Tests For Infertility – Go With Ultrasound First

Signs of infertility are really straightforward: Either a couple conceives or they don’t – and if they don’t for over a year – this is a sign of infertility.

Some of the reasons for the reduced fertility in women as they age are a diminished ability for their ovaries to release eggs and the lower health level of those eggs. In addition, aging women become more likely with each passing year to have health issues that interfere with their fertility. There’s also a higher risk for miscarriage.

In her twenties is when a woman’s fertility is highest with a steadily increasing difficulty in conceiving into her thirties – as her ovaries stop making eggs at the rate they once did. The risk of miscarriage generally doesn’t become an issue until she reaches at least thirty-six. Drinking and smoking increases the level of infertility in all women. Today, aging is the most common fertility problem as women are choosing to have their first child at 35 or older.

Failure to conceive for a whole calendar year (after trying the whole year) means a woman is in the “primary infertility” category; “secondary infertility” is when she has already been pregnant at some point, but has not been able to conceive for the previous 12 months of trying.

Both males and females have infertility problems, with the split being roughly 50-50, according to some experts on fertility. But the ratio is 60-40 – with the females having 60 percent of the infertility issues according to others. One in ten of couples trying to conceive will have difficulties, with four out of five being successful inside a year. What is a normal amount of time? Up to two years of trying, say experts.

Often, couples must each submit to thorough physical examinations to determine their fertility factors. There is a general misunderstanding by many couples that it’s only the female who could possibly have the fertility issue. Males, however, account for a large percentage, which is why it’s important that they get a medical exam as well.

The first tests normally done by a fertility specialist are for a woman’s levels of FSH and her LH. (These abbreviations stand for Follicle Stimulating Hormone and Luteinizing Hormone.) These tests are usually done on a woman’s first and her third visits to her doctor. It should be noted that the tests for these two hormones – Luteinzing Hormone and Follicle Stimulating Hormone – can be done on the male partner, as well. LH and FSH are both important for male fertility too.

There are many other fertility tests available to the fertility specialist. Some of these – for the female – are the cervical mucus test, hormone tests (other than LH or FSH), and ultrasound tests. The cervical mucus test is done less often now, but sometimes it’s done because the male does not want to be tested. For this test, two to eight hours after intercourse, the doctor will test the vaginal mucus for the presence and health of sperm.

Ultrasounds are a good way to for the fertility specialist to examine the condition of the uterus, ovaries, and cervix without complicated and invasive examination techniques. Ultrasound can also be utilized to determine if ovulation has occurred.

Reproductive Endocrinologists can test for many other important hormones, other than just the luteinizing hormone and the follicle stimulating hormone. The primary ones are: androstenedione, DHEAS, total testosterone, progesterone, estradiol, prolactin, free T3, and free testosterone.

Treating infertility is a subject for an entire series of articles, but in a nutshell, infertility treatments run the gamut from simple drugs to surgery. Infertility treatments can get very expensive and time-consuming – and rarely covered by insurance, so it boils down to how bad a couple wants to conceive. Certain treatable infertility problems include Polycystic Ovary Syndrome or PCOS, which is treated with the drugs clomiphene and metformin together.

Another drug treatment for infertility (for the female again) is clomiphene for ovulation problems – inability to ovulate. Hormone shots are the next thing that a woman can try, although these can have unpleasant side effects such as bloating and feeling sick. But one of the most significant side effects of hormone therapy is having triplets or more babies.

One of the most expensive and emotionally taxing (as well as physically taxing) fertility treatments is in vitro fertilization (IVF). Regular blood tests, daily hormone injections and frequent monitoring by the doctor is what this treatment requires of you. Nevertheless, it works one out of three times, but out of this 33.33%, one-third of these (33.33% also) will have twins. It should be noted that acupuncture by trained personnel is shown to raise the success rate of IVF.

Janet has been publishing helpful articles on fertility and pregnancy for years. Discover more about acupuncture and infertility and ways to monitor fertility with innovative solutions such as the Clearblue Easy Fertility Monitor and other methods on the website.

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