Fertility Answers provides comprehensive ovarian reserve testing to help patients get pregnant
Whether for proactive or preventative reasons, ovarian reserve testing benefits all women. The age at which a woman’s ovarian reserve decreases varies. To gain a better understanding of each patient’s ovarian reserve and to help them get pregnant, our Louisiana fertility centers provide ovarian reserve testing using blood tests and transvaginal ultrasounds.
Our fertility specialists perform blood tests as a part of ovarian reserve testing
Measuring hormone levels in the blood is one of the most common methods of ovarian reserve testing at our Louisiana fertility centers. The three most common blood tests measure follicle-stimulating hormone, or FSH, estradiol and antimullerian hormone, or AMH.
- Your physician will check your FSH levels on Day 2, 3 or 4 of your cycle. FSH is produced in your pituitary gland, and your FSH levels should be at their lowest at the beginning of your cycle. Your FSH levels later increase, causing your egg-containing follicles to grow and your eggs to mature. If you have high levels of FSH at the beginning of your cycle, then your body is working harder to recruit eggs. You will likely be a poor responder to ovarian stimulation.
- In conjunction with FSH testing, your physician may also assess your estradiol levels. Much like FSH, estradiol levels vary throughout a woman’s cycle. Your physician will check your estradiol levels on Day 2, 3 or 4. If testing reveals elevated estradiol levels, even with normal FSH levels, it may be more difficult for you to get pregnant.
- Unlike FSH and estradiol, your physician can check your AMH levels at any point during your menstrual cycle. AMH is produced in your follicles, not in your pituitary gland. Your AMH levels relate to how many eggs you have left. As a result, low levels of AMH indicate diminished ovarian reserve.
Fertility Answers also offers ovarian reserve testing that is performed via transvaginal ultrasound
In addition to blood tests, the fertility specialists at our Louisiana fertility centers may use transvaginal ultrasound to count the number of follicles in your ovaries. This procedure is known as antral follicle count, because it counts the antral follicles where your eggs develop. Your number of antral follicles tells your physician how many eggs you have developing that month. A low antral follicle count indicates diminished ovarian reserve.
All ovarian reserve testing can give your physician critical information about how you will respond to fertility treatments, and how likely you are to get pregnant when compared to other women your age. While no single test can predict your ability to get pregnant, these tests can help you and your physician develop a treatment plan to maximize your chance of having a baby.
If you’re interested in learning more about ovarian reserve testing at Fertility Answers, please contact us today for an appointment.
