Male & Female Fertility Testing

Assessing Fertility Health

The fertility specialists at Pacific Fertility center, located in Northern California's San Francisco Bay Area, perform both male and female infertility diagnosis and testing. In very broad terms, fertility diagnosis starts with attempting to determine the impact of several major factors for the male and female partners with testing and diagnosis.

While we often associate infertility with women, this distressing condition is just as likely to be caused by issues in the male partner. A third of the time, fertility problems are found in men, a third of the time in women and a third of the time in both partners. A thorough fertility evaluation will take into account the physical health and medical history of both the female and male partner, as well as the age of the female partner, which is always considered a crucial factor.

Female Fertility Diagnosis and Testing

  • The impact of aging on female reproduction is well known. Overall, a woman’s age is one of the best predictors as to whether or not she will conceive with her own eggs. After about age 43, the odds of this fall low enough (and miscarriage and chromosome abnormality rates raise high enough) that the likely best option is egg donation. After about age 35, when declines in natural fertility become sharper, many women are simply experiencing what we call age-related sub-fertility. That is, there is no specific fertility problem other than as we get older, the egg being ovulated may be less capable of sustaining a pregnancy.

Male Fertility Diagnosis and Testing

  • The basic sperm count, achieved by masturbation and examination of the sperm 2-5 days after abstinence is one of the mainstays of making a diagnosis, and should be done even when there is a female factor identified. As many as 40% of couples with fertility problems have issues affecting both partners.

Male and Female Fertility Diagnosis and Testing

  • Although this might primarily have to do with one or the other partners in a couple (e.g. erectile dysfunction in men, vaginismus in women), oftentimes, sexual dysfunction is a couple’s problem and must be addressed by assessing both partners.

Basic Female Tests:

  • Cycle Day 2-3 FSH and Estradiol
  • Anti-Mullerian Hormone (AMH)
  • Prolactin
  • TSH
  • Mid-Cycle Ultrasound
  • Hysterosalpingogram (HSG)

Specialized Female Tests:

  • Sono-Hysterogram or Hysteroscopy
  • Laparoscopic (intra-pelvic surgery)
  • Fragile X
  • Karyotype (Chromosome test done on a blood sample)
  • Testosterone, 17-Hydroxy-Progesterone, Fasting Blood Sugar and Insulin (For Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome patients)

Basic Male Tests:

  • Semen Analysis

Specialized Male Tests:

  • Karyotype (Chromosome test done on a blood sample)
  • Y-Chromosome micro-deletion DNA analysis (Blood test)
  • Sperm Chromatin Separation Assay (SCSA) for DNA fragmentation (Sperm test)
  • Hormonal Tests: FSH, LH, Testosterone, Prolactin, Estradiol (blood tests done when severe male factor is found)

Modern Fertility

PFC is proud to partner with Modern Fertility. Their at home testing kit allows you the freedom and flexibility to test your hormones with the ease of a finger prick. Click here to purchase your kit.

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