LOS ANGELES, CA--(Marketwired - Dec 1, 2016) - Medical Electronic Systems (MES), the gold standard in automated semen analysis and an established manufacturer of commercial-grade automated semen analyzers for the past 20 years, today announced the launch of YO™ Home Sperm Test, the first home male fertility test kit powered by a smartphone platform and supported by an interactive app experience complete with sperm education, animations and sperm trivia. YO provides consumers with the ability to both view and measure the number of motile (moving) sperm in their sample -- a key to male fertility -- in the comfort of their phone.

Unlike other home fertility tests that are limited to measuring total sperm concentration, YO is the first and only video-based smartphone platform that is FDA-cleared to measure Motile Sperm Concentration (the number of moving sperm) -- a critical factor in determining male fertility. At a consumer-accessible price point of just $49.95, two YO fertility tests are supplied with each kit, saving the consumer time and money by offering an affordable, reliable and accurate home test. YO was created by the same team of scientists and engineers who developed MES's "gold standard" laboratory sperm quality analyzers that are used in hospitals and labs around the world.

See a video of how YO works at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddYpR2swBtY&t=5s

Traditionally, concerns about fertility have focused primarily on women's fertility issues. But in recent years, there has been a growing awareness of how men's reproductive health issues can contribute to infertility. Approximately 40 - 50% of infertility cases have a "male factor" such as poor sperm motility, abnormally shaped sperm or a low overall number of sperm cells, all of which can impact fertility.

If you do not know your fertility status, that first step of walking into a doctor's office for testing can be intimidating and embarrassing. As a result of standard medical practice, the initial assessment of a man's sperm may not take place until up to one year after a couple's initial attempt to conceive. This delay, and the additional fact that many couples postpone having children until their 30's, contributes to increasing the couple's anxiety about conceiving a child. With YO, the man can test himself at home and receive a test result and a video of his swimmers that he can present to the doctor without waiting a year.

"The explosion of apps and wearables dedicated to optimizing the chance of pregnancy is evidence that people crave more awareness of their fertility status. However, the bulk of these new technology tools cater to women. No other company is tackling male reproductive health in this manner," said Marcia Deutsch, CEO of MES. "Home test kits solve a real pain point for consumers. Earlier versions didn't measure the concentration of motile cells -- just the total number of sperm cells. But consider, if a man is producing 100 million sperm and they are all dead or not swimming, it's useless to know your sperm concentration is 'normal.' The key is to assess sperm that are moving as these are the sperm that will fertilize an egg during normal conception. YO is trailblazing a new approach offering consumers valuable and reliable information and bringing clarity to one of life's biggest moments, that of starting a family."

YO is the result of a design-centric approach that takes the consumer's state-of-mind into consideration. Simple, step-by-step interactive screens and instructional animations provide a smooth and secure testing experience without any mystery or confusion. There is also humor built into the SPERM TRIVIA CHALLENGE, which is designed to interact with the user during the sample preparation wait time. YO test results are reported within minutes along with a video of the sperm. This provides both instant test results requiring no interpretation and a "wow" factor when the tester sees his sperm swimmers in action.

The YO home sperm test app is downloaded free of charge to your smartphone. To test your swimmers, a YO kit which contains supplies for two tests can be purchased from the YO website. The YO Clip (mini-microscope) is placed over the camera of the smartphone, then a YO slide is prepared and inserted into the YO Clip. The smartphone camera records and YO displays an actual video of your sperm, and the YO app "reads" this video and delivers immediate, easy-to-understand and accurate results.

Men of a variety of ages and stages of life will be interested in using YO:

1. Guys who are simply curious about their fertility status; they get a "wow" factor by seeing their own sperm on a video
2. Men whose spouses are having a problem conceiving and the couple wants an indication of the man's fertility
3. Those who are concerned about their fertility status due to recreational drug use or medical treatments such as chemotherapy
4. Men who are considering starting a second family.
5. Men who want to know more about their reproductive health and overall health as research notes a correlation between sperm quality and overall health

Medical Electronic Systems, the company behind the YO Home Sperm Test, has been producing and supplying commercial-grade automated semen analyzers to most major laboratories in the U.S. for the past 20 years. Approximately 4,000 of the Company's analyzers have been installed in hospitals and independent laboratories globally, including the country's largest research labs, premier hospital systems, the US military, fertility clinics and centers of reproductive excellence across America. MES semen analyzers are known and trusted as the premier automated solution in the industry because they perform reliably and accurately on a routine basis, thereby making MES the largest purveyor of automated semen analyzers in the US.

About YO
YO is a home sperm test that uses smartphone technology to report motile sperm concentration (the number of moving sperm) and provides a live sperm video -- all from the comfort of a smartphone. The YO Home Sperm Test is the first consumer product offered by Medical Electronic Systems (MES), an established developer and manufacturer of commercial-grade automated semen analyzers serving the needs of laboratories for the past 20 years. YO home sperm test kits are currently available in the U.S. and can be purchased online at http://www.yospermtest.com

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