A British startup has reportedly launched a stamp that would allow testing for sexually transmitted infections without having to go to a clinic, encouraging anxious or embarrassed women to get tested.
This new form of “non-invasive, from the comfort of your home” test, which uses a swab to collect a sample normally taken with a swab and speculum, “defines the way screening for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) is new,” said Michelle Tempest, senior lecturer in medical law and ethics at the University of Cambridge Medical School, according to The Guardian.
This type of sampling, developed by gynecological health startup Daye, would allow women to take back control of their sexual health, speed up diagnosis and treatment, and say goodbye to invasive tests that can be a barrier in certain patients, the company estimated Company information British media.
The tampon in question, which would be used to collect a sample from the cervix, would therefore use a PCR test to screen for common sexually transmitted diseases such as chlamydia, gonorrhea, trichomoniasis, mycoplasma and ureaplasma.
The latter would then be sent to a laboratory, which would send the results within five working days, according to The Guardian.
For her part, Daye’s founder, Valentina Milanova, pointed out, a clinical trial with 600 patients would have found a test failure rate of 1% due to “insufficient sample collection”, compared to the 10% or more recorded by the swab.
According to Amira Bhaiji, an internal medicine doctor at Chelsea and Westminster Hospitals and the Royal Brompton and Royal Brompton, this new sampling method would not only help patients turn to screening but also open up “whole new opportunities for vaginal microbiome research.” Harefield Hospitals.
“And in such a friendly way… [cela va] Encourage more people to reach out and get involved [aux études]“which opens the door to completely neglected research,” she said happily.