Difference between revisions of "Fertility Testing"

Revision as of 17:48, 30 April 2013

If you have been trying to conceive for over a year and conception has not occurred, your GP may make a referral to a fertility clinic within the hospital to do some basic tests.

Some of the basic tests may include

Blood tests to check for ovulation

During all my time trying to conceive I must have had this test done the most. Each and every month, day 21 of my cycle would come and along came the jab in the arm with it.

This test is done to monitor hormone changes in the blood to see if you are ovulating, even if you are taking a drug to induce a monthly bleed or it is your natural cycle it can give a clear indication of what's going on.

Test for Chlamydia

This doesn't mean the GP thinks you have a wild sex life, it's just a routine test.

Chlamydia is one of the biggest STI and it's on the rise too. This is mainly due to people not knowing they have it as its a silent infection, with little or no symptoms.

I too have had many of these, for me they have been done during a routine pap smear.

They are painless its just a simple swap taken around your cervix.

Ultrasound scan

An ultrasound scan can be carried out to check the woman's ovaries, womb and fallopian tubes.

This scan was done for me many years ago and my diagnosis of PCOS came from this examination, My ovaries looked like bunches of grapes with all the stimulated follicles that had never been released.

Other conditions that can affect the womb, such as endometriosis and fibroids, can prevent pregnancy from occurring.

The scan can also check for blockages in your fallopian tubes (the tubes that connect the ovaries and the womb), which may be stopping eggs from travelling along the tubes and into the womb.

X-ray of fallopian tubes

This is called a hysterosalpingogram (HSG).

Opaque dye is injected through the cervix while you have an X-ray.

Sperm test

The male partner will be asked to produce a sperm sample and take it for analysis.

For me and my partner this was funny, I remember the first time (there have been many) I went to help him, but I couldn't stop laughing, knowing that it had to be at hospital within an hour of release gave me the giggles.

So when the job in hand is done, you must get the sample to the hospital labs within an hour. And did I mention carrying it in your bra the whole way there, as it must be kept at body temperature lol.

More information on these test can be found at NHSDIRECT

--Kerryflump (talk) 11:47, 30 April 2013 (UTC)