Home Testing

Women are more likely to develop a UTI because they have a shorter urethra than men, so bacteria has more of a chance to get into the bladder or kidney.

The most common reason why you might get a UTI is when the bacteria from poo enters the urinary tract.

Other reasons are sex, pregnancy, if you have a catheter inserted, kidney stones, dehydration, a weakened immune system and not keeping the genital area clean and dry.

It can be tempting to take a pregnancy test a few days after a missed period, but you should wait a week to ensure you get the most accurate result.

This is because it can take time for your body to develop the HCG (a hormone that’s released when a fertilized egg attaches itself to the uterus) that your pregnancy test will pick up to form a reading.

Sperm testing kits work in a similar way as a pregnancy test, but instead of urine, you’ll use semen as the sample.

There will either be lines to show the result or in the case with Babystart, the testing kit will be stained blue - the darker this colour, the higher your sperm count.

A home testing kit can give you an idea if something isn’t right, but it can’t give you the most accurate insight into your sperm health - to do that, you’d need to visit a professional.

Sperm testing kits have a high accuracy rate of detecting one factor - how much sperm you have and whether that level is considered normal.

But there are other reasons that can cause infertility, like the sperm’s shape, movement and how many are alive.