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Sperm Check
 Two new over-the-counter male fertility tests developed by a University of Virginia researcher might go on sale worldwide as early as 2005, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reports.
The tests -- which were developed by Charlottesville, Va.-based ContraVac -- work by detecting a specific sperm protein to determine a man's sperm count. A count of at least 20 million sperm per milliliter of semen indicates fertility, while fewer than one million sperm per milliliter of semen indicates infertility.
SpermCheck Vasectomy, which will be marketed to men who have had vasectomies and wish to confirm their infertility, is the more sensitive of the two tests and can detect as few as 5,000 sperm in a drop of semen. About 600,000 American men have vasectomies each year, and about four million men worldwide have the procedure annually.
However, men do not become infertile immediately following a vasectomy, so the new test could be used to determine whether sperm has cleared from the reproductive tract and whether sperm count has been reduced to infertile levels, according to Dr. John Herr, SpermCheck's inventor. SpermCheck Fertility, a less sensitive version of the test, will be marketed to couples having difficulty conceiving.
About 7.4 million of the 37 million U.S. couples of childbearing age have experienced fertility difficulties, and in about 40% of the cases, the men are infertile, according to the Times-Dispatch. Both tests provide results in as few as six minutes, according to the Times-Dispatch.
ContraVac currently is working on developing SpermCheck Contraception, which will be marketed as a companion diagnostic test for men who use hormonal contraception, such as patches, implants and pills, the Times-Dispatch reports.
Such contraceptives currently are in clinical trials, and they are expected to be publicly available by 2007 or 2008. "When those drugs hit the market, we'll have our companion device ready," Herr said. Although male fertility tests can cost $90 to $350 when conducted at a doctor's office, all SpermCheck tests are expected to sell at pharmacies for about $25, according to ContraVac President Ed Leary
Paul Ellis - Men's Health
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