ActimPARTUS is a fast and simple bedside test to measure the ripeness of the cervix during pregnancy.

It is an immunochromatographic dipstick test that detects the presence of phosphorylated form of IGFBP-1 (insulin-like growth factor binding protein-1) in cervical secretions.

According to several studies, the level of phosphorylated IGFBP-1 rises considerably as the cervix matures. ActimPARTUS can, therefore, be used to estimate if true term or pre-term labour has actually started.

Most body fluids potentially contaminating a cervical sample, such as semen and urine, contain only trace quantities of phosphorylated IGFBP-1, so the level of phosphorylated IGFBP-1 in an essentially blood-free cervical secretion sample is a clear indication of a ripening cervix.

Typically the ActimPROM test is first used to rule out possible membrane rupture, followed by the ActimPARTUS test to estimate the maturity of the cervix.