Online ‘egg timer’ fertility tests are misleading women, university study finds

Online pharmacies selling female ‘egg timer’ products have used misleading advertising.

A study by the University of Sydney found that 27 websites across seven countries, including Australia, engaged in a range of misleading tactics to sell anti-Mullerian hormone fertility tests.

Online pharmacies selling female “egg timer” products have used misleading advertising to pressure women into buying expensive fertility tests that may falsely inform major life decisions.

A study by the University of Sydney found that 27 websites across seven countries, including Australia, engaged in a range of misleading tactics to sell anti-Mullerian hormone fertility tests.

Egg timer tests measure AMH levels in the blood, which corresponds to the number of antral follicles in the ovaries and is used to estimate ovarian reserves. However, although it is useful in fertility treatment, the test is not a reliable measure of fertility, cannot predict the odds of a successful pregnancy after sex, and cannot predict the age of menopause onset. It also can’t predict the decline in ovarian reserves over time.

That hasn’t prevented many online sellers from pushing the test with assurances of those same outcomes, while emphasising other benefits such as convenience and empowerment.

Rachel Thompson, co-author of the study – published in the Journal of the American Medical Association – found many sites were trying to appeal to those being proactive and feeding into false expectations to do so. “I believe it’s prudent for us to have a conversation as a wider community … about whether there is value in providing direct-to-consumer AMH testing in Australia and, if so, how we may mitigate potential risks” said Dr Thompson, who is the head of behavioural and social sciences in health at the University of Sydney.

In recent years, egg timer tests have moved out of the hands of clinicians and are approved for sale by direct-to-consumer websites that don’t have the same duty of care to ensure the test is appropriate for each potential buyer.

A vast majority of the sites have made unsupported claims about the tests without ever stating their limitations. Two studies made unsupported claims that AMH levels could be stimulated with vitamin supplements.

“To ensure people can exercise informed consent, I would like to see websites selling the anti Mullerian hormone test providing people with easy-to-read, balanced, and complete information on the test,” Dr Thompson said. “This includes transparent information on its limitations and uncertainties.”

Three Australian sites were highlighted in the study: I Screen, I Medical and Kin Fertility, whose prices for egg timer tests ranged from $110 to $330.

“My research in reproductive health care – whether focused on fertility, on pregnancy and childbirth, or on abortion – has consistently revealed significant impediments to people accessing clear, balanced, and evidence-based information,” Dr Thompson said.

“This affects the quality of people’s decisions and … compromises reproductive autonomy.”

Women falsely assured of their fertility may delay pregnancy and may miss the opportunity completely, while others who are falsely concerned may seek premature conception, the study found.