An online fingerstick hormone test used by menopausal women could yield unreliable results, experts warn.
Fingerstick tests for the hormone estradiol are sold by online retailers for between £50 and £180, depending on what’s in the test.
They are commonly used by women undergoing hormone replacement therapy (HRT) or undergoing IVF to track menopause or fertility levels and may influence decisions about the need for medications or further testing.
But Eurofins, a large laboratory based in Britain, is still conducting fingerstick tests for estradiol, despite concerns that the results may not always be accurate, a study found.
Eurofins’ own internal study, launched in 2021, found that blood samples from fingersticks likely showed lower levels of estradiol than blood samples taken from a vein.
Fingerstick tests for the hormone estradiol are sold by online retailers for between £50 and £180, but experts have warned they can be unreliable
But the company continued to process the tests on behalf of online retailers after notifying them of the discrepancy, according to the British Medical Journal (BMJ).
Company insiders, who have since left, told The BMJ that they believe the results of the company’s internal investigations showed the test was unreliable and they should have stopped processing it.
A former employee said the fact that Eurofins continued to process these tests after potential problems were identified showed “a lack of duty of care and respect for patients.”
Another added: ‘Some of the clients using this are bodybuilders, people on hormone replacement therapies or people who may be undergoing IVF. It is not an urgent medical test, but you want the result to be as accurate as possible.
“Every test has implications.”
Jessica Watson, a GP in Bristol who researches the use of tests, said: ‘There is a risk that the results could be misinterpreted or misleading – and that could affect women if, for example, they believe they are more or less fertile. are. , even if it only slightly influences their decision-making.
“And if that causes confusion or more anxiety, they are likely to contact their GP for advice and that has a knock-on effect on the NHS services which are massively overburdened.”
David Wells, CEO of the Institute of Biomedical Science, is trying to raise awareness around the lack of regulation of online tests and labs.
“The home testing and home sampling arena lack the level of research and clinical supervision that a main laboratory serving a hospital accredited by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) and regulated by the Care Quality Commission would have,” he said.
“Essentially, these fall slightly outside most regulations.”
The investigation shows that Eurofins did contact customers of online retailers to tell them that the results of the fingerstick tests were lower than those obtained from a vein, but has not stopped processing the tests.
Eurofins has been contacted for comment