First Response Fertility
The First Response FertilityTM hormone test measures the levels of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) in a woman's body early in her menstrual cycle. If FSH levels are high, then her fertility may be low.
First ResponseTM has been producing pregnancy tests and ovulation predictor kits for many years. This fertility test is their latest product to go on the market in the United States.
FSH And Fertility
FSH is one of the hormones that controls the menstrual cycle. This is the hormone that stimulates your ovaries to develop a mature egg once a month, which is released at the time of ovulation.
A woman is actually born with all the eggs she will ever have already in her ovaries. This is called her ovarian reserve. As a woman gets older and has more periods, her ovarian reserve decreases. This means that her pituitary gland tells her body to produce more FSH than before in order to stimulate the ovaries into producing a mature egg. Therefore high FSH levels indicate low ovarian reserve, and therefore low fertility. The manufacturers of First Response FertilityTM say that this is what makes their product an effective test of age-related infertility in women. They say their product is 95% accurate.
Using First Response Fertility
The First Response FertilityTM testing device is very similar in appearance to a pregnancy test. It has an absorbent tip and a little window in which you view the test results, which appear in the form of colored lines.
Use the test on the day 3 of your cycle. Consider day 1 of your cycle to be the first day of bleeding or spotting.
You start by peeing onto the absorbent strip for 5 seconds. You can also, if you prefer, pee into a sterile cup and then place the absorbent tip in the urine for 5 seconds. Afterwards, you have to replace the cap on the tip and leave the testing device on a flat surface for 30 minutes before checking the results.
The test results indicate whether or not your FSH levels are in the normal range. If they are, the manufacturers recommend that you continue trying to conceive normally. If FSH is higher than average, they recommend that you consult a doctor about your fertility.
Where To Buy First Response Fertility
This home fertility test is available for purchase from a number of online providers as well as in supermarkets and pharmacies throughout the United States. Check out the First ResponseTM homepage for further details.
Criticism Of First Response Fertility
Some experts and some ordinary users of the First Response FertilityTM test have criticized its manufacturers for lulling women into a false sense of security about their fertility. This is because high FSH levels are not the only cause of infertility. In fact, a woman can have completely normal FSH levels and still be infertile because she's affected by PCOS, endometriosis, fallopian tube obstructions or some other infertility-causing condition. Such women might delay seeking medical help to conceive just because First Response FertilityTM has indicated that their FSH levels are normal.
Our Advice
By all means use First Response FertilityTM if you want to gain more information about the FSH aspect of your fertility. But - be aware of other infertility symptoms not related to hormone levels. Reading on this site will help you to do this. If you are trying to get pregnant for over a year without success, see a doctor, even if First Response FertilityTM indicates that your FSH levels are normal.
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