Why buy a big, expensive machine, when a small one measures more exactly and is therefore of more use?

Since the beginning of the season 2011/2012 the progesterone measuring device Hormonost®-Microlab is being marketed under the registered trade mark ProFertilityBox®. ProFertilityBox combines many advantages and makes the question above, about the point of a big machine, a reasonable one to ask. Here some background information to help understand:

The ProFertilityBox® kann measure the whole range of progesterone concentration, as it can be found in the milk, so from 1–30 ng/ml. Exact measuring of milk progesterone down to the lowest limit approximately 1 ng/ml is not just an end in itself but is absolutely necessary for finding heat, incl. silent heat and in particular the right day for insemination. This takes place below the concentration limit of 5 ng/ml.

Big progesterone test machines, e.g. for 4000–5000 €, appear to be too insensitive, in terms of measuring ability, to detect progesterone concentrations anywhere below 5 ng/ml and hence are unable to give any information within this sensitive measuring range. That’s why they are not able to answer the most important question, whether to inseminate already or wait one or two days, and so one has to – according to the advertisement for a 4000–5000 € machine – inseminate completely blind! This can be done faster and cheaper without a machine altogether. (Google under “Progesterone test Confidence Trick”.)

Such progesterone test machines are superfluous if they cannot reach down to the narrow heat phase and measure this accurately i.e. quantitatively. Everything else can be done reliably using the visual (semi-quantitative) rapid assay Hormonost® Milk, where the results are assessed with the naked eye. Cost of equipment: 12.50 €. (There are also running costs for disposable material in the bigger progesterone machines.) Hormonost® Milk is most probably even more accurate as it is an established method (which has been successful on the market for 19 years). This cannot be said of the technically more complex and high priced automatic machines, even though these have been on the market for a couple of years – since the EuroTier 1996.

These progesterone test machines fall into the category of semi-quantitative tests, probably due to the lack of reliability and accuracy of the measured values (especially eProCheck®), as also a lack of sensitivity (especially the Multilyser S20 and Healthylab PG 20). These were developed as an alternative solution to Hormonost® with (visual) evaluation, whose highly professional, biochemical method of analysis with a built-in sophisticated biotechnology, is very hard for amateurs to imitate. For this reason more effort had to be invested into the mechanical technology of these automated machines, which has little effect on the accuracy of the results. Progress looks different! The rapid assay Hormonost® Milk is the product of many years of development and biochemical expertise and has been on the market since 1992.

Therefore, you can rely on the fact that Hormonost®-Microlab Farmertest is true progress, based on the established product Hormonost® Milk. It is not just a replacement technology for Hormonost® Milk. Hormonost®-Microlab Farmertest possesses the necessary sensitivity to explore the “oestrous valley” in the progesterone cycle and can find the right insemination time ± 1 day. It offers a lot more possibilities compared to large, semi-quantitative progesterone machines. For further advantages see overview:

Advantages of the ProFertilityBox® – the inexpensive progesterone measuring device for the farm