New York Times Examines New At-Home Fertility Test From First Response

Main Category: Fertility
Also Included In: Women's Health / Gynecology
Article Date: 06 Apr 2009 - 4:00 PDT

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The New York Times on Thursday examined a new at-home fertility test from First Response, the maker of the nation's leading home pregnancy test. The test, which is performed on the third day of a woman's menstrual cycle, measures follicle stimulating hormones, an indicator of the quantity and quality of a woman's ova. First Response is the first nationally advertised brand to sell a home fertility test in major retailers like Wal-Mart, Kmart and CVS, which began stocking the product in February. According to the Times, the new product is "being introduced less as a trailblazer than another quill in the brand's quiver," along with First Response's home pregnancy test and daily ovulation test. Advertisements for the new fertility test will run on AccentHealth, the CNN program shown in waiting rooms across the U.S., including 1,500 ob-gyn offices. In addition, more than 30,000 ob-gyn offices will carry brochures featuring information about the test.

Some critics argue that the new test could provide women with a false sense of security regarding their fertility, the Times reports. Karen Hammond, a member of the board of the American Fertility Association and an obstetrics and gynecology nurse at Alabama Fertility Specialists, said testing for follicle stimulating hormone has limitations in that it cannot detect other factors that can affect a woman's ability to conceive, such as age or problems with the cervix, uterus or fallopian tubes. The test also cannot account for male fertility factors. Hammond said she is concerned that consumers could misinterpret the text on the package, which says in large, capital letters "Are You Able to Get Pregnant?*" The asterisk refers the reader to smaller type that says that the test detects follicle stimulating hormone and "does not detect all fertility issues." Additional instructions in the package advise doctor consultations for women younger than age 35 with normal follicle stimulating hormone levels who have been trying to conceive for more than one year or for more than six months for women older than age 35. Barbara Collura, executive director of Resolve, a fertility association, said she believes women will use the test sensibly, adding that it is one of many tools available "to help women put a lot of puzzle pieces together and communicate with their doctor better." Collura added, "I don't see a bunch of women taking this test at 37, and then at 42 when they're ready to have a baby, saying, 'How dare that test -- it told me I was fertile and I'm not'" Newman, New York Times, 4/2).

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