by Suman Gupta
- Tests a major advancement in overcoming India’s socio-medical challenges, especially for ailments with social taboo and stigma attached to them
- Advanced self Collection healthcare services allow complete secrecy – from testing to getting reports – without stepping out
- 15+ offerings including fertility semen and hormone testing, investigation of genes related to infertility and inherited diseases, sperm and egg freezing, screening for menopause, sexually transmitted infections, DHA content during pregnancy and post-pregnancy, etc
- The services are designed to assist individuals and families throughout their journey from preconception to parenthood and beyond
Mumbai, June 21, 2023: LifeCell International, an Indian stem cell banking pioneer and leading biotechnology multinational, has introduced a range of self-collection testing and preservation kits under its reproductive, sexual, women’s and baby health services. The testing kits are primarily aimed at encouraging testing for conditions that are often stigmatised and considered taboo. Thus, right from sample collection to obtaining reports, these newly launched testing kits ensure complete privacy and convenience as they can be done entirely from the comfort of one’s personal space.
“Infertility is a growing concern in India with 10 to 14% of the population affected, according to ISAR, and approximately 2.75 crore couples actively trying to conceive currently suffering from it. However, less than 1% of infertile couples seek treatment, which translates to around 2,75,000 couples. It’s unfortunately this low as sexual and reproductive health are taboo topics in India, and any health issues related to them are associated with social stigma. Compounding this problem is the trend among Indian men and women to delay marriage and family planning due to career considerations. At LifeCell International, we are committed to helping them to not just understanding their fertility status via first-to-market healthcare solutions such as SpermScore, OvaScore, and InferGenes, but also help plan for future dreams of parenthood by preservation services such as SpermVault & OvaVault” said Mayur Abhaya, Managing Director of LifeCell International.
Other key tests that LifeCell addresses are women’s health issues such as cervical cancer and menopause. In 2020, there were approximately 6,04,127 new cases of cervical cancer and 3,41,831 deaths globally, with India reporting around 21% of the total cervical cancer cases. Also a recent survey revealed that over 66 percent of women with serious menopause issues do not feel comfortable talking about the related health concerns, even with their family as they would get worried and not understand how she felt. The survey also found that at least 35 percent of women didn’t even go to a doctor when they faced health issues related to menopause. Lack of discussion around women’s health issues naturally leads to deprival of due care (medical as well psychological) to them.
“I believe the problem in India isn’t lab availability or tests, but rather convenience and confidence issues. At LifeCell International, we’ve developed a solution using cutting-edge technology that allows individuals to undergo testing from the privacy of their homes, without needing a doctor’s prescription or visiting a lab for sample collection. This enables men and women to take the tests privately and conveniently, regardless of their location, whether in a city or a town,” added Abhaya.
Dr. Nandita Palshetkar, President of The Indian Society of Assisted Reproduction said, “These self test kits are a significant breakthrough in overcoming social taboos and in addressing the pressing need for accessible and discreet testing options for our men and women. These will ensure early detection of crucial ailments thereby enabling prompt medical intervention and guidance at an early stage. Confidentiality and convenience are paramount compared to traditional testing methods, LifeCell’s initiative has the potential to break barriers and revolutionise the way we approach reproductive and sexual health in India.”
Key Service Offerings:
OvaScore is a female fertility hormone test that screens for 9 biomarkers to identify potential red flags, while SpermScore provides men with insight into their fertility status by testing 11 sperm health parameters and 14 sperm health conditions. SpermVault is an easy and convenient way for men, who wish to preserve their sperm for future use.
InferGenes – Female, a vital test that analyses 26 genes linked with female infertility. Similarly, the InferGenes – Male panel analyses 36 clinically-relevant genes that could cause male infertility. GenesPass, a genetic test that analyses 2000+ clinically relevant genes and can help individuals identify the risk of passing to their future child any inherited medical disease
Perimenopause Test is the first FDA-cleared AMH blood test to determine the time to a woman’s Final Menstrual Period and assess whether she is experiencing any underlying thyroid symptoms for effective management of her health.
Chlamydia and Gonorrhea Screen, a test which helps women to screen for two most commonly sexually transmitted infections (STIs), while the STD panel screens for 8 common STIs.
The HPV Test is particularly relevant for females, as it screens for 24 high-risk HPV strains that can cause cervical cancer, which is a prevalent health concern in India. .
OmegaScore-N and OmegaScore-P tests that measure the amount of Omega-3 DHA, which impacts both baby and mother, in lactating and pregnant women respectively.
Upcoming offerings include OvaVault, private egg freezing; MyMedx, genomics based test to personalize prescription medicines for chronic conditions like Hypertension, Diabetes, Depression, etc; WoCan Test, a preventive genomics test for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer screening for women.
LifeCell’s self-collection kits follow the self-sign up model where anyone who wishes to test themselves can order the kits online and have them delivered right to their doorstep. Once the sample has been collected, an individual has to simply send it back to LifeCell and they will receive their results online in a matter of days. And in case further guidance is needed, they even provide assistance in finding a medical professional to provide support and advice. The pricing range of the kits starts from 1,500 INR and goes up to 60,000 INR.
