AI designed, 3D printed supplements could manage menopause symptoms

As recently reported in Design Week, London-based product development company Morrama are working on a menopause management app called "Luma", aimed at assisting those experiencing peri-menopause and menopause manage their symptoms.

The app is designed to receive and compile data on sleep patterns, heart rate and temperature. Then, supplements comprising well-known natural ingredients, such as ginseng, are tailored to the user's specific symptoms, created using a 3D printer, and sent to the user through the post every month.

As symptoms fluctuate over time, the composition of the 3D printed supplements can be automatically adjusted as required, using AI technology.

"As with fertility or nutrition, every woman’s menopause experience is different" notes the Morrama website. "Luma uses machine learning to build up an understanding of each users symptoms and tailor the formula accordingly. 3D printing them into one simple ‘magic compound’ makes taking the ingredients easy to integrate into routine”.

The use of 3D printing enables the efficient production of very small batches of individualised pharmaceuticals, while also minimising waste.

Menopause and perimenopause can cause symptoms such as anxiety, mood swings, sleeplessness, brain fog, and hot flushes. Some of these symptoms may carry on for years, having a big impact on relationships and working life.

Leveraging the power of machine learning and additive manufacturing to enable users to take control of their menopause and peri-menopause symptoms is a really exciting idea. The Morrama website also references predictions which suggest that the menopause market will be worth $24.4 billion by 2030, an indication that menopause-related inventions could be the "next big thing" in the healthcare market.