Fertility Testing & Diagnosis for Women | Women & Infants (2024)

At the initial visit, the fertility specialist will ask questions about the woman’s health and sexual history. Learning about the patient’s history is an essential part of how the physician diagnoses the cause of infertility. For example, the physician may learn of a prior sexually transmitted infection or infrequent ovulation/menstrual periods that may be the cause of infertility. The first appointment will provide information for the doctor to determine if further testing should be conducted.

After the initial consult, the fertility specialist may perform a sonogram (image produced by ultrasound echo) of the woman’s pelvic area to determine any issues affecting her fertility. The pelvic ultrasound can diagnose such problems as an abnormally shaped uterus or cysts in the ovaries.

Blood tests are done at different times during a woman’s menstrual cycle to measure hormone levels in the blood. For an egg to reach maturation and the ovaries to release an egg, a woman must have balanced hormone levels. The doctor performing the blood hormone test will determine if the woman is producing high quality eggs and if the brain is properly sending hormonal signals to the ovaries. An evaluation for follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) levels drawn on cycle day three (three days after a woman’s period starts) is a common test for women. Other possible blood tests for hormones include anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) and estradiol.

Laparoscopyis a minimally invasive surgery in which the doctor inserts a camera and small surgical instruments into the abdominal cavity through a small incision in the belly button. Laparoscopic surgery is used to evaluate and treat endometriosis and to remove uterine fibroids, ovarian cysts and scar tissue.

Sonohysterogramuses a saline solution to fill the uterine cavity and a transvaginal ultrasound to create a clear image of the uterus. The procedure helps diagnose uterine lesions and irregular growths including fibroids or polyps.

A hysterosalpingogram is a procedure using an X-ray image of a woman’s fallopian tubes and uterus. The fertility specialist will insert a catheter (small tube) containing dye into the cervix that will help the structure of the uterus and fallopian tubes show up on the X-ray. This procedure can help locate obstructions in the fallopian tubes or uterine cavity, such as polyps and fibroids, and detect an unusually shaped uterus.

This minimally invasive surgical means of viewing and diagnosing polyps and fibroids in the uterus involves a small camera inserted in the cervix. Hysteroscopy can also be used to repair abnormalities in the uterine cavity, such as polyps, fibroids, uterine septa (divided uterus), and scar tissue inside the uterine cavity.

A noninvasive way to examine a woman’s reproductive system, an ultrasound helps diagnose anatomic problems such as uterine fibroids and ovarian cysts. At Women & Infants Fertility Center, this procedure will most commonly be performed transvaginally.