At Home Fertility Test Options

At Home Fertility Tests 

If you have been struggling to conceive and have started down the “researching journey”, you know how overwhelming all the information and options can be.  Maybe you are more of a private person, a health DIYer, or visiting the doctor is nerve-wracking.  Whatever the case, below are some of my favorite at home fertility tests to help you get to the root of what is hindering  your ability to conceive.  Fertility is optimal when bodies are in balance and these tests look for imbalances that we can correct!

There is also no need to wait to get testing done if you are preparing to conceive in the next year with no known issues. The preconception phase (3-4 months prior to getting pregnant) is SUPER important. It is during this time that both the egg and sperm mature which are 2 key factors to a healthy pregnancy and baby.  The preconception phase is also important to nourish and build up your (female) body’s reserves for growing another human — especially as first trimester nausea often prevents you from eating as healthy as you would like!

My favorite at home fertility tests explained:

• Semen analysis (done at home) and report including:
  • Volume
  • Count/concentration
  • Motility
  • Morphology
  • Total motile count
  • DNA fragmentation coming soon!

This is one of the most important test men can get to determine the health of their sperm!
You can order this with a consult here. 

Also check out the post: How To Improve Male Fertility

• DUTCH Hormone Test (Sex hormones and Adrenals)
  • This is a great test for both men and women. It is a dried urine test taken over a 24 hour period.
  • It measures…
    • Adrenal health: stress/cortisol and cortisone levels
      • If your body is in survival mode, it isn’t worried about reproduction!
    • Sex hormones and how they are metabolized
      • Estrogens, progesterone, testosterone, DHEA/DHEA-S, other androgens
      • How well the liver is metabolizing estrogens
      • Androgen pathways (one pathway is 3x more potent so you can have symptoms of high androgens even if they aren’t technically high! Great info esp. for PCOS.)
    • Organic acids
      • these measure things like melatonin (important for sleep and egg quality!), vitamins B12, B6, and biotin, glutathione (major antioxidant), gut health status, inflammation and oxidative stress (big deal for sperm and egg quality).

You can read more about hormone testing and ordering here

• DUTCH Cycle Mapping
  • This is great for women who have irregular cycles or are not cycling currently.
  • Also a dried urine test
  • It tracks progesterone and estrogen patterns throughout the entire cycle to help answer questions related to cycle irregularities, ovulation, and more!
  • You can also add on a DUTCH Hormone Test and do both together!

You can read more about hormone testing and ordering here

• Micronutrient Testing
  • Helpful to determine nutrient deficiencies that may be impacting sperm health (zinc, antioxidants, folate, omega 3s, carnitine, vitamins D, E, C etc.) as well as egg health (Folate, B6, B12, vitamins C, D, E, antioxidants, minerals, magnesium, etc!)
  • Finger prick or blood draw options
  • The blood draw option is a bit more extensive, but both give great info!

Learn more about micronutrient testing here

• GI Map Stool Test
  • Gut health and inflammation play a big role in overall health and inflammation in the body. It also greatly impacts how you digest and absorb nutrients.
  • This stool test gives info on…
    • Pathogens (viral, bacterial, parasites)
    • Normal gut bacteria
    • Opportunistic gut bacteria and overgrowth
    • Fungal / Candida / Yeast
    • H. Pylori
    • Digestive function (enzymes, fat digestion)
    • Hormone elimination (esp. estrogens)
    • Leaky gut
    • Gut immune system
    • And more!

Learn more about stool testing here

• PROOV – ovulation tests, FSH test, progesterone tests and more!
  • My favorite here is the affordable progesterone test to confirm ovulation and make sure you are producing adequate progesterone to sustain a pregnancy!
  • These urine tests done at home can help you determine and confirm ovulation, confirm adequate progesterone production, FSH levels and more!
  • This company also offers a sperm test for the men, but it isn’t as thorough as the one above so I recommend that one for a full semen analysis.

Get 20% off ovulation tests, progesterone tests and more with code “gracegoalsandguts20”

Other fertility tests that can be helpful (these require a blood draw):

• Food sensitivity testing  – I’m a big fan of the MRT/LEAP food sensitivity testing as it test more than just an IgG response and I’ve had great success with it! Excess inflammation and immune responses can hinder fertility.
• Cycle day 3 fertility labs and general labwork (men and  women) — including FSH, LH, estrogen, prolactin, ferritin/iron, thyroid and more! We generally order these through a lab like Quest or Vibrant.

There are SO many ways you can improve your fertility naturally. Improving your diet and digging into any root imbalances through at home tests is a great place to start!

If you are interested in fertility coaching or some at home testing, contact me!