Can I Do Fertility Testing At Home?

The amount of over-the-counter testing options available to people trying to conceive is endless and continues to grow. Fancy basal body temperature thermometers, sperm test kits, and enough ovulation prediction kits available at the pharmacy to make your head spin. With so much to wade through, it’s only natural to wonder – where do you start?

The first thing to understand is that every test has limitations and strengths, pros and cons. Results of many over-the-counter tests are indicative of a specific facet of your fertility potential at that moment; such as sperm count and ovarian reserve. Your fertility changes over time, so the test you took a year ago may have very different results today.

There are new tests coming out all the time, each promising fast and easy information with very little of your time. But buyer beware, some of those tests are worth it, others are not.  Here’s a guide to what you can do to measure your fertility in the privacy of your own home – and what tests might be better to take at your doctor’s office:

Menstrual Tracking

Before doing any testing, start with menstrual tracking to assess the regularity of your ovulation. A “normal” cycle can last anywhere between 21 and 35 days. Bleeding varies from woman to woman, but on average it lasts between three and five days. There are countless free apps that can track the period, cervical mucus and many other components of each. To start tracking, mark the date you go off birth control and start tracking periods and cervical mucus once you start bleeding. Be sure to talk to your doctor about how to interpret a delay in your ovulation potentially caused by your birth control. While oral contraceptive pills don’t cause a delay, other options can, such as Depo-Provera, the birth control shot.

Basal Body Temperature

BBT charting can be done with a thermometer. To do this properly, you need to take your temperature every day as soon as you wake up but before you begin moving. The biggest indicator that ovulation has occurred is a small increase in temperature, which happens afterward. While BBT may not help with determining the best time to try and conceive during the initial cycle, it can confirm ovulation and help predict dates for future cycles.

Ovulation Prediction Kit

This test comes in many different forms – sticks, strips, gadgets – but they all do the same exact thing- measure the luteinizing hormone (LH) present in the urine. When LH surges, ovulation will occur soon, offering a 24-48 hour window for conception. These kits are helpful to confirm ovulation is occurring and can help optimize chances of conception for couples unable to have sex regularly.

Home Sperm Count Testing

While a home sperm count test is convenient, it only evaluates one of several factors used to assess the health of sperm. In addition to count, sperm morphology (shape/appearance), motility (movement) and ejaculate volume must also be evaluated. Abnormalities in any of these things can affect your fertility potential to varying degrees. If you suspect any sperm issues, visit a doctor for a complete semen analysis, which will likely cost the same as a home sperm count test but provide a full sperm evaluation.

Home Ovarian Reserve Test

Various at-home female fertility tests to evaluate ovarian reserve most commonly measure follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) or anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH). Abnormal levels of either can indicate a low ovarian reserve or egg supply. While these at-home tests are convenient, one hormone result will not paint a clear enough picture of a woman’s ovarian reserve. The best way to measure ovarian reserve is by testing both AMH and FSH levels and conducting an antral follicle count (AFC), which is measured by ultrasound. Both AFC and FSH tend to be completed early in one’s cycle, by a physician, typically between cycle day 2-4. AMH levels do not fluctuate very much over the course of a menstrual cycle and typically can be drawn at any time.

Home Genetic Testing 

Home genetic tests can let you know whether you are a carrier of genetic disease or have genes that can increase risk of genetic disease, such as the BRCA gene that increases breast cancer. The upside of these tests is easy accessibility, but the downside to doing these tests as home is that you are not receiving the advice and evaluation of a medical professional. If you suspect you may be a carrier of a disease, it may be best to work with  your physician to choose a genetic panel customized to include certain mutations.