DIY test puts sperm through paces

A DO-IT-YOURSELF fertility test for men which provides couples trying to conceive with an early warning system for potential reproductive problems will be available in Ireland from next week.

Called, Fertell, the technique, a world-first, claims to have a 95% accuracy rate and will be available in larger Boots stores.

Currently, couples having trouble trying to conceive are advised to wait for up to 18 months before seeking medical help.

The device may also be useful for couples wanting to start a family and wondering whether or not they should start trying sooner rather than later.

The test will also make it easier for men to cross the first hurdle in testing their fertility if they feel embarrassed about undertaking intimate tests within a clinical environment.

The kit costs around e116 and results are available within an hour of the test being performed.

Reproductive medicine professionals believe the new device could encourage men with fertility problems to seek medical help sooner.

The new tests indicates with a red line if a high enough concentration of active sperm successfully swim through an "obstacle course" designed to mimic the female cervix.

If the level of sperm that swims through the barrier is high enough then a red line indicates a positive test.

The kit reproduces the temperature conditions of a woman's body. Sperm are deposited in a container and a column of artificial cervical mucus is heated automatically to 37C.

Currently, sperm samples are examined in a laboratory by looking at the sample down a microscope, counting how many sperm are present and examining how they swim.

Marea Fitzsimons, nurse manager of the in vitro fertilisation (IVF) unit at Clane Hospital, Co Kildare, said anything that made men consider that they might have a fertility problem was welcome.

There is still a tendency to blame a woman when there was a problem with conception and the male partner was often tested last, she said.

"Male infertility is very high as a reason for couples not becoming pregnant. Nowadays, we can do a lot more for them. We also look at sperm samples in a little more detail," she added.

While she had not seen the device, she is concerned it could be incorrectly read and would give someone false information.

"I would be a bit cautious until we know a bit more about it. People should really contact their GP if they have a concern about their fertility," she said.

The new device was developed by Birmingham University researchers in collaboration with London-based reproductive products company, Genosis.

Researchers analysed more than 3,000 individual sperm samples and after looking at samples from 150 men found that the test provided an accurate result in 95% of cases.

The makers, however, stress that the test cannot diagnose all problems affecting fertility.

In particular, couples under 35 years who get normal results and find themselves still struggling to conceive should seek medical help.