New £8 device offers 95 per cent accuracy and could spell the end for traditional pregnancy test kits
The days of the traditional pregnancy test kit could be numbered - as there's a new test on the block. Malaria Ag Pf Detecation Kit
The new £8 'SaliStick' will go on sale in the UK next year and analyses saliva rather than urine to see if a little bundle of joy is on the way.
Israeli developer Salignostics created the unique device based on technology used in Covid-19 test kits.
The foam-tipped stick is simply popped in the mouth for a couple of seconds before being slipped into a tube - with the results showing within minutes.
Trials reportedly showed the new device identified pregnancies 95 per cent of the time, while giving a false positive in fewer than three in 100 cases.
This does make it slightly less reliable than most traditional urine-based pregnancy tests, which are accurate 99 per cent of the time.
Want to get the latest health news direct to your inbox? Sign up for the Mirror Health newsletter HERE
However, Salignostics co-founder Guy Krief told the Mail on Sunday his product was all set to be refined even further.
He said: “It’s a lovely idea if you’re trying for a baby to be able to do the test in front of your partner – and hopefully celebrate the goods news together immediately.”
The urine and saliva test both work by detecting human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), a hormone specific to pregnancy which starts to be produced around six days following fertilisation.
Salignostics was founded by researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem who have focused on use of saliva in diagnostics.
Their other products include kits for detection of malaria, cardiac risk and H. pylori bacteria.
H Pylori Antibody Kit Get email updates with the day's biggest stories