Fellow | FAQ

About Fellow

Fellow makes mail-in semen analysis kits that allow you to asses your sperm health and fertility, preserve your sperm for the future, or check to see that your vasectomy worked. In the past, getting a semen analysis meant making an appointment at a clinic or lab and producing a sample (by masturbating) while staff and other patients are right outside the door. With Fellow, you produce your sample at home, and get clinical-grade test results without the awkwardness or hassle. If you like convenience, comfort, and results that are just as accurate as traditional, in-person labs, Fellow might be for you.

This is a great question, but it’s not the right question. Laboratory tests like ours are never “approved” by the FDA. Laboratory testing is regulated according to what’s called the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments, or CLIA (pronounced “klee-yuh”). Fellow’s lab is CLIA-certified (CLIA Number: 05D2177822), which means we meet all federal requirements for providing doctors and patients with semen analysis results that can be used to make healthcare decisions. CLIA compliance is monitored by three federal agencies: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Center for Medicaid Services (CMS), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Each agency has a unique role in assuring quality laboratory testing. At Fellow, we run our own dedicated, CLIA-certified laboratory. Operating our own lab allows us to ensure that every test is done to the same exacting quality standards, so you get results that you and your healthcare provider can use to make important decisions about your fertility. Our lab is also COLA-accredited. COLA (the Commission on Office Laboratory Accreditation) is a private, physician-directed non-profit organization that helps labs meet the highest standards for quality and operate in compliance with federal and state regulatory requirements.

Fellow takes your privacy very seriously. Your semen analysis kit will arrive in a discreet cardboard shipping box. Nobody looking at it will know what’s inside, unless they closely inspect the return address and have used Fellow themselves in the past. If that’s the case, expect a fist bump. Congratulations, you’ve made a friend. The return shipping box is discreet as well, with no mention of semen analysis on the outside, so you can feel comfortable dropping it off at UPS. Our lab staff processes your sample using barcode numbers and other information that does not identify you personally. Our lab also destroys your sample after processing it, so you can rest assured that it will NEVER be sold, saved, or used for insemination. Finally, your results are stored and delivered to you via our secure platform.

Yes! When you register your kit, you can input your provider’s clinic information. We will send results to them at the same time we send them to you.

Ordering your kit

Fellow is available in most states within the continental United States. We do not currently offer testing in Alaska, Hawaii, New York, or Rhode Island.

Yes! During the checkout process, you can either ship the kit directly to the recipient or you can have it shipped to you. Once the kit is in the hands of the intended recipient, make sure they are the one who registers the kit (the instructions will make it clear how to do this)

Yes, but the only part of the kit that expires is the preservation solution, which helps keep your semen sample stable during transit. The expiration date of the preservation solution is printed on the sticker adhered to the outside of the kit. If this date has passed (or is about to), simply reach out to us at support@meetfellow.com. We’ll send you a new vial of preservation solution, free of charge.

We are happy to provide a refund up until your kit ships out to you. After your kit ships, we generally cannot provide refunds or accommodate returns. If you have questions or concerns, please reach out to support@meetfellow.com.

At this time, all Fellow kits are paid for out-of-pocket. If you have an HSA or FSA account, you may be able to seek reimbursement from your plan. The first step would be to check with your plan provider. If they approve the expense, you can pay for your kit with your personal credit card and then submit a receipt for reimbursement. We have detailed receipts available for you to submit once you receive your results. Just let us know at support@meetfellow.com if your HSA/FSA needs one and we can get one sent to you ASAP.

Producing your sample

At this time, the only way to produce a sample for testing is through masturbation without lubrication. We can't provide a reliable analysis on samples that were generated using any other method.

No. Most lubricants contain spermicides (chemicals that kill sperm), which would lead to inaccurate test results. Saliva and lotion are also a no-go, because they introduce bacteria into your semen sample, which makes it so we can’t test your semen. If we see bacterial blooms in your sample, you will have to test again. We get it: you probably don’t want to masturbate without lubricant. If there were any way around this requirement we would be thrilled. Unfortunately, there’s not. We know from years of experience that customers who use lubricant are highly likely to have their samples rejected, and to have to test again.

That depends on what kind of test you are using. If you are using our Vasectomy Test, you should wait 12 weeks after your vasectomy procedure, and make sure to ejaculate at least 20 times before testing. Then, produce your sample and drop it off at a UPS Store any day of the week. If you are using our Semen Analysis kit (with or without opting for cryopreservation), you should not ejaculate for 2 days (don’t wait more than 5 days), and produce your sample on a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday morning. This is because it’s crucial that your semen sample reaches our lab via overnight shipping. If you send your sample on a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday, it won’t reach us quickly enough, our lab will not be able to provide you with results, and you will have to test again.

Do your best. We will let you know if our lab isn't able to process your sample due to insufficient volume. Experience has shown us that many samples are low volume because the person providing the sample did not get all their semen into the collection cup, so aim carefully! For some men, increasing arousal time can make a big difference in semen volume. Decreasing stress can also help, so try to get comfortable and relax before you use your test kit. If you have concerns about your ejaculate volume, you should consider talking to your doctor.

Illness can impact your sample and compromise your results, so it’s best to wait until you're feeling better. If you've had a fever recently, wait until your body has returned to its normal temperature for at least a week. If you’re on prescription medication, we recommend checking with your healthcare provider to get their opinion on whether that medication might impact your semen or sperm health.

Drop us a line at support@meetfellow.com and we'll figure out how to fix your issue. Don't be shy, we've heard it all before.

About the Fellow Vasectomy Test

No vasectomy is complete until your semen has been checked for the presence of sperm. Why? About 1 in every 1,000 vasectomies isn’t successful. This can happen for a number of reasons, but all you really care about is making sure that 1 in 1,000 isn’t you. The Fellow Vasectomy Test looks for the presence of sperm in your semen, so that you can move on with confidence that you are not risking an unwanted pregnancy. Until you’ve tested your vasectomy, you should continue using another form of contraception.

Yes! This test is perfect for you. If you are ordering from our website, just make sure to select the Vasectomy Test (not the Semen Analysis). When you register your sample, you will also be asked to confirm why you are testing. The Fellow Vasectomy Test allows you to produce a semen sample at home and ship it back using our discreet mailer and prepaid shipping label. Once our lab receives your sample, we will check to see if there are any sperm in your semen.

Fellow recommends that you wait 12 weeks between your vasectomy and when you use your Vasectomy Test kit. We also recommend that you ejaculate at least 20 times. Sperm can hang out in your reproductive tract for weeks (amazing, right?), and ejaculating helps flush them out. Your healthcare provider may recommend other things to do during recovery and before you test, so make sure to follow that guidance as well. (Please note: Test timing and requirements are different for customers using our Semen Analysis.)

Results are typically returned 5–7 business days after you ship your sample. Your Vasectomy Test kit will ship back to us via UPS Ground, which usually takes 3–5 business days. Our lab will process your sample within 1.5 business days. When you results are approved, we'll send you a secure link via email to view your report in your Fellow account. Because we test your semen until we see no sperm at all, the health of your sperm during this travel time doesn’t really matter. There should not be any sperm—living or dead—in your semen following a successful vasectomy.

Thousands of providers and patients choose Fellow because the old way of producing a sample for vasectomy testing just doesn’t make much sense. Having to make an appointment and then visit a lab or clinic to masturbate in a strange sample collection room is inconvenient, uncomfortable, and unnecessary. Dropping off a semen sample at your provider’s front desk is a little easier, but nobody wants to hand over a cup of their own semen to a stranger at the front of a crowded waiting room. With Fellow, you get clinically valid results while being able to produce your semen sample from the comfort of home, like you’re used to. We also send helpful reminders and provide fast customer support should you need any help.

Yes, but the only part of the kit that expires is the preservation solution (which helps keep your semen sample stable during transit). The preservation solution expires on the date listed on the sticker on the outside of the box. If this date has passed or is coming up soon, simply reach out to us at support@meetfellow.com. We’ll send you a new vial of preservation solution, free of charge.

If the preservation solution in your kit has expired (or is nearing expiration), please do not send back your kit. Instead, reach out to us at support@meetfellow.com. We'll send you a new vial, free of charge.

We are happy to provide a refund up until your kit ships out to you. After your Vasectomy kit ships, we generally cannot provide refunds or accommodate returns. If you have questions or concerns, please reach out to support@meetfellow.com.

At this time, all Fellow kits must be paid for out-of-pocket. If you have an HSA or FSA account, you may be able to seek reimbursement from your plan. The first step would be to check with your plan provider. If they approve the expense, you can pay for your kit with your personal credit card and then submit a receipt for reimbursement. If you need a detailed receipt, let us know at support@meetfellow.com. We can provide one to you as soon as you have your results.

No. These tests are different, because they have different goals. The Vasectomy Test looks for the presence of sperm. That’s it. The Fellow Semen Analysis, on the other hand, looks at how many sperm are in a sample, and how healthy they are (based on a number of different metrics). This test is more complicated, and therefore slightly more expensive. The Vasectomy Test should only be purchased if you are looking to test the success of your vasectomy. If you have additional questions about which test is right for you, please shoot us an email at support@meetfellow.com.

About Semen Analysis with Fellow (for fertility testing)

Fellow’s mail-in semen analysis makes it easy for you to understand what's going on with your sperm health. If you’re trying to get pregnant, planning for the future, or just curious about your reproductive health, Fellow is an easy, comfortable, and cost-effective way to get information about your fertility. Not working with a doctor just yet? Fellow provides the only clinical-grade mail-in semen analysis available directly to consumers.

You'll need to produce your sample after you've been abstinent (meaning no sex, no masturbation, no ejaculation whatsoever) for a minimum of 48 hours, but a maximum of five days. This is because studies show that sperm health improves when you haven’t ejaculated for a couple of days, but declines as your sperm age inside the reproductive tract past day five. It’s also crucial that you ship your sample on a day when it will actually reach us overnight. This means researching where your local UPS Store is and dropping your sample off before the overnight shipping cutoff time (usually 3:00 or 4:00PM, but you should check) on a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday. **(Please note: these requirements are different for Vasectomy Tests)**

When it comes to accuracy: yes. Fellow is the only mail-in semen analysis that is clinically validated and peer-reviewed. Our laboratory is CLIA-certified, just like traditional labs. This means that we have demonstrated that we can provide the same results as what you'd receive at a fertility clinic or your doctor's office, as long as we can analyze your sample within 52 hours of when you produce it. That doesn’t mean we’re just like everybody else. With Fellow, you’ll produce your semen sample at home. No more ratty old magazines and vinyl couches in some lab. No more waiting for an appointment and making awkward chit-chat with the person scheduling your semen sample production. Our semen analysis is also likely to be cheaper than going with a traditional lab, and we typically provide free replacement kits if your sample can’t be analyzed.

Results are returned within 1.5 business days of when we receive your sample at our lab. With overnight shipping, this means 2-3 days from when you drop your sample off at a UPS Store. Once your results are approved, we'll send you a secure link via email to view your report in your Fellow account. In order to make sure you get your results, it’s crucial that you follow the instructions closely. In particular, make sure that you produce your sample on a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday, and drop your sample off that same day at a UPS Store—before the overnight shipping cut-off time (usually 3 or 4PM, but you should check). (Please note: Shipping times and results turnaround are different for customers using our Vasectomy Test.)

Fellow is making waves in male reproductive health precisely because we address this exact problem. Our mail-in semen analysis process is published and peer-reviewed in one of the leading scientific journals on reproductive health, Fertility & Sterility. This means we have demonstrated that we can provide clinically valid results despite the delay between when you produce your sample and when we get it at our lab. How does it work? For one thing, overnight shipping is included in the cost of the kit so that your sample reaches us as quickly as possible. Your kit also includes a vial of preservation solution that is designed to stabilize your sample during the shipping process, along with a gel pack that helps maintain a reasonable temperature. Despite these measures, some of your sperm will die in transit (poor little guys). That’s why we developed and validated an algorithm that accurately predicts how sperm degrade over time. Using this algorithm—and the date and time of when you produced your sample—we can calculate clinically accurate results. (Please note: Vasectomy Test kits ship back to us via UPS Ground.)

Your semen analysis kit includes a specimen container (the thing you ejaculate into), a vial of preservation solution (designed to keep your sperm healthy in transit), detailed instructions (to help you get it right), and a gel pack (to help stabilize the temperature of your sample while it makes its way to our lab). Your kit will ship in an outer box that can be discarded. The kit itself functions as a return shipper box, and it will already have the return shipping label attached to it. (Please note: The Fellow Vasectomy Test kit does not include a gel pack.)

Please leave the gel pack exactly where it is in the kit. There's no need to remove it or put it in the refrigerator or freezer, even if it's not cold. The gel pack is designed to keep your sample at an optimal temperature during the overnight transport back to our lab in San Leandro, CA, and it will work best if you don't handle it at all. **(Please note: The Fellow Vasectomy Test kit does not include a gel pack, and ships via UPS Ground.)**

About cryopreservation with Fellow

Freezing sperm is like an insurance policy for your future fertility. If you have healthy sperm now, storing them for the future allows you to use them as part of fertility treatments with a sexually intimate partner at any point in the future. While freezing sperm is a great option for many, some groups of people will benefit the most, namely those who will soon begin chemotherapy and other cancer treatments, those in high risk jobs who may suffer injury or exposure to toxic chemicals, and those undergoing gender confirmation surgery

In order for a fertility clinic to use a cryopreserved sample, they will require proof that you have been tested for STIs. The reason is obvious: they do not want to expose another patient or embryo to infection. We require you to test now, so that you know whether or not you’ll be able to use your sample later. You must provide the results of your STI tests within 30 days of us receiving your sample. That’s why we partner with Request A Test to make it easy for you to get the tests you need at a LabCorp or Quest Diagnostics location near you. Visit bit.ly/FellowSTI to learn more about the tests that will be performed, how much they cost, and how the process works.

In order for a fertility clinic to use your cryopreserved sample for fertility treatments, they will require proof that you have been tested for Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, HIV, Syphilis, and HTLV (human T-cell lymphotropic virus). Some fertility clinics may have different requirements, so if you are already working with a fertility specialist you should ask them for further information. You must provide the results of your STI tests within 30 days of us receiving your sample. That’s why we partner with Request A Test to make it easy for you to get the tests you need at a LabCorp or Quest Diagnostics location near you. Visit bit.ly/fellowsti to learn more about the tests that will be performed, how much they cost, and how the process works.

We provide order cancellation and a full refund up until your kit ships out to you. After your kit ships, we cannot provide refunds on the kit. We do not charge for cryopreservation until after your Semen Analysis is complete. If you have questions or concerns, please reach out to support@meetfellow.com. If you wish to cancel your subscription, please reach out at least two business days before your billing cycle will renew. Should you decide to cancel your storage subscription, the annual billing cycle will finish out, and your subscription will not renew. There are no refunds for partial billing cycles.

There is a one-time extraction fee paid to Fellow (currently $55) to remove your sample from our storage facility. This will be paid via a separate invoice prior to removing your sample from storage. If you have any additional questions about this, please reach out to us at support@meetfellow.com. If you wish to use your stored sample please give us a few weeks heads up and we will be happy to coordinate with you to ship it to a licensed fertility clinic of your choice. We will work with you and the clinic to ensure your sample is shipped with care. You can use any licensed shipping agent you wish, and payment will be made directly to that shipping agent, not to Fellow. We can provide you with a recommended shipping company upon request.

Your cryopreservation subscription will begin as soon as the lab stores your sample in one of our cryopreservation tanks. We will bill the card we have on file, and your subscription will automatically renew each year for as long as you wish. In the rare circumstance that your sample is not viable for cryopreservation storage, we will let you know, and will not bill you for cryopreservation. You will only be charged if the sample is stored.

We can store any sample that has motile (swimming) sperm cells inside. While samples that contain more sperm cells increase the likelihood of pregnancy with fertility treatment down the road, samples with just a few sperm cells can be used to attempt a procedure known as ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection). This is when a fertility specialist takes one sperm cell and injects it into an egg to achieve fertilization. The report you receive at the time of us testing and storing your sperm will outline how many cells we are storing, and provide recommendations tailored to you based on your test results.

Yes, but this usually doesn’t impact whether your sperm can be used in fertility treatments. Sperm cells that are thawed after freezing typically show a reduction in motility (the ability to swim) by about 25%-50%. When an embryo is fertilized through sex, sperm cells need to swim to reach an egg, and vigorous swimmers are much more likely to achieve fertilization. With advanced fertility treatments, however, your sperm will not have to swim very far (if using IVF), or at all (if using intracytoplasmic sperm injection, or ICSI).

We cryogenically freeze your sample in three separate vials at -320˚F. At this temperature, the cells are suspended, meaning that they’re alive but are not using any energy to stay that way. Your vials are labeled with a code that keeps your identity safe, and are padlocked in a tamper-proof canister. Our facility requires coded access 24/7, and the individual storage canisters have a high tech alarm that ensures the protection and proper temperature of your sample.

Fellow's Semen Analysis + Cryopreservation is recommended by doctors around the country because we meet the same rigorous standards that traditional clinics follow. The only important different between us and local clinics is that you can produce your sample at home (instead of having to visit a clinic), and our pricing is often cheaper than other options.

Sperm stored at -320 ˚F can be viable for decades, if not longer. The longest time between freezing and use ever reported is over 25 years, but that record has more to do with how long we’ve been using advanced reproductive technology than with the actual life of cryopreserved sperm.

We'll divide your sample into three vials, giving you up to three attempts for a pregnancy. Many men choose to store more vials to increase the likelihood of initiating a successful pregnancy. This would require additional kits, samples, and storage fees. How much you choose will depend on your situation, and is something you should discuss with a doctor or fertility specialist.

You and a sexually-intimate partner can use sperm for fertility treatments including IVF (in vitro fertilization), ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection), and IUI (intrauterine insemination). Which procedure is right for you will depend on many factors, including the number of sperm cells in each vial stored, the number of vials you're storing, the fertility of your partner, your budget, and the number of children you want. Your fertility doctor or primary care physician will be the best person to consult on which procedure is right for your unique circumstance. Please note that stored sperm can only be used for fertilization with your partner. This means that cryopreservation with Fellow is not intended to be used for donating sperm to others.

When registering your kit, please use your legal name, even if it happens to be your deadname. We know that this may not be comfortable; however, due to legal and regulatory requirements we must require you to consent to cryopreservation and upload a picture of your government-issued I.D. The name on your I.D. must match the name on your consent form and your semen analysis report. If you legally update your name in the future, please reach out to support@meetfellow.com and we will work with you to get updated consent forms on file that reflect your correct name and gender. Your identity and the name that represents you are of the utmost importance to us, and we will do everything we can to support your individual journey.