{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,21]],"date-time":"2026-09-21T15:04:15Z","timestamp":1790003055496,"version":"4.0.1"},"reference-count":15,"publisher":"BMJ","issue":"9","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,21]],"date-time":"2026-09-21T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1789948800000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":20,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["bmj.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["BMJ Open"],"accepted":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,9]]},"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,9]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Introduction<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Although systemic blood testing is usually used for research, it is invasive and may limit accessibility and participant compliance. Menstrual blood is usually discarded but contains whole blood and diverse biomarkers with relevance to reproductive and systemic health. Evidence shows an overlap between menstrual and systemic blood, with additional unique biomarkers that may enhance research. Despite this, menstrual blood remains under-represented in research and no scoping or systematic reviews are currently available on this topic.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods and analysis<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This review will include peer-reviewed studies involving menstruating individuals from whom menstrual blood was collected for research. Eligible studies must examine menstrual blood collection methods, analytical approaches, feasibility or acceptability, biomarker identification and outcomes across any research setting.<\/jats:p>\n                    <jats:p>The search will be conducted in MEDLINE (Ovid), Embase (Ovid) and Web of Science Core Collections, without date or language restrictions. Screening of titles, abstracts and full texts will be performed in Covidence alongside the inclusion criteria. Data will be extracted using a standardised form capturing information on research purposes, the population, collection methods, sample handling, key outcomes and challenges. Extracted evidence will be summarised following JBI methodology and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) reporting standards.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Ethics and dissemination<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Ethics approval was not required. The findings will be disseminated through publication in a peer-reviewed journal and conference presentations.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Trial registration number<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      This scoping review protocol has been registered with OSF (\n                      <jats:ext-link xmlns:xlink=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\" ext-link-type=\"uri\" xlink:href=\"https:\/\/osf.io\/prq3g\/\">https:\/\/osf.io\/prq3g\/<\/jats:ext-link>\n                      ).\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1136\/bmjopen-2026-119151","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,21]],"date-time":"2026-09-21T14:25:15Z","timestamp":1790000715000},"page":"e119151","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1136\/crossmarkpolicy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Menstrual blood as a research biospecimen: a scoping review protocol"],"prefix":"10.1136","volume":"16","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0009-6925-327X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Hala","family":"Salah","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Adriana Zardini","family":"Buzatto","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Heather","family":"Ganshorn","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Libraries and Cultural Resources, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Amy","family":"Metcalfe","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada"},{"name":"Department of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada"},{"name":"Department of Community Health Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"239","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,21]]},"reference":[{"key":"2026092107250463000_16.9.e119151.1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Dosnon L , Rduch T , Meyer C , et al . A Wearable In\u2010Pad Diagnostic for the Detection of Disease Biomarkers in Menstruation Blood. Advanced Science 2025;12. doi:10.1002\/advs.202505170","DOI":"10.1002\/advs.202505170"},{"key":"2026092107250463000_16.9.e119151.2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"274","DOI":"10.1016\/j.amjms.2024.04.009","article-title":"The role of blood testing in prevention, diagnosis, and management of chronic diseases: A review","volume":"368","author":"Cabalar","year":"2024","journal-title":"Am J Med Sci"},{"key":"2026092107250463000_16.9.e119151.3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"S N , K L , Pd B . Comparative Assessment of Serum versus Menstrual Blood for Diagnostic Purposes: A Pilot Study. J Clin Lab Med 2019;4. doi:10.16966\/2572-9578.130","DOI":"10.16966\/2572-9578.130"},{"key":"2026092107250463000_16.9.e119151.4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.3390\/jcm13237212","article-title":"Menstrual Blood as a Non-Invasive Alternative for Monitoring Vitamin Levels","volume":"13","author":"Whitbread","year":"2024","journal-title":"J Clin Med"},{"key":"2026092107250463000_16.9.e119151.5","article-title":"The Menstrual Cycle as a Vital Sign: a comprehensive review","volume":"6","author":"Vollmar","year":"2025","journal-title":"F S Rev"},{"key":"2026092107250463000_16.9.e119151.6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1074\/mcp.M112.018390"},{"key":"2026092107250463000_16.9.e119151.7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"111562","DOI":"10.1016\/j.forsciint.2023.111562","article-title":"Detecting STR profiles from degrading menstrual blood samples and their use as possible evidence in forensic investigations","volume":"343","author":"Al-Hazani","year":"2023","journal-title":"Forensic Sci Int"},{"key":"2026092107250463000_16.9.e119151.8","unstructured":"Siegel D . Development of a proteomic assay for menstrual blood, vaginal fluid and species identification. 2018. Available: https:\/\/www.ojp.gov\/pdffiles1\/nij\/grants\/251932.pdf [Accessed 1 Mar 2026]."},{"key":"2026092107250463000_16.9.e119151.9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.3390\/diagnostics14070686","article-title":"Menstrual Blood as a Diagnostic Specimen for Human Papillomavirus Genotyping and Genital Tract Infection Using Next-Generation Sequencing as a Novel Diagnostic Tool","volume":"14","author":"Tsang","year":"2024","journal-title":"Diagnostics (Basel)"},{"key":"2026092107250463000_16.9.e119151.10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"100075","DOI":"10.1016\/j.xfnr.2024.100075","article-title":"The composition of menstrual fluid, its applications, and recent advances to understand the endometrial environment: a narrative review","volume":"5","author":"Tindal","year":"2024","journal-title":"F&S Reviews"},{"key":"2026092107250463000_16.9.e119151.11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0279629","article-title":"Menstrual food restrictions and taboos: A qualitative study on rural, resettlement and urban indigenous Temiar of Malaysia","volume":"17","author":"Syed Abdullah","year":"2022","journal-title":"PLoS One"},{"key":"2026092107250463000_16.9.e119151.12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2119","DOI":"10.11124\/JBIES-20-00167","article-title":"Updated methodological guidance for the conduct of scoping reviews","volume":"18","author":"Peters","year":"2020","journal-title":"JBI Evid Synth"},{"key":"2026092107250463000_16.9.e119151.13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.7326\/M18-0850"},{"key":"2026092107250463000_16.9.e119151.14","unstructured":"Covidence systematic review software 2025. 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