Taking the Mystery out of Fertility Testing
When patients come to our New Jersey IVF center, they often have no idea about testing and treatment. Some patients, especially those who have been pregnant before but who are suffering from secondary infertility, know what treatments they would like and ask us, “When can we begin?”
At our New Jersey fertility center, we take the time to explain why testing is required. Treating patients “empirically” without testing is like “putting the cart before the horse.” Fertility doctor Jane Miller reassures patients that standard testing takes no more than two to three weeks. After these tests are done, she meets with her patients to discuss the results and then presents, based upon these results and the patients’ histories, the different treatment options and the probabilities for success of each.
Three Factors in Fertility Testing
Basic fertility testing at our New Jersey IVF center investigates the three basic factors that cause infertility: hormonal, mechanical and male.
Hormonal Factor
Blood hormone tests are done on the second or third day of a woman’s cycle. (Day One is the first day of bleeding.) These tests measure hormones from the pituitary and thyroid glands and the ovaries. They are estradiol (E2), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), and prolactin (PRL). A serum anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH), which complements the FSH, also is drawn. Right after the blood draw, our New Jersey fertility center performs a vaginal sonogram to assess the position and size of the uterus and the ovaries and to take an “antral follicle count.” The results of these blood tests and sonogram help New Jersey fertility doctor Jane Miller determine a patient’s ovarian reserve.
Mechanical Factor
Our New Jersey fertility doctor determines whether the uterus is a mechanically hospitable environment for pregnancy and also assesses the patency (openness) and health of the fallopian tubes. The fertility center images the cervix to check for obstructions and assesses the uterine cavity for the presence or absence of fibroids, polyps, septa or adhesions. The New Jersey IVF center offers several imaging procedures: the hysterosalpingogram (HSG X-ray) and the sonohysterogram are the most popular.
New Jersey fertility doctor Jane Miller performs her own imaging procedures and reviews them with her patients as soon as they are completed.
Male Factor
Our New Jersey IVF center makes slides of the sperm and applies special stains to assess the “strict morphology” or shape of the sperm. The findings of the above parameters will indicate whether the sperm can fertilize a woman’s egg in vivo (in her body) via intercourse or intrauterine insemination, or whether in vitro fertilization will be necessary.
Infertility Treatment Designed for You
Fertility doctor Jane Miller tells her patients that most of them will not need additional tests before treatment options are discussed. However, some patients may require hysteroscopic or laparoscopic surgery to correct uterine problems or special blood tests to investigate blood clotting problems or autoimmune factors. After testing is completed, our New Jersey IVF center can begin appropriate treatment for the patient.
Contact us
Start now to learn more about the causes of infertility and let us help you on the path to successful pregnancy. Contact us today at North Hudson IVF to start your treatment plan. Find useful information on our patient resource page.