From iPhone apps to sperm tests, home fertility kits have become the latest modern aid for couples trying to conceive. But are they of any real benefit or just a costly waste of time?

COUPLES are increasingly employing new technology to boost their chances of becoming pregnant. Instead of embarking on expensive rounds of IVF treatment, couples are using computer applications and fertility kits to help things along.

But is there any reason to think that computer downloads claiming to predict fertility or home family-planning kits are effective?

Scottish couple Lena and Dudley Bryce certainly believe computer fertility programs work. They used an iPhone fertility app to help them get pregnant after trying for a baby for four years.

They were on the point of trying IVF or looking at the option of adoption. But Lena (30) became pregnant just two months after using the program, and baby Lola has been dubbed the UK's first iPhone baby. The bouncing 6lb 12oz baby girl was born in Glasgow in January.

The couple used the free menstrual calendar downloaded from the FertilityFriend.com website to predict the optimum time to conceive.

Concerns

The Scottish accountant put the date of her period on the calendar, and this predicted when she was most fertile each month. The app calendar highlighted in pink when Lena was most fertile and advised them to have sex three days before it.

Many home family-planning kits are now also available online and from pharmacies to predict ovulation and fertility in women and men.

Fertility experts, however, recently warned that home-testing kits may give women false hope about their chances of conceiving. Doctors looked at the kits, which predict a woman's egg stock by analysing hormone levels in blood or urine.

Stuart Lavery, a consultant gynaecologist at Hammersmith Hospital's IVF unit in London, said recently: "The concern with over-the-counter tests is that they can also give false reassurance. If the fallopian tubes are blocked or the partner doesn't have fabulous sperm, it may be giving you false hope."

One Irish mum, Fiona, has used both ovulation kits and fertility monitors in her quest to get pregnant.

"They are expensive and I found the ovulation kits hard to use. You have to drink lots of water in the morning and wait four hours before going to the toilet. You have to remember to start it on a particular day of your cycle," she said.

"At the end of the day we didn't get pregnant using it. A lot of mums think it's a sure-fire way of getting pregnant but it can only tell you roughly when you'll be ovulating," adds Fiona.

"I wouldn't write them off, though, as they can be useful for people who have irregular cycles. You have to get to know your body and you start to realise how much you don't know."

The cost of the testing kits was a major burden for Fiona.

"I found it was a lot of money for what it was. I spent around €700 on monitors, including €150 on the fertility monitor and the sticks cost around €20 a month."

Signs

Fiona also used fertility self-help books to help her understand her body and says they contained decent information.

"I found Toni Weschler's book, Taking Charge of Your Fertility, really helpful. It's about reading body signs," she adds. As a result, when Fiona went for IVF treatments she could tell the nurses exactly when she was ovulating by knowing the signs. She advises couples to be careful when using the computer programs that chart your fertility, recording data like body temperature and periods.

"Charting can become a bit of an obsession and our doctor recommended we stopped doing it. It can really add to the stress," she says.

Fiona stopped using kits early on and the couple went on to have a baby by IVF.

Dr Lavery also says that we have to temper our enthusiasm for home-test kits.

"They can be helpful for women but we don't know what they say about a woman's chances of getting pregnant naturally."

Fertility experts in Ireland also believe these kits have a role particularly for identifying problems early on. Dr David Walsh of the SIMS fertility clinic in Dublin says: "I'm very pro them. As a screening test, if not a diagnostic test, I think they're useful both for males and females."

Among the common DIY fertility tests sold is the Babystart Fertilcheck, which tests both men and women, and gives results in about 10 minutes.

The female fertility test checks for levels of a hormone called follicle stimulating hormone. This hormone is involved in the functioning of the ovaries so it can be useful in assessing female fertility.

The male fertility test checks whether a man's sperm concentration is greater or less than 20 million per ml -- which is the World Health Organisation's standard to define fertility.

Ovulation tests are also employed to gauge fertility. It's an accepted fact that the best chance of conception occurs around ovulation. A luteinising hormone (LH) surge triggers the release of the egg. Women are at their most fertile for about 48 hours after this LH surge.

Dipstick urine tests or saliva tests are available to pick up this rise in LH.

Cork-based Catherine Sweeney and husband John set up an online shop, www.happybumps.com, selling ovulation testing kits and other fertility products following their own experience of trying to conceive.

Catherine and John decided they would start trying for a baby shortly after getting married.

Money

"We started using ovulation kits after about six months. We were just going with the flow and hoping it would just happen.

"We spent a lot of money each month. It was around €35 a month for a box of seven sticks. That was €5 a pee."

Catherine began looking at fertility forums and saw people were bulk buying online. "I began to buy 50-100 online but even still the costs were mounting up."

They tried fertility testing kits too but found the results inaccurate.

"They were quite dismissive of the results in the IVF clinic when we went but at that stage we had been through months of unnecessary stress.

"We also tried the applications like Fertility Friend. You have to record your temperature to help you predict the cycle. It is fine but it can end up causing you stress that can cause your cycle to go haywire.

"It can be a very isolating and difficult time for couples because it isn't exactly something you can discuss openly with friends and family," Catherine explains.

After a year of trying the couple went to their GP, who felt it would happen but they eventually got a recommendation for a fertility clinic.

Catherine and John discovered Catherine's ovaries had been damaged due to a bout of colic when she was 10.

"When we got to the clinic we found out the past two years of trying was a total wash-out. It had been two years of pointless stress."

Her consultant carried out a procedure to clear the damage to the ovaries. "We went away thinking we would get pregnant but it didn't happen and after six cycles we went back."

The couple went through two rounds of artificial insemination, which did not work, followed by three rounds of IVF.

"The only way I can describe it is horrendous. We had one successful IVF but I had an early miscarriage. It is the most awful thing anyone can go through," says Catherine.

They decided then to take a break. "The clinic felt it might be better for us to take a break after all of that stress. That was three years ago now. It is hard to let go after being so focused on it for so long," she says. "We may try again -- we'll just wait and see. The clinic doesn't see any reason why it shouldn't work."

Dr Catriona Bradley is a lecturer in pharmacy in Trinity College, Dublin, and works in Boots Pharmaceutical Services. She advises couples to consider talking to their pharmacist for advice when trying to conceive.

"All pharmacies must have a private consultation room by law now so couples can get private attention when looking for help.

"We advise on issues such as diet and lifestyle. Alcohol and smoking can have a huge effect on fertility," says Catriona.

"Many people spend a lot of time trying to avoid getting pregnant so they can feel frustrated when it doesn't happen straight away," she added.

When it comes to kits, Catriona advises couples to leave it for the first six months.

"It takes most couples six months to a year to conceive. You should keep an eye on your cycle but don't worry too much beyond that."

After six months she thinks ovulation kits can be a good idea.

"Ovulation kits and thermometers are very popular. They can help people understand their bodies better and highlight any problems that may be there.

"If, after a year, you have not conceived, going to your doctor or consultant with all of that information on your cycle is very helpful."

- Mary Kirwan

Irish Independent