Fertility Testing - Proactive Care
A fertility assessment can be helpful to learn about your reproductive health. Being aware of your fertility enables you to plan ahead and make the best, most informed choices.
By testing earlier, before you try to conceive, you may identify any abnormalities that could make conceiving difficult in the future. Armed with this information, you may be able to make different choices when you ultimately try to conceive (e.g., proceeding with IVF instead of first trying rounds of IUI).
When should you get a fertility assessment?
For a person with eggs, your fertility will likely begin to decline naturally in your thirties, so testing in your twenties will help set a baseline. However, if you intend to become a parent at some point, understanding your reproductive health is a helpful, proactive step at any age!
Some triggers to complete a fertility assessment might include:
You want to understand your reproductive health better.
You’re considering freezing your eggs for future use.
You’re under the age of 35 and have been trying to get pregnant for 12 months or more.
You’re 35-40 years old and have been trying to get pregnant for six months or more.
You’re over 40 and considering starting a family.
For people with eggs
What testing may be completed?
Bloodwork: To check hormone levels at different stages of your cycle including
Luteinizing hormone (LH), which stimulates the release of the egg from the follicles;
Progesterone, which stabilizes the uterine lining for implantation of a fertilized egg and supports early pregnancy;
Anti-mullerian hormone (AMH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), which provide insight on the number of eggs available in your ovaries (also known as ovarian reserve)
Internal ultrasound: Transvaginal ultrasound to check your uterus and ovaries to
Count the number of antral follicles (small fluid-filled sacs that contain immature eggs) in the ovaries;
Look for abnormalities, such as fibroids or ovarian cysts
For people with sperm
What testing may be completed?
Semen analysis measures several key indicators, including:
Sperm Count: The number of sperm cells in the sample.
Morphology: The shape of the sperm.
Motility: The way that the sperm move.
Male fertility also involves a physical exam and medical history
Fertility tests year-over-year
Once you have a baseline fertility assessment, you will better understand your health trends over time. If you see a decline in your reproductive health measures, this might trigger a decision to preserve your fertility (e.g. egg, sperm or embryo freezing) or try to conceive. A personal baseline and trend analysis gives you more control over your reproductive health!
Notes
It’s important to know that results from a fertility test will not ultimately determine your ability to conceive. The numbers in your result reflect your ovarian reserve or sperm parameters on the date they are tested.
Age and lifestyle are factors to keep in mind. Repeated testing may help you understand how your ovarian reserve or sperm quality changes over time.
