Women’s health start-up Daye expands diagnostic tampon to include STI screening

The UK gynaecological health start-up Daye has expanded its tampon-based vaginal microbiome screening kit to include STI screening. 

The tampon-based at-home STI screening kit is hoped to help speed up diagnosis and treatment, particularly among patient groups who are anxious or embarrassed about getting a test.

It uses PCR testing technology to allow women and assigned female at birth (AFAB) individuals to test for chlamydia, gonorrhoea, trichomonas, mycoplasma and ureaplasma from home.

The launch follows clinical trials with 600 patients. The samples will be analysed in a UKAS-accredited lab, following CQC-approved screening methodologies using a PCR-based, CE marked diagnostic assay.

As part of the service, Daye will also provide personalised aftercare, including prescription treatments such as antibiotics and antivirals, and consultations with sexual health nurses, gynaecologists and fertility specialists.

There has been a 24 per cent increase in sexually transmitted infections compared to the previous year, according to the UK Health Security Agency, with women being statistically more at risk than men due to the vaginal physiology.

Despite this, fewer people are getting tested for STIs, with over half of Brits admitting they have never been for a sexual health check.

STIs still carry a lot of stigma, yet are often treatable if caught in time. However, testing is still thought to be embarrassing and uncomfortable.

Low rates of testing mean that many women and AFAB individuals may be unaware they have an STI as 70 per cent of them are asymptomatic.

However, untreated STIs pose risks to long-term health and fertility. Chlamydia and gonorrhoea are two of the leading preventable causes of infertility and ectopic pregnancies.

Mother-to-child transmission of STIs can result in stillbirth, neonatal death, low birth weight and other health complications. Untreated STIs can also lead to chronic pelvic pain and pelvic inflammatory disease.

“Despite living in a world where over a million people get an STI every day, STI testing has chronically low rates post COVID-19, and as a result, many women and AFAB individuals could have an infection unknowingly because they have no symptoms,” said Valentina Milanova, founder of Daye.

“Our STI diagnostic tampon makes STI testing extremely easy, comfortable and discrete.

“We hope our approach will end the ‘STIgma’, revolutionise STI testing and lead to a dramatic uptick in the number of women getting checked, helping them protect their long-term health and fertility.”

According to Daye, the test uses PCR technologies which are able to detect even trace amounts of genetic material from pathogens.

The specificity of PCRs, the company argues, ensures that false-positive results are reduced, providing a more reliable diagnosis and simultaneously detecting multiple pathogens in a single sample.