Boston IVF Pioneers Needle-Free Saliva Test for Patients During Infertility Treatment

Boston IVF, a leading medical practice providing specialized infertility treatment, has announced the introduction of the first needle-free saliva test designed to replace the daily blood tests needed to monitor infertility treatment. Boston IVF will be the first infertility clinic in the world to offer this needle-free option for blood testing.

A typical in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycle includes eight to 12 days of hormone therapy to stimulate a woman’s egg production. During this time up to seven blood draws are taken to measure estradiol levels. Research conducted by Boston IVF over a period of two years has shown that levels of the hormone estradiol correlate with levels found in blood. Based on these findings, the centre has further developed laboratory procedures, assays and the saliva collection process to virtually eliminate the need for daily blood testing during a patient’s treatment cycle.

"Infertility treatment can be very stressful and physically demanding for patients. By replacing daily blood draws with a very simple, patient-friendly saliva test, we can eliminate some of the challenges and painful needle sticks and make treatment more convenient," said Michael M. Alper, MD, Medical Director, Boston IVF. "Based on this new technology exclusively developed in our laboratory, our doctors can accurately monitor a patient's hormone response to therapy and manage treatment without requiring invasive blood work."

Patients can collect their saliva at home in less than five minutes, drop off their sample for analysis in the morning, and receive their results the same day. Saliva testing is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and is already used in other areas of medicine, such as measuring the levels of the stress hormone cortisol.