Fertility Predictor Kits for Men?

Question - Fertility Predictor Kits for Men?:

"I know there are ovulation predictor tests - is there a similar test for men?"

Guide Responds:

First, I'll assume you know that men don't ovulate. ;-) So from there, I'll jump to the conclusion that you are inquiring about the availability of products which can be used at home that can gauge a man's fertility.

It is not possible to assess when in time a man is most fertile, unlike a woman who can use OPKs, basal body temperature charting, and other sympto-thermal observations to generally tell when she's most fertile. For more information on just what a semen analysis entails, please see our related pages.

We all know it's not easy for men to comfortably participate in this part of the diagnostic process, but without a semen analysis, any treatment of the couple is a waste of time, energy, and money.

However, there are ways around the embarassment of coming up with a semen sample in a clinic bathroom! Here are some that I found online:

  • First, many clinics will allow male patients to collect their specimen at home and bring it in to the lab for analysis. This depends on the physician's and lab's preference, however, so talk to your clinic's staff to see if it's an option in your situation.

  • The BabyStart (previously FertilMarq) kit is offered through Embryotech Laboratories.
    This actual at-home analysis will tell only if a man's semen has a sperm concentration that is considered of normal fertility (that is, above or below the 20 million per mL as recommended by the World Health Organization.) It will not provide information on motility, morphology, and some other important factors that have fertility impact.
  • SpermConfirm.com
    This is not actually an at-home analysis, but a program that gives you a special container and instructions that allow men to obtain the sample in privacy, but ship it to a certified lab.
  • The Male Factor Pak from ZDL, Inc.
    Again, this is not at-home analysis, rather, a product that will allow you to obtain your sample during actual intercourse. The company website indicates their primary intent to market this product (and others) directly to physicians to be made available to clinic patients, but it appears that an individual may be able to make a purchase from the website, too.
  • Finally, a UK company (Genosis Ltd.) plans to sell their over-the-counter fertility test kit for both men and women -- the female test, which measures FSH, was recently approved by the FDA. The male test is still in the evaluation phase. This test is believed to also provide some measure of the motility of the sperm.