Tuesday, June 5, 2007
Men Can Now Have At-Home Fertility Screening
Filed under: Reproductive Medicine
Hey fellas, can your bullets hit the target? Can your swimmers go the distance? Are your soldiers able to go behind enemy lines? Can your sperm fertilize an egg? Thanks to recent FDA approval, in just over 80 minutes you could have the answer with this new at-home male fertility test.
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 test for the male requires a semen sample; it assesses the ability of sperm to swim through a solution similar to cervical mucus, as well as the number able to do so, said Dr. Keith B. Isaacson, an associate professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive biology at Harvard Medical School who is on the board of medical advisers at Genosis. Results are available in 80 minutes.
"Most people are surprised to hear that almost 50 percent of the time, it's a male factor," Dr. Isaacson said.
But, he added, women are still more likely to initiate treatment. "My guess is the female partner is the one who's going to buy this and encourage the guy to use it."
Fertell, which has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration, goes on sale today. No prescription is necessary, and it is expected to cost around $100.
NY Times...
Fertell...
Flashback: Fertell Male Fertility Home Test
(hat tip: Medical Quack)
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