Speaking to a fertility doctor is the best way to determine if you are fertile enough to get pregnant. You can monitor various fertility signs on your own, but fertility experts can complete more comprehensive tests. Fertility doctors can assess your hormone levels, body composition, and overall health, all of which impact your fertility. If you’re in doubt about your fertility, visiting fertility clinics can provide you with answers and possible solutions.
Fertility Signs Specialists Look For
Fertility centers analyze many aspects when determining your ability to get pregnant. Your menstrual cycle, weight, age, lifestyle, and mental well-being impact your ability to conceive and carry a pregnancy to full term. Fertility clinics also look beyond healthy ovulation cycles and eggs to assess underlying conditions that may affect your pregnancy. Here are three main signs fertility doctors look for to determine whether you’re fertile enough to get pregnant:
1. Regular and Predictable Periods
Having a regular, predictable menstrual cycle is helpful for getting pregnant. If your period shows up at the same time each month, your hormones are working optimally and releasing an egg each month. You can only discern this when you’re not using birth control because it affects your cycles. Irregular, unpredictable periods indicate low ovarian reserve, premature menopause, PCOS, hormonal imbalances, endometriosis, or other underlying issues that may be connected to infertility.
Shorter cycles signal a lack of ovulation, while longer ones show you’re ovulating later in the cycle. Missing periods means you’re not ovulating. Fertility experts say a healthy cycle lasts 28 days, but that number can fluctuate up or down by five to seven days. The key to determining whether you have a regular cycle is knowing when your next period is coming. If your cycles are hard to predict and you’re not using birth control, your fertility doctor may recommend a more comprehensive evaluation.
2. Apparent Ovulation Signs
The ability to detect ovulation is another sign fertility specialists use to predict your fertility levels. Ovulation signs include minor pain, cramps, and basal body temperature spikes accompanying egg release. Breast tenderness, ovulation discharge, cervical mucus resembling raw egg whites, and increased sex drive are other signs of ovulation. Detecting ovulation allows you to plan intercourse for when you’re most fertile.
You can use ovulation predictor kits to check the levels of luteinizing hormone (LH), which is required to trigger egg release. Peak levels of LH occur just before you ovulate, which is a good time for intercourse or insemination. Your fertility doctor can help you assess these signs of ovulation and determine whether it is occurring normally. No detectable signs of ovulation can imply a lack of ovulation, hormonal imbalance, or an underlying medical issue.
3. Good Overall Health
Another sign fertility doctors look for when determining someone’s fertility is good overall health. Healthy weight and body composition support optimal hormonal and reproductive system function. Your fertility doctor can help you treat reproductive complications like fibroids, PCOS, and endometriosis. Fertility specialists can also address underlying causes of fatigue, menstrual pain, heavy bleeding, pelvic pain, and other issues.
Health assessments can include running STI and UTI tests to treat infections before you become pregnant. Your doctor may also assess your stress levels and inquire about habits like drinking, smoking, or other drug use. If these evaluations reveal underlying conditions or lifestyle patterns that can affect your pregnancy, your doctor will help you address them. Their goal is to make sure your body and mind are in top condition for pregnancy.
Tests Fertility Clinics Provide
Fertility doctors can run many tests to assess your reproductive health and overall readiness for pregnancy. Popular tests include blood tests that check hormone levels, chlamydia and STI tests, and ultrasound scans. Other tests include specialized X-rays to inspect the interior of your uterus or fallopian tubes and laparoscopic surgeries to identify endometriosis. Your doctor may recommend other tests, like blood sugar, diabetes, high blood pressure, and physical and pelvic exams, to assess your overall health.
These tests are done after a thorough medical history review, which explores your past health conditions, pregnancies, and prescriptions. Your fertility doctor may ask about past miscarriages, stillbirths, genetic conditions, and birth control use. After examining all these factors and test results, your doctor can determine whether you’re fertile enough to get pregnant. If you are diagnosed with infertility, your doctor may suggest lifestyle changes, prescribe supplements, recommend treatments, or suggest alternative family-building methods.
Meet With a Fertility Specialist Today
Visiting fertility clinics and meeting with fertility specialists can give you expert insights into your fertility and how to prepare for a pregnancy. A fertility doctor can perform a series of tests to uncover and treat potential issues that may put your chances of conception at risk. This fertility treatment can involve medication, lifestyle and nutrition changes, or surgery, depending on your situation. Contact a reputable fertility clinic today to learn more about your fertility.