We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress hp
Sign In
Advertise with Us

Download Mobile App




AACC Releases Updated Guidance to Improve Use of POC Tests for Fertility and Reproductive Health

By LabMedica International staff writers
Posted on 05 Sep 2022

Point-of-care tests are clinical tests that are performed near the patient instead of in a central lab. More...

Due to their convenience and rapid turnaround times, these tests can help patients to get treatment much faster than traditional tests. As a result, the use of point-of-care testing has risen steadily in all areas of healthcare. In the fertility and reproductive health fields in particular, it is now used for everything from predicting ovulation and diagnosing pregnancy to managing premature rupture of membranes (PROM) - also known as a patient's water breaking - and high-risk deliveries. However, when point-of-care tests are used inappropriately or performed incorrectly, this can lead to unnecessary follow-up tests and procedures and can even put the patient's health at risk or lead to death.

Now, the American Association for Clinical Chemistry (Washington, DC, USA) has issued a new guidance document with expert recommendations for performing point-of-care tests for fertility and reproductive health. As the use of point-of-care testing rises in these fields, this guidance is intended to ensure that patients and their babies fully benefit from it. AACC has updated guidance that it originally published in 2007 to inform healthcare professionals of the most current best practices for point-of-care testing in reproductive medicine. The highlights of the key recommendations from this document are:

  • Testing for PROM using commercial kits alone is not recommended without clinical signs that a patient's water has broken. Additionally, results from these tests must be interpreted in the context of a patient's clinical presentation to prevent patient harm.
  • Urine luteinizing hormone tests are accurate and reliable predictors of ovulation. These tests can improve the likelihood of conception among healthy fertile women and can also be used to time certain assisted reproduction procedures. However, further study is still needed to determine the efficacy of at-home ovulation prediction kits that use saliva or measure basal body temperature.
  • While blood laboratory pregnancy tests are the gold standard, healthcare providers should consider using pregnancy point-of-care tests in situations where rapid diagnosis of pregnancy is needed for treatment decisions. One such scenario is if a patient presents to the emergency department with unstable vital signs and symptoms indicative of a ruptured ectopic pregnancy that might require surgery.

"Point-of-care testing is growing in popularity as a means of delivering faster turnaround time of test results closer to the patient," said the guidance document authors Drs. James H. Nichols, Mahesheema Ali, John I. Anetor, Li-Sheng Chen, Yu Chen, Sean Collins, Saswati Das, Sridevi Devaraj, Lei Fu, Brad S. Karon, Heba Kary, Robert D. Nerenz, Alex J. Rai, Zahra Shajani-Yi, Vinita Thakur, Sihe Wang, Hoi-Ying Elsie Yu, and Lindsey E. Zamora. "Guidance is needed for optimizing the implementation of [point-of-care testing] in patient care. This guidance document revises previous recommendations and offers best practices for the use of [point-of-care testing] in fertility and reproductive health."

Related Links:
AACC 


New
Gold Member
Immunochromatographic Assay
CRYPTO Cassette
Portable Electronic Pipette
Mini 96
New
Automated Chemiluminescence Immunoassay Analyzer
MS-i3080
Silver Member
Rapid Test Reader
DIA5000
Read the full article by registering today, it's FREE! It's Free!
Register now for FREE to LabMedica.com and get access to news and events that shape the world of Clinical Laboratory Medicine.
  • Free digital version edition of LabMedica International sent by email on regular basis
  • Free print version of LabMedica International magazine (available only outside USA and Canada).
  • Free and unlimited access to back issues of LabMedica International in digital format
  • Free LabMedica International Newsletter sent every week containing the latest news
  • Free breaking news sent via email
  • Free access to Events Calendar
  • Free access to LinkXpress new product services
  • REGISTRATION IS FREE AND EASY!
Click here to Register








Channels

Molecular Diagnostics

view channel
Image: GeneseeqPrime analyzes 425 cancer-related genes by next-generation sequencing (Photo courtesy of Geneseeq)

Comprehensive Tumor Profiling Kit Decentralizes and Standardizes Oncology Testing

Cancer remains one of the leading global health burdens, with accurate and timely tumor profiling critical to guiding treatment decisions. Traditional approaches often struggle to capture the full range... Read more

Hematology

view channel
Image: New research points to protecting blood during radiation therapy (Photo courtesy of 123RF)

Pioneering Model Measures Radiation Exposure in Blood for Precise Cancer Treatments

Scientists have long focused on protecting organs near tumors during radiotherapy, but blood — a vital, circulating tissue — has largely been excluded from dose calculations. Each blood cell passing through... Read more

Immunology

view channel
Image: The test could streamline clinical decision-making by identifying ideal candidates for immunotherapy upfront (Xiao, Y. et al. Cancer Biology & Medicine July 2025, 20250038)

Blood Test Predicts Immunotherapy Efficacy in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive subtype lacking targeted therapies, making immunotherapy a promising yet unpredictable option. Current biomarkers such as PD-L1 expression or tumor... Read more

Technology

view channel
Image: The sensor can help diagnose diabetes and prediabetes on-site in a few minutes using just a breath sample (Photo courtesy of Larry Cheng/Penn State)

Graphene-Based Sensor Uses Breath Sample to Identify Diabetes and Prediabetes in Minutes

About 37 million U.S. adults live with diabetes, and one in five is unaware of their condition. Diagnosing diabetes often requires blood draws or lab visits, which are costly and inconvenient.... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2025 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.