Tag: fertility test NHS

Women can check their fertility with blood tests, a pelvic ultrasound scan and tests of the fallopian tubes. Blood, urine and saliva tests can be done at home, while scans and tubal tests need a clinic or hospital. No single test can tell you for certain whether you’ll get pregnant, but together they give a clear picture of your reproductive health. This guide explains how each test works, whether it hurts, how to get it and what your results mean. Quick facts How does female fertility work? To get pregnant naturally, four things need to work together. Fertility tests are designed to check each of them. Ovulation problems are one of the most common causes of difficulty getting pregnant, and they’re often linked to PMOS, thyroid problems or raised prolactin. Checked with: hormone blood tests, ovulation predictor tests and pelvic ultrasound scan. You need a supply of eggs. You’re born with all the eggs you’ll ever have. Your supply, known as your ovarian reserve, falls gradually over time and more quickly from your mid-30s, and egg quality declines too. That’s why age is the single biggest factor in female fertility. Checked with: an AMH blood test and an antral follicle count on a scan. Your general health plays a part too. Nutrition, sleep, stress, alcohol and smoking can all affect your fertility. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is essential for optimising reproductive function. When should you take a fertility test? // Why and when should you check your fertility? There’s no single right time to get a fertility test, and you don’t need to be trying to conceive. It’s worth testing whenever the answer would help you plan, make a decision or get the right support. With fertility rates falling and many people starting families later, more people are choosing to understand their fertility earlier. You might want a fertility test if: You don’t need to be trying to conceive to get a fertility test. Understanding your fertility now can give you peace of mind and help you plan. Before you start trying Many people wait a few months after trying to get pregnant before they think about a fertility test. Testing at the start of your journey means you begin from a place of knowledge instead. It can pick up anything worth addressing early. That gives you time to get treatment or make lifestyle changes that could support your fertility before you start trying. The Advanced Hormone and Fertility Test gives you that baseline. If you’re planning for the future If you’re thinking about delaying pregnancy until later in life, or you’re concerned about how your fertility will change with age, testing can help you understand where you stand today. An ovarian reserve test shows whether your egg supply is typical for your age. That can help you understand how long you may have to plan and review the options available to you, including whether egg or embryo freezing is worth considering. Egg quality tends to be better the younger you freeze, so it is worth thinkingabout this early. A Fertility Advisor Call can help you weigh up your options based on your results. If you’ve been trying for a while NHS guidance is to see your GP if you’re under 36 and haven’t conceived after a year of regular unprotected sex.  If you’re 36 or over, or you have a known reason for concern, go after six months. But you don’t have to wait that long to find out what’s going on. Testing sooner can pick up causes such as ovulation problems early, so you can get the right support and treatment sooner. That matters, because fertility declines with age. If you need to go further, Hertility can arrange a Pelvic Ultrasound Scan, tubal testing and a semen analysis for your partner. If you’ve had fertility difficulties before If you’ve struggled to conceive in the past or had recurrent miscarriages, testing can help find an underlying cause. That might be a hormone imbalance, a structural problem with your womb or Fallopian tubes, or a genetic factor. Fertility problems can also happen after you’ve already had a baby, even if you conceived easily the first time. This is known as secondary infertility, and it’s more common than many people realise. A Private Gynaecologist Consultation can look at your history in depth and recommend the right investigations. If you have symptoms or a health condition Irregular, very painful or very heavy periods can be a sign of a condition that affects fertility. They’re worth investigating whether or not you’re trying for a baby. A Hertility Advanced Hormone and Fertility Test can help you understand what’s driving your symptoms. If you have a condition that can affect fertility. This includes a diagnosis or history of PMOS (formerly known as PCOS), endometriosis, a thyroid disorder or a sexually transmitted infection. It also applies if you’ve had pelvic surgery or cancer treatment. Each of these can affect your hormones, ovaries, womb or Fallopian tubes, so it’s worth checking your fertility sooner rather than later. Fertility worries can feel overwhelming, whatever stage you’re at. Talking to people you trust, or to one of our counsellors, can help. What are the different types of fertility tests for women? Blood tests for female fertility  Blood tests are usually the first step in checking your fertility. They show whether you’re ovulating and how your reproductive hormones are working, and they can check other aspects of your health that matter before pregnancy. You can have them through your GP, at a clinic or at home with a finger-prick kit. AMH (anti-Müllerian hormone) AMH gives an indication of your ovarian reserve: roughly, how many eggs you have compared with others your age. It’s useful if you’re planning ahead, considering egg freezing or preparing for IVF, where it helps predict how your ovaries will respond to fertility medication. A high AMH can also be one sign of PMOS, but it can’t diagnose PMOS on its own. It reflects egg quantity, […]