Planning a family is one the happiest decisions for a couple. However, sometimes, things don’t go as planned. Many couples suffer from infertility. However, the good news is in most cases, it is treatable. Getting fertility tests done allows couples to get treated for their root cause of infertility. Clear your doubts about fertility testing in this ultimate guide to female fertility screening. Schedule an appointment at Doral Health and Wellness – Women’s Health Center.

5 FAQs on fertility testing in women

Here are the most searched questions on Google about fertility testing in women:

1. What are fertility tests and when should a woman consider them?

Ans. Fertility tests are diagnostic tests used to either diagnose the cause of infertility or help couples to improve their fertility chances and increase the possibility of starting their family. Infertility means problems that make it harder for couples who have been trying to conceive for 1 year or more when they are under 35 years old or couples who try to conceive for 6 months after 35 years old.

Infertility can occur when either you or your partner or both are infertile due to lifestyle, health conditions, genes, medications, and other factors. These tests allow you to find the root cause of your problems and allow doctors to create a treatment plan to improve your conceiving chances.

2. What tests are recommended to diagnose infertility?

Ans. Doctors usually start by asking questions about your lifestyle, medical history, sex life, or any signs you notice in your menstrual cycle. After learning all the necessary information about past pregnancies you’ve had, current medications, overall health, and wellness, and more, doctors order several tests to find the root cause of infertility. It may include:

• Blood tests: To find essential hormone levels in the body like thyroid hormones, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), or progesterone. It is also used to check the number of eggs you have remaining by testing for ovarian reserve.
• Ultrasound: To check the shape or condition of your reproductive organs if you have any infections or health problems that make you infertile.
• Hysterosalpingogram (HSG): this test is used to check fallopian tube blockage by injecting a dye inside the uterus and seeing it flowing inside the fallopian with the help of an X-ray machine.
• Semen analysis: This test helps to determine your partner’s sperm quality and quantity that is required to fertilize the egg.

Some tests are also used periodically to optimize your fertility journey, including:

• Urine tests predict the time of ovulation via hormone measurements.
• Basal body temperature is used to track ovulation over time.

3. What are common lifestyle factors that make you and your partner infertile?

Ans. Certain lifestyle factors will make you and your partner infertile, including:

• Drink excessive alcohol.
• Smoke tobacco or take drugs like marijuana.
• Being overweight or very underweight.
• Get exposed to certain toxic chemicals usually at work or home.
• Stress
• Sexually transmitted diseases.

4. What treatment options are available for infertility?

Ans. A treatment plan based on your results in fertility tests according to the underlying cause of infertility. Usually, the most common treatment options for fertility are:

• Medications:

Your doctor may prescribe certain medications to regulate your hormones that promote ovulation. The most common medication to stimulate ovulation is clomiphene citrate. Injectable medications like gonadotropins are also used to trigger and regulate hormones for ovulation. Several other fertility drugs are also used depending on fertility test results or medical history.

• Fertility restoring surgery:

In some situations, the doctor may recommend laparoscopic surgery to find and treat certain physical anomalies. For instance, doctors use laparoscopies to diagnose endometriosis, and if found they use this procedure to remove fibroids, correct certain problems with uterine anatomy, and more.

• Reproductive assistance:

Doctors may also recommend reproductive procedures like intrauterine insemination (IUI) and in vitro fertilization (IVF) to fertilize the egg. In IUI, healthy sperm is introduced to the uterus around the time of ovulation by injection. In IVF, a mature egg is fertilized with healthy sperm outside the uterus in a lab and then transferred into the uterus.

5. What to expect in initial fertility evaluation?

Ans. For men and women, this process initially starts with a medical history and a series of tests to examine your and your partner’s fertility functions:

• For a woman

Doctors check the ovarian functions and fallopian tube health and examine the whole reproductive anatomy. Ovarian function is the major indicator of egg quality as well as female hormone production. The fallopian tubes are the place where egg and sperm meet, and fertilization occurs. Many tests can also be used to evaluate the health of these reproductive systems. In addition, a complete medical history and examination are performed to check menstrual history, previous surgery, health conditions, physical activity level, stress level, and thyroid health.

• For a man

Evaluation starts with the status of male sperm (shape, volume, and mobility) as well as the health of the urinary tract and male reproductive organs. If semen analysis shows a problem, then you will get examined by a urologist/andrologist.

Fertility screening tests allow couples to find the problem that makes them infertile and reduce their chances of conceiving. These tests help the doctor to find the root cause of the problem and create a treatment plan to fix it.

If you need more information about fertility tests, call us for a consultation today or visit our fertility clinic in Brooklyn for medical support. At Doral Health and Wellness – Women’s Health Center, we have the best GYN doctor in Brooklyn, and we provide women with quality health care services. To schedule an appointment, you can visit us at 1797 Pitkin Avenue, Brooklyn, New York 11212 or call us on 1-347-384-5690. You can also visit our website at http://www.gynecologistbrooklyn.com/.