We were shocked to discover that every year in the USA alone, 10 million plastic pregnancy test kits go into land fill. So we were excited to discover Hoopsy a new eco friendly version that uses a strip test method and no plastic!
It’s been developed by 47-year-old, Lara Solomon, who previously ran a children’s book company. She realised how big the problem was of plastic tests going into landfill after spending around £20,000 on her own sadly unsuccessful IVF journey.
She was using around 15 tests in total after each IVF procedure, and began to think about what would happen to them all.
“I was in these Facebook support groups and loads of women were uploading pictures of rows of tests lined up with different time frames,” Lara explains.
“I was just shocked how much plastic was being used.”
She searched online to see if there were plastic-free pregnancy tests out there but only found one company in the US that had discontinued its product.
She sought out a manufacturer and began developing a paper design – with Hoopsy being the result.
“I was thinking, ‘we could just do a bigger version of the strip test.’ And I was just like, ‘why couldn’t that be an option?'” Lara says in disbelief that it hadn’t been achieved before.
The paper test can be cut in half – where the part the person urinates on goes in the bin and the other half in paper recycling.
The urine then moves up the card to give the result, and once dried out, it becomes a solid piece of card.
The tests, approved for sale in the UK, Europe and Australia, have an HCG sensitivity of 25mIU/ml and are over 99 per cent accurate from the day of the expected period.
Clinical trials have taken place to prove the accuracy and laboratory tests to ensure the sensitivity levels of the tests.
While Lara doesn’t consider herself an eco-warrior, she makes mindful choices when it comes to caring about the planet, making sure she recycles everything she can.
Hoopsy pregnancy tests are available in Kamsons Pharmacy stores and in, Chemist4U. They’re available to buy on the website with free shipping at www.hoopsy.com in packs of three tests for £14.99.
