The characteristic of menstrual blood (period) for example color, consistency, flow, odor and PMS, every woman can observe by herself to addressing potential underlying issues and discussing any concern with healthcare provider. Menstrual blood is primary composed of blood, cervical / vaginal fluid and endometrial tissue, many research and publications shown that menstrual blood can be use as diagnostic markers, present of biomarker, specific proteins, hormones or genetics material it could serve as indicator of diseases, non-invasive screening tests for health condition or reproductive tract infection (STI) eg. hormonal profile, inflammatory markers, blood sugar and HPV DNA screening1.
Advancement in medical innovation and technology, Qvin, a research company in the United States, has developed the Q-Pad™ Menstrual Blood Collection Kit. This kit compose of a sanitary pad made from 100% organic cotton come with Dry Blood Collection Strip, which similar to Dried Blood Spots (DBS) collect blood from fingertips or newborns’ heel. The strip absorbs a small amount of menstrual blood and secretions onto a paper, then placed the strip in a sample container provided with the kit for convenient transportation to hospitals or laboratories. The Q-Pad™ Menstrual Blood Collection Kit, no temperature control and keep blood sample in good conditions for analysis with convenient and efficient2. Additionally, the Q-Pad™ Menstrual Blood Collection Kit is certified by the Food and Drug Administration in both the United States (Registration number: K231465 ) and Thailand (Registration number: 65-2-3-1-0019028).
N Health is an exclusive sole distributor of the Q-Pad™ Menstrual Blood Collection Kit in Thailand. Start from e Q-Pad™ Menstrual Blood collection kit for screening Human Papillomavirus (HPV), which are a leading cause of cervical cancer, the third ranking major cancer in Thai women. According to statistics from the year 2023, there were 9,158 new cases and 4,705 deaths annually3. Reports have also provided confidence in the results obtained from menstrual blood collection using the Q-Pad™ kit, aligning well with the collection of cervical swab samples. Experts have found that this method of sample collection for HPV infections can be integrated into cervical cancer screening programs4. Therefore, the Q-Pad™ Menstrual Blood Collection Kit helps address the embarrassment, fear of pain, and discomfort associated with traditional sample collection methods.
N Health provides cervical cancer screening services using the HPV DNA Test method, allowing the service recipients to collect their menstrual blood samples using the convenient and private Q-Pad™ Menstrual Blood Collection Kit. These samples can then be sent to the laboratory for analysis either through healthcare facilities or via Thailand Post.
*Analyze tests at N Health (Headquarters).
**Excluding transport time. BDMS customer, please contact N Health laboratory for more information.
References :
1. Naseri, S., Lerma, K., and Blumenthal., P.D. (2019). Comparative Assessment of Serum versus Menstrual Blood for Diagnostic Purposes: A Pilot Study. Journal of Clinical and Laboratory Medicine. 4(2), 1-4. https://dx.doi.org/10.16966/2572-9578.130
2. Post Today. (2024, April 30). เลือดประจำเดือน ประกอบด้วย 3 ส่วนสำคัญ เป็นแหล่งข้อมูลสำคัญสำหรับสุขภาพ. Post Today. https://www.posttoday.com/smart-life/706247
3. HPV Information Centre. Data Statistics. Accessed April 17, 2024. Available from: https://hpvcentre.net/datastatistics.php
4. Naseri, S., Young, S., Cruz, G., and Blumenthal, P. D. (2022). Screening for High-Risk Human Papillomavirus Using Passive, Self-Collected Menstrual Blood. Obstetrics and gynecology, 140(3), 470–476. https://doi.org/10.1097/AOG.0000000000004904
