Infertility is becoming more and more common in this day and age.
You may know someone personally who is struggling with it, or you yourself have been having issues.
Everyone is at a different point in the fertility world. Some are beginning to think about trying to conceive within a year or so, others have been trying for multiple years with no luck.
The following are some blood tests that are chosen depending on where you are in your fertility journey and would be ordered specific to your situation by your healthcare provider.
These are best done on day 3 of your period:
– FSH, LH
– Estradiol
– *AMH (Anti Mullerian Hormone)
This one is best done 7 days post ovulation:
– Progesterone
These can be done anytime (combined with either of the above):
– Iron, Ferritin
– TSH
– Insulin
– Vitamin D
– Prolactin
*AMH must be done with caution. AMH can reflect your ovarian reserve (which is a general idea of the amount of eggs you have left). This test is also performed by IVF clinics to know how well you will respond to the drugs used.
The problem is that some women who perform this test and receive a low result could be falsely set into panic mode. A couple things here – first, AMH can fluctuate from month to month, and second, you will have no idea what the progression of AMH will be. It could be on a very steady SLOW decline over multiple years, or it could be declining quite quickly. It is important to remember that egg quality is much more important than egg quantity. Egg quality and quantity typically start to have a sharper decline at 35 years old and older. However, there are cases where this can happen sooner than 35, and of course cases where it can happen later.
These tests are best recommended specific to each individual case, and best interpreted by your healthcare professional.
