Bacteria - It's everywhere, and it can help us in many aspects of life. When bacteria finds its way into your semen sample though, its subsequent colonization (aka growth) can kill the very sperm cells that we are looking to report on.
Here are a few tips to help avoid this situation:
Make sure to thoroughly wash and dry your hands and penis immediately prior to collecting your sample. Many of our customers choose to simply hop in the shower beforehand, and that works just as well!
Plan to uncap your specimen container right before you use it, and be careful not to touch the inside of it.
Don't use lubricants, saliva, condoms, or other aids. These can all introduce bacteria that can compromise your sample.
Don't rinse your specimen container. Tap water contains bacteria, and while their presence is safe for drinking, it’s not safe for your sperm cells.
If you need to re-attempt your collection (for example, if you missed the cup and need to try again), we're happy to send you a new sterile specimen container for free. Just create a ticket through your portal to get started!
To start your ticket request 👇
Log into your Fellow portal and click on the golden chat bubble located in the bottom right-hand corner (we may ask you to provide some information at first, to best support!)
Follow the prompts to submit a support ticket.
Fill out and submit your ticket.
You're done!
I've Submitted a Ticket, What's Next? 🤔
After we've reviewed your ticket, a member of our Customer Success team will be in touch within 2 business days, if not earlier.
You can find updates on the status of your ticket in the chat directly, and these will also be shared with you automatically via email!