Study summary · research use only
Detection of human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) in fabric urine stains older than five years
Plain-language summary
Paraphrased from the published abstract below — not a verdict on whether anything works.
This forensic study (human urine sample; a case-based detection study) examined whether urine stains on car seat fabric from a murder five years previously came from a pregnant woman, using an immunochromatography kit to detect human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) in the dried urine spot. The authors report that HCG was detected in the sample, and state that HCG in urine can be detected for much longer periods of time than the previously reported period of approximately 6 months.
Abstract
Human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) is used in clinical medicine as a particularly important indicator to determine pregnancy. In this study, it was necessary to determine whether the urine spots on car seat fabric from a murder 5 years previously were from a pregnant woman. The HCG in the dried urine spot on a car seat was detected using an immunochromatography kit. It was found that the HCG in urine can be detected for much longer periods of time than the previously reported period of approximately 6 months.
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