By PulsHealth. Updated
Research reviewed .
What does a prolonged-period assessment describe?
Prolonged Menstrual Periods is a Cycle Deviation category about repeated long bleeding duration in logged history. It is distinct from heavy bleeding: duration and amount answer different questions.
Apple's HealthKit definition requires bleeding lasting at least 10 days on at least two occasions in the preceding six months. This is Apple's category definition, not a general clinical cutoff for every prolonged period. A detected pattern is saved as a sample after the user confirms the history.
How do duration and flow differ?
| Evidence | What it tells you | What it does not tell you |
|---|---|---|
| Reviewed period-day history | Recorded duration of bleeding episodes | Complete duration when days were not logged |
| Menstrual Flow categories | Logged qualitative flow level | Measured blood-loss volume |
| Prolonged Menstrual Periods | A verified pattern of repeated long periods | Whether every recorded day was heavy |
A period may have several flow intervals as the amount changes. Do not sum overlapping row durations or count each entry as a separate prolonged episode. Review resolved period boundaries and gaps in logging before reconstructing duration. The saved deviation interval itself is not a substitute for that bleeding history.
Is the assessment code a duration measurement?
The category uses 0, notApplicable, a generic marker rather than a duration, severity or negative result. There is no physiological numeric range to chart and no valid average of the category codes.
Start-to-start gaps between saved assessments describe recording spacing, not period frequency. Interval timestamps do not establish when the notification or confirmation occurred. The interval is an assessment span, not repeated measurements of bleeding duration.
What did the example data show?
No prolonged-period category records were present in the researched year. Actual saved interval lengths, source differences, cadence and context comparisons were unavailable. With the primary category absent, no measured relationship to menstrual-flow duration could be established. No duration graph or bleeding-volume estimate is inferred.
How should the history be used?
Review that all period days were recorded accurately before interpreting the pattern. Apple Support explains that recent or ongoing logged cycle factors disable deviation detection. Discuss persistent changes with a healthcare professional using the bleeding history. This assessment cannot determine anemia, blood-loss volume, an underlying diagnosis or fertility status.
Is this type collected by PulsHealth?
This identifier is documented here but is absent from PulsHealth’s current sync catalog. An empty database result cannot establish whether the phone contains this assessment.
Understanding your records
Recording frequency, source and coverage affect what you can conclude from this data. Read the recording guide.