The PlanAhead Test for Ovarian Reserve – What is It?
Who Should Take It?
A helpful new test has recently been introduced to serve the
trying-to-conceive community: the PlanAhead Test for Ovarian Reserve. To help explain the test, we conducted a chat with Paul Kowalski, VP of
Sales & Marketing at Repromedix (the distributor of the test).
Early-Pregnancy-Tests.com: Hi, Paul. Thanks for taking the time to
answer some questions about the new PlanAhead Test for Ovarian Reserve.
First up, could you give us a quick overview of what the test is all about?
Paul Kowalski: PlanAhead is a new tool to help a woman make an informed choice about when to have children. It provides the most accurate readily available assessment of her ovarian reserve, or “biological clock”. PlanAhead uses a proprietary formula to combine measures of several ovary-related hormones and other factors to determine her risk of having a poor egg supply -- and also uses age to indicate her risk of poor egg quality. It takes only a simple blood test and the results are returned in a comprehensive, informative easy-to-read report.
Early-Pregnancy-Tests.com: How is this test any different than just
taking a follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) test?
Paul Kowalski: PlanAhead measures the levels of a number of factors in the blood in addition to FSH. These include two more recently discovered ovary-related hormones: AMH (Anti-Mullerian Hormone) and Inhibin B. While FSH is secreted by the pituitary gland and stimulates egg development indirectly, AMH and Inhibin B are produced directly in the ovaries. Baseline FSH levels rise dramatically, but usually only when the ovaries are already running out of eggs, near the very end of a woman’s fertility.
Research shows that PlanAhead's proprietary analysis of multiple factors including these hormones and age provides a more accurate estimate of the number of eggs in the ovaries than FSH alone.
You might think about this as the difference between a low-fuel warning light and a gas gauge. FSH, like the warning light, can only tell you when you are about to run out of eggs, and it may be too late for you to do anything about it. PlanAhead, in contrast, allows you to see how much reserve you have at any point, frequently early enough to make informed choices about family planning.
Early-Pregnancy-Tests.com: Who should consider taking this test? Was
it designed with a particular profile in mind?
Paul Kowalski: PlanAhead was originally designed for women between ages 24-45 who think they may want to have children and are wondering when they should plan to do so. However, since it was announced, we have also found that women actively trying to conceive find it a valuable tool for helping them to understand the status of their “biological clocks”.
Early-Pregnancy-Tests.com: What can a person expect to receive after
taking the test? What do the results look like?
Paul Kowalski: The PlanAhead report is a comprehensive, 4-page, full-color report on the woman’s risk of having a low egg supply or poor egg quality. The first page provides a summary of the woman’s risk levels, specific age-appropriate comments and recommended future actions. Page 2 provides additional details, including a comparison of the woman’s ovarian reserve index (ORI) to the ORI of women of the same age, so she can understand how her results compare to the broader population. Pages 3 and 4 provide additional details on how the test works, risk profiles and the relationship of age to egg supply and egg quality.
Early-Pregnancy-Tests.com: Where is the test available? Do you expect
availability to expand?
The test is currently only available within specific zip codes in the states of NY, MA, NH, CT, NJ, PA, SC, NC, GA, FL, IN, IL,WI, TX, CO, CA We are expanding the areas where the test is available, and expect the test to be available nationally later this year.
To learn more about the PlanAhead Test, or to order, click here.
