Using self-administered tampons to diagnose STDs

Abstract

The new nucleic acid amplification techniques (e.g., LCR and PCR) have allowed the introduction of non- and minimally-invasive techniques for the detection of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). In this article, we describe one of these-the self-administrated tampon method-which we have used to detect the presence of Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Trichomonas vaginalis, and human papillomavirus in women.