I was thinking, it would probably be helpful to have a resource for people who are going to their RE for the first time, so that they know what testing to expect and why its done. If we pool our resources, we may find out there is testing we didn't know about. Here's what I had done:
7dpo progesterone test - checks for confirmation of ovulation and should hopefully be above 10. If it's low, you can take progesterone supplements to help sustain a possible pregnancy.
ultrasound - check for cysts and general well-being in there
HSG - dye is injected into your tubes through your cervix to check for blockages
laparoscopy - often exploratory surgery to check for endometriosis/adhesions, and anything not visible from ultrasound.
hysteroscopy - I'm not sure how they do this, but they check the shape of your uterus and check for polyps (they did this during my laparoscopy and I was under)
CD3 thyroid level - For people evaluating their fertility, thyroid level should ideally be under 2.5. If it's not, it's easy to fix with medicine.
CD3 FSH level - this is an indication of egg quality and ovarian reserve. Ideally is should be under 10, but I've been told that age is a big indicator: ie, if you're younger then you may have reduced reserve but your egg quality is still good. I'm 31 and my RE said going between 11 and 13 wasn't so grim considering my age.
CD3 LH level - this hormone spikes to signal ovulation. If your LH is double your FSH level (it's usually 1:1) it could indicate PCOS. In other words, your body keeps pumping out the LH but you're not ovulating.
CD3 Progesterone level - if your progesterone is still elevated after your period has started for real, then you may have a cyst. This can be one way to find it.
killer cells test - checks to see if your immune system is somehow attacking any embryos you may create. If it's positive, you can take intralipids which can bond with the killer cells and flush them out of your body.
chromosome testing - tests to see if you and your partner have any chromosomal abnormalities that may cause more of your eggs/sperms to be nonviable. (is this right?)
sperm analysis - checks for count, motility, and morphology (shape) of sperm. Ooohhh...anybody remember what they hope to see?
Cystic Fibrosis Test - this is a disease for which one or both partners might be a carrier, and if you BOTH are then you need to consider the risks for your child. It's only an issue if BOTH is a carrier.
estradiol levels - these are usually monitored in a medicated cycle, and they help indicate whether a mature egg is being formed in the follicle(s).
Clomid challenge - I haven't had this done, but I know it's somehow a way to check your ovarian reserve, right?
Thrombophilia panel - If you have had recurrent miscarriages - this would be a good one, it looks for blood clotting disorders, usually Factor V Leiden, MTHFR, PT1022 (numbers may be wrong on that one) - the link below explains it better than I can.
http://www.illinoisivf.com/recurrent...lantation.html
It also explains the antiphospholipid antibodies (APA) that the intralipid injections are for that was mentioned in the recurrent loss panel.
Recurrent Loss Panel - these are the things my RE does, standard, for people who have had losses: daily baby aspirin (81mg safety-coated), progesterone suppositories, some people get the intralipid infusions done, and some people take hcg shots after ovulation to help sustain any pregnancy.
SCSA analysis - Someone just mentioned this, but I don't know anything about it. I guess it tests for DNA fragmentation/damage to the sperm and that a standard semen analysis can show everything to be fine, despite having DNA fragmentation. Anyone know more?
Ok....that's all I can think of right now, but I know there must be more. Anybody want to add to the list? Thanks!
7dpo progesterone test - checks for confirmation of ovulation and should hopefully be above 10. If it's low, you can take progesterone supplements to help sustain a possible pregnancy.
ultrasound - check for cysts and general well-being in there
HSG - dye is injected into your tubes through your cervix to check for blockages
laparoscopy - often exploratory surgery to check for endometriosis/adhesions, and anything not visible from ultrasound.
hysteroscopy - I'm not sure how they do this, but they check the shape of your uterus and check for polyps (they did this during my laparoscopy and I was under)
CD3 thyroid level - For people evaluating their fertility, thyroid level should ideally be under 2.5. If it's not, it's easy to fix with medicine.
CD3 FSH level - this is an indication of egg quality and ovarian reserve. Ideally is should be under 10, but I've been told that age is a big indicator: ie, if you're younger then you may have reduced reserve but your egg quality is still good. I'm 31 and my RE said going between 11 and 13 wasn't so grim considering my age.
CD3 LH level - this hormone spikes to signal ovulation. If your LH is double your FSH level (it's usually 1:1) it could indicate PCOS. In other words, your body keeps pumping out the LH but you're not ovulating.
CD3 Progesterone level - if your progesterone is still elevated after your period has started for real, then you may have a cyst. This can be one way to find it.
killer cells test - checks to see if your immune system is somehow attacking any embryos you may create. If it's positive, you can take intralipids which can bond with the killer cells and flush them out of your body.
chromosome testing - tests to see if you and your partner have any chromosomal abnormalities that may cause more of your eggs/sperms to be nonviable. (is this right?)
sperm analysis - checks for count, motility, and morphology (shape) of sperm. Ooohhh...anybody remember what they hope to see?
Cystic Fibrosis Test - this is a disease for which one or both partners might be a carrier, and if you BOTH are then you need to consider the risks for your child. It's only an issue if BOTH is a carrier.
estradiol levels - these are usually monitored in a medicated cycle, and they help indicate whether a mature egg is being formed in the follicle(s).
Clomid challenge - I haven't had this done, but I know it's somehow a way to check your ovarian reserve, right?
Thrombophilia panel - If you have had recurrent miscarriages - this would be a good one, it looks for blood clotting disorders, usually Factor V Leiden, MTHFR, PT1022 (numbers may be wrong on that one) - the link below explains it better than I can.
http://www.illinoisivf.com/recurrent...lantation.html
It also explains the antiphospholipid antibodies (APA) that the intralipid injections are for that was mentioned in the recurrent loss panel.
Recurrent Loss Panel - these are the things my RE does, standard, for people who have had losses: daily baby aspirin (81mg safety-coated), progesterone suppositories, some people get the intralipid infusions done, and some people take hcg shots after ovulation to help sustain any pregnancy.
SCSA analysis - Someone just mentioned this, but I don't know anything about it. I guess it tests for DNA fragmentation/damage to the sperm and that a standard semen analysis can show everything to be fine, despite having DNA fragmentation. Anyone know more?
Ok....that's all I can think of right now, but I know there must be more. Anybody want to add to the list? Thanks!
As far as I can tell, it costs between 2k and 3k - so it's pretty expensive. If you think it could possibly be something you are dealing with, you could start baby aspirin anyway and see if that helps. My OB won't test until I've been 6 weeks not pregnant, I don't know if that is standard or not.
