DIY sperm test to hit the market this fall
By Meghana Keshavan,
STAT News
| 06. 20. 2016
A semen centrifuge is the newest direct-to-consumer fertility device on the market. The Trak, a desktop gadget that measures a man’s sperm count, was approved by the Food and Drug Administration earlier this month for consumer use.
The device, developed by Bay Area startup Sandstone Diagnostics, runs on AA batteries, costs $159.99, and even syncs with your phone. It’s slated to ship directly to consumers this fall.
Men use a dropper to deposit a sample of their ejaculate into a small well in the device. Powered by a small motor, the Trak quickly spins the semen so that the sperm cells settle on the bottom. The device then simply gauges the level of sperm cells in the sample.
Continue reading on STAT News
Image via Flickr
Related Articles
What We Inherit by Sam Trejo and Daphne O. Martschenko; and Original Sin by Kathryn Paige Harden have a great deal in common, with substantial differences in style and emphasis. Both books attempt, in different ways, to show the reader just where current research into human genomics stands, where that might be going, and why the authors are interested. In short, the influence of genomic research on our societies is already large and seems likely to change them in ways...
By Dan Falk, Nautilus | 08.20.2026
The pseudoscience of eugenics, founded on the mistaken notion that nature envisions some “right” combination of genes, and that selective breeding can improve the human race, is making a comeback. While the heyday of eugenics was a century ago, the...
By Anna Louie Sussman, The New York Times | 08.21.2026
Since in vitro fertilization was invented nearly 50 years ago, at least 10 million children who would not otherwise exist have been brought into the world. New constellations of families — older moms, same-sex parents, single dads — have flourished...
By Jenni Fink, Newsweek | 08.19.2026
“Donald Trump” by Gage Skidmore is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
President Donald Trump's latest effort to limit birthright citizenship could have consequences for the international surrogacy industry, potentially affecting thousands of intended parents from overseas who travel...