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Launch of New women’s bleeding symptom checker

Written by Aaron Dennis, November 19, 2021

We’re proud to have launched an easy-to-use online symptom checker to help women and girls with heavy periods find out if they have a genetic bleeding disorder. 

One in 5 women and girls who get medical help because of heavy periods will actually have a bleeding disorder, yet many outside our community are unaware they even exist. The symptom checker, which is part of our Talking Red campaign that raises awareness about women’s bleeding disorders, is designed to increase diagnoses and get women and girls the specialist treatment and care they need. 

The online tool, which is supported by Takeda and LFB, only takes a few minutes to complete. It guides the user through a series of questions about their symptoms and gives guidance and information so that if they do go on to visit their GP, they receive the right treatment. 

To make sure the symptom checker tool reaches as many women as possible, we’ve run a high-profile campaign across our social media channels and beyond. We’re delighted that it has attracted a strong response.  

You can help by sharing the symptom checker with your friends and family. There are 17,000 women and girls in the UK living with a diagnosed bleeding disorder and at least another 35,000 undiagnosed – we hope that with our help more women can get the right diagnosis and get help in managing their condition. 

Gemma’s medical history should have meant her bleeding disorder was diagnosed as a child.  Her great-grandfather had haemophilia, she’d bled profusely after dental work in her early teens, was constantly anaemic and had a tendency to bruise easily.  But because her mother had been incorrectly reassured by a clinician at her birth that the haemophilia in her family would not affect her daughter, no one ever joined dots until 10 years ago when Gemma’s son was born and started to get large, unexplained bruises. The diagnosis of her son with severe haemophilia A was swiftly followed by her own – doctors told her she was not only a carrier of the haemophilia gene but also has mild haemophilia.  

When my mum was told that haemophilia wouldn’t affect me or my sister it was never mentioned again, and I had no idea of my family’s medical history. Women need to be empowered and educated so that they can ask for the tests and treatment they need. There’s still a lot to do in raising awareness of women’s bleeding disorders.” 

Gemma, 42, from Oxfordshire

Find the Talking Red symptom checker at: TalkingRedSymptomChecker.co.uk