 News
6th June 2008
Skin patch that pinpoints ovulationA new skin
patch will tell women the exact moment they are most likely to conceive.
The device measures the tiny changes in body temperature which indicate when ovulation
occurs. It is far more accurate than any current system and could save
the NHS - and individual couples - a fortune on unnecessary fertility treatment.
The patch, called DuoFertility, was developed by Cambridge Temperature
Concepts Ltd, a firm started by PhD students at Cambridge University, and is expected
to go on sale later this year. Chief Scientific Officer Dr Oriane Chausiaux
said: "This is a real breakthrough, and could save couples - and the NHS
- hundreds, even thousands, of pounds in unnecessary tests and procedures." The
patch consists of a small rubberised patch about the size of a £1 coin, which
women stick onto their skin, near their bra strap, with waterproof double-sided
tape. It stays on night and day, and records the minute changes in the
woman's temperature, including the crucial body basal temperature, which can then
be read using a sensor similar to a supermarket bar code scanner. Dr Chausiaux
said: "Monitors currently available rely on the user waking at the same time
each day, not sleeping with their mouth open, or moving before they have done
the test - all these can affect the result. "Our system gathers much
more accurate data over the full 24 hours, and can 'learn' about the wearer's
personal cycles, becoming increasingly accurate after the first month of wearing.
"The results are displayed on the reader using coloured lights, or
it can be plugged into any computer using a USB port, and will display the information
as a standard graph which can be printed off. "It doesn't need any
special software, and people could even plug it in in an internet cafe without
any problem." The monitor contains a new type of battery which uses
very low power and will last up to eight months. The reader can be recharged
using a standard USB cable. Initially, the kits will not be cheap - costing
around £500 - but Dr Chausiaux believes it represents good value compared to IVF
treatment. "An initial blood test costs £600, and couples who have
failed more than two IVF courses have to pay that themselves," he said.
"We've talked to GPs about DuoFertility and they've been very enthusiastic
- it provides them with accurate information about exactly when and how often
a woman is ovulating - or not." The co-founder of the company, Dr
David Naumann of Frimley Park Hospital, explained: 'Charting body basal temperature
is often the first step that we recommend to our patients to promote conception
as it not only helps them to identify the best time to try, but also it confirms
that ovulation has occurred.' The fertility monitors currently available
on the market require women to either take a daily urine sample to identify hormonal
changes or wake up very early every morning and manually measure and record their
BBT to identify the temperature change associated with ovulation. DuoFertility
is currently in production and the first 100 monitors will be given out to volunteers
who will test its accuracy against other types of fertility predictors. Dr
Chausiaux said: "We'll give each couple another system to try alongside for
comparison - a urine sampler, a microscope to look at saliva, or a temperature
monitor. "The trials will last four months initially, but the couples
will be welcome to keep the equipment after that if they want to." The
patches will go on sale in High Street pharmacies this autumn. Where
to next? | 
