Plan Ahead is a blood test that measures how many eggs a woman has available for conception.  The test just hit the market in several U.S. cities including Chicago.  TODAY'S TMJ4 spoke to Dr. Angie Beltsos at Fertility Centers of Illinois who says the test is long overdue.

"Women who have this test .. this will be a single first look at their fertility," Dr. Beltsos said.

The blood test is given while a woman is on her period.  It measures the hormones that indicate how many eggs are in a woman's ovaries.  A low score means a woman's egg supply may be running out.  Since the test became available, Dr. Beltsos has heard from a wide range of women who want to take it. 

"It can be young women who can be trying to plan for their future, trying to understand, you know, grad school, a new job. It can be a married couple who have never had children that might be saying well, we want to travel, we want to get a new home," Dr. Beltsos said.

TODAY'S TMJ4 also spoke to new mom Norah Bielat, who wants more children.  Many of the women in her family have trouble conceiving.  So, she took the test for her own peace of mind.

"And since I'm kinda getting close to my 30s," Bielat said, "I just want to make sure everything is okay, fertility wise."

Plan Ahead has not been approved by the FDA yet, and the test costs $350.  Some fertility experts argue the test's manufacturer, Massachusetts-based Repromedix corporation, is just capitalizing on women's anxieties.  Other critics say the test cannot say for sure whether a woman is fertile. 

"A test that comes back normal is certainly not promising pregnancy," Dr. Beltsos said.

The Plan Ahead kit can be ordered online and it must be administered in a doctor's office.