Home fertility Tests can give False hope, says Research from Chicago-area Infertility Specialists Todd Deutch, MD and Richard Sherbahn, MD

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Richard Sherbahn, MD & Todd Deutch, MD

Women who rely on the results of at-home fertility tests can get a false sense of security

Gurnee, Ill. (PRWEB) November 3, 2009

At-home fertility tests are not a reliable way for women to predict their chances of conceiving. New research presented to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine shows that two medically supervised ovarian reserve tests can help women age 35 and younger identify those who will have problems getting pregnant.

"Women who rely on the results of at-home fertility tests can get a false sense of security," says Todd Deutch, MD, of the Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago (AFCC). "If the test results are normal, that doesn't necessarily mean you can get pregnant."

Dr. Deutch and AFCC Director Richard Sherbahn, MD, presented their research on 1,380 in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles in women age 35 and younger to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine's annual conference in Atlanta. Their research has attracted attention from across the U.S. as well as England and Australia.

"Our study showed that medically supervised ovarian reserve testing is appropriate in women age 35 and younger, and can identify women with a poor prognosis for pregnancy," says Dr. Deutch.

"Women are born with all the eggs they will ever have, and they lose them constantly throughout life until menopause, when very few remain," Dr. Deutch explains. "Ovarian reserve tests measure how many eggs a woman has left."

"There has been a debate among physicians about whether ovarian reserve tests should be offered to women age 35 and younger who seek infertility treatment," says Dr. Deutch. "Our research has proven that these tests definitely reveal a woman's chances of conceiving--even in young women."

AFCC's clinical study looked at the outcomes of two ovarian reserve tests: day-3 follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) level and the antral follicle count (AFC). "The results of our study showed that these ovarian reserve markers (FSH and AFC) can be used to identify women who will have a difficult time trying to conceive," Dr. Deutch explains.

Nearly one in six couples have trouble conceiving naturally. "The FSH and antral follicle tests might help these couples decide whether to spend thousands on repeated IVF cycles when their chances of success may be very low," Dr. Deutch adds.

"Our study showed that women who had normal results on both clinical tests had a 56% chance of success with IVF," says Dr. Deutch. "If the FSH level was abnormal, the live birth rate fell to 35%. In women with an abnormal AFC level, the live birth rate was 34%. But if both of a woman's results were abnormal, she had only a 9% chance of success with IVF."

"If the results of ovarian reserve tests are normal, it doesn't mean a woman is guaranteed a pregnancy," Dr. Deutch stresses. "There are many other issues that can cause infertility, such as blocked fallopian tubes or a partner's low sperm count."

"The problem is that some companies are trying to market at-home fertility tests by implying that women with good test results can say, 'Yes, I'm fertile; I can wait several years to start a family.' To rely on that and postpone starting a family would be, in my opinion, a mistake."

"The chances of an over-the-counter fertility test identifying an infertility issue are going to be fairly low," Dr. Deutch adds. "For a woman who takes an at-home fertility test to say, 'If my test results are normal, I'm not going to have a problem getting pregnant naturally,' isn't necessarily true. And if a woman's tests are OK today, that doesn't mean they will be six months or a year from now."

"Fertility tests need to be interpreted correctly," says Dr. Deutch.

"Now we have research confirming that ovarian reserve testing is appropriate in women age 35 and younger with infertility. Furthermore, it is important for women to have both their FSH and AFC levels checked to accurately predict their chances of success with IVF treatment," he concludes.

For more information on the effect of a woman's age on her fertility, visit http://www.advancedfertility.com/age.htm.

The Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago, with offices in Gurnee and Crystal Lake, Ill., offers advanced reproductive technology services such as in-vitro fertilization (IVF) and egg donation.

The Center specializes in individualized care, and enjoys IVF success rates consistently higher than the national average. Its highly successful egg donation program has egg donors available immediately, with no third-party egg donor agency needed.

The Center's web site, http://www.advancedfertility.com, offers more than 200 articles on fertility issues and IVF. To schedule an appointment at the Gurnee office, call 847.662.1818. For an appointment at the Crystal Lake office, call 815.356.1818.

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