How Do Doctors Check If You Can Get Pregnant?

Trying to get pregnant is a hard process. Only roughly 20% of natural sexual reproduction attempts between two fertile individuals not on birth control result in a child birth. This number reduces if over or under weight or over the age of 35. PCOS can also stop pregnancy. If you are trying to have a baby it can be incredibly hard, especially if reasons for infertility are unknown. A doctor can do blood analysis and determine what the reasons for infertility are. They may also scan a woman’s uterus using an ultrasound to determine the amount of eggs in her womb. They may also test her hormone levels and the sperm count and hormone levels of a man.

Many people choose to have fertility testing done if they have attempted many times to have a child and had been unsuccessful or if a woman has irregular periods or a man has impotence. Alcohol, some medications, tobacco and body mass index also affect pregnancy and so a doctor will give advice regarding this.

 

How Do You Get Pregnant? 

A pregnancy occurs when a female egg fuses with a male sperm in sexual reproduction. A female egg develops in the follicle as a response to the hormone follicle stimulating hormone. It is released at day 14 of the menstrual cycle in response to lutenizing hormone (LH). Oestrogen is required and progesterone is needed to maintain the womb lining. Sperm is made in the testes under the hormone testosterone. The egg and sperm fuse in sexual reproduction an implant in the womb lining. A zygote is formed which develops into an embryo and then a child. The womb lining develops into the placenta which supports the pregnancy. DNA and RNA replicate and new cells are formed. A neural tube forms which supports the formation of the babies spine and brain. The pregnancy takes nine months, and there are many stages which the pregnancy has to survive. Any irregularities or DNA defects can result in a genetic disease in the child or a miscarriage. As you age the egg quality declines and so there is more chance of having a genetic disease or miscarriage. A older woman will also have less eggs and will be more prone to diseases such as polycystic ovarian syndrome or PCOS and uterine cysts.

 

What Tests Will a Doctor Do?

A doctor will do a number of tests to determine whether or not it is possible for a couple to have a child. They will first do a number of blood tests and a smear test in the female, especially if the woman has irregular periods or is elder then 35. These tests will test for chlamydia, Chicken pox, HIV and herpes. The doctor will also do an ultrasound scan to test the woman’s ovaries and fallopian tubes this is because some conditions such as having large uterine fibroids or potentially having endometriosis can affect a woman’s fallopian tubes and affect the chance of pregnancy. An X-ray can also be done to test for any blockages in the fallopian tubes. 

Before tests are undertaken a doctor will analyse a woman’s previous medical history and understand how many times she has attempted to have a pregnancy. Then he will analyse her Oestrogen, LH, FSH, Testosterone and Progesterone levels and test these also in the man. A man's sperm count will also be tested as well as his body temperature as high body temperature can affect a man’s sperm count. They will also weigh the male and female as being under and overweight will affect the level of oestrogen in both the male and female. Being overweight or result in too much oestrogen and being underweight will result and too little oestrogen.

A test called the clomiphene citrate challenge test can be done with the FSH test to determine the level of FSH. This test is usually done on day three and day 10 of the menstrual cycle. High levels of FSH usually indicate that a woman has lower chances of having a successful pregnancy.

Before any form of fertility treatment can be done a woman’s anti mullerian hormone (AMH) will be tested. This can give an idea for the female and her position as to how many eggs she has in her egg stores and how the ovaries are overall working. It is also usually done before a woman considers freezing her eggs in order to determine how long she has as a fertile woman and how many eggs she has in her egg reserves. This test is relatively inexpensive and can be done for as little as 80 pounds in a UK fertility clinic. Egg freezing is not currently offered on the NHS unless a woman is going through ovarian cancer. It’s usually costs around 5 to 7000 pounds plus medical bills for medicines but as treatments improve and technology becomes more high rate and less specialised the costs are decreasing.

 

How Can GlobMed Help?

We believe every person deserves the right to create life. We are a team of highly specialised medical consultants, with experience in the NHS and private care. We understand the trials and tribulations involved in fertility problems, and we do what we can to help protect fertility. With access to the best teams from around the world, we tailor our offering to each clients needs and budget, to ensure that we help you find the most viable treatment option for your health and future. With so many options out there, we do our research so you don’t have to, working hard to find you the best option you deserve.