Male Female Infertility

Tests for Fertility

   When a couple has problems with conceiving a baby it is advisable to take some fertility tests. An important part in fertility testing is the cycle pattern and the woman’s age. After fertility tests are performed the fertility specialist can determine the reason of your inability to conceive. There are situations when doctors can’t establish the infertility cause and that’s called unexplained infertility. But there is treatment also for this type of infertility that may improve your chances of conceiving. Fertility tests can be frightening for some people because they are worried about the result. In the same time other people are feeling relief when they find out a diagnosis. It is very important to know as many information as you can about infertility because this can help you to understand better what is happening with your body. Infertility tests usually include blood tests, semen analysis, physical examination and special procedures. Before taking any fertility test a woman should know what is the best time of the month to become pregnant. The most fertile period for a woman is 1-2 days before ovulation and during ovulation. Many couples can’t conceive because they miss the most fertile days. That’s why women should keep track of their period of ovulation and their menstrual cycle. Most of infertility tests like blood tests, semen analysis, physical examination don’t cause pain, but others like laparoscopy, hysterosalpingogram, endometrial biopsy could cause pain.

   Infertility tests should be taken into consideration when the women is over 30s and she’s trying to conceive for 6 month on a row without any result, when the women is between 20s and 30s and can’t get pregnant after trying for a whole year, if there’s a physical problem (for example if the man can’t ejaculate or the women has irregular periods or she can’t ovulate).

   The risks of infertility tests are usually minimal, but there are some medical procedures like laparoscopy or hysteroscopy that might cause problems. Infertility tests not only identify the infertility cause but sometimes it could as well treat it – a fallopian tube that was blocked could be opened with a hysterosalpingogram. Female infertility has more chances of being treated successfully than male fertility. Another option is the treatment using assisted reproductive technology.

   The first infertility tests that are performed on both partners are:

1) Medical history – The doctor asks the couple questions about their sex life, medicine use, what kind of birth control method they use, if they had a sexually transmitted disease, if they use caffeine, alcohol, tobacco, drugs. 

2) Blood or urine tests – tests for STDs that can include samples from the urethra or cervix or urine samples. The level of prolactin (a hormone produced by the pituitary gland ) is checked in order to see if the woman has ovulation problems. During a woman’s menstrual cycle there are made progesterone tests and luteinizing hormone (LH) tests to see if the woman is ovulating. LH test can also be performed to check if there’s a pituitary gland problem. The thyroid gland is also checked because the thyroid hormone may prevent the ovulation. Testosterone test can show if there’s a problem with the pituitary gland or the testicles. Low sperm counts can be caused by a low quantity of testosterone. The follicle-stimulating hormone is used to verify how many eggs can a woman supply.

3) Physical examination – A physical examination on a woman consists in a Pap test (checking the changes in the cervix’s cells) and a pelvic examination. On a man a testicular examination is done.

4) Antibody blood tests are done to find antisperm antibodies in vaginal fluids, blood or semen.

5) Karyotype (chromosome analysis) or genetic test. Genetic problems can be a cause of infertility. Karyotiping is a blood test that checks the genetic material of your cells.

Fertility tests for men

If the first fertility tests are not conclusive your doctor may recommend you other tests.

Fertility tests for women

When a simply test like blood analysis doesn’t show a potential infertility cause other test are performed. Usually these test consist in an examination of the ovaries, uterus and the fallopian tubes. Bellow you can find useful information about the most known fertility test for women: