For some women, sometimes the process of becoming pregnant may be more difficult than they expected. Factors such as an advanced age, endometriosis, issues regarding the production of sperm or any other risk factors can affect fertility and also make more difficult to get pregnant. It should be at this point when you should visit an Assisted Reproduction Clinic.
How can I increase my fertility level?
There are several ways that can help us increasing our fertility levels and getting a pregnancy. These could be: having a better way of life, focusing sexual intercourse during your ovulation phase and avoiding bad habits such as smoking or drinking alcohol. However, sometimes these measures are not enough and pregnancy is not achieved.
How long should I wait before visiting a specialist?
When you have been trying to get pregnant for more than one year, it is more than sure that something doesn’t work correctly. In this case, a basic study on sterility should be conducted to identify the cause.
There are situations where it is not recommended waiting more than six months to have a sterility consultation:
- Women aged ≥ 38
- Irregular menstrual cycles that are longer than 35 days
- Previous ovarian surgery
- Diseases such as endometriosis
- Previous treatment with chemotherapy
- Two or more consecutive miscarriages
What kind of sterility tests are carried out?
Sterility evaluation includes the initial tests that a couple has to undergo to make a diagnosis on their sterility problem. These diagnostic tests concentrate on examining both female sterility factors, as well as male's.
The most common female sterility tests are the ovarian reserve examination, hysterosalpingography (diagnostic test that checks the fallopian tubes permeability), ultrasound and hysteroscopy (diagnostic that allows us to directly access the inside of the uterus to evaluate it more accurately).
It is also important to carry out some male sterility test. Up to 50% of the couples that visit for sterility may have sperm problems. For this reason, the basic sterility evaluation must always include an assessment of sperm quality. The diagnostic tests to identify male sterility are: semen analysis (it evaluates aspects like sperm count, motility and morphology), karyotype (it allows us to know the number and structure of the chromosomes) and in some cases even a genetic testing of sperm can be performed.