No animal suffering: Did you know that animals are killed for pregnancy tests?

Am I going to be a mother soon – or not? When you're anxiously awaiting the results of your pregnancy test, that's not the moment to think about the production of the test strip you're currently staring at. After all, this is life-changing news.

However, very few women realize that animals are tortured and, cynically, even pregnant cows are killed to produce pregnancy tests.

Until now it was not possible without animals

Rapid tests available at pharmacies work by detecting human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) in urine. To visualize the hormone, very specific antibodies are required. These can be produced in various ways, but they require mammals. One method is the immunization of mice, rabbits, goats, or sheep: They are injected with the pregnancy hormone so that they produce the desired antibody, which can then be filtered from their blood.

These antibodies can also be produced in the laboratory. While this initially sounds positive, in reality, according to "Doctors Against Animal Experiments," the practice is extremely cruel: To obtain fetal calf serum (FCS), which is needed for the culture medium in the laboratory, pregnant cows are slaughtered, as the serum is extracted from the blood of unborn calves. The fetus is removed, and the blood is "suctioned" from the still-beating heart using a cannula. This occurs primarily in Brazil, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and the USA.

The new pregnancy test does not involve animal suffering

Now the startup "Phaesosynt," a spin-off from Leibniz University Hannover, has launched the world's first vegan pregnancy test. Using a newly developed process, the scientists succeeded in extracting the required antibodies from diatoms. The rapid test is said to be just as reliable as conventional test strips.

Another positive aspect: The " Hey Mela " pregnancy test, produced with vegan antibodies, not only avoids animal suffering, it also protects the environment: While animal cells require 37 degrees Celsius in the laboratory, diatoms thrive at temperatures between 18 and 25 degrees Celsius . Furthermore, the test is made of bio-based plastic and is produced in Germany. "Hey Mela" can be ordered online now, and delivery is scheduled to begin on September 15.

sar Brigitte

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