Fertility examination helps women and couples understand their reproductive health and doctors to identify the underlying reasons for delayed periods or pregnancy. This article gives you detailed information about when a woman needs a fertility test and how these examinations can improve a female’s reproductive health.
Whether you’re trying for pregnancy or want to improve your reproductive health, taking fertility tests provides you with the exact details of your health and helps you take the right treatment or diet.
When does a woman need a fertility test?
Before knowing what are fertility tests available for women, you need to understand why you need a fertility test. Your healthcare provider can evaluate various aspects of your health through these tests and recommend the right treatment for your problems.Â
Women under 35 who are struggling to get pregnant can take fertility tests. These tests help identify possible reasons for delayed conception. Knowing the cause early can guide the right treatment and solutions. A doctor can provide the best advice based on test results.
Having irregular periods, especially cycles longer than 35 days, may signal issues. Fertility tests can uncover hormonal imbalances or reproductive concerns. Understanding menstrual health plays a key role in conception. A healthcare provider can recommend steps to improve fertility.
Women over 35 trying for a baby without success should seek medical advice. Six months to a year without conception may indicate fertility concerns. Tests can assess egg health, hormone levels, and other key factors. Early evaluation increases the chances of finding the right solution.
Diagnosis of female’s fertility health
Treating the condition is essential for understanding every individual’s reproductive health. In this phase, your fertility expert or healthcare provider will ask you certain questions to be aware of your past health conditions and determine the type of fertility test you need.
Your healthcare provider asks about:
- Menstrual cycle history
- Gynaecology history such as previous pregnancies and miscarriages
- Prescription medications
- Health history, what are the surgical procedures you underwent and other long-term illnesses
- Caffeine and alcohol intake
- Sexual history (how often you have sex now)
- Work environment (to know whether you’re exposed to toxins or chemicals to understand how they can impact reproductive health)
Once the fertility expert analyses your answers, they can predict which test can be the best for you and explain how it can help you assess your fertility. These are some fertility tests for females that effectively help in identifying any underlying issue.
Female fertility tests
Blood tests
A simple blood test can check a list of hormones in the female’s body that affect reproductive health in women. Blood tests can evaluate the levels of follicle-stimulating hormones, anti-mullerian hormones, progesterone, estradiol, luteinizing hormone, prolactin, and estrogen.
Hormonal imbalances interfere with egg maturation and production, so, considering a single blood test is more than enough to check the hormonal levels.
Chlamydia tests
Chlamydia is a sexually transmitted infection that can affect fertility and women will be evaluated whether they have a sexually transmitted infection or not. In this test, your healthcare provider will collect some cells from the cervix to test.
Ovarian reserve tests
Ovarian reserve examination is to identify the number of eggs present in a woman’s ovary. Women might need to undergo an ultrasound or blood tests. These tests are highly recommended for women with these risks:
- Age 35 or older
- Family history of early menopause
- Previous reproductive surgery
- Having one ovary
- Family history of early menopause
- Previous treatment with toxic agents like chemotherapy
Ultrasound scan
Ultrasound scans can spot the blockages in the fallopian tubes that act as a barrier to conception and the eggs from travelling to the womb. It can detect ovarian cysts or fibroids, assess the thickness of the endometrium, and monitor egg development during ovulation. Follicular study is a special procedure to track the ovulation and ovarian reserve in women.
Hysteroscopy
This is a minimally invasive procedure, where doctors examine uterine abnormalities like fibroids, scar tissue, and polyps. In general, this procedure is to investigate problems like heavy periods, unusual vaginal bleeding, postmenopausal bleeding, frequent miscarriages, and pelvic pain.
Genetic testing
Genetic testing detects any changes that are mutations in your genes, affecting fertility. Consulting the doctors at the right time is essential to detect any fertility issues and others that help in taking immediate action
Is it possible for a woman to do a fertility test at home?
Women can’t undergo any type of fertility test at home, as there are no test kits available for detecting hormone levels or genetic conditions. Women have kits particularly for tracking fertile windows and identifying pregnancy.
Therefore, taking a fertility test at home is not possible. Even if a woman is choosing a pregnancy test kit from a store, she shouldn’t confirm her pregnancy just with these results, confirming it officially after the doctor consultation is very important.
The bottom line
A fertility test is the first step toward understanding reproductive health that helps in making informed decisions. Identifying it and treating it earlier can improve the chances of successful conception and doctors can address the issues on time.
Consulting a healthcare provider is very important to get the right guidance and support in the pregnancy journey and improving reproductive health.
People also search
Fertility tests can help you know the exact condition of women’s reproductive health. Other than this, females can track their ovulation window, basal body temperature, and cervical mucus to know whether they are pregnant or not.
Blood tests to evaluate the AMH levels, progesterone, estrogen, Follicle-stimulating hormone, estradiol, and prolactin are the best because a woman almost knows about every aspect of her reproductive health.
Yeah, a regular menstrual cycle between puberty and menopause indicates that a woman’s body is working properly. It means a woman’s body is functioning well and the eggs are released every month.
Fertility examinations become mandatory when women or couples are facing struggles in conceiving. Other than a healthy pregnancy, women can consider a fertility test to improve their reproductive health.
Fertility issues take place in both men and women based on the health condition of every individual. Men can undergo semen analysis to be aware of their sperm production, semen quality, and morphology to help to identify whether their male partner is contributing to infertility or not.
