Aashee Budhwani, Mansi Kothari, Victoria Millette, Ava Saffren, Julia Wallace
Supervisor: Dr. Kanika Vats
Currently, patients undergoing In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) attend clinics for daily blood sampling to measure pregnancy hormone levels. This daily requirement can severely limit the accessibility of IVF, and introduces the patient need for an at-home fertility hormone testing kit. Although similar devices currently exist that test hormone levels in urine, this is less accurate than using a blood sample and not reliable to be used during IVF. Other services allow users to collect a small blood sample themselves and send it to a lab to be tested, but these results cannot be received within the same day of sampling.
Trial Flow Test:
Trial design using High Flow Plus Membranes, Glass Fiber Conjugate Pads, and Cellulose Fiber Sample and Absorbent Pads to confirm the flow properties were sufficient before applying any antibodies and blood samples to the design. Food dye was used in place of blood which has a viscosity of 0.915 mPa*s, very similar to the viscosity of plasma which ranges from 1.10-1.30 mPa*s.
Acknowledgments:
We would like to thank Judy Monickaraj, Dr. Amelia Bailey, Dr. Kanika Vats, and Meg Mendelson for your continued support in the development of the At-Home Fertility Testing Device.
