When to seek help
When you're young and healthy, in principle, there is no reason for concern about the possible existence of an fertility problem: at least until it passes a year of unprotected, regular intercourse without getting pregnant.
However, when a woman is more than 35 years old it is recommended that this period does not exceed six months, as infertility tests can take some time and age is a factor affecting both the decision of the treatment to adopt, and the success of the treatment.
/Likewise, it makes no sense to delay the resolution of the problem where there is an obvious cause of infertility (e.g. a previous diagnosis of tubal obstruction or semen with significant changes, among other factors), or in situations in which of the couple voluntarily submitted to a sterilisation process, such as tubal ligation (in women) or vasectomy (for males).
Since infertility is a problem that affects couples, it is recommended that the couple come together for their first consultation.
At Ferticentro there are no waiting lists for consultations and treatments of infertility. In most cases the diagnosis is made on the first visit or at the most within two weeks (since there are tests that can only be performed at certain stages of the menstrual cycle).
Nevertheless, it is important that couples are aware of some signs and symptoms, which may indicate that not everything is going well and the problem should be treated as soon as possible.
Here is a list of signs that couples should be aware of:
In Women
- Very painful menstrual periods and / or high flow;
- Irregular periods
- A history of ectopic pregnancy;
- A history of miscarriage
- A history of abdominal surgery
- A history of sexually transmitted diseases such as gonorrhoea or Chlamydia;
- Existence of pain during sex.
In men
- A history of mumps, with infection of the testicles;
- In childhood the testes did not descend and needed surgical intervention to correct
- A history of sexually transmitted disease;
- Presence of sexual problems, such as premature ejaculation;
- Professional contact with radiation or chemicals.
The first analyses
Here is a list of the tests that are most often requested:
In both partners (compulsory medical tests for the realisation of infertility treatments or cryopreservation of gametes in Ferticentro:
- Blood Group with Rh factor
- CBC with platelets
- Prothrombin
- HIV (Anti - HIV1 and anti- HIV2)
- HCV (Anti - HCV Ab.)
- HBV (HBs Ag, Anti- HBc Ab, Anti- HBs Ab)
- VDRL
- Depending on the travel history or exposure of users searching for malaria, CMV, T. cruzi may be needed.
- Depending on family history or possibility of direct sexual contact with individuals from endemic regions, the following analysis may be requested. Anti - HTLV I and HTLV - II.
In Women
- Pap smear
- Blood tests
- Evaluation of the state of immunity to rubella, toxoplasmosis and CMV - for example, an infection with rubella in the first three months of pregnancy is extremely dangerous to the foetus and can lead to serious deficiencies
- Hormone tenting on day 3 or day 23 of the cycle (depending on the clinical assessment of each woman)
- Performing Hysterosalpingography for evaluation of tubal patency can also be requested.
In men
- Semen analysis: to assess the concentration, motility and morphology of sperm, among other parameters.
