Over-The-Counter 'His And Hers' Fertility Test To Reach British Market This Month

Main Category: Fertility
Article Date: 06 Jan 2006 - 5:00 PDT

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A "his and hers" over-the-counter fertility test, called Fertell, is expected to go on sale in Britain in the next couple of weeks, London's Daily Mail reports. The male test, developed by researchers at the University of Birmingham, simulates the temperature inside a woman's body and measures the amount of sperm able to swim through a barrier similar to the cervix. If a red line appears, the test is positive, meaning that there are more than 10 million active sperm per milliliter, which is "normal" according to World Health Organization guidelines. Results are available within 75 minutes (Wheldon, Daily Mail, 1/4). According to a study published in the January issue of the journal Human Reproduction, researchers at the university looked at 129 semen samples and found the overall accuracy of the test was 95% (Barratt et al., Human Reproduction, January 2006). Senior study author Chris Barratt said, "At the moment, many couples are advised to wait for about a year [after they start trying to conceive] before seeking medical attention, but age can have a very significant negative impact on fertility, so having reliable information [about fertility] at an early stage can be a huge advantage." However, researchers point out that the test cannot detect every problem related to fertility. Researchers advise couples under age 35 to seek medical attention if they test normal yet still have problems trying to conceive, London's Times reports (Sanderson, Times, 1/4).

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