The Revolutionary New Saliva Pregnancy Test

Pee Sticks Begone! The World’s First Saliva Pregnancy Test Has Arrived

Forget peeing on sticks, the world’s first saliva-based pregnancy test has launched in the UK, promising easier and more hygienic at-home detection.

Salistick, the world’s first saliva-based pregnancy test, launched in the UK in 2023, offering an alternative to traditional urine-based pregnancy tests. But just how does it work and what are the benefits over traditional kits? Let’s take a look at how pregnancy testing has evolved over time and what this development means for home pregnancy testing.

Contents

• Pee Sticks Begone! The World’s First Saliva Pregnancy Test Has Arrived
• A Brief History of Pregnancy Testing
• How the New Saliva Test Works
• 4 Benefits of Saliva Testing
• Over 50 Years Since the First Home Kit
• The Next 50 Years

A Brief History of Pregnancy Testing

While today’s familiar pee-on-a-stick kits only emerged in the 1970s, detection methods using urine date right back to Ancient Egypt. Papyrus medical documents from 1350 BCE describe how urine was poured onto wheat and barley seeds, with the type of grain that grew indicating the baby’s gender.

This reliance on urine continued for centuries, with its colour, smells and ability to ferment used as crude indicators of pregnancy. It wasn’t until the early 20th century that doctors realised these changes were caused by hormones like human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG).

In the 1920s, scientists started developing the first urine tests to detect hCG. These initial versions involved injecting samples into animals like toads and rabbits to see if they ovulated, signalling pregnancy. By the 1950s, immunological tests were emerging that reacted to the presence of the hormone on a slide.

Home kits as we know them today arrived in the 1970s. They work by detecting hCG in a urine sample through antibodies that bind to the hormone and trigger a colour change. The trademark ‘blue line’ first emerged with e.p.t.’s test in 1988, providing an unambiguous positive or negative result.

Despite developments such as earlier detection and digital displays, most home pregnancy tests still rely on detecting hCG in urine.

How the New Saliva Test Works

Salistick changes the testing experience through one simple difference: using saliva rather than urine.

To use it, you pool saliva in your mouth, insert the collection stick and wait for an indicator to change colour when enough saliva is gathered. This is then slotted into the test unit, where it mixes with a buffer solution and flows across a test strip.

Results appear within 5 to 15 minutes, potentially as fast as 3 minutes.

The key difference is that Salistick detects beta-human chorionic gonadotropin (β-hCG) in saliva rather than urine. The manufacturer describes the test as offering high accuracy for early pregnancy detection when used according to the instructions.

Salistick was developed by Israeli company Salignostics using lateral flow technology designed to detect β-hCG in saliva. Abingdon Health partnered with Salignostics to distribute and commercialise the test in the UK.

As with any pregnancy test, timing matters. The NHS advises that most pregnancy tests are most reliable from the first day of a missed period. A negative result can be less reliable if a test is taken too early, so if you still think you may be pregnant, wait a few days and test again. Speak to your GP if a second test is negative but your period has still not arrived.

4 Benefits of Saliva Testing

This shift from pee to spit brings several advantages:

1. Easier Sample Collection

No more faffing around with collection cups. Saliva is quick and straightforward to gather, with the test stick doing all the work. There’s no urine sample, spillage or accidental hand contamination.

2. Use Anywhere, Anytime

Waiting until you next need the loo to take a test could be a thing of the past. Saliva can be collected without needing access to a toilet, making the testing process potentially more flexible.

3. No Need for a Urine Sample

Traditional home pregnancy tests use urine to detect hCG. Salistick instead collects saliva directly from the mouth, although the instructions require you to avoid eating or drinking for around 30 minutes before collecting the sample.

4. Shared Experience

The clean, hands-off collection may help take the test out of the bathroom. Partners can be present and part of the process, rather than waiting outside. Using it could become a shared moment, whether the result is positive or negative.

Of course, saliva testing isn’t perfect. The need to avoid eating and drinking for around 30 minutes beforehand could be a downside, but some people may find saliva collection more convenient than providing a urine sample.

Over 50 Years Since the First Home Kit

It’s remarkable to think the world’s first do-it-yourself pregnancy test only appeared in 1968. Made by a company called Organon, EarlyPregnancyTest worked much like today’s kits, detecting hCG in urine.

Within a few years, competitors started launching their own versions and by the 1980s pregnancy testing had moved firmly into the mainstream. Those early plastic devices offered women privacy and control, letting them find out if they were expecting in the comfort of their own home.

But the core technology remained largely unchanged. The arrival of a saliva-based test represented a notable change from those early home kits. Switching bodily fluids could make the process of self-testing simpler for people who would prefer not to provide a urine sample.

The Next 50 Years

So what might the next half a century hold for pregnancy testing?

For a start, accuracy will likely continue to improve, especially for early detection. Faster results may also become more common as pregnancy detection technology develops. Testing could expand beyond home use and become available in a wider range of settings.

Non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) that requires only a blood sample is already transforming pregnancy screening for conditions like Down’s syndrome. In the future, such technology may continue to develop alongside other forms of pregnancy testing and screening.

At its core though, self-testing offers something clinical procedures cannot: privacy and personal control over one of life’s most intimate moments. So while technology will continue advancing, it’s likely home kits will remain a popular choice for women looking to take a pregnancy test discreetly.

With its arrival, Salistick marked another step in the continuing development of home pregnancy testing.

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