Researchers from the Nanyang Technological University, Singapore and KK Women's and Children's Hospital have come up with a urine test that can measure pregnancy outcomes for women demonstrating signs of threatened miscarriage.
According to a separate study conducted by Duke-NUS, KKH, and NTU, one in five pregnancies in Singapore displays signs of threatened miscarriage during the first trimester. One in four women with symptoms ends up losing their baby within the first two weeks.
Threatened miscarriage is one of the most frequent gynecological emergencies around the world. Women who experience this are usually presented with abdominal pain and vaginal bleeding.
According to another study, miscarriage is 2.6 times as likely to occur in pregnant women. Moreover, 17% of cases are expected to develop complications later on during the course of their pregnancy.
The current method of predicting the risk of miscarriage is through blood tests. The lab test is invasive as it involves poking a needle through the skin and veins to obtain samples. Furthermore, the serum progesterone test could also take a few hours to reveal the results.
The new test devised by NTU scientists in collaboration with physicians from KKH uses an ingenious surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) chip. The chip requires a urine droplet to screen for urine molecules correlated with miscarriage risk. The test is somewhat similar to a pregnancy test.
In the controlled study of 40 pregnant women with symptoms of threatened miscarriage who sought care from the Urgent O&G Centre at KKH, the test reflectively and accurately identified the pregnancy results of all participants.
The authors of the study believe that their preliminary success could pave the way towards a fast, accurate, and non-invasive technique for identifying pregnant women at risk for a threatened miscarriage.
The findings of the study can be found published under the American Chemical Society Publications.
Urine Test for Miscarriage
The urine test developed by the team uses the chemical 4-mercaptophenylboronic acid (MPBA) and is covered on the chip. It works as the MPBA examines and selectively detects pregnane and tetrahydrocortisone (THC) from the urine. Experts have identified the two molecules to be related to miscarriage.
According to associate professor Tan Nguan Soon from NTU, their diagnostic platform could transform typically challenging metabolite detection for medical conditions, such as miscarriage into easy procedures. He adds that the sensitivity offered by the SERS test and the small sample volume it requires makes it appealing for clinical use.
Early Detection of Threatened Miscarriage
Fast detection of threatened miscarriage eliminates unnecessary anxiety for all pregnant patients, the researchers said. According to Dr. Ku Chee Wai from the Division of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, KKH, their non-invasive toolkit will allow health care professionals to predict the risk of a spontaneous miscarriage in women at risk for a threatened miscarriage.
Additionally, early detection will also allow pregnant women to receive appropriate medical interventions, counselling, or be under close watch for medical management in treating adverse pregnancy outcomes throughout the rest of their pregnancy.
According to associate professor Tan Hak Koon, the chairman of the Division of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at KKH, their research into SERS leads towards the goal of improving the health of pregnant women and their babies all around the world.
