14 DAY TRIAL // Researchers at the University of Birmingham have developed the world's first over the counter commercially available home fertility test for men.
The device, which was developed in collaboration with London based medical devices company Genosis, is available to buy from January at Boots.
The Fertell test is designed to give couples trying to conceive early warning of any potential fertility problems. The new test measures the number of motile sperm and provides a result in around an hour.
The test works by forcing sperm to swim through a barrier, which mimics the female cervix.
The device then measures the number of sperm which swim beyond this point. By including a barrier, the device is able to accurately measure the concentration of active sperm, which is a key indicator of male fertility.
If a high enough level of sperm is present in the sample, a red line indicates a positive test.
During the study the team looked at samples from 150 subjects. The test provided an accurate result in 95% of cases, whether the original sample showed a negative or positive test result.
Along the development of the test the research team analyzed more than 3000 individual sperm samples.
"The Fertell test should provide couples who are trying to conceive with an early warning. At the moment many couples are advised to wait for around a year before seeking medical attention, but age can have a very significant negative impact on fertility, so having reliable information at an early stage can be a huge advantage," Professor Chris Barratt, who led the research, said.
A team of Rutgers genetic researchers have recently discovered the mystery behind fertility: two genes, namely egg-1 and egg-2, necessary for this process.