He pregnancy test with saliva arrived. Until now, if a person wanted to know if they were pregnant, in the first weeks, he could do it in only two ways. Or with a pregnancy test urine or through blood analysis performed at the medical center. The first option is the most common for dispelling doubts, since it is more accessible. However, this is not very convenient. It is difficult to write on a stick so that part of it does not fall into the hand. Another option is to pour the urine into a glass and put the test in there, but this is also not easy. Therefore, scientists were looking for more comfortable options.
human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is a hormone used to determine pregnancy. It is produced in the placenta and can be detected very early in pregnancy in both urine and blood. However, it has long been known that it can also be found in saliva. For this reason, the Israeli company Salignostics has developed the Salistick, a saliva pregnancy test that is already on the market. in the UK and Ireland.
Prior to commercialization, surveys were conducted to see if women would prefer a saliva pregnancy test, according to the company. 68% said yes, while 11% preferred classic urine and 21% did not. It would be necessary to see if this 68% is maintained, knowing that a saliva pregnancy test is slightly less accurate than a urine test. Be that as it may, this seems like an interesting option and certainly much more hygienic.
How does a saliva pregnancy test work?
A saliva pregnancy test works exactly the same way as a urine pregnancy test. That is, sideways. A sample obtained by swirling a swab in the mouth for 30 seconds, are placed in the analytical unit, where there are antibodies that recognize hCG and bind to it. Thus, it begins to rise capillarily along the pulp strip until it reaches the control zone. there is antibodies which bind to others that were in the buffer in which the sample is immersed. That is, the union will always occur. Because these antibodies are bound to stained molecules, a dark band will appear in the control zone when they are deposited.
The sample then continues to rise into the result area. It has antibodies that specifically bind to those that recognize hCG. Thus, the colored line will only appear if there is hCG in the sample. Therefore, just as in routine pregnancy tests or COVID antigen testsif there are two lines, the result is positive, if there is only a control line, the result is negative, and if there are no or no control lines, the test did not work properly.
The result is achieved in time 15 to 30 minutes and, although it is observed with these two typical lines, it has a feature that makes it very original: an application that allows Send the result to friends and family. So you don’t need to take pictures of the test.
slightly less accurate
The company notes that the accuracy of this saliva pregnancy test is very high. 96.32%. Some urine tests are as high as 99%, so they are slightly less accurate. However, as long as they don’t get their hands dirty, there may be those who prefer it. In addition, it is possible that it is still being finalized.
Perhaps in the future, urinating on a stick will seem as far away as it was when the frog passed judgment. With the difference that the frog test didn’t work, and the urinalysis, short of blood, is the most effective we’ve had so far.
Source: Hiper Textual
