sift through multiple hormone- and metabolism-based biomarkers. The goal is to link multiple commonplace symptoms like weight gain, acne and fatigue with the hidden condition.
The company estimates that about half of people with PCOS, which affects about 1 in 10 women, go completely undiagnosed. The system also works to identify other hormonal conditions as well as diseases that may come with an increased risk alongside PCOS, such as Type 2 diabetes and high cholesterol.
Designed as an at-home blood test in partnership with the lab and phlebotomy service provider Bioreference, the $149 diagnostic tool is available in 11 of the largest states in the U.S. Allara said it plans to expand nationwide by the end of 2022. The test also includes a 30-minute video consultation with Allara’s medical providers to review results and help establish a treatment plan.
“PCOS is a disorder that doesn’t manifest the same way for each person,” Heather Huddleston, a medical adviser to Allara, said in a statement. “PCOS varies across women and, even for the same woman, can bring different challenges at different points in the life course.”
Allara’s diagnostic gauges multiple reproductive hormones plus thyroid levels and more to determine imbalances and contributing factors such as insulin resistance and vitamin deficiencies.
“Allara’s tool can help women understand how PCOS is impacting them, both hormonally and metabolically, and can provide guidance on best management techniques,” said Huddleston, who also serves as director of the PCOS clinic at the University of California, San Francisco.