Fertell: At-Home Fertility Screening Kit Now Available

First there was the home pregnancy test, now the male home fertility test. For about $100 you can buy an FDA approved over-the-counter male fertility test called Fertell.

From the New York Times:

A new at-home screening test, called Fertell, lets couples find out if they have fertility problems without stepping into a doctor’s office. The test has his and hers components — a screening test for men that is the first at-home device to measure the concentration of motile sperm, and a test for women that measures a hormone considered a marker of egg quality.

The availability of the two-in-one test helps drive home the message that both men and women can contribute to infertility, experts say.

About one million American women seek medical help for fertility-related troubles each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The problem lies with the woman 40 percent of the time, with the man 40 percent of the time, and with both 20 percent of the time, experts say.

There are many possible reasons for low sperm count and age is one possible factor. Fertilization rates are usually over 60% for men under 39 but for those over that age, the rates fell to slightly over half. (Link to other factors).

Conventional advice has been that after 12 about months of trying to conceive a couple should consult their GP or gynaecologist for a referral to a fertility specialist. Fertell allows a step between those, particularly since some couples are sometimes reluctant or embarrassed to seek help.

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