Awards & Recognition

NIH announces WashU Medicine as a finalist of endometriosis diagnostics competition

Uterine peristalsis imaging (UPI) as an endometriosis diagnostic


The team proposes measuring uterine peristalsis, which are muscle contractions in the uterus that occurs during the menstrual cycle. UPI is a new type of technology developed by the team. Using wearable sensors, UPI measures patterns of electrical activity, similar to how an electrocardiogram works for the heart. Women with endometriosis have abnormal patterns of uterine contractions, which potentially contribute to symptoms of the disease. As such, this diagnostic could identify the condition in earlier stages before lesions or biomarkers are found.