Modern Fertility

Modern Fertility is a women’s health company that offers at-home testing to help you make informed decisions about your reproductive health.

The company claims to provide the same quality of lab tests as fertility clinics but at a lower cost and with the added convenience of testing yourself at home.

The company states that any woman can benefit from learning about their fertility, including those thinking about starting a family soon or wondering whether they should consider freezing their eggs for future use.

While a Modern Fertility test won’t tell you whether you are infertile, it will purportedly provide you with information about your hormones and about whether your viable egg numbers are high or low for your age.

The company states that this information is invaluable for family planning in the future by giving you a better sense of your fertility window.

In this analysis, we take a look at many important details of Modern Fertility to help you understand if this test is right for you.

How Does Modern Fertility Work?

The central idea of Modern Fertility is that you take a quick blood test at home and receive information about your fertility future within a few days of mailing it to the company’s labs.

The process begins on the company website, where you need to fill out a short quiz about your age, whether you’re on birth control, your period regularity, and what your timeline is for starting a family. Modern Fertility will customize your hormone reports based on whether you’re on birth control.

If you decide to request a test online, it’s first reviewed and ordered by a board-certified physician before you receive it.

Once the test arrives, you need to collect a small blood sample. The best day for testing, if you’re not on birth control, is the third full day of your period.

Those on birth control can test at any time. If you’re checking for certain hormones, Modern Fertility might recommend that you fast for 8 hours before testing.

You can test at home by following the included instructions, which share how to prick your finger for a blood sample. It’s also possible to get your blood drawn at a Quest Diagnostics lab (find one here). Modern Fertility states that the testing method won’t affect the quality of your results whatsoever.

If you test at home, you’ll need to ensure your sample is thoroughly dry before sending it back to Modern Fertility. The company will send you a confirmation email once your results arrive, and your results will appear in your private dashboard within a few days.

What Do Test Results Show?

Modern Fertility testing doesn’t work as a fertility predictor. Instead, it gives you a snapshot of what your odds of conceiving look like based on your specific health perimeters and statistical averages.

For instance, your test will show you whether you have more or fewer eggs than average for your age and whether you can expect to hit menopause earlier or later than average. It will also share any red flags, such as thyroid issues, that you should seek further medical advice on.

The report will also include a Fertility Measurement Index (FEMI) number that will be between 200 and 750. The higher your number, the better your chances of fertility. The company suggests taking the test every 18 months so that you can track your score over time.

This information is meant to help you make informed decisions in regards to family planning. For instance, if you have fewer eggs than average and are expected to hit menopause early, you might want to move up your timeline or consider freezing your eggs.

You’ll also receive general health information related to your hormones. The test can tell you if you have indicators for thyroid disorders or polycystic ovary syndrome, two conditions that affect your ability to have a healthy pregnancy.

The company also offers one-on-one consultations with a fertility nurse for those who want help interpreting their results. Webinars (known as “Egginars”) are also available for further support.

What Does It Cost?

The Modern Fertility test can be purchased off the company website for $159. The test isn’t currently available outside the United States, and it’s not available in New York, New Jersey, and Rhode Island.

While the company doesn’t accept insurance, it’s often possible to pay for it through an FSA or HSA account (check the details for your specific plan). If you need help determining whether yours will cover it, you can contact the company.

The company offers a 24-hour refund policy after purchase and won’t accept returns after that point. If you make any mistakes while taking your test—such as packaging the sample before it is fully dry—you can contact the company, and it will most likely send you a new one.

Analysis of Customer Reviews

On Amazon, over 43 customers submitted reviews of Modern Fertility test for an average rating of 4.3-stars out of five.

Many reviewers had a positive experience with the test. Some of early-30’s testers wrote that it gave them peace of mind that they had more time to plan for children. They praised the detailed results and how easy they made it to start a conversation with their OB-GYN.

A few people wrote that the results were more relevant to their lives when they took the test while not on birth control, so they recommended others only purchase it if they were willing to get off hormones, at least temporarily.

Others were less impressed with their results. One reviewer noted that the information she received was generic and not detailed enough to give her an action plan. Another reviewer thought it was expensive and too easy to mess up the testing process.

In one instance, a reviewer reported that her physician’s testing contradicted most of the results she received from Modern Fertility.

The Bottom Line

You might be surprised to learn that the verdict is mixed.

What’s not up for debate is whether this test is medically sound. According to a company representative, Modern Fertility conducted its first clinical study in 2018, which demonstrated that its fertility hormone test that you can take at home is concordant and interchangeable with a traditional venous blood draw that you would get at a clinic.

Dr. Eric Flisser, a board-certified endocrinologist and partner at New York fertility clinic RMA of New York, confirmed to us that the kind of testing offered by Modern Fertility is similar to what you’ll receive at a clinic.

However, the big difference is that this test is rarely conducted alone in a medical setting. Instead, doctors typically perform several fertility evaluations before coming to a verdict. These may include ultrasounds, saline tests, and even tests of the viability of male sperm.

Likewise, your egg count doesn’t necessarily mean much when it comes to your odds of conceiving. Research published by the University of North Carolina showed that women with low egg levels didn’t have any more difficulty conceiving than women with high levels.

“Checking your ovarian reserve is like checking the fuel gauge in a car,” Flisser told us. “It can tell you if the tank is more or less full, but it leaves out an important detail: Is the engine working?”

In other words, a test from Modern Fertility will give you some information about your hormonal health, but it won’t give you the full picture, which has its drawbacks.

So while the information Modern Fertility test provides is valuable, the health professionals believe your doctor can give you a better perspective of your fertility future.