A diagnostic sample, collected with the Q-Pad.
A menstrual pad with a removable Q-Strip that collects blood while it is worn. The Q-Strip dries into a stable sample and goes back to the lab by ordinary mail.
Biology without asking her to do more.
Three minutes of her day, with no behavior change.
- MorningApplies a Q-Pad
- Mid-morningHeads to work
- LunchSwaps to Q-Pad 2
- AfternoonSchool run
- Heading homeDrops in the mail
A few days laterResults in the app
How to use the Q-Pad.
Everything for one collection, and the trip back.
Q-Pad 1
Scan its QR code to register the kit in the app.
Q-Pad 2
A backup, or a second collection.
Q-Strip Container
Protects the Q-Strip while it dries and travels.
Prepaid return mailer
Addressed to the lab that runs the panel.
Instructions
Simple printed steps. The app guides each one.
The whole collection, in one app.
Register the kit, collect with guidance, track the sample and see the reviewed result. For clinical testing and research alike.
Scan to register
One scan links the kit to the person, the order and the panel.
Guided collection
Step by step, from wearing the Q-Pad to mailing the Q-Strip.
Live sample tracking
Shipped, received, processing, result ready. Always current.
Notifications
Push, email or text at each step. Sensitive results stay in the app.
Studies from home
Browse studies, sign eConsent and get the kit by mail.
Results after review
Clinical results are released only after physician or lab review.
A pad, held to the standard of a medical device.
The Q-Pad is made with organic cotton, and it is an FDA-cleared medical device that has undergone significantly more safety testing than any other pad in the world.
- ISO 10993-5
Not toxic to cells
The complete Q-Pad, with its Q-Strip, was tested on living cells. No cytotoxic effect.
- ISO 10993-5
Ink tested on its own
The printed collection guide was tested separately, at its highest possible release. Not cytotoxic.
- ISO 10993-10
0% sensitization
No allergic skin reaction to the pad in the standard maximization test.
- ISO 10993-10
No irritation
Extracts of the pad caused no more reaction than the control.
Every study was run by an independent laboratory under Good Laboratory Practice, as a worst case: as if the pad stayed in prolonged contact with mucous membranes, with extractions 50% longer than the 8-hour maximum wear. The FDA reviewed the results as part of the 510(k) clearance. An ordinary unscented pad is a Class I device that needs no such review.
FDA cleared under 510(k) K231465, Class II, as a collection device for individuals 18 and older. CE and UKCA marked. FDA record The Seal of Cotton and natural™ are trademarks of Cotton Incorporated.
Common questions about the Q-Pad.
What is the Q-Pad?
The Q-Pad, made by Qvin, is a menstrual pad with a removable Q-Strip that collects menstrual blood while it is worn. The blood dries on the strip into a dried menstrual sample, which is mailed to a lab for testing.
How long is the Q-Pad worn?
Up to 8 hours, on a day of heavy flow. There is no fixed cycle day, because heavy-flow days differ from person to person.
Does a Q-Pad sample need to be refrigerated?
No. The dried sample travels by ordinary mail at room temperature, with no cold chain.
Is the Q-Pad FDA cleared?
Yes. The Q-Pad Kit is FDA cleared as part of the Q-Pad Test System, 510(k) K231465, for collecting menstrual blood by individuals 18 and older for analysis by an assay validated for use with the Q-Pad. It is also CE and UKCA marked. Each test run on a Q-Pad sample needs its own validation.
Wondering how the Q-Pad compares with cups, tampons or swabs? See all questions
The Q-Pad Kit at a glance.
- Sample
- Dried menstrual sample on a removable Q-Strip
- Collection
- Passive, during normal pad use, up to 8 hours on a heavy-flow day
- Users
- Individuals 18 and older
- Kit contents
- Two Q-Pads, Q-Strip Container, instructions, prepaid return mailer
- Pad
- Organic cotton, unscented, single use, worn externally
- Q-Strip
- Cotton-fiber collection paper, removable after wear
- Biocompatibility
- ISO 10993: cytotoxicity, sensitization and irritation, all passed
- Storage
- 15 to 30 °C. Opened kits are usable for 60 days
- Shelf life
- Three years from manufacture
- Shipping
- Ordinary mail at room temperature, no cold chain
- App
- Qvin app for iOS and Android
- Regulatory
- US: FDA 510(k) K231465, Class II. EU and UK: CE and UKCA marked
- Manufacturing
- ISO Class 8 cleanroom, ISO 13485-compliant quality system, FDA registration 3023949424
Put the Q-Pad in your study or practice.
Single kits, display boxes or pallets, shipped and tracked.