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Giovanna Forte , CEO of Forte Medical , highlights the urgent need for innovative urine sampling solutions to improve women ’ s health outcomes and combat the UTI crisis , emphasising how FemTech can transform healthcare for women .
HOW FEMTECH INNOVATION IS TACKLING THE UTI CRISIS BY FIXING URINE SAMPLING
Urine is the key to unlocking a wealth of valuable information about women ’ s health : information that could be lifesaving , especially in prenatal settings where test results can impact both mother and baby . But routine urine sampling is messy and flawed , and women are disproportionately suffering the consequences . It ’ s time to fix that with FemTech . is fiddly and unhygienic and can be near impossible for those who are disabled , frail or pregnant . The urine that makes it into the sample pot is often contaminated with debris and bacteria from the hands , perineum and urethra creating an unreliable diagnostic outcome . The patient may receive an inaccurate diagnosis or be asked
Did you know that each person ’ s urine is completely unique ? Along with water , urine is composed of a variable range of metabolites , proteins , hormones and inorganic salts ; even a small sample can reveal important health insights . It follows that testing urine samples for the presence of bacteria ( including E . coli ), protein , glucose , cancer biomarkers and other important indicators is commonplace in healthcare yet there is no protocol for collection that meets all official guidelines for midstream . Pregnant women , for example , are typically asked to provide a urine sample at each antenatal appointment to check for gestational diabetes , urinary tract infection ( UTI ) and pre-eclampsia warning signs .
However , as any woman who has been asked to give a urine sample will know , trying to collect a midstream urine sample in a small pot is a big challenge ! The process
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