Review: Trak is like a Fitbit for sperm

If you feel the world is in danger of under-population but your fallopian swim team is letting the side down, Sandstone Diagnostics has your back. Now FDA-approved, the company’s product Trak will be the lifestyle coach and home-diagnostics tool to help deliver happier sperm and tiny shouty miracles.

The company announced this week that its Trak product has been approved by the FDA, and suggested that it’d be starting to ship its product toward the end of the summer this year.

You spin me right round, baby, right round.

“Male infertility is a dramatically under-appreciated condition affecting millions of couples every year,” said Greg Sommer, CEO at Sandstone.

“Trak is a complete system that not only gives couples the ability to conveniently measure semen quality at home, but also provides digital health tools and population-based data to help men take charge of their reproductive health in a whole new way.”

The company suggests that its service is beneficial especially because having to give a semen sample at a clinic is seen as embarrassing and awkward, and can be a deterrent to getting the help that’s required to get male fertility back on track. I can see how that could be the case, and it’s worth pointing out that doing the same at home is often ranked highly among men’s favorite pastimes.

In addition to being FDA-approved to offer semi-quantitative guidance on the measured sperm count (such as “low,” “moderate” or “optimal”), the companion app gives feedback and wellness advice on ways to improve and track sperm count.Sandstone’s Trak uses centrifugal force to isolate and quantify sperm cells using specially designed (and mercifully disposable, single-use) cartridges. The system includes the Trak Engine and several disposable test kits for repeat testing to gather data over time.