Diagnosing & Testing for Infertility

What is infertility?

Couples who have been trying to get pregnant for a year or more, but have been unsuccessful (this applies to women age 34 and under)
Couples who have been trying to get pregnant for 6 months or more and are age 35 and older
Women who have uterine fibroids
Women who have endometriosis
Women who have amenorrhea (irregular menstrual cycles or no cycle at all)
Women who have had more than one miscarriage
Women who have had a stillbirth
Women or men who have certain genetic conditions

Fertility Testing

How can fertility be tested? Of course you must see your doctor in order for fertility to be tested. Usually the first tests focus on the man. A sample of the man’s sperm is tested for shape, mobility, and quantity. Blood tests are usually taken from both the woman and the man to check hormones, and to check for any infection. These tests on the male can include:

A test to see if the sperm can swim through mucus (called a mucus penetrance test)
An x-ray of the mans reproductive organs
A hamster-egg penetrance assay (to see if the sperm can penetrate a hamster egg cell, similar to penetrating female egg cells)

The first consideration for the female is determining if her menstrual cycle is regular and if ovulation is actually occurring.

There are a few ways to determine whether you are ovulating:

By using a home ovulation kit (available at a pharmacy) to chart changes in her morning temperature.
Examination of her cervical mucus which changes throughout her cycle
Ultrasound of her ovaries
Blood tests for hormone levels