A woman’s fertility is far more nuanced than you might think – there is no one-size-fits-all approach. A formal fertility assessment is key to understanding why you may be having difficulty conceiving. Fertility testing for women is based on a series of minimally invasive procedures, such as scans and blood tests. Once you have undergone these fertility tests, our fertility specialists can tailor treatment advice specific to your individual situation.
After an initial evaluation, there are a number of fertility tests that our fertility specialists may recommend, including:
Our fertility specialists use blood tests to measure the level of hormones in your blood that play a key role in female reproduction. There are two types of blood tests that we commonly use.
Alongside AMH testing and female hormone assessments, we can also use imaging studies to understand more about your fertility.
If it has not already been done, we will also conduct routine pre-pregnancy testing. This involves blood tests to screen for certain infections that may harm your baby.
You can book an initial fertility consultation with any one of our fertility specialists, who all have consulting rooms based in and around Melbourne. During this appointment, your fertility specialist will order any fertility tests required as part of your initial fertility assessment. These tests will either take place in your fertility doctor’s consulting rooms, at our main fertility treatment centre in Box Hill, or at one of our service centres in Clayton and East Melbourne.
Newlife IVF provides comprehensive fertility assessments for both males and females. It is important that both partners (where relevant) undergo fertility testing, as factors related to either one or both partners may be preventing you from conceiving naturally. For example, while the female partner may have a low egg count (particularly if she is older), the male partner could have a low sperm count, which is also contributing to your fertility issues as a couple.
Our fertility specialists have a suite of tests available to help investigate the cause of your fertility issues. These include blood tests (testing for levels of important reproductive hormones such as anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH), luteinising hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone, oestrogen and progesterone), imaging studies (pelvic ultrasound with or without a dye) and surgical procedures (hysteroscopy and laparoscopy). Individuals don’t always require the full breadth of testing available – rather, your fertility specialist will review your medical history and advise which testing options are best suited to your circumstances.
Pre-pregnancy tests, such as blood tests to screen for infections, may also be recommended if not yet performed.
An AMH (anti-Mullerian hormone) test, also known as the ‘Egg-timer test’, assesses a woman’s reproductive potential. AMH is a hormone secreted by the follicles in your ovaries and can be used to help assess your ovarian reserve (the pool of eggs left in your ovaries). For instance, high AMH levels may indicate good egg reserve while low AMH levels are more likely to reflect low egg numbers. In some cases, extremely high AMH levels may indicate polycystic ovarian syndrome. It’s important to note that although this test provides valuable information about egg quantity, it does not assess egg quality.
As a woman matures, her follicular ovarian reserve naturally declines along with AMH levels – the older you get, the lower we expect your AMH level to be. Therefore, whether an AMH level is reported as ‘normal’ or not is relative to a person’s age. Your results are typically reported as a percentile, plotting your result relative to others in your age range.