Accuracy, patient acceptance and clinical application of capillary HbA1c monitoring

Finger-prick--an alternative to venipuncture for the assessment of endocrine profiles in women

Traditionally, there has been a reliance on venipuncture to obtain peripheral blood endocrine levels for the assessment of infertility treatment cycles. We have assessed the viability of a finger-prick capillary blood collection method to provide an alternative to venipuncture, assisting in the treatment of patients for whom venous sampling may be difficult to perform. A direct one-to-one relationship was found between the two collection methods with respect to E2, P, and LH measurement. Finger-prick blood collection is simple and easy to perform and provides a viable alternative to venipuncture. It also alleviates the stress involved with multiple attempts at venous sampling in some patients.