Male test could cut would be parents wait

Couples trying to concieve a child are often told to keep trying by their doctor, increasing fears that one of them may have fertility problems. Many couples have to wait an agonising 12 months, before they will be offered any kind of fertility testing by their GP.

One in six couples does have a problem, and its suggested that infertility is more often a male than a female problem.

Fertillity group Genosis, are hoping to put an end to the waiting, however, as they release the UK's first ever home fertillity test kit for men and women. The Tests cost just £80, over the counter and are 95% accurate. They work by anylising a sample from the man, and forcing the sperm to swim through a barrier, designed to emulate the womans cervix. The device then counts the number of sperm that manage to swim through the barrier, giving an indication of the male's fertility.

A red line indicates a positive test, meaning that the sample contains more than 10 million active sperm per millilitre, which is classed as normal under World Health Organisation guidelines.

The female test has been developed by Charles Kingsland, Consultant Gynecologist at Liverpool Women's Hospital who comments:
"It's a breakthrough product that takes the technology from laboratory and brings it to the high street. The important thing to be aware of is that it works differently from anything that is out there currently. For women the device is used in a similar way to a pregnancy test and assesses the quality of the eggs she releases and the result is given in 30 minutes."

The male test has been developed by Professor Chris Barratt of the University of Birmingham who comments:
"It takes established technology, usually employed in the laboratory, and embodies that know-how into a simple format. All the man has to do is produce a sample, push a button and twist a switch and he will be able to assess that he has enough sperm that can swim to fertilise an egg. He will get the results in about one hour. Fifty per cent of all cases of infertility are due to male factors and this test can indicate early on if there is potentially a problem with the man that indicates the couple should seek advice. This is particularly important given that many couples are choosing to defer childbearing until later in life."

If their is an issue to be highlighed by the test, couples can take the resilts straight to their doctor, and the company hopes that couples who have taken the test will be fast tracked through the system.