Wellcome Leap’s $50 million “The Missed Vital Sign” program aims to transform how healthcare addresses heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB), a condition affecting 1 in 3 women of reproductive age and often ignored despite causing serious health, emotional, and financial problems; by funding research and innovation, the program seeks to make menstruation a routinely measured health indicator, speed up diagnosis and treatment from an average of 5 years to just 5 months, and develop better, non-surgical and non-hormonal solutions so women can get effective help quickly and safely, improving their overall quality of life.

Every minute in the US, a woman requires a blood transfusion due to her menstruation. Half of women of reproductive-age (approximately 950 million globally) are iron deficient, with chronic HMB being a major contributor. 

The consequences of heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB) reach far beyond physical symptoms. In the UK, girls lose an average of 9 school days each year due to menstruation, while women with HMB in the US miss approximately 3.6 weeks of work annually—resulting in an estimated economic loss exceeding $94 billion. Additionally, those affected by HMB experience anxiety and depression at rates three times higher than the general female population,

This initiative, led by Dr. Jackie Maybin from the University of Edinburgh and NHS Lothian, aims to address these challenges through three core objectives:

• Developing rapid tools to identify women with HMB who are at risk of developing iron deficiency within three months.
• Investigating the underlying causes of HMB to support the creation of innovative, non-hormonal treatment options.
• Designing patient stratification tools to personalize care and ensure effective treatment is provided within two months.

Wellcome Leap is inviting abstracts for this program by May 16, 2025, with full proposals due by June 30, 2025. The call is open to universities, research institutions, companies, and non-profit organizations.