Learn more about the most important fertility tests you can do to detect issues

Are you worried about your fertility and if you will be able to get pregnant? While most couples have no problems with having children, we see many who struggle in this regard. But there are some important fertility tests you can do now to give you peace of mind or give you a head start on fixing any problems.

Female and male fertility in a nutshell

To understand more about the most important fertility tests you should do, you first need to understand the basics about the reproductive systems in both men and women. We’ve all heard “it takes two to tango,” but what does that really mean? Most basically, it means that the sperm needs to find the egg and fertilize it.

Each month, women in their reproductive years grow eggs, releasing, or ovulating, the dominant one about two weeks after the menstrual period starts. During ovulation, the released egg is swept up by finger-like projections at the end of the fallopian tube and begins traveling toward the uterus.

For the male partner, sperm are constantly being produced in the testicles and then ejaculated during sexual intercourse. To successfully fertilize the egg, the man needs to have a lot of sperm (in the tens of millions!) and they need to be healthy. This is because sperm must swim through the cervix and up through the uterus to meet the egg in the fallopian tube where fertilization typically occurs. And the sperm needs to be able to break through the egg’s tough outer layer to initiate fertilization.

Three basic conditions for fertilization

Based on these basic reproductive facts, getting pregnant requires three very basic conditions for the woman and man trying to have a baby. First, the woman needs to be able to ovulate an egg. Second, the man needs to have healthy and plentiful sperm. And third, the pathway to their meeting needs to be open and unobstructed.

Sometimes, however, things can go wrong. The woman may have trouble ovulating or her age may interfere with plentiful eggs. Or her fallopian tubes can become blocked due to scar tissue caused by infection or other issues such as endometriosis.

For the man, even if sperm can reach the egg, any problems with sperm count, motility, and shape can interfere with fertilization. Most male fertility issues lead back to sperm that are either absent or not plentiful, can’t swim well, or cannot penetrate the egg.

Important fertility tests to detect pregnancy roadblocks

This leads us all back to the most important fertility tests to detect the basic issues that may be preventing pregnancy. These diagnostic tests constitute the best starting points for diagnosing infertility in both men and women. They answer these important fertility questions:

• Are you ovulating? Women can test themselves for ovulation using at-home kits that detect the surge in luteinizing hormone (LH) in their urine. You can also track basal body temperature, which rises slightly after ovulation. Additionally, infrequent or irregular menstrual cycles can indicate poor ovulation.
• Are your eggs plentiful? As women age, their eggs become less plentiful becoming a significant cause of infertility. The two most important hormonal tests to determine your egg supply are an FSH test, or follicle-stimulating hormone, and an AMH test, or anti-Mullerian hormone.
• Are your partner’s sperm healthy? Since an egg needs sperm to be fertilized, testing your partner’s semen is very important to assess a couple’s fertility. Many do not realize that problems with sperm can account to up to 40 percent of all infertility. A semen analysis will test the health of the sperm in terms of shape, motility, volume and count.
• Are your fallopian tubes open? A hysterosalpingogram (HSG) test can detect blockage in the fallopian tubes. This test also allows your fertility specialist to see the shape of the uterine cavity and detect other issues that may prevent pregnancy.

Find answers now

If you’re ready to build a family and have questions about your fertility, there is no reason to wait to learn more about your personal ability to get pregnant or father a child. Contact us today to schedule testing.