‘Feminist’ Health Marketing Is Preying On Women’s Fertility Fears

Home fertility tests may not be telling you what you think.

By Rebecca Mitchell

Australian researchers have discovered health companies are using “female empowerment messaging” in marketing that promises women intel into their fertility, despite the products failing to work as promised.

Research conducted by the University of Sydney and The University of Queensland found some womens healthcare products, including fertility and breast density tests, were being sold via marketing messages like “knowledge is power”, a woman’s “right to know” and “take charge of your fertility”. The problem is, there’s little scientific evidence base to suggest these tests will work as promised.

This latest research follows other studies which found fertility tests—or ‘egg timer tests’—were not actually a reliable predictor of fertility, despite many vendor websites claiming otherwise.

Anti-mullerian hormone (AHM) tests are a common part of fertility testing in the medical profession. Yet, as merely one piece of a complex puzzle, research has found no evidence supporting the idea that they can be used to predict fertility.