Plan Ahead Fertility Test Helps Women Beat Biological Clocks

A new high-tech fertility test has just hit the market. Plan Ahead (manufactured by the Repromedix Corp.) is the first test of its kind which is said to measure a woman's ovarian reserve. Ovarian reserve is another way of saying it concludes how many existing "good eggs" a woman has left for conception.

According to the Repromedix Corp. the Plan Ahead fertility test "provides an assessment of a woman's egg supply by combining multiple factors including the measurement of ovary related hormones AMH, Inhibin B, and FSH with innovative and proprietary technology." Simply put, the woman takes a blood test which is used for three tests, including estrogen levels. The results are then combined with other factors such as her age. The combined answer shows where the number of the woman's "good eggs" falls compared to the normal expected range for her age.

These results can then be use by the woman as a sort of high-tech biological clock reader.

Plan Ahead - The Good

A First Step:
To me, the best thing about the Plan Ahead fertility test is that it could be a valuable tool for women who have already had trouble conceiving. Many women have fertility problems and consider other alternatives. This test would be one way to evaluate if they would be a suitable candidate for in vitro fertilization.

Peace of Mind:
Many women are putting off child bearing to a later and later age. I had my last child at 35, and have friends that have waited until they were 40. By taking the Plan Ahead fertility test a woman (or couple) may be able to relax a bit about an immediate need to conceive.

The Cost:
Taking a $350 blood test for piece of mind isn't such a bad deal. It can also be used to help a woman make her mind or to get moving on to other alternatives such as freezing her eggs or start other therapies.

Plan Ahead - The Bad

Quantity vs. Quality:
While the Plan Ahead fertility test will give a woman a glimpse at her egg number it does not give her information on the quality of those eggs. The test cannot rate the deterioration speed of a woman's viable eggs.