Infertility Diagnosis

How we determine the cause of fertility issues

We recommend a medical evaluation of both you and your partner for fertility problems if:

• You and your partner haven’t been able to conceive a child after one year of unprotected sex
• The female partner is over 35 and you and your partner haven’t been able to conceive after six months of unprotected sex
• There are known problems causing infertility

Your OB/GYN or reproductive endocrinologist will perform tests on both you and your partner to determine what might be causing your infertility. Your doctor is looking for answers to the following questions:

• Is the woman producing eggs regularly?
• Is the man producing healthy, viable sperm?
• Are the woman’s egg and the man’s sperm able to unite and grow normally?
• Are there any obstacles to proper implantation of a fertilized egg and maintenance of the pregnancy?

Center for Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery (MIGS), Newton-Wellesley Hospital
2014 Washington Street
Newton, MA 02462
Phone: 617-243-5205
Fax: 617-243-6922

Infertility Tests

Your doctor will need a complete medical and sexual history from both you and your partner. This lets us determine if there’s a potential physical cause of your infertility, as well as whether you are timing sexual intercourse for the best chance of becoming pregnant.

Your doctor will also need several tests specific to the female partner, including:

• Physical examination, including a Pap smear and tests for infections.
• Ovulation evaluation, which can use an analysis of body temperatures or urine samples to determine whether the woman is producing healthy eggs on a regular basis.
• Hormone testing to ensure there is no hormonal basis for your fertility issues.
• Ultrasound exams to allow your doctor to see any abnormal conditions, such as ovarian cysts or fibroids. Ultrasound exams can also let your doctor see the follicles, or the sacs that contain developing eggs, as well as the thickness of the tissues inside the uterus.

We also will need the male partner to provide a semen sample for analysis. We’ll evaluate the semen for a number of factors, including:

• Sperm count
• Sperm motility, or the sperm’s ability to move properly
• Sperm shape
• Amount of ejaculate fluid

We might also need to perform other tests to evaluate the sperm’s ability to penetrate the egg for fertilization, as well as male hormone testing. Men might be referred to a urologist if they need further evaluation.