For many young women, family planning is a future concern – perhaps they have not yet found the right partner or they have career or travel goals that take priority over trying for a pregnancy at this time.

A woman’s motivation for family planning should be respected. Women face tremendous pressure to settle down, regardless of whether they are actually ready to do so. Thanks to advancing fertility care, women have options that weren’t available to their mothers and grandmothers, like egg freezing, which helps keep a woman’s fertility window open for a longer period of time. Regardless of the available options, there remains the question of awareness: Should young women undergo fertility testing so they can plan for their future?

Do I need fertility testing?
It can be helpful for women to understand their baseline for fertility so that as they age, they have a general awareness of their options, especially if they know they will want to become pregnant at some point. When you are in your 20s or early 30s, you should learn whether you have either lowered egg quality or quantity. If that is the case, you may want to consider egg freezing or reviewing how family planning will factor into the near future or farther out.

Fertility testing might be recommended for you under the following circumstances:

• If there is a history of early, or premature, menopause in your family
• If you underwent cancer treatment like chemotherapy or radiation as a child or teenager (without any fertility preservation)
• If you have a medical condition that could negatively impact fertility or pregnancy, such as PCOS or endometriosis
• If you have an irregular period, a menstrual cycle that is very short or very long, spotting between periods, or heavy menstrual bleeding
• If you have undergone or plan to have surgery that involves the reproductive system

What does fertility testing include?
Depending on your situation, fertility testing can involve the following:

• A general physical exam
• A regular gynecological exam
• Ovulation screening (a blood test)
• A hysterosalpingography (uterus x-ray)
• Testing of your ovarian reserve
• Hormone testing
• A pelvic ultrasound

Do you have questions about fertility testing? Please contact Fertility Solutions today to discuss fertility testing at our clinic.