Fertility testing for newbies

[Sjf0709]

Hi,
I’ve started this thread because I’m around 3 weeks away from going to my GP to ask to be referred for fertility tests as that will be our 1 year mark and they told me to go back then...

I’m clueless!! So if anyone has any advice about what tests their GP referred them for and when (in their cycle) it would be appreciated.

Also, as an aside, has anyone had multiple MCs and did that result in any different fertility tests or results that explained them? I’ve had 2 MCs in July and September last year but they won’t test the cause of them until I have 3 (which hopefully I don’t!) but wondered if they do any different tests because of this...

Any help would be appreciated just so I know what to expect. Thanks x

 

[LucyC]

Hey sjf, sorry to hear about your losses. I can’t help with fertility testing but I had recurrent miscarriage testing after 3 losses. I think they test for different things.

For recurrent miscarriages I had my thyroid tested, was tested for clotting issues, was tested for mthfr which is a genetic mutation, my vitamin d levels were tested, was also tested for celiac disease and diabetes. I also had a saline infused sonohystogram which checked the uterus for abnormalities.

Hope that helps xx

 

[em1994]

Hi,
I’ve started this thread because I’m around 3 weeks away from going to my GP to ask to be referred for fertility tests as that will be our 1 year mark and they told me to go back then...

I’m clueless!! So if anyone has any advice about what tests their GP referred them for and when (in their cycle) it would be appreciated.

Also, as an aside, has anyone had multiple MCs and did that result in any different fertility tests or results that explained them? I’ve had 2 MCs in July and September last year but they won’t test the cause of them until I have 3 (which hopefully I don’t!) but wondered if they do any different tests because of this...

Any help would be appreciated just so I know what to expect. Thanks x

Hi, for general infertility DH did a semen analysis.

I had 2 blood tests - one was to have my FSH levels tested at day between days 2-5 in my cycle. Then I had my progesterone tested at day 21 to check I was ovulating. During one of the blood tests, I also had antibodies for rubella tested.

I had an hsg test where a catheter was fed into my cervix. Then dye was inserted to check my tubes were unblocked. This felt like mild period pains.

We did urine samples to show we did not have any STIs.

DH had 2 samples of blood taken - 1 to test his FSH levels and a genetic karyotype test.

He then was due to have a further semen analysis but I was already pregnant.

 

[Sjf0709]

Thank you ladies! By the time I go it’ll be CD19 for me so hopefully they can put plans in place for testing me at CD2-5 later on in May x

 

[Sjf0709]

Hey sjf, sorry to hear about your losses. I can’t help with fertility testing but I had recurrent miscarriage testing after 3 losses. I think they test for different things.

For recurrent miscarriages I had my thyroid tested, was tested for clotting issues, was tested for mthfr which is a genetic mutation, my vitamin d levels were tested, was also tested for celiac disease and diabetes. I also had a saline infused sonohystogram which checked the uterus for abnormalities.

Hope that helps xx

Sorry to hear about your losses? Have you managed to conceive your rainbow baby yet? Wishing you lots of xxx

 

[em1994]

Thank you ladies! By the time I go it’ll be CD19 for me so hopefully they can put plans in place for testing me at CD2-5 later on in May x

They might even be able to squeeze you in for a day 21. Those tests are often requested by the GP before the initial infertility appointment. Mine were done very quickly

Good luck

 

[LucyC]

Sorry to hear about your losses? Have you managed to conceive your rainbow baby yet? Wishing you lots of xxx

Thanks sjf, I’m currently 33 weeks pregnant with my rainbow and hopefully we will meet our little miracle in 7 weeks!

I was put on thyroid medication and injections to thin the blood as well as extra vitamin d and had some scar tissue in the uterus removed. Not sure what it was that caused the other losses but something has definitely helped!

I hope you get your rainbow baby soon

 

[SugaryIris]

Hi Hun,

My drs did lots of blood tests like the ladies above, I didn’t have the day 21 done though because my gp couldn’t figure out how to do it because my cycles can vary from 32 to 67 days.

I’ve had 3 chemicals, the fertility clinic recommended I have some more blood tests just to rule out the most common causes, these were thyroid and blood clotting blood test (I can’t rememver the official name) she did say I can go and get referred to the recurrent miscarriage clinic but there isn’t a lot more they can do there for chemicals apparently so at this point I’m assuming it’s poorer egg quality as a result of pcos.

It seems every gp is different, sometimes you can get one which is very helpful, others not so much, I know for my sister, she had 2 mcs, but they wouldn’t refer her to a fertility clinic for further tests until either she’d has a 3rd mc or it had been a full 12 months since her last one.

 

[MoominGirl]

I can't help with recurrent miscarriage but have had plenty of experience with general fertility testing!

I went to the GP and she ordered bloods on day 2-5 of cycle. This was various tests including FSH, LH, thyroid and prolactin. There may have been others but I can't remember off hand. Amongst other things, FSH gives an idea of how hard the body is working to release an egg.

She also ordered day 21 progesterone. This is the test that confirms ovulation. From memory I think they look for a level above 30. One thing to mention is that day 21 assumes a textbook 28 day cycle with ovulation on day 14. If you normally have longer cycles and ovulate later then you need to get your progesterone done later. Say you have a 35 day cycle and ovulate day 21, you need it done on day 28. I hope that makes sense as GPs usually don't tell you this so it's very easy to get an inaccurate result which of course causes unnecessary stress.

Results of these went back to the GP and I just called for results.

OH also made an appointment so they could request sperm analysis for him. This seems to vary between area but for him he wasn't given an appointment just a request form and sample pot so he could do the sample at home and drop it off within an hour of production during their opening times. Results back to GP within 2 weeks.

For me, the GP also ordered an ultrasound scan for me. This varies between areas as others I know didn't get this until after referral to fertility clinic. This looks for any abnormalities like polycystic ovaries, polyps or fibroids.

I also had to have a chlamydia swab and a smear if it wasn't already up to date.

After all this was complete, we were referred to fertility. As we had several issues, we had repeats of some of those tests before referral.

I hope this is helpful as I know a few of you are going to start tests soon. Feel free to ask as I'm more than happy to answer any questions if I can. We didn't have a good experience of the fertility side of the NHS and there are plenty of things I wish I knew so always happy to pass on to others!

 

[Sydney]

Tests for him: Semen analysis (SA)
Tests for me: Day 1-3 bloods: FSH, LH, Prolactin, HbA1c (can indicate PCOS you can have insulin resistance - mine was normal), Estradiol, vitamin D, rubella, thyroid function.
Day 21: Progesterone as have a 27/28 day cycle and this was to confirm that ovulation has occurred.

I also paid privately for an AMH to check my ovarian reserve.

I've also had a HyCoSy to check i if my remaining tube was patent due to having an ectopic as part of the follow up for that but this is also a check done if struggling to conceive. Similar to a HSG but it's done under ultrasound and HSG is xray.

If you're thinking about IVF, make sure you're up to date with your cervical smears too.

I can't comment on the recurrent miscarriage additional testing. x

 

[Sjf0709]

Thanks sjf, I’m currently 33 weeks pregnant with my rainbow and hopefully we will meet our little miracle in 7 weeks!

I was put on thyroid medication and injections to thin the blood as well as extra vitamin d and had some scar tissue in the uterus removed. Not sure what it was that caused the other losses but something has definitely helped!

I hope you get your rainbow baby soon

Aw glad you’ve got your happy ending and rainbow baby. It gives me hope xx

 

[Sjf0709]

Thank you ladies all of this info is very helpful thank you!! X

 

[Alexis2017]

Normal testing is day 21 progesterone levels, then a HSG test to check if your tubes are blocked and also a internal scan of your uterus your linning and ovaries to check for cysts, polyps or any other abnormalities. Hubby will have his swimmers checked too. If they are all normal then you will be diagnosed as explained infertility and procedure to be refered for iui first or IVF maybe just straight to ivf. I think for any recurrent mc they check for blood clotting disorders. Wishing you luck on your journey Al x

 

[soffphie]

Midlands area / South East / Milton Keynes

step 1 - bloods 2-5, 21s, vaginal swobs for sti's (embarrasing) i even made a point of saying to nurse this is for fertility testing cause i felt that embarrased!
... depending on results of that ...
step 2 - sperm analysis
... depending on results of that ...
step 3 - scan of womens area
That tbh is all i have been told happens, once ive had my scan i will ask / enquire at the clininc about the HyCosY as im super keen to get that one done!
Id hope in theory step 4 is a HyCosy and then depending on all them results is what it goes down as : unexplained, female/male, both infertility & then hopefully some treatment on that if infertility found!!
I dont think you get a free AMH - thats £100 - i will be paying for that one but i think i will only pay for it around time start giving up and paying for IVF so will be June for us