Blood Test Assesses Women's Fertility

A simple blood test allows women to assess their supply of eggs and the time of their "biological clock.” The fertility test was launched in Florida (USA), and will help women determine what they must do to increase their chances of having a biologic child.

Called PlanAhead, the innovative blood test provides a much more convenient, accurate, and less costly method of assessing a woman's supply of eggs, by combining several factors such as the measurement of ovary-related hormones anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH), inhibin B, and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH).

The window of opportunity for a woman to conceive naturally depends upon an adequate supply of eggs, which declines with age making it a critical factor in the fertility process. PlanAhead enables women to compare their own supply of eggs with the normal expected range for women of their age and provides valuable directional information by helping them make decisions that are more informed about when to have a child.

The PlanAhead test co-developer Repromedix Corp. (Woburn, MA, USA) selected South Florida Institute for Reproductive Medicine (SFIRM; Miami, FL, USA) to be one of a select number of in vitro fertilization (IVF) centers around the United States to debut the test. Repromedix will expand the test launch to major markets across the country throughout 2008.

"The PlanAhead test represents an extraordinary advance in fertility diagnostics compared to what has previously been available to the general population,” explained Dr. Benjamin Leader, chief medical officer of Repromedix Corp., the nation's leading diagnostic laboratory for fertility testing. "Many fertility experts have long viewed the gold standard of egg supply measurement to be the number of eggs obtained through egg retrieval; an expensive procedure usually reserved for specialty fertility clinics involving hormone injections and minimally invasive procedures. PlanAhead offers similar information to the general public via a simple blood test,” he added.


Related Links:
Repromedix Corp
South Florida Institute for Reproductive Medicine