Evaluation of a Modified Sanitary Napkin as a Sample Self-Collection Device for the Detection of Genital Chlamydial Infection in Women
Alary M, Poulin C, Bouchard C, et al.Journal of Clinical Microbiology · 2001DOI 10.1128/jcm.39.7.2508-2512.2001
In plain language
Women in Quebec City wore a sanitary napkin fitted with a removable filter for four hours to collect genital secretions, and the filter was tested for chlamydia by PCR alongside endocervical swabs and urine. Women who were menstruating were excluded, so this was not a menstrual blood study; among 510 women, the napkin detected chlamydial infection with 93.1% sensitivity and 98.9% specificity, against 81.0% and 100% for urine.
Key numbers
- 510
- Women, most of them under 25
- 93.1%
- Sensitivity of the napkin specimen
- 81.0%
- Sensitivity of urine in the same women
What it means
A pad-based sample, mailed or dropped off, picked up chlamydia more often than urine, an early demonstration that an absorbent pad can work as a self-collection device for a reproductive tract infection. It speaks to the pad as a collection format, not to menstrual blood.
What it does not show
Menstruating women were excluded, so it says nothing directly about menstrual blood. The device and PCR assay date from 2001, and infection was defined by combining specimens because no single gold standard existed.
How to cite
Alary M, Poulin C, Bouchard C, Fortier M, Murray G, Gingras S, et al. Evaluation of a Modified Sanitary Napkin as a Sample Self-Collection Device for the Detection of Genital Chlamydial Infection in Women. Journal of Clinical Microbiology. 2001;39(7):2508-2512. doi:10.1128/jcm.39.7.2508-2512.2001