Table of contents:
- Fertility test for women
- 1. Ovulation examination
- Ovulation test
- Ovarian function test
- Luteal phase test
- 2. Hysterosalpingography (HSG)
- 3. Transvaginal ultrasound
- 4. Hysteroscopy
- 5. Laparoscopy
- Fertility test for men
- 1. Sperm analysis
- 2. Hormone tests
- 3. Genetic testing
- Karyotype
- Y chromosome microdeletion test
- Genetic testing for cystic fibrosis
- How do I use a fertility test kit?
- How to use a fertility test kit:
A fertility test is necessary if the pregnancy does not materialize within a certain period of time. That is why some couples do a fertility test before marriage, in order to find out about their respective fertility conditions. What are the tools and types of fertility tests for women as well as men? This is the explanation!
Fertility test for women
Before planning a pregnancy, what married couples usually do is a fertility test.
Quoted from the American Pregnancy Association, it is recommended that fertility tests be carried out when a married couple has entered the criteria for infertility.
A sign of a fertility problem is if for one year you have been sexually active without contraception for one year but never got pregnant.
Before undergoing a fertility test, married couples are encouraged to adopt a healthy lifestyle first.
For example, eating nutritious foods, exercising regularly, and achieving ideal body weight.
Here are some ways that women can do fertility tests, such as:
1. Ovulation examination
The fertility test suite also includes ovulation and hormone checks. Usually, one way to get pregnant quickly that can be done is to know the period of fertility or ovulation.
This helps you determine when is the right time to have sex.
Ovulation examinations are divided into several types, namely:
Ovulation test
The purpose of this test is to make sure ovulation has actually occurred. The test procedure is carried out through blood tests, ultrasound, ovulation predictor kits, and body temperature charts.
Ovarian function test
This fertility test serves to determine the function of hormones that affect ovulation.
A series of tests include checking the function of FSH (follicle-stimulating hormone), estradiol (estrogen), and blood tests to find out the amount of inhibin B hormone that inhibits ovulation.
Luteal phase test
Its function is to determine the amount of progesterone, because progesterone will increase after ovulation.
2. Hysterosalpingography (HSG)
Hysterosalpingography (HSG) uses real-time x-ray technology to determine the condition of the uterus and fallopian tubes.
This fertility test can also see the risk of miscarriage related to abnormalities in the uterus. If there is a blockage in the fallopian tube, the doctor can also open it through this examination.
This is an examination that women need to do before undergoing other tests.
The reason is, the results you get are the basis for conducting further examinations. Especially if there are disturbances in the reproductive organs.
3. Transvaginal ultrasound
Transvaginal ultrasound aims to determine the condition of the uterus, cervix, fallopian tubes, ovaries, and vagina.
This fertility test is also recommended for cases of disorders such as pelvic pain, cysts, vaginal bleeding, and to check the position of the contraceptive device in the uterus.
During a transvaginal ultrasound test, your doctor will insert a high-frequency sound wave transmitter into your vagina.
Sound waves will bounce off the reproductive organs. This reflection then produces an image on the screen.
4. Hysteroscopy
A hysteroscopy test is useful for diagnosing female fertility problems related to uterine conditions.
In addition, hysteroscopy can also be used to treat polyps, fibroids, abnormal bleeding, and confirm the results of the HSG examination.
A hysteroscopy procedure is performed by inserting a hysteroscope tube into the vagina. After passing through the vagina, the hysteroscope is continuously inserted into the cervix before finally reaching the uterus.
5. Laparoscopy
Laparoscopy is performed to diagnose and treat diseases related to disorders of the abdominal and pelvic area.
This procedure is usually performed on women who have problems with endometriosis, fibroid tumors, cysts, pelvic pain, and fertility.
When performing this fertility test, the doctor will sedate the patient, then insert a catheter to remove urine and a small needle to fill the abdominal cavity with carbon dioxide gas.
After that, the doctor makes a small incision to insert a laparoscope tube that sends images to a screen.
Fertility test for men
Please note, not all cases of difficulty getting pregnant are caused by women. This is because fertility problems or infertility can also occur in men.
Usually, in this male fertility test, the doctor will check your physical health and overall medical history.
The doctor will find out any conditions that can potentially interfere with your fertility.
This could be a defect in the reproductive system, low hormone levels, illness, or an accident that you have experienced
Here are some types of fertility tests that can be done by men, such as:
1. Sperm analysis
Sperm analysis is done to find out if there are disorders in the sperm that make it difficult to have children.
In fact, in every test that is done to determine male fertility, sperm analysis is one of the procedures that must be performed.
If the test finds one sperm abnormality (shape, number, or speed of movement), then men are more at risk for difficulty having children or even infertility.
2. Hormone tests
Although it is classified as rare, one possibility of male infertility can be caused by a problem with one of the hormones in the body.
The hormones produced in the pituitary gland are hormones that play an important role in stimulating sperm production, namely follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH).
These two hormones are related to each other in the reproductive system. So, if one hormone is reduced, the other hormones will also experience the same thing.
3. Genetic testing
Apart from the male fertility tests that have been mentioned earlier, other tests that can be done are genetic tests.
This test can be done by men when they experience the following conditions:
- The number of sperm that is produced is very small, you may not even find sperm in the semen.
- Physical conditions that may be caused by genetic factors, such as small testes.
The following are some types of genetic tests that you can choose to determine male fertility.
Karyotype
A karyotype test checks the number and type of chromosomes in your body.
In addition, this test can detect if a person is missing or has an excess number of chromosomes.
Y chromosome microdeletion test
The microdeletion test checks for missing genetic information from the Y chromosome needed for sperm production.
Genetic testing for cystic fibrosis
Cystic fibrosis is a condition that usually occurs due to genetic factors. This condition actually attacks the lungs, but is also thought to cause male infertility.
This test is done to look for faulty genetic mutations that can cause male infertility.
How do I use a fertility test kit?
For women, the easiest thing to do to find out fertility is to use a fertility test kit.
The use of this tool using urine, is the same as test pack which is used to check pregnancy.
The difference is, this tool is used to detect ovulation. This fertility test tool works by detecting luteinizing hormone (LH).
This is a reproductive hormone that triggers a woman to ovulate and release an egg. When a woman ovulates,
How to use a fertility test kit:
1. Enter your urine into a special small container for urine.
2. In addition, you can also hold this tool and position it under the vagina, so that your urine can be directly exposed to it while urinating.
3. If successful, a colorful line will appear on the device indicating whether or not there is an increase in luteinizing hormone (LH).
4. If you use the fertility test kit which is available in digital version, the fertile period will be indicated by the appearance of a smiling person symbol.
5. The results of this tool will appear after 10 minutes. If you get a positive result, the result will not disappear.
6. If you get a negative result, the color on the stick will vary.
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