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Growing up, I was conditioned to believe getting pregnant was as easy as one, two, three. The information I retained from my middle school sex ed classes, my parents, and my doctors was classic: if you have sex, you will get pregnant. But it’s not actually so black and white. The truth is, if you have sex, you could get pregnant. Could being the operative word.
It turns out, there are a handful of hormones important to fertility. Those hormone levels can give insight into your ovarian reserve, how you may respond to egg freezing and IVF, and details around menopause. Historically, though, those hormones aren’t tested unless a woman is already struggling to get pregnant and has tried naturally for a year.
On top of that, there’s never been an affordable way to get the answers you need until you’re already feeling stressed, anxious, and frustrated. In life, we’re often taught to have a plan, yet when it comes to starting a family, we aren’t provided the tools needed to do just that. Ironic, isn’t it?
But that’s all changed thanks to Modern Fertility, the first-of-its-kind reproductive health company making “personalized fertility information and support more accessible.” Through at-home testing, Modern Fertility is empowering individuals and revolutionizing the fertility world.
Out With The Old, In With The… Modern
We are taught as young women to advocate for our health and make educated decisions for ourselves. Yet when it comes to fertility, our antiquated healthcare system is reactive instead of proactive, explains Modern Fertility Co-Founder and CEO Afton Vechery:
“The healthcare and education systems are focused on preventing pregnancy, not planning for pregnancy. We want to empower women to own their decisions, bodies, and futures—whatever those decisions may look like. Our goal is to provide women with a baseline understanding of their fertility by testing key fertility hormones that can tell a lot about reproductive health.”
“The healthcare and education systems are focused on preventing pregnancy, not planning for pregnancy. We want to empower women to own their decisions, bodies, and futures—whatever those decisions may look like. Our goal is to provide women with a baseline understanding of their fertility by testing key fertility hormones that can tell a lot about reproductive health.”
Modern Fertility’s at-home Hormone Test (the same test used by Reproductive Endocrinologists) gives patients a comprehensive look at eight hormones: Anti-Mullerian (AMH) hormone, Follicle-stimulating (FSH) hormone, Estradiol, Luteinizing hormone, Thyroid-stimulating hormone, Free thyroxine, and Prolactin. Modern Fertility’s team of doctors then gets a picture about egg count, ovulation, general wellness and red flags that could impact fertility.
“Every woman has a different fertility curve, just like metabolism,” Afton, who co-founded Modern Fertility with Carly Leahy, tells me. “Through our extensive reports, we provide women with a broader understanding of their personal fertility starting point and how those hormones can impact fertility on a larger scale. We give you the information to empower you to have those fertility conversations with yourself and your doctors so you can navigate your own, personal journey.”
A Seamless And Supportive Process
With baby number three and the fact I’m just a year away from advanced maternal age on my mind (did you know 35 is considered old when it comes to reproductive health?!), I decided to arm myself with the most useful weapon out there…knowledge!
Before I continue, you should know we are about to get very close—I’m throwing the idea of TMI out the window. Consider yourself warned!
I placed my order for Modern Fertility about two weeks before my expected period and received it in less than a week. While it comes quickly, note that the test is meant to be taken on day three of your period, so plan accordingly.
Due to the personal nature of this process, before I placed my order I answered a handful of questions including if I’m on birth control, if I’m actively trying to get pregnant or want to try and get pregnant in the future, and if I have a regular cycle to name a few.
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Stick, Prick, And Send
I opened the neatly packaged box to find a customized test based on my birth control (I have a non-hormonal IUD) and was surprised for two reasons:
First, while I was expecting a pee test, the at-home kit contains a blood test. The website clearly states this is a simple finger prick test, so I’m going to blame mom brain for my lack of understanding on this one!
The second surprise was the stellar organization of the fertility kit. My kit came with everything I needed: the pricker, alcohol wipes to clean everything, gauze to wipe away the blood, and band-aids.
Once I took out all the materials and set them up on my bathroom floor, I pulled up a how-to video from the Modern Fertility website which walked me through the entire process, step by step. I pricked my finger—which was a little painful—I massaged my arm to get the blood flowing and allowed it to drip onto the designated sheet. Then, I let the blood dry for an hour, placed the test in the prelabeled mailer, popped it in the mail, and waited.
The Results Are In
Based on my birth control, I tested for 10 hormones to learn about my ovarian reserve, my thyroid levels, and my ovulation wellness. Thank god, my results were normal for my age—meaning my chronological age and reproductive age are in sync.
When I got the custom, physician-reviewed report, I knew it meant my biological clock was ticking at the right speed. Even with a normal result, I had questions. Modern Fertility connected me with their nurse for a complimentary one-on-one phone call to go over my results.
We talked for more than 30 minutes, and my nurse explained the meaning behind every hormone. Modern Fertility’s nurse was so knowledgeable and personable, once we finished going over my results, we stayed on the phone chatting like long time girlfriends. With my results in, I felt relieved my ovarian reserve, ovulation, and overall wellness looked normal. And considering it was close to 9:00 pm at night, I was happy to learn I didn’t need to jump my husband immediately to make that third baby—that we have a little bit of time.
A Movement Is Born
I had my oldest daughter at 24-years-old. Turns out, I was young for motherhood. Women are now opting to wait longer to start families— “In the midst of a cultural transition, with 31 being the average age for a woman to have a child in major cities, women are demanding more information about their bodies.”
And Modern Fertility is stepping up, creating a modern option for the modern woman.
“Reproductive health is the last frontier in true equality for women,” says Afton. “Information is such a powerful starting point to level the playing field. For us, success is making women aware they have the option to understand more about their body through hormones.”
Whether you’re actively trying to get pregnant or hope to have kids in the future—join me in this movement to empower women through fertility knowledge and check out Modern Fertility for your kit. Gathering the information now is key to unlocking your reproductive optionality down the line.
Five More Reasons to Love Modern Fertility
- Modern Fertility is a scientifically-backed company, published reports in peer-to-peer journals and presented IRB-approved studies to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine.
- The at-home fertility test costs $159 and you can pay with an HSA. The same panel of tests at a clinic costs $1,000.
- If you're squeamish around blood and don’t want to stick your finger yourself, you can take the kit to the local Quest Diagnostic Lab.
- In addition to the test, Modern Fertility provides a digital community that includes support, forums to connect with others, and egginars (their version of webinars).
- Modern Fertility offers a variety of other products for women including a pregnancy test, ovulation test, and prenatal vitamins.
