Effectiveness of an mHealth Innovation on the Impact of Menstrual Complaints in Adolescents (MGA)

March 4, 2026 updated by: Dr. Robert A. de Leeuw, Academisch Medisch Centrum - Universiteit van Amsterdam (AMC-UvA)

The Effectiveness of an mHealth Innovation on the Impact of Menstrual Complaints in Adolescents - A Randomised Controlled Trial

The aim of this study is to improve menstrual health-related quality of life in adolescents by using a mobile menstrual health tracker. We will perform a randomized controlled trial to evaluate the (cost)-effectiveness of this mHealth intervention.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Studies have shown that menstrual health-related quality of life is influenced mainly by pain, blood loss and school/work/leisure absenteeism. We hypothesize that using a mHealth intervention designed for adolescents will increase the self-awareness of an adolescent's menstrual health, including adequate healthcare-seeking. As a result, the intervention will increase menstrual health-related quality of life.

Postmenarchal adolescents aged between 12 and 22 years can be included in this study and will be randomised using 1:1 stratified randomisation in the intervention arm or control arm. Stratification factors are: age (<16 of ≥ 16 years old), use of hormonal anticonception (yes or no) and menstrual disturbance score (Period ImPact and Pain Assessment score <3 or ≥3).

Participants in the intervention arm will be asked to track their menstrual complaints in the mobile menstrual tracker and education application daily for at least three months. Participants in the control arm will not use the mobile menstrual tracker and education application for six months. Participants in the control arm also get access to the mobile menstrual tracker and education application six months after enrollment and after the primary outcome measurement at 6-months after enrollment.

The primary outcome measure is quality of life, using the PedsQL measured six months after enrollment. Secondary outcomes are school, work and leisure absenteeism, menstrual careseeking behavior, knowledge about menstrual complaints, the prevalence of suspected bleeding disorders, the prevalence of menstrual disturbance, the amount of menstrual blood loss, and societal costs.

All outcomes will be measured using online questionnaires send at 6, 12 and 24 months after enrollment.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
874

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child
  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Dutch, English, Turkish or Moroccan-Arabic speaking
  • Post menarche
  • Access to a smartphone or tablet with iOS or Android operating system

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Amenorrhea
  • Pregnancy
  • No menstrual bleeding or withdrawel bleeding in the 3 months prior to inclusion.
  • Previously or currently under treatment by a health care provider for menstrual complaints

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Other
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: App group
Participants in the 'App group' arm will be asked to record their menstrual health complaints daily in the mobile menstrual tracker and education application.
Other: Menstrual Tracker and Education Application
The intervention is a mobile menstrual tracker and education application developed by Amsterdam UMC researchers. The app is developed to provide insight into the users' menstrual health and contains 11 trackable domains (menstrual bleeding, pain, impact, general health, mood, urine/stool, sleep, exercise, diet, sex, notes). It is connected to an online environment where the user gets educated about normal and abnormal menstrual health.
No Intervention: Waitlist group
Participants in the 'waitlist group' will not directly get access to the mobile menstrual tracker and education application. They will be put on a 'waitlist'. Six months after inclusion and after completing the 6-month questionnaire, participants will get access to the application and are free to install and use it if desired.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Quality of Life Score
Time Frame: 6 months after enrollment
Quality of life measured at baseline and 6 months after enrollment using the validated Pediatric Quality of Life 4.0 questionnaire.
6 months after enrollment

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Menstrual bleeding related quality of life
Time Frame: 6, 12, 24 months after enrollment
The menstrual bleeding related quality of life assessed with the (adolescent) Menstrual Bleeding Questionnaire. The adolescent (<18) or adult version of the questionnaire will be used as appropriate.
6, 12, 24 months after enrollment
Knowledge about menstrual health
Time Frame: 6, 12 and 24 months after enrollment
The knowledge about menstrual health will be assessed with the Menstrual Health Literacy survey.
6, 12 and 24 months after enrollment
School-, work-, and leisure absences
Time Frame: 6, 12 and 24 months after enrollment
The impact of menstrual complaints on school, work and leisure activities will be measured using the iMTA Productivity Cost Questionnaire (iPCQ). Impact of menstrual complaints is also reported in the mobile menstrual tracker and education app.
6, 12 and 24 months after enrollment
Societal costs
Time Frame: 6, 12 and 24 months after enrollment
Societal costs including healthcare use and prodictivity loss will be assessed using the iMTA Productivity Cost Questionnaire (iPCQ) and the iMTA Medical Consumption Questionnaire (iMCQ).
6, 12 and 24 months after enrollment
Quality of Life for cost-effectiveness calculation
Time Frame: 6, 12 and 24 months after enrollment
To calculate the cost-effectiveness of the intervention, the quality of life assessed with the 5-level EQ-5D (EQ-5D-5L) and EQ-5D-Y-5L as appropriate as a measure for effectiveness.
6, 12 and 24 months after enrollment
Participants' experience of effectiveness
Time Frame: 6, 12 and 24 months after enrollment
The effectiveness experienced by the participant is measured using the 1-item questionnaire Patient Global Impression of Change.
6, 12 and 24 months after enrollment
Dose of mobile menstrual tracking and education application
Time Frame: 6, 12 and 24 months
Logdata of the mobile menstrual tracking and education application will be used to calculate the dose of the intervention received.
6, 12 and 24 months
Menstrual disturbance
Time Frame: 6, 12 and 24 months after enrollment
The menstrual disturbance score assessed with the Period ImPact and Pain Assessment tool (PIPPA)
6, 12 and 24 months after enrollment

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Academisch Medisch Centrum - Universiteit van Amsterdam (AMC-UvA)

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
February 16, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
November 30, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
May 31, 2029

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
March 4, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
March 4, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
March 9, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
March 9, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
March 4, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
March 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • MGA-studie
  • 10390032310035 (Other Grant/Funding Number: ZonMw)

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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