The sheer number of maxi pads on the market is enough to drive me crazy! Each time I need to visit this aisle at my local drugstore, it's a total mission picking the "perfect" pad, because sometimes the amount of options just gives me a headache. And now, a new option could very well be added to store shelves: It's a new pad that could tell you if you're pregnant! A Colombian doctor is developing a sanitary pad, called "Top Smart," which is able to detect pregnancy and even diseases, like diabetes! Can you imagine!?
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I must confess, though, that the idea at first seemed a little strange to me; I thought that if a woman thought she was pregnant she wouldn't use a pad, right? (She wouldn't be bleeding anyways!) But what convinced me is that the pad doesn't have to have blood to test for pregnancy or diseases–and I apologize for the following TMI–it could be any and all vaginal secretions or even urine, according to Dr. Alejandro Vargas, the mastermind behind this invention who's been working on this project for the past three years. "The pads contain some biochemical and biotechnological components that makes them change color when urine and vaginal discharge show signs of the gonadotripicchorionic hormone [HCG, the pregnancy hormone] or high levels of glucose," he explained to BBC Mundo.
The best part for me, though, is that these pads will greatly benefit women in poorer communities or rural areas, who will know to look for immediate medical assistance if either a pregnancy or a disease is signaled on the pads–something essential since these women are less likely and less able to get lab tests done.
But why stop there? This innovative project has a much larger vision: Dr. Vargas wants to develop other pads that can detect a whole range of maladies, like STDs syphilis, hepatitis B, and even HIV; as well as urinary tract infections, vaginal infections, and anemia.
This pad on the market would be AMAZING, since it would make it so convenient to find out about all these potential hazards or even a pregnancy even before more extensive lab work. I hope this project finds the investors and financing it needs so that we can have this incredible product in store shelves soon!
Image via Thinkstock
