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Fertility tests are done when a couple has tried but have been unable to conceive a child. These tests should ideally start after one year has elapsed since you have tried to get pregnant. Both partners will have to get tested as male infertility too could be a problem. The first test in this procedure involves ascertaining whether you are ovulating or not. The gynaecologist and other fertility specialists are then likely to measure your FSH or Follicle Stimulating Hormone and LH or the luteinizing hormone. This test will be done on your very first visit and in the third day of your cycle. Before ovulation, there is bound to be an LH surge, which is when your second visit will be scheduled. Cervical mucus is often tested to determine whether the sperm can both enter into and survive in the mucous. This procedure also involves a bacterial screening. If the LH levels are abnormal, that is, if they are too high or too low, it can affect ovulation. Low levels of LH, which is a hormone secreted by the pituitary gland, can cause infertility as can surges in hormone production if it occurs while the body is menstruating. LH levels are detected by testing urine or blood samples and it is used to pin point exactly when a woman is ovulating so that her eggs can be retrieved for an In vitro fertilisation procedure. The test is mainly used to detect whether the woman is suffering from any chromosomal abnormalities that prevent conception, polycystic ovarian syndrome, failure of the ovaries and disorders of the pituitary gland. Specialists prescribe the test to detect the cause for unexplained infertility and to pin point whether testosterone levels in the body are normal. If the LH levels are, however, normal, further tests may be conducted. The fertility specialist may then go in for an ultrasound in order to determine how thick the uterus lining is, to determine the development of the follicles, and to keep a track of the condition of both the uterus and the ovaries. Fertility tests may also involve hysteroscopy, hormone testing, laparoscopy, a pelvic ultrasound or an endometrial biopsy. But these tests depend upon your individual fertility specialist and what she or he decides is necessary. Now these tests are not completely conclusive and can cause a certain amount of mental discomfort if it is done only to evaluate the woman’s fertility levels. Most practitioners advise against it unless it is related to being unable to conceive.
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