TREATMENTS AVAILABLE F O R INFERTILITY DUE TO ENDOMETRIOSIS: TESTS FOR THE FEMALE PARTNER
Just because you have endometriosis does not necessarily mean that it is the only cause of your inability to conceive.
Most doctors will want to do a number of tests to check that everything else is as it should be.
First, you will be asked to have your hormone levels assessed. This is usually done as a blood test where the levels of progesterone will be measured. If these are abnormal, oestrogen, prolactin, testosterone, follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinising hormone (LH) levels will be measured as well.
The results of the test can take up to four weeks. Your doctor will tell you at what stage in your cycle the test should be done. Usually, it will be collected one week after your expected ovulation (for example, if you usually ovulate on day 14 then your blood test will be done on day 21).
The next test most women have to undergo is the tedious process to establish a basal body temperature chart. Once told to do this test your morning cannot possibly start without sticking the thermometer under your tongue — do not drink, go to the toilet, get out of bed or even talk before doing this!
Once the temperature has been noted it is then marked on the chart at the appropriate day in your cycle and the pattern is observed.
Like playing dots and dashes, you then draw a line joining the dots and this should indicate when ovulation is due. Intercourse is then timed to coincide with ovulation.
If ovulation has occurred your temperature will normally rise by about one degree. If your temperature remains high after the due date of your period this may be the first indication that you are pregnant.
If your basal body temperature chart shows that you are ovulating but still have not conceived your doctor may want to perform other tests. These may include:
An hysterosalpinogram is an X-ray where dye is injected through the cervix to check that both tubes are functioning and that the internal structure of the uterus is normal. The procedure lasts approximately ten minutes.
Your doctor may say that this test will be a little uncomfortable. It is, but thankfully most hospitals will inject you with a sedative before the test is carried out and you should experience little more than some ‘cramping’ pains.
This test is becoming less frequent as most doctors feel that a laparoscopy provides a more accurate picture.
Post-coital test
A post-coital test allows your doctor to observe sperm within the cervical mucus after intercourse. You will be asked to have intercourse (at home) four to twelve hours before the test and this is usually done mid-cycle as the mucus is then clear.
It is similar to a smear test and carried out to make sure that the live sperm are penetrating the mucus and that the mucus is not ‘hostile’. Do not panic if your doctor says your mucus is ‘hostile’. IVF-related procedures mean that the sperm and egg can be fertilised outside the womb and transferred back into the fallopian tube, by-passing the cervix.
The Kremer test
The Kremer test is similar to the post-coital test except that you are not asked to have intercourse. Instead, specimens of mucus and sperm are collected and tested together at regular intervals over six hours. This test will help pinpoint if the problem lies with the sperm or the mucus.
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