Fertility Check? Post Reply

[sw11ite]

An episode of New Girl last night got me wondering whether I should get a fertility check done to check no biological impediment or reason to hurray up on my side of things. Both in our early 30s, no children, want a family but in no rush (and not yet "tried"). Is this kind of check even feasible and if so does anyone have any recommendations? [ I know of course that this doesn't rule out issues on the male side of things nor the clicking body clock etc]

Thanks much

[NYE31]

I would have some blood tests done if you are concerned, sometime it happens straight away & sometimes it doesn't.

I have friends in their early 30s & it took 2+ years to get pregnant.

I got pregnant 4x straight away, had 3 miscarriages, I have a 22 month old son but been trying for 7 months with no success despite acupuncture etc

[supermummy]

I can completely understand your concern (having had endless tests, 2 babies and multiple miscarriages) but I would be very wary of relying on a 'fertility check up'. It is such a complex area that although you may get the 'all clear' and a degree of reassurance from certain standard tests (eg LH, AMH, hormone levels) there is a whole range of issues which would not be picked up without further tests or until you start experiencing problems.

Some issues can only be identified by very expensive tests (e.g. Natural killer cells tests often go to Chicago at £800 a go!), sperm DNA fragmentation test is about £500). These tests are unlikely to be part of a regular fertility check. It can also be such a grey area too, you could have low egg reserve and conceive by 'luck' or have good egg reserve but suffer unexplained problems. My worry is that it could give you a totally false sense of security. We were given the 'all clear' by an experienced consultant and basically told to go away, relax and have a few drinks...we wasted 9 months before getting a second opinion and discovering a 'hidden' issue.

Good luck

[sw11ite]

Thank you both for the thoughtful advice!

[Mills1234]

FWIW we went for a fertlity check at the Lister hospital fertility clinic. The other posters are right that there a million and more variables that could cause you problems along the way that you can't easily test for. However we were wondering whether we would be alright to leave trying for a while so thought we could just have an mot. Luckily we did, as my egg reserve level came back as borderline infertile it was so low. Alison Thorpe, who we saw at the Lister, sensibly told us just to go away and try, as to conceive naturally you only need one egg to work, but to get on with it and if no success in 3 months of proper trying to get more checks done as we wouldn't have time to waste if there were other issues stopping conception. Her view was if we left it a year or so it could be too late. Luckily for us it has all worked out well, and naturally. Not wanting to worry you and some people obviously have no problem getting pregnant in 40s, yet I've a friend who tried for 2 years from 32 and has just found out she has virtually no eggs left and another who went into menopause at 40. Unfortunately your ovaries can age at a different rate to you!

[EmmaNutrition]

You can have quite a comprehensive hormonal status check done alongside a consultation with someone who knows what to look for regardig other things. For example, lupus wouldn't show on hormone heck but may cause symptoms such as arthritis or joint pain so a good practitioner would know to test for this. It's not an exact science but could flag up issues so you are aware.
I've temporarily moved to Essex so can't offer my services locally but you could search locally and have a chat with someone. Emma

[fletch333]

The test that I think the episode was reffering to is an AMH test.
From personal experience I would advise you to be cautious about having this test.
I had it and was told I was virtually infertile, my level was almost undetectable however I have managed to conceive twice in the last 10 months. Unfortunatley I have misscarried on both occasions but I think I have other issues too.
After getting the results I became very depressed and in hindsight I wouldn't have done it.
I have been told by a number of specialists that the AMH test is not entirely reliable, it can change(although not by a dramatic amount), and that it is only really useful in deciding if you will respond to IVF( low AMH indicates you would be a poor responder to IVF).
I think it would be a good idea to have some regular tests(your GP can organise this- they don't test AMH on NHS as a routine test) to see where your hormone levels are if you are worried.
Good luck and hope all is well.

[EmmaNutrition]

I agree the gets can cause unnecessary stress, especially if not counselled properly. The AMH is one dimensional, looking at egg numbers and quality. A comprehensive female health panel (I use Invivo Clinical) looks at the whole body as fertility isn't just about eggs! A good free easy way to check you are actually ovulating is to simply track your basal body temperature. I used for myself the website fertility friend for tracking it. Might be a good place to start before subjecting yourself to medicalised tests.

[EmmaNutrition]

Tests not gets!