Investigations in Female Fertility Treatment

The human body is a very complex system, and ther e is certainly no single and concrete way of finding out what could actually be wr ong, when there is a general feeling of ill health. It is also more worrying, when a particle complaint, could be an indirect pointer to another ailment in an adjoining organ or part of the body. At a point when a woman desires to get pregnant, all her senses are geared towards achieving this desire. I see a male as a gamete deliverer and a female as a receiver of such vital gamete, providing a conducive incubator, environment for a baby to be formed, nurtured and born. This is an enormous task. So with these understanding, what should be your focus when you and your partner , go to see your doctor, when you have both tried several times , to get pregnant , and you are not able to do so ? How usual is it to have problems conceiving? 80% of couples who have r egular sexual intercourse (that is, every two to three days) and who do not use contraception will get pregnant within a year. The majority of the remaining 20% achieve a pregnancy within two years of trying. An estimated one in seven couples has difficulty conceiving. There are several possible reasons why it may not be happening naturally.In men, a fertility problem is usually because of low numbers or poor quality of sperm. Women become less fertile as they get older. For women aged 35, about 95% who haveregular unprotected sexual intercourse will get pregnant after three years of trying. For women aged 38, only 75 % will do so. The effect of age upon men’s fertility is less clear. Your lifestyle can affect your chances of conceiving, particularly if you ar e a heavy smoker and are significantly over- or underweight. Problems affecting women include damage to the fallopian tubes and endometriosis and erratic or absent ovulation. Sometimes infertility problems can be due to a combination of factors. In a third of cases, a clear cause is never established. The first step then is for you to book an appointment to see a doctor you can trust and confide in. A fertility doctor is your target. This is important because, if you do not trust or confide in your doctor, you have actually created a gap in your treatment process. At a time when you walk into the clinic, empty yourself of all predetermined thought out line of treatment. Approach the doctor you have chosen with confidence , and a mind of no holding back of vital information. Why is this necessary ? this is so vital because, if you hold back vital information about yourself, you could actually be leading your doctors thought process down the wrong path. The clinic would collect vital information from you about yourself and your partner. The female most of the time is the primary focus for investigation. PROGESTERONE, LUTEINISING HORMONE, PROLACTIN, E1, E2, OESTRADIOL.

This is important. Current or recent Chlamydial infections can be the reason that you are unable to get pregnant. Chlamydial infections could be latent, with or without symptoms. Therefore , you would be asked to do a chlamydia test blood .

This would be done to see the state of your tubes and womb and the surroundings , cervix and vagina.

A 3D or 4D colour scan would give a very good clear picture of you anatomy.

3D Aquascans check for physical anomalies in the uterus. Newly-formed embryos tumble along the fallopian tubes and land on the walls of the uterus where they implant. If there are any physical impairments such as scarring, fibroids or polyps where the embryo tries to implant, the doctor will need good information from the scan to assess whether these can be ignored or whether surgery is required to improve the chances of a successful pregnancy.

This can also be carried further, by doing a more directed minor diagnostic procedure.

This is a very simple painless procedure, whereby a fine microscope is passed into your body, to have an internal assessment of your full reproductive organs. The procedure would give in-depth visual assessment. It is a modern and very effective method of fertility assessment.

This can be done along with the hysteroscopy, to assess the state of your fallopian tubes. A harmless coloured dye is flushed through your fallopian tubes, to check for a spill. A spill would indicate that your tubes are open and healthy. While a reflux would indicate that your tube are blocked.

Blood test results, particularly AMH, can also give valuable information about hormone levels and how they reflect ovarian age and the reproductive cycle. They are also useful if the woman has a known medical condition where her blood test levels are likely to affect her fertility.

The amount of eggs you have in your ovaries would be measured. This is important because every woman from birth has a certain number of eggs that can produced by your ovaries.

When this is measured in your blood, it gives the pointer as to the possibility of you being able to produce eggs at all. This is so important, especially with older women, and repeated failed egg collection, because it helps in a quick decision to be taken as to whether , you can use your own eggs or use donor eggs. This helps to save time wasting.

I have seen patients arguing as to whether it is important or not, because of the high cost of this test.

With most of these basic tests done , you must then bear these vital information behind your mind :

When am I most fertile?

Antral Follicle Counts, also in 3D, are used to assess a woman’s ovarian reserve by counting the small follicles produced each month. This scan gives a woman valuable information about her chances of success with any treatment as influenced by her ovarian age. If she is younger the test can, as interpreted by a doctor, suggest to a woman that she has some time yet before her natural fertility starts to decline.

when an egg is released from the ovary

have to be working at optimum levels

after being released,

body for 12–48 hours after ejaculation, so you don’t have to have intercourse at the exact moment of ovulation to get pregnant.

you to become pregnant. Although millions of sperm are released upon ejaculation, few survive the journey through the cervix, uterus and fallopian tubes.

fertilised egg does not attach itself to the endometrium lining of the uterus, it breaks down, the endometrium is shed and you have a period.

The bottom line is that , with a clearer explanation and understanding of what these basic tests can do assisting you and your fertility specialist in taking decisions very quickly , with a view to getting the problem solved as quickly as possible.