Fertility assessment

A routine infertility evaluation can shed light on the cause of your infertility, and it provides information that will be valuable when creating your personalized treatment plan. Knowing when to test for infertility and what you should be concerned about if you have not conceived within 6-12 months of discontinuing contraception can provide insight into how to best move forward.

When to Test for Infertility

If a woman is older than 35 and has been trying to conceive for 6 months without success, or 35 or younger and has been trying to conceive for one year with no success, a fertility evaluation is warranted. We recommend immediate evaluation and treatment for those with cases of known anovulation, bilateral tubal occlusion, or severe male factor infertility. We also suggest a more aggressive evaluation and treatment timetable for women 40 years and older due to the higher potential for significant loss of ovarian reserve in this age group.

During your initial work-up, you and your partner will be evaluated, specific major causes of infertility may be identified and treatment options considered. As with all medical assessments, infertility evaluation and treatment must be personalized to address each couple’s individual situation.

Initial Work-Up

There are many reasons a couple may have trouble conceiving. Among the top reasons are ovarian factors, pelvic anatomy factors and sperm factors. During your initial work-up we will guide you through a series of test and exams, which will enable your physician to diagnose the cause of your infertility and determine a treatment, plan that best suits your situation.

The tests and exams most likely to be performed include:

• Physical exam
• Blood work-up
• Vaginal culture and cervicovaginal smear work-up
• Temperature curve analysis
• Spermogram
• Hysterosalpingography
• Laparoscopy
• Endocrine testing