What does a Fertility Evaluation Demand?

The first step in evaluating fertility is to have an in depth medical and personal history. This includes information from the couple including past medical and surgical history, current findings, occupational risks, history of sexual development, previous use of contraception, past gynecological and obstetrical history, and current sexual practices.

Following evaluation, the following queries are solved:

a) Is the sperm quality adequate?

Semen analysis is the single most important test to evaluate male fertility. It gives information about the volume of semen, number of sperms, its motility, shape and structure. For test, the sample is collected by masturbation into a sterile container.

b) Is the female ovulating every month?

Regular menstrual cycles, a biphasic BBT chart, and detection of Luteinizing Hormone (LH) in urine are indicators of ovulation, In case of doubt, a transvaginal ultrasound or a blood test may be performed.

c) Are there any barriers that prevent the egg and the sperm from meeting?

The common causes include tubal blockage, presence of endometriosis, adhesions, hostile cervical mueus etc. The most common test that are done are hastero-salpangography which assesses whether the fallopian tubes are open or not and laparoscopy which permits visualization of pelvic organs through very small incision. With additional small incisions, several conditions that may be the cause of infertility could be treated simultaneously