World's first male fertility test for the home
Given a choice, many men would prefer to bury their heads in sand than see their doctor to determine their fertility. Thankfully, help is on the way with the release of the Element, the first medical test kit for determining male fertility which can be administered in the privacy of the home.
For couples who are trying to conceive, the issue of infertility is one that men can get rather sensitive about. Even though the rate of infertility actually affects men and women equally, women generally do not have a problem seeing their GPs, as opposed to men who have a general reluctance to seek a physical diagnosis.
In order to address the social stigmas associated with male infertility, American company Pria Diagnostics has developed Element, an easily administered, over-the-counter fertility test kit specifically for men.
Element is capable of quickly and easily evaluating sperm count, motility and forward progression, which make up the primary criteria set by the World Health Organization for determining male fertility.
For men, the convenience and privacy of using this device is an attractive alternative to an appointment with a doctor or at a clinic. Furthermore, as many insurance companies do not reimburse fertility diagnosis, the Element is also an affordable option.
This male fertility package takes away any discomfort by permitting men to check their fertility with a single use device. The test is quick to administer and the results are easily understood taking about thirty minutes.
Element can accurately verify as little as one million sperm cells per milliliter and yield results with over 90% sensitivity in regards to test conditions making it equivalent to a clinical test.
The company expects the Element to be as appealing to women as it is to men, as many women may end up buying it for their partners.
STacey's comment:
From the reports this fertility test for men may not be out on the market for another 12-18 months, but it is cost effective at just $40. The issue to remember here is that it test for count and motility including forward progression but I didn't see any measurement of abnormals versus normals. And remember these parameters don't really tell you the health of the sperm only how many, if they are good swimmers, and if they are the right shape. A relatively new test, Sperm Chromatin Structure Assay can reveal the health of the sperm by looking at the DNA. So its important to discuss this with your doctor if you have unexplained infertility and the normal semen and sperm parameters appear to be normal.
