How can a doctor find out if a male and female have fertility issues?

Our experts answer all your fertility-related questions

Fertility is a topic that most people shy away from talking about. But when it comes to burning questions that you are just too shy to ask someone face to face, we have the answers for you; answered by our expert Dr. Rajalaxmi Walavalkar, Consultant, IVF and Reproductive Surgery, Cocoon Fertility

How can a doctor find out if a male and female have fertility issues?

Standard medical textbooks define infertility as the “failure to conceive following one year of unprotected intercourse”. For young and healthy heterosexual couples having frequent intercourse, about 85% will be pregnant after one year of trying and about 93% will be pregnant after two years of trying to conceive. While this is the ‘classic’ definition of infertility, you may label yourself as infertile if there is “failure to conceive following one year of unprotected intercourse if under 35 years of age or six months if over 35.

If you fall under this category doctors can find the cause of a couple’s infertility by doing a complete fertility evaluation. This process usually begins with physical exams and health and sexual histories. If there are no obvious problems, like poorly timed intercourse or absence of ovulation, tests will be needed.

Finding the cause of infertility is often a long, complex and emotional process. It can take months for you and your doctor to complete all the needed exams and tests. So don’t be alarmed if the problem is not found right away.

For a man, doctors usually begin by testing his semen. They look at the number, shape, and movement of the sperm. Sometimes doctors also suggest testing the level of a man’s hormones.

For a woman, the first step in testing is to find out if she is her egg reserve and whether she is ovulating each month. There are several ways to do this. A woman can track her ovulation at home by:

· Recording changes in her morning body temperature (basal body temperature) for several months

· Recording the texture of her cervical mucus for several months

· Using a home ovulation test kit (available at drug or grocery stores)

Doctors can also check if a woman is ovulating by doing blood tests and an ultrasound of the ovaries. If the woman is ovulating normally, more tests are needed to check her uterus and tubes such as:

Hysterosalpingography: In this test, doctors use x-rays to check for physical problems of the uterus and fallopian tubes. They start by injecting a special dye through the vagina into the uterus. This dye shows up on the x-ray. This allows the doctor to see if the dye moves normally through the uterus into the fallopian tubes. With these x-rays doctors can find blockages that may be causing infertility. Blockages can prevent the egg from moving from the fallopian tube to the uterus. Blockages can also keep the sperm from reaching the egg.

Laparoscopy: During this surgery doctors use a tool called a laparoscope to see inside the abdomen. The doctor makes a small cut in the lower abdomen and inserts the laparoscope. Using the laparoscope, doctors check the ovaries, fallopian tubes, and uterus for disease and physical problems. Doctors can usually find scarring and endometriosis by laparoscopy.

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