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Fertility Tests

Fertility tests are an essential part of evaluation and treatment

If you keep seeing negative pregnancy tests, you want to know why and what you can do to see a positive. When you first visit our Connecticut fertility center, our team will perform basic fertility tests. The test results can help Andrew Levi MD identify any barriers to conception and how to overcome them.

Fertility tests involve both partners

While people may think of infertility as a woman’s problem, it takes two to achieve a pregnancy. According to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), one-third of infertility cases are due to female factor infertility, another third of cases are due to male issues, and the remaining cases are due to problems on both sides or unexplained infertility.

While a gynecologist can perform some basic testing on women, you will need to turn to a reproductive endocrinologist (a doctor specializing in infertility) or a urologist for male infertility for more thorough basic and advanced fertility tests.

Female fertility testing

Your first appointment with Dr. Levi will involve a consultation and a medical history. After the initial consultation, the next step is to call on Day 1 of your period to begin diagnostic testing. He will order bloodwork to check your hormones, including luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), prolactin, estradiol (E2), progesterone and anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH).

Some of this bloodwork must occur on a certain day of your menstrual cycle. For example, women must undergo FSH testing on Day 2, 3 or 4 of their cycle. In contrast, we usually check progesterone around Day 21 (or one week after ovulation).

The team at our Connecticut fertility center will also perform a transvaginal ultrasound to check the shape of your uterus and the thickness of your uterine lining. It also allows us to perform an antral follicle count, which is one of the fertility tests that predicts how many eggs you have in your ovaries.

Male fertility testing

For men, semen analysis is the main fertility test. It involves the man providing a semen sample for the lab to evaluate for quality and quantity. Ideally, the test should be performed twice, on separate days, to confirm the results.

Although a semen analysis is typically all that is needed to diagnose male infertility, some men require bloodwork or an evaluation with a urologist. If you need to see a urologist, Dr. Levi will provide a referral.

What happens after fertility testing?

Once your fertility testing is complete, you will meet with Dr. Levi to discuss what the results mean and review your treatment options before deciding on the next step. He will work with you to develop a customized treatment plan to help you conceive a healthy baby. Contact us if you would like to learn more or schedule your first appointment at our Connecticut fertility center.


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