testing for infertility

When you, your partner and your healthcare provider decide it’s time to get tested for infertility, feelings of apprehension and anxiety may cast doubts on what’s to come. Stepping onto a path with so many unknowns and, perhaps, misconceptions, is scary. But once you and your partner have completed fertility testing, your healthcare provider will most likely be able to tell you what’s preventing you from conceiving. And understanding the problem is the start of fixing it.

So what are the first steps to identifying what’s preventing you from getting pregnant? These may include tests that you and your partner can do at home, as well as some initial fertility clinic tests, such as screening for STDs, a blood work-up to check your hormone levels and tests to assess the health of your partner’s sperm.

Once you start visiting your fertility clinic for testing, you don’t lose control over your journey – rather, you can continue to play an active role. Of course an important part of your role is to observe your healthcare provider’s advice, but preparing for appointments and keeping an ongoing list of questions to ask can help ease your anxiety and improve your understanding of what’s to come.

If it’s still unclear why you aren’t getting pregnant after the initial steps of fertility testing, your healthcare provider may suggest moving forward with more involved testing. Further fertility testing for women usually involves a closer evaluation of your reproductive anatomy, such as the uterus, fallopian tubes and ovaries. More involved fertility testing for men may include a semen analysis or an ultrasound to see if the male ducts might be blocked.

If testing culminates in a female diagnosis, it is important that you and your partner continue to work together, support each other and cope as a team. A male diagnosis might come as a surprise, but an equal number of infertility cases are due to male factors as female factors. Whether it’s you or your partner – or both – who will ultimately undergo treatment, your odds are good – roughly two out of three couples that seek infertility treatment will get pregnant.

If your healthcare providers are unable to pinpoint the exact cause of infertility, you may be left feeling frustrated and hopeless. But in these cases of idiopathic, or unexplained infertility, there are still several infertility treatment options that may help you achieve your goal of getting pregnant. And don’t forget – you’re still in control of your journey. Getting a second opinion is both standard practice and your right as a patient.

If you’re not sure where to start, visit where are you today? and we’ll provide a printable package customized for your situation that highlights actions you can take today to help you achieve your goal of getting pregnant.