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The Analytical Scientist / Issues / 2018 / Jan / Mum's the Word
Clinical

Mum's the Word

A radical re-design of the home pregnancy test aims to protect women’s privacy – and the planet

By Joanna Cummings 01/11/2018 1 min read

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The humble pregnancy test has altered little since the 1980s. Home tests are extremely accurate, but there are drawbacks – for one thing, disposing of the test in the trash means the result might not be as private as you’d like. Then there’s the environmental impact – it is estimated that two million pounds of plastic and digital pregnancy test waste is produced each year in the USA alone (1).

Lia Diagnostics think they have the answer: the world’s first flushable (and compostable) pregnancy test. Small, discreet and made of plant-based materials, the pad boasts the same 99 percent accuracy as regular pregnancy tests, but is fully water-dispersible and decomposes by 98.2 percent after three months in soil. Women urinate on the test as usual, and wait for it to do its job – detecting the presence of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG, produced when a fertilized egg attaches to the uterus). After getting the result, women can simply flush the test away – or bury it in the garden (which seems a little strange, but to each her own). Discreet, easily disposable and eco-friendly? Seems that from now on, pregnancy testing could be as easy as 1, 2, pee...

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References

  1. Lia Diagnostics, “Why Lia”, Available at: https://meetlia.com/why-lia/. Accessed January 10, 2018.

About the Author(s)

Joanna Cummings

A former library manager and storyteller, I have wanted to write for magazines since I was six years old, when I used to make my own out of foolscap paper and sellotape and distribute them to my family. Since getting my MSc in Publishing, I’ve worked as a freelance writer and content creator for both digital and print, writing on subjects such as fashion, food, tourism, photography – and the history of Roman toilets.

More Articles by Joanna Cummings

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