Causes & Treatment

Male and Female Fertility Tests – Understanding Your Reproductive Health

Eloise Edington | 24 May 2022

Before you decide whether to begin fertility treatment, you (and your fertility specialist) will want to know the status of your reproductive health. There are many male and female fertility tests available and your fertility clinic will be able to provide most (if not all) of them.

Here, CRGH (FHH partners) gives us the run-down on fertility tests for men and women: what a fertility assessment (sometimes called a “fertility MOT”) is, who should have them and what to expect.

CRGH is a leading UK fertility clinic creating bespoke, individualised treatment plans to ensure all patients have the best chance of IVF success. View their profile here and their website here.

Over to CRGH…

Knowledge is Power

The social attitude towards reproductive health is, thankfully, making huge steps forward. For too many years, people have been reluctant to talk or learn about their fertility. Yet in recent years there’s been a great shift, similar to the conversations happening around mental health – reproductive health is emerging from the shadows. More and more people are keen to learn about their fertility and understand how their lifestyle might be impacting it.

One of the biggest changes that we’ve noticed over the last few years is a move toward people taking an interest in their reproductive health even if they’re not actively trying to conceive. At CRGH we offer a Fertility Assessment service which is designed not only to give an amazingly accurate insight into your fertility but also to holistically explore aspects of your lifestyle and health that might be harming your fertility.

This month, we’ve partnered with Fertility Help Hub to offer a free Fertility Assessment in the hope we can further encourage the conversation around reproductive health. Everyone has reproductive health, we think that understanding it is essential.

Why Have a Fertility Test?

In the past, male and female fertility tests might have only been of interest to those who have been trying to conceive but struggling to do so. Indeed, lots of people in the early stages of trying to conceive might consider a fertility test as a way of checking that everything is in order and that they should keep trying to get pregnant naturally.

Increasingly though, people are coming for Fertility Assessments as a way of checking in on their overall health, even if they’re not in the process of trying to start a family. Fertility is in lots of ways a great indicator of general health and wellbeing – and can be sensitive to a whole range of factors. Diet, exercise, drinking, smoking or drug use, stress, sleep quality, and certain medications; all of these factors can impact your fertility.

Our Fertility Assessments are designed to look at all of these factors in the context of your fertility test results, allowing you to see the bigger picture as to how you might rebalance your life to improve your overall wellbeing, as well as your fertility. In this respect, everyone can benefit from a Fertility Assessment.

What Can I Expect From Fertility Testing?

Both male and female fertility testing follow the same format: a lifestyle assessment, investigations, then a consultation. This thorough process allows for a much more meaningful understanding of the ‘bigger picture’ of your fertility.

Lifestyle assessment – as suggested above, there are many factors which can impact male and female fertility. It’s essential that we take the time to understand these factors so the fertility test results can be interpreted in context. Our lifestyle assessment looks at everything from diet to stress levels and will allow your fertility specialist to suggest possible remedies should your results from your fertility require them.
Investigations – we use state of the art technology as well as our expertise to provide the most accurate investigations available. Female fertility tests consist of an AMH blood test which measures hormone levels, as well as an ultrasound scan which provides an antral follicle count and an endometrial assessment. Male fertility tests consist of a semen analysis that measures the motility and form of sperm, as well as the volume and consistency of the sample.
Consultation – you will then have an appointment with one of our outstanding fertility specialists who will discuss your results in detail and explain exactly what they mean. If needed, the fertility specialist can suggest ways to improve your fertility or potential next steps (including fertility treatment options) should you want to try to conceive in the near future. You will also be provided with a letter explaining the outcome of the fertility clinic appointment and a copy of your results.

Male and female fertility tests are hugely insightful, and not just for those who are actively trying to conceive. This relatively affordable, very straightforward process can help you map out a journey not only to better reproductive health but towards better wellbeing too. It is also an invaluable way to plan the right course of fertility treatment for you.