At the initial office visit the doctor will ususually take a detailed history of both partners’ past health. Information gathered will include childhood illnesses, medications used, past hospitalizations or operations, prior tests, procedures and treatments, exposure to environmental toxins,
and a family history. Next, the doctor will usually perform a physical examination on the woman who plans to become pregnant. This examination may include a transvaginal sonogram to evaluate the pelvic organs.
Finally a diagnostic plan is made and often includes the following steps of an infertility work-up:
- An assessment of ovulation and ovulation tests (usually by menstrual history, basal body temperatures, and ovulation kits)
- Hormonal Evaluation (FSH, Estradiol, Testosterone, DHEAS and 17-hydroxyprogesterone levels, Thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), clomiphene citrate challenge test (CCCT), oral glucose tolerance test )
- Semen Analysis
- Post-coital Test
- Saline Sonohysterography
- Hysterosalpingogram
- Endometrial Biopsy
- Sonogram
- Laparoscopy
- Hysteroscopy
The results of these tests will find over 80% of the problems associated with infertility. If you have kept information on your menstrual cycles and ovulation in most cases it should not take longer than 4-6 weeks to get these tests done/
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