Fertility tests that need to be done to overcome difficulty getting pregnant

A husband and wife fertility test is necessary, especially 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.

A fertility test is a test that is performed to assess whether the reproductive organs of both men and women support natural pregnancy. What exactly is done on a fertility test and when is a fertility test done? Find out the complete information below.

Do you need a fertility test before marriage?

Some couples choose to have a fertility test before marriage. The reason is, they are worried that in the future, one of them, both male and female, will turn out to be infertile.

Actually, fertility testing before marriage is not mandatory. In fact, the preferred examination to be carried out before marriage is the health examination of the reproductive organs.

The goal is to see the possibility of sexually transmitted infections or certain diseases (such as HIV / AIDS) that can be transmitted to partners before starting to become sexually active. So, this test is not necessarily related to a person's fertility level.

Then, when does a fertility test need to be done?

Fertility testing is recommended to be done when a married couple (couples) have entered the criteria for infertility. A sign of a fertility problem is if you have been having sex regularly for one year without contraception but never getting pregnant.

Usually, this fertility test is mostly done by couples who are newly married at an advanced age or want to have a baby soon for various other reasons.

Now, if the couple is not married and not sexually active, it cannot be said that the woman and man are infertile. Therefore, the fertility test before marriage is actually not something that must be done.

However, if a couple who is planning a wedding wants to do a fertility test, it is their respective right and it is okay to do a fertility test.

Actually, when can it be said that it is difficult for a couple to get pregnant?

Actually, not all cases of married couples who have not been blessed with children will find it difficult to get pregnant. This of course will also be conveyed if you do a fertility test.

A husband and wife who are under 35 years of age and have had sex regularly for one year, but have never had children, can only be declared difficult to get pregnant. In this case, the married couple can be said to be infertile or infertile.

However, this one year period does not apply to married couples who are married at the age of more than 35 years. A married couple over 35 years of age will be said to be infertile if they have regularly had sex for six months, but they are not also blessed with a child.

Why are the timescales different? This is because one year is considered too long for a married couple to wait and try to get pregnant naturally or naturally, while 35 years of age is too old and is a high-risk pregnancy.

That is why husband and wife must immediately carry out fertility tests and other medical examinations so that they can get pregnant quickly.

What are the fertility tests for women and men?

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.

In fact, this should be done before marriage and planning a pregnancy. The healthier and more fit the husband and wife's body, the easier and more likely they will be to get pregnant.

However, if you and your partner have made a healthy lifestyle but are not pregnant, then you are both advised to do a number of fertility tests and other medical examinations.

This fertility test is divided into two, namely a fertility test for women and a fertility test for men.

Fertility test for women

Usually, fertility testing for women will begin with a consultation with the doctor who treats your fertility.

The doctor will ask about your medical history. The doctor will find out about your menstrual cycle, whether you have had surgery before, whether you have used contraception, and so on.

Before fertility testing for women, your doctor may also ask about your lifestyle including your habits at work before suggesting what fertility tests for women you should do.

1. Transvaginal ultrasound

This is the most basic procedure to be performed on having a fertility test for women. The transvaginal ultrasound procedure is actually similar to an ultrasound of the abdomen. The difference is, the fertility test for women is done by inserting an ultrasound device through the vagina.

As the name implies, this fertility test is carried out usingultrasound. Unlike the fertility test using X-rays, the ultrasound technique does not use radiation. This means that this fertility test does not have any side effects that could harm you.

When undergoing a transvaginal ultrasound fertility test, your doctor will ask you to change into hospital clothing. Then, while undergoing this fertility test for this woman, you will be asked to lie down on the examination table with your knees bent.

After that, a device called a transducer will be inserted into the vagina. This tool is shaped like a flat stick that is slightly larger than a tampon.

Before this tool is inserted into your vagina during a fertility test, the doctor will wrap the transducer with a condom and grease it with gel first.

While inside the vagina, this tool will provide information directly to the monitor in the form of pictures.

The images captured by this device during the fertility test for women will be displayed directly on the screen so you can see the condition in your uterus at that moment.

The purpose of transvaginal ultrasound is to see the health of the uterine organs, whether in the uterus, ovaries (ovaries), fallopian tubes (fallopian tubes), or other reproductive organs.

2. Hormone tests

Hormone testing in fertility tests for women who want to undergo a pregnant program, is actually not mandatory. This depends on the complaints and fertility problems found by the doctor during the transvaginal ultrasound test.

If the cause of difficulty getting pregnant in women is a brown cyst that is large enough. Of course, this health problem can only be overcome with cyst surgery, not with hormone tests for fertility.

It's different if the cause of difficulty getting pregnant in women is due to chaotic menstrual cycles, sub-optimal egg quality, or very few eggs, then hormone tests will be carried out.

In addition to seeing the possibility of hormonal disorders in women, this fertility test is usually more necessary for married couples who want to undergo IVF procedures.

Fertility test for men

Several types of fertility tests for men that may be done, such as:

1. Sperm analysis

This is the most basic and most important fertility test for men. This fertility test for men is done to assess the quantity and quality of sperm, both in terms of the number, shape and movement of the sperm.

Before undergoing a male fertility test with sperm analysis for fertility, men are advised to abstain from sex for three to five days first. The aim is that the sperm count is sufficient and mature when the sperm analysis is carried out later.

The sperm that is ejaculated by the husband for analysis is actually the sperm produced since three months ago.

If the results of the sperm analysis test for fertility are not good, then the husband can no longer argue that he is tired, stressed, or not fit at that time. So, the current condition of the sperm is a reflection of the lifestyle of the previous three months.

2. Hormone tests and blood tests

These two types of examinations are also included in the fertility test for men. This hormone and blood test will be carried out as indicated if abnormalities are found in other male fertility tests, namely sperm analysis.

If a husband and wife want to undergo an IVF program, then usually a male fertility hormone test is not necessary.

3. Ultrasound

Ultrasound on fertility tests for men is actually not commonly done by gynecologists, because usually it will only be done by an andrologist or urologist.

Ultrasound in men is done to see for tumors, blockage of the reproductive tract, and dilation of blood vessels.

One of the benefits of ultrasound for men is to see the possibility of varicoceles, which are inflammation of the veins in the scrotum, aka the testicles that line the testes. This condition can cause sperm quality to be not optimal and lead to infertility.

If all the results are normal, what does the doctor recommend?

After undergoing a fertility test for women or a fertility test for men, you don't need to be confused when the test results show normal conditions, aka fertile. In fact, there are about 10 percent of difficult cases of pregnancy with no known cause.

This can happen because not all types of medical examinations will be carried out for married couples. If all examinations are carried out, this will certainly be costly, time-consuming, and ineffective for the patient.

Fertility problems between you and your partner can be subcellular or submolecular, which are the smallest particles that have been linked to DNA or chromosomes.

That is why, fertility problems with no known cause will be directed directly to the IVF program.

If one of them is infertile, what does the doctor recommend?

If it turns out that one of the parties is infertile, either a female or male fertility test, the doctor will first determine what is the cause of the infertility. This is due to abnormalities in the uterine cavity of women or abnormalities of male sperm.

A factor that is visible and often affects fertility is obesity. This means that if one partner is obese, the conception process tends to be more difficult.

Statistically, women or men who are obese increase the risk of having difficulty getting pregnant by about 30 percent than those who are not obese.

From the results of the examination, the doctor will consider which fertility treatment is suitable, be it fertility therapy first, to insemination, or IVF.

Usually, fertility tests can also be used to detect other disorders such as cysts or uterine tumors (myoma).

For example, if a man has too little sperm count or sperm movement is not good. Usually, the doctor will first consider whether there is still a chance to be able to fertilize normally or not.

So, the solution to be given could be supplementation first or by directly increasing the quality of the sperm through the process of insemination or IVF after marriage.

A fertility test can be done either by a female or male fertility test, to determine problems that may lower your chances of getting pregnant. Consult a doctor for fertility tests that are right and according to the needs of you and your partner.