Get to know various infertility tests and their benefits

An infertility test or fertility test is done to help find out why a couple does not have children right away. Starting from "fishing" by adopting a child, artificial insemination, sperm donation, to doing IVF, there are many ways for couples to have children. If you and your partner have been married for more than a year and have sex routinely without contraception but have not been blessed with children, it never hurts to see a doctor. After the examination or test is done, you and your partner can discuss what steps will be taken so that they can immediately pet the baby. Problems that arise and cause infertility are sometimes treated directly when an infertility test is carried out. Here are some fertility tests or infertility that are usually done by men and women.

Infertility Test in Women

The cause of infertility in women can be examined or known by conducting several types of tests. Starting from the hormone test, general health condition test, infectious disease test, to blood rhesus test.

Hormone Test

Hormone tests are done to assess the ability of women to ovulate (produce eggs). Some of the hormone tests carried out include:

• FSH (follicle-stimulating hormone). This is a test to measure the amount of FSH (a hormone produced by the pituitary) in the blood. FSH controls the menstrual cycle and egg production in women, and controls sperm production in men. This test is usually done on certain days in a woman's menstrual cycle. FSH tests are usually done to:
  -Help find the cause of infertility, whether a small number of eggs.
  -Helps evaluate menstrual problems experienced, for example irregular periods.
  -Diagnose abnormalities in the pituitary or ovarian-related diseases, such as ovarian cysts or polycystic ovary syndrome.
  -Find out if it's entered time
  
• LH (Luteinizing Hormone). LH test is a test to find out the amount of luteinizing hormone in the blood, which is a hormone released by the pituitary gland below the brain. Just like follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone also functions to help regulate the menstrual cycle and egg production. In addition to knowing egg production and menstrual problems, this test is also usually done to find out whether a woman is ovulating or has reached a period. Usually this test is done on certain days in a woman's menstrual cycle.
• Estradiol is a hormone in the blood that helps the growth and development of female sex organs, such as the uterus, fallopian tubes, vagina and breasts. This estradiol test is performed to check the performance of the ovaries, placenta, and adrenal glands, whether there are signs of ovarian tumors, whether the body is not developing normally, and whether menstruation has stopped.
• AMH (Anti-Müllerian Hormone). AMH is a hormone produced by small follicles in the ovary. AMH test is done to find out if there are abnormalities in the ovaries that cause infertility in women. This test can also tell how many eggs there are in the body and how much longer is the body's remaining fertile period. If the AMH level is low, it means that there is only a small amount of egg reserves.

General Health Test

This test is to find out general health conditions that can affect fertility and pregnancy, for example:

• TSH (Thyroid-Stimulating Hormone), which is a test performed to measure the amount of TSH hormone in the blood. This hormone produced by the pituitary gland tells the thyroid gland to make and release thyroid hormone into the blood. TSH test is done if we show signs of thyroid abnormalities. Low levels of thyroid hormone in the body can interfere with the release of eggs from the ovary (ovulation) to interfere with fertility.
• The HbA1c test, which shows our average level of blood sugar (glucose) for the past 3 months and tells us how well we control diabetes. This test is done because people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus are at risk of having menstrual disorders and infertility.
• Vitamin D tests, vitamin D plays a role in the female reproductive system and affects sex hormones.

Complete blood test. This procedure is to look for problems with chromosomes in cells. Some genetic disorders or problems can make a person difficult to get pregnant or cause miscarriage. It is also possible to check for diseases such as measles Rubella which can harm an unborn fetus if it is infected during the first trimester.

Infectious disease test

Some say that some infectious diseases can affect one's fertility. Therefore, there are several tests carried out to check whether we have a disease that causes infertility, for example tests for hepatitis B (hepatitis B antigens, hepatitis B antibodies) and hepatitis C, HIV / AIDS (HIV 1 & 2), and syphilis (tests VDRL).

Blood type test or Rhesus (Rh) blood

Difficult to have children can also be caused by differences in Rhesus (Rh) blood between the mother and child being conceived. Rhesus is a type of protein that is on the surface of red blood cells. Those who have Rh factor in their body are included in Rh-positive, while those who don't have Rh-negative. Rh-negative women will develop antibodies to Rh-positive babies. This means that the antibody of a prospective mother will attack the baby's own blood to cause miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, anemia, until death in the fetus or newborn. By doing a blood test, the risk of losing the baby due to Rhesus differences can be known immediately. Quick and appropriate precautions can be taken.

Infirtility Test in Men

Apart from women, fertility or infertility tests are also undertaken by men. There are the same test procedures as women, there are also different. Some of the same procedures are the hepatitis B antigen test, hepatitis b antibody, hepatitis C, HIV 1 & 2, and VDRL. Whereas different tests include:

• Semen analysis. This test is usually one of the first tests conducted to help find out why a couple has difficulty having children. Why? Because one-third of couples who cannot have children are caused by problems with male semen or sperm. Semen analysis is performed to determine the volume of semen when ejaculating, thick or liquid semen, sperm count in semen, sperm shape, sperm motility, semen pH level, presence or absence of blood in semen, and amount of fructose sugar in water mani. All of these determine whether the condition of semen is ideal for fertilizing an egg in a woman. Collection of semen samples can be done by masturbation, having sex using a condom, ejaculation outside the body, or ejaculation with electrical stimulation.
• Blood type test. Early research shows that men with certain blood types have a higher risk of infertility than other blood gologans.

If you and your partner find it difficult to have children, it never hurts to see a doctor or do an infertility test. When the cause is known, the doctor will more easily provide the appropriate solution. Keep in mind, these tests are the first step in an effort to have children. Other tests and reviews may need to be done by a specialist to interpret the results and other recommendations.