A 2023 Review of Modern Fertility: Products, Costs, Process, and More

Modern Fertility is a company that was founded by two women who wanted to know more about their fertility.

Even if you’re not trying to get pregnant, reproductive hormones play a big role in your overall health. Imbalances in these hormones can lead not only to infertility but other reproductive health conditions.

Founded with the goal of providing less expensive, more accessible options to track hormone changes at home, Modern Fertility offers a home fertility hormone test, as well as:

• pregnancy tests
• ovulation tests
• prenatal vitamins

If you’re considering home hormone testing or tracking, there are several pros and cons to consider before you even begin.

Modern Fertility tests female reproductive hormones.

According to the company, this means that the test is designed for anyone with ovaries between the ages of 21 and 45. This means that any person who has ovaries, regardless of gender identity, can use these tests.

This test, however, may not be suited for people taking hormonal therapy. Modern Fertility suggests contacting a member of its support team to best understand how your specific therapy regimen could affect your test results.

If you’re experiencing difficulty conceiving or just want more information about your hormone levels, these test kits can be a good start.

But, experts caution that fertility issues can be very complex, and, even with the use of home hormonal testing, it can be helpful to work with an in-person healthcare professional.

The Modern Fertility test measures seven hormone levels commonly associated with fertility. Many of these hormones play a role in regulating your menstrual cycle and ovulation, and some reflect your ovarian reserve.

Ovarian reserve is a term used to describe the overall quantity of your eggs. Hormone testing is one way to measure ovarian reserve, but there are others.

Here’s a list of the hormones this test measures and how each relates to your fertility:

• Anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH): This hormone is made by the cells that surround the eggs in the ovaries. It’s a useful measure of ovarian reserve or how many eggs you have left. It also helps to predict how likely someone is to respond to fertility treatments.
• Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH): TSH is produced in the pituitary gland and controls the activity of your thyroid (a small gland in your neck responsible for how your body uses energy). TSH levels that are too high or low can signal a problem in the thyroid gland and lead to hormonal imbalances that affect nearly every body system, including your reproductive system.
• Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH): This hormone is made by the pituitary gland and stimulates the development of eggs in the ovaries. FSH is also reflective of your ovarian reserve. The level of this hormone fluctuates during your menstrual cycle and increases with age and as you get closer to menopause.
• Estradiol: This is an estrogen hormone that’s produced in the breast, ovaries, adrenal gland, and fat. Estradiol can affect many tissues and organs in your body and is critical for reproductive function. Estradiol supports the growth and development of female reproductive organs and can be used to evaluate how well hormonal therapies are working both in fertility treatment and in other types of hormone replacement like transgender hormone therapy.
• Free thyroxine: Thyroxine is one of the hormones produced by the thyroid gland. This hormone helps the body control metabolism and energy use. A free thyroxine test measures how much thyroxine, or T4, is circulating in your body. Levels that are too high or too low can indicate a problem with the thyroid gland.
• Prolactin: The prolactin hormone is also made in the pituitary gland. It’s used in the production of breast tissue and breast milk. A high prolactin level is typically found in pregnant people and new mothers, but in other circumstances can cause menstrual problems, infertility, decreased sex drive, or even be a sign of a tumor in the pituitary gland.
• Luteinizing hormone (LH): Yet another hormone produced by the pituitary gland, LH helps regulate reproductive development and function in both males and females. It plays a role in the menstruation process and tells the ovaries when to release an egg each month. LH levels typically rise quickly just before ovulation and are sometimes used to predict ideal times for conception.

Here’s the typical process for using an at-home testing kit from Modern Fertility:

1. The first step is ordering the test kit from the Modern Fertility website. You will be asked some basic questions, and the test will be customized for you based on whether you’re currently taking birth control and what type.
2. You will also be instructed when to take the test based on your body’s reproductive cycle. People who are not on birth control usually test on day 3 of their menstrual cycle.
3. Your test kit will be mailed to you, and you can either collect a blood sample at home with the enclosed lancet for a finger stick or you can have blood drawn at a Quest laboratory.
4. Mail the test back to Modern Fertility with the enclosed packaging. Test results are usually ready in about 10 days.
5. When the results are ready, you can log into your fertility profile and view results that have been reviewed by a board certified physician.

Modern Fertility offers a number of resources for people who order fertility testing or other services from the company. There’s an online community where you can share your experiences and ask questions to those on a similar journey.

You can also schedule a one-on-one consultation with a fertility nurse or participate in weekly webinars.

In addition to fertility hormone tests, Modern Fertility offers other services:

Pregnancy tests

If pregnancy is your goal in hormone tracking, Modern Fertility offers pregnancy tests shipped to your home.

You can purchase a package of four tests for $14 (which is quite a bargain compared with many on-the-shelf brands) or subscribe and get four tests mailed every month for $13.

These tests work just like any at-home pregnancy test. You pee on the stick and set a timer for your results.

But, the Modern Fertility tests do come with the support of the company’s app and community. The app, currently only available on iOS, will let you know what days are ideal for testing, allow you to log your results, and ask questions.

Ovulation tests

Whether you’re trying to achieve or avoid pregnancy or gather more information about your monthly cycle, many people find it valuable to know when they’re ovulating.

Modern Fertility also provides a very reasonably priced ovulation kit that you can have mailed to your home. The kit includes 20 test strips, as you’ll want to test for ovulation most days of the month.

The ovulation tests from Modern Fertility are unique because they show changes in your concentration of LH (luteinizing hormone), so you can watch as ovulation approaches (rather than traditional tests, which just show whether you’re ovulating).

Just like its other tests, you have full access to the Modern Fertility app, which includes a ton of information and the ability to easily log your tests and track your results.

The company also provides very clear, simple instructions for testing, so you can be sure you’re getting the most accurate results possible.

Prenatal vitamins

It’s a good idea for all females of reproductive age to take prenatal vitamins, particularly if you’re trying to become pregnant.

In fact, it’s ideal if you have already been taking a prenatal supplement for 3 months prior to becoming pregnant. That way, your body isn’t nutrient deficient going into pregnancy.

Modern Fertility offers a vegetarian prenatal vitamin, which you can also include in your monthly subscription. Its pricing is competitive, and its prenatal supplement was formulated by a team of board certified OB-GYNs.

It includes folate, choline, zinc, biotin, iron, and other important nutrients that support your body and baby during pregnancy.

Note that these vitamins contain folate, not to be confused with folic acid. Some OB-GYNs recommend taking folic acid supplements as it’s been shown to decrease the risk of neural tube irregularities.

There’s no datathat supports that folate, or any other form of vitamin B9, can decrease the risk of neural tube irregularities. Therefore, if you decide to take Modern Fertility’s prenatal vitamins, it’s recommended to take an additional 400 micrograms (mcg) of folic acid every day.

Fertility tracking app

One of the standout features of the Modern Fertility company is its fertility tracking app.

The app is sleek and simple and allows you to track your cycle without ads or other annoying stuff.

The app is free and makes it very easy to keep track of a really complicated process (your monthly hormone cycle!).

You can scan your pregnancy or ovulation test results right into the app for even more accurate predictions of your most fertile days.

Many users also find benefit from the supportive community with whom you can connect through the app, which is currently only available on iOS. Whatever your reason for hormone tracking, you can find others to walk through the journey with you and help answer your questions.

Follow-up care

According to the company, your results will be reviewed by a physician and compared against clinical norms for hormone levels.

Through the app, you can ask questions to qualified nurses, join community discussions, and read a lot of helpful articles regarding hormones, what they do, and what your results could mean.

You won’t receive a physician’s interpretation of your results, so if you have questions or concerns, it’s best to schedule an appointment to go over your results with a healthcare professional.

Depending on your insurance coverage and what type of medical testing you need, Modern Fertility services may be a very reasonable option.

Some people have insurance that will mostly cover basic lab work from their general physician or OB-GYN, but if you’re paying for lab tests out of pocket, they can get quite expensive. If you’re getting treatment at a specialty fertility center, the cost can be very high.

While Modern Fertility won’t be able to officially diagnose or treat infertility or other hormone-related conditions, its tests can give you information about your hormone levels and help you understand your body. Results should always be reviewed and discussed with a medical professional.

For the number of hormones they test, the quality of the information provided by the app, and other services (such as supplements and tests), Modern Fertility is a sound option if you’re looking for information but not break the bank.

Where to buy Modern Fertility products

You can order Modern Fertility products directly from its website. All orders include free shipping and clearly indicate whether they’re eligible for FSA/HSA coverage.

You can also find some Modern Fertility products at retailers such as Target and Amazon.

When you receive your test results, the report will include exact measurements of each hormone tested. You will learn whether your measurement is higher or lower than the standard range and what this measurement means for your fertility.

Below is a list of normal ranges for the hormones measured by the Modern Fertility hormone test:

• AMH: 0.9–9.5 ng/mL
• TSH: 0.5–5 mlU/L
• FSH: 5–20 mIU/L
• Estradiol: 20–400 pg/mL
• Free thyroxine (T4): 0.9–2.3 ng/dL
• Prolactin: Less than 25 ng/mL in non-pregnant women and 80–400 ng/mL in pregnant women
• Luteinizing hormone: 5–20 mIU/mL

It’s best to review the results with a healthcare professional to better understand what the lab results mean for your fertility.

Modern Fertility relies on the College of American Pathologists Proficiency Testing standards when creating and processing its tests. These standards are used in 22,000 laboratories in 108 countries. Each test is also reviewed by a board certified physician.

A 2019 clinical study in Obstetrics and Gynecology reviewed the accuracy of the Modern Fertility home test using finger sticks compared with blood samples drawn in a lab and found the results were interchangeable and provided the same level of accuracy.

Reviews of Modern Fertility’s test kits are mostly positive on both the company’s website as well as on other sites.

Customers applaud the independence and confidence the test kits provided them and the company’s customer service and support.

As a business, Modern Fertility has grown quickly since its start in 2017. The company was acquired by healthcare startup RO in 2021 and now has more than $20 million in funding from 10 investors.

Modern Fertility uses two-factor authentication methods to protect data on its software and hardware systems. Personal health information isn’t sold, and anonymous data is only shared with your direct permission.

If you want to share your results with a healthcare professional, you’re able to print your test results from your online fertility profile.

Even Modern Fertility suggests keeping a healthcare professional involved in your fertility plans. If you’re concerned about a particular symptom or medical issue, it’s a good idea to schedule an appointment with your regular OB-GYN.

In terms of fertility, Modern Fertility kits can’t help diagnose fertility issues.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommends infertility evaluations for people under age 35 who haven’t gotten pregnant after 1 year of regular, unprotected sexual intercourse.

For people between the ages of 35 and 40, an evaluation is recommended after 6 months of regular, unprotected intercourse. If you’re older than 40 years and experience difficulties getting pregnant, make an appointment with a healthcare professional.

If you aren’t sure you understand your results from at-home testing, it’s important to go to a healthcare professional to confirm what your results mean. It’s very important that you not stop or start medications without talking with a healthcare professional first.

Is Modern Fertility worth it?

This depends on the reason you’re buying the test. Modern Fertility doesn’t claim its test help to diagnose fertility issues. The company says the tests provide information about your hormonal balance. Reviewers do say, however, that, for the most part, the tests gave them a feeling of empowerment and helped them achieve their individual goals for testing.

Does insurance cover Modern Fertility?

Modern Fertility doesn’t directly accept payment from insurance companies, but you can use your FSA/HSA benefits to help cover the cost of the test if your plan allows it.

Is Modern Fertility FDA-approved?

Yes, all of the tests used in the Modern Fertility home hormone test kit are FDA approved.

Will Modern Fertility tell me if I’m infertile?

At-home blood tests can’t provide an actual medical diagnosis, especially one as complex as infertility. While monitoring your hormone levels is certainly part of evaluating fertility, only a medical professional can conduct all of the tests and exams necessary to make a conclusive diagnosis.

Home testing kits are not meant to provide you with a medical diagnosis or treatment advice, but they can be used to get more information about your body.

The Modern Fertility hormone home test kit empowers you to learn more about your reproductive health to help guide you in family planning, reproductive cycle timing, and more.