News | Fertility Clues in Menstrual Pads: Menstrual Blood May Reveal Changes in Ovarian Reserve
A test embedded directly in a menstrual pad could offer women a new way to track fertility over time. By measuring a key hormone in menstrual blood, it may provide information about ovarian reserve without a blood draw or clinic visit.
Fertility is closely associated with anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH), commonly used to estimate ovarian reserve, or the remaining number of eggs. AMH declines with age in adulthood. Higher levels generally indicate a larger reserve, while below-average levels may suggest diminished ovarian reserve or risk of premature menopause.
AMH testing has traditionally required a clinical blood draw or home finger-prick sample sent to a laboratory, creating barriers of invasiveness, time, and cost. Many women first encounter it only when trying to conceive or facing fertility problems.
Lucas Dosnon and colleagues at ETH Zurich developed an instant menstrual-blood AMH test based on lateral-flow technology, similar to a COVID-19 antigen test. Gold-particle-coated antibodies bind specifically to AMH and form a visible line; a darker line indicates a higher level.
The team also trained a smartphone app to quantify line color from a photograph for a more precise reading. Tests of menstrual-blood samples with known AMH concentrations closely matched laboratory results.
Integrating the strip into a pad allows passive measurement during menstruation and repeated tracking across cycles rather than relying on a single result. Researchers believe longitudinal monitoring could reveal changes in ovarian reserve missed by one-time testing.
Dosnon said the technology could transform women’s health monitoring. It may help assess ovarian reserve, support assisted reproduction such as IVF, or identify other fertility-related conditions. High AMH is common in polycystic ovary syndrome and, rarely, may indicate an ovarian granulosa cell tumor.
He added that menstrual blood is a long-overlooked biological sample with potential well beyond fertility assessment.
Richard Anderson of the University of Edinburgh urged caution: home tests can be difficult to interpret, and AMH indicates egg quantity, not quality. He also questioned whether women would prefer it to established blood tests.
Dosnon said the product is intended to complement, not replace, laboratory testing, particularly for frequent monitoring and research or public-health use. Its noninvasive, simple, low-cost design may lower barriers to reproductive health monitoring.
The study is posted on medRxiv and requires further clinical validation and regulatory review before use.
News | Fertility Clues in Menstrual Pads: Menstrual Blood May Reveal Changes in Ovarian Reserve
News | Fertility Clues in Menstrual Pads: Menstrual Blood May Reveal Changes in Ovarian Reserve
A test embedded directly in a menstrual pad could offer women a new way to track fertility over time. By measuring a key hormone in menstrual blood, it may provide information about ovarian reserve without a blood draw or clinic visit.
Fertility is closely associated with anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH), commonly used to estimate ovarian reserve, or the remaining number of eggs. AMH declines with age in adulthood. Higher levels generally indicate a larger reserve, while below-average levels may suggest diminished ovarian reserve or risk of premature menopause.
AMH testing has traditionally required a clinical blood draw or home finger-prick sample sent to a laboratory, creating barriers of invasiveness, time, and cost. Many women first encounter it only when trying to conceive or facing fertility problems.
Lucas Dosnon and colleagues at ETH Zurich developed an instant menstrual-blood AMH test based on lateral-flow technology, similar to a COVID-19 antigen test. Gold-particle-coated antibodies bind specifically to AMH and form a visible line; a darker line indicates a higher level.
The team also trained a smartphone app to quantify line color from a photograph for a more precise reading. Tests of menstrual-blood samples with known AMH concentrations closely matched laboratory results.
Integrating the strip into a pad allows passive measurement during menstruation and repeated tracking across cycles rather than relying on a single result. Researchers believe longitudinal monitoring could reveal changes in ovarian reserve missed by one-time testing.
Dosnon said the technology could transform women’s health monitoring. It may help assess ovarian reserve, support assisted reproduction such as IVF, or identify other fertility-related conditions. High AMH is common in polycystic ovary syndrome and, rarely, may indicate an ovarian granulosa cell tumor.
He added that menstrual blood is a long-overlooked biological sample with potential well beyond fertility assessment.
Richard Anderson of the University of Edinburgh urged caution: home tests can be difficult to interpret, and AMH indicates egg quantity, not quality. He also questioned whether women would prefer it to established blood tests.
Dosnon said the product is intended to complement, not replace, laboratory testing, particularly for frequent monitoring and research or public-health use. Its noninvasive, simple, low-cost design may lower barriers to reproductive health monitoring.
The study is posted on medRxiv and requires further clinical validation and regulatory review before use.
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Collected online