Do I dare check my eggs in my 20s?

What it’s really like to get an online fertility test. 

What it’s really like to get an online fertility test. 

Standing on a busy street outside a Sydney pub wasn’t how I thought I’d have a conversation about my fertility for the first time. 

But long gone are the days of sterile clinical visits to learn about the mysterious ways of one’s body; there’s a startup for everything, including fertility testing. And with good reason. Covid has disrupted everything, including how we see the doctor. It’s also changed the way women of all ages plan their futures. 

52% of women aged 18-35 are delaying children for their career, according to a survey of 1000 people conducted by buzzy Australian startup Kin Fertility.

16% of the same cohort have delayed their family plans as a result of the pandemic.

“Most of these women felt the financial impact of the pandemic and wanted to wait until the world felt more safe,” Kin Fertility founder Nicole Liu said, citing research from the company’s recent Aussie Fertility Project.

Nicole Liu, from Sydney, founded Kin Fertility after a misdiagnosis.

Before the pandemic, I would have thought now was a good time to start thinking about building a family. Throw in two years of waiting around at home and priorities have shifted. What about that holiday to Greece that never got off the ground? How about that move overseas that was meant to ‘define’ those glorious mid-twenties. Sorry, try again. 

In a fateful twist, the freeze on our social plans doesn’t mean a freeze on the body’s timeline. 

Kin’s online fertility test, which launched in 2021 at the height of lockdowns across the country, gives some peace of mind to women wondering exactly how long they’ve got before the pressure mounts. 

It’s not a new test, in fact it is the same certified test offered in specialist clinics. But the format of taking it virtually (all you need is a blood test with a script) is making something as complex as fertility just that little bit more accessible. 

At $299, it’s not cheap and there’s no Medicare rebate attached, but the process takes out the middlemen — the specialist and the referring GP. Plus, most specialists charge for the blood test as the test itself isn’t covered by Medicare. 

“Literally every industry has evolved to be more transparent, more convenient and more accessible, but healthcare has lagged behind,” said Liu.

The test itself is fairly simple. It comes down to the amount of ovarian reserve you have, which is the amount of eggs currently available. A blood test can give indications where those reserves are by looking at the hormone markers associated with them; in turn, ‘scoring’ ovaries with a traffic light system. 

For those in the red zone, the test could serve as an indication to start trying as soon as possible. Those in the yellow band should think about their short term options, and the green zone can be comforted knowing they have time on their side. 

The test doesn’t consider other factors at play including lifestyle or genetic unknowns, nor does it take into account the sperm, something Liu urges people taking this test to remember: “40% of infertility issues are due to poor sperm health. They are half the equation!”

For me, the process was straightforward and the results were shared via video consultation (albeit taken moments before a pub dinner) where my doctor broke down exactly what the levels meant, including the options available for procedures including egg freezing. 

If you do receive a ‘red’ result, or your reserves are lower than you expected, there are options available. 

"If your test results show a risk of lower ovarian reserve, signs of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome or imbalanced thyroid hormones, your Kin doctor will be able to counsel you about your next steps, whether it's getting additional testing done in-person or seeing a specialist,” Liu shares.

 At this stage, the consults move offline to more traditional avenues for exploring fertility.  

In your consultation you’ll learn about how age impacts fertility.

As Liu explains: “For a healthy woman in her 20s, the chances of conceiving each month is 2%. This declines to 20% by the time you’re 30. By 40 years old, our chances of getting pregnant every month are around 5% per cycle.” 

At Kin, they’ll only do the test for women between 25 and 45 years old because that is when the test is most accurate.

“We spend a lot of our younger years learning that if we’re not careful, we could easily get pregnant. But the reality is that everyone’s fertility journeys are not necessarily straightforward. One in six couples struggle to conceive within the first 12 months of trying,” Liu explains. 

Liu aptly puts it: “When it comes to fertility, it’s mostly been a black box. It’s never been a more important time to be proactive.” 

If that means getting a prognosis before a parmigiana, I’m all in.