Fellow Health, a company focused on advancing male reproductive health through patient-centric testing solutions, today announced the findings of a study demonstrating the effectiveness of its mail-in postvasectomy semen analysis (PVSA) kits. The research, published in the Journal of Urology, found that Fellow Health’s mail-in testing significantly improves compliance rates, addressing longstanding challenges in verifying vasectomy success.
Each year, about half a million vasectomies are performed in the U.S. While the American Urological Association (AUA) recommends PVSA to confirm procedural success before relying on vasectomy as contraception, compliance has historically been low due to barriers like distance to testing facilities, time constraints, and lack of transportation. Most practices achieve 30-50% compliance even with mail-in testing, while a few small centers have reported up to 70% compliance through labor-intensive follow-ups.
The two-year prospective cohort study analyzed data from over 16,000 men across the U.S. who received Fellow Health’s PVSA mail-in kits. Compliance was measured by the return of samples to Fellow’s CLIA-certified laboratory within defined observation periods. Results showed an initial compliance rate of 69% at 18 weeks, increasing to 82% by 40 weeks.
“Traditional compliance efforts rely on clinics to shoulder the burden with time-consuming follow-ups or use basic mail-in options that fail to fully solve the problem,” said James F. Smith, MD, MS, Chief Medical Officer and NYS Laboratory Director of Fellow Health. “Fellow Health’s comprehensive system tackles these barriers through excellent customer support, automated reminders, and a streamlined supply chain, driving compliance rates far beyond what clinics or other mail-in systems have been able to achieve.”
“PVSA compliance has been a frustrating challenge for both patients and clinics,” said Brian Hogan, CEO of Fellow Health. “This study underscores our commitment to removing barriers to PVSA compliance and improving reproductive health outcomes across the U.S. Fellow Health is setting a new standard for mail-in PVSA testing with the highest published compliance rates to date.”
About Fellow Health
Founded in 2018, Fellow Health is a pioneering company dedicated to advancing male reproductive health through innovative and comprehensive mail-in testing solutions. The company partners with more than 1,500 top clinical practices, processing over 300 patient samples daily through their CLIA-certified lab, and is the only mail-in fertility test with peer-reviewed validation data. Fellow Health has secured funding from leading life sciences and technology investors, including 5AM Ventures, Genoa Ventures, Human Capital, and Mantis Venture Capital.
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