Illinois Firm Launches Fertility Kit To Measure Woman's Ovarian Reserve

Chicago, IL (AHN) - A Chicago fertility laboratory claims to have developed a test to measure how many fertile eggs a woman has.

The test kit costs $350. The company marketing the kit, Repromedix, said its target are women who are deciding if they want to have offsprings and want to know their biological limitations.

Dr. Benjamin Leader, chief medical officer of Repromedix, said the device could be likened to a gasoline gauge for motorists who want to know how much fuel is in the tank.

The launch of the Plan Ahead kit sparked debate on its value. Dr. Ralph Kaizer, chief of reproductive endocrinology and infertility at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine, said the launch of the kit was premature given the state of reproductive science.

Richard Rawlins, director of the Centers for Advanced Reproductive Care at Rush University's Medical Center, said the fertility kit could best be appreciated by women in the mid- to late-30s who want to find out if they could still successfully get pregnant the traditional way, given the volume and condition of their eggs, or if they should consider other methods such as in vitro fertilization.

Repromedix, a 14-year old company, is owned by Craig Sockol, whose wife had recurrent pregnancy loss. The couple approached a Harvard physician who helped them develop a better test for RPL. Sockol's wife became pregnant and had two children. The success of the pregnancy test kit prompted Sockol to build his business around fertility test kits.