Fertility Testing Brisbane.

Whether you are trying to fall pregnant naturally or are undergoing fertility services like in vitro fertilisation (IVF), intrauterine insemination or (IUI) or even a frozen embryo transfer (FET) – doing some tests to see what could be contributing to your infertility is a good idea.

First we want to do testing to confirm ovulation – this can be done via blood tests or through doing basal body temperature tracking (don’t worry we will teach you how to do this).

Here are some of the most common tests that we order at our Brisbane fertility clinic.

Blood tests are a good place to start. First we want to see what tests your fertility specialists have ordered and analyse these first.

The following tests are ones that can help us gain more understanding.

Female Hormone Profile – oestrogen, progesterone, LH, FSH – shows us any abnormalities in your cycling hormone levels that could interfere with your ability to conceive.

Prolactin, testosterone, sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) and anti mullerian hormone (AMH) helps to complete the hormonal picture.

note: AMH has been said to be associated with poor egg reserve but this is not always accurate and we have had plenty of patients with low AMH go on to have healthy babies. It can also be improved with naturopathic treatment.

Thyroid testing – TSH, T3, T4 and reverse T3 – thyroid health can directly impact your fertility and issues are common for women. Most fertility specialists won’t order a full thyroid panel unless you are out of range. We like to order it if you are suboptimal to be sure.

General blood tests to look at your nutritional levels, cholesterol, blood cells and other markers – these are usually already completed by your GP but can be ordered if needed.

Homocysteine – helps us to understand your methylation picture – this can increase miscarriage risk if unchecked

MTHFR genetic testing – this helps us to know if you cannot convert folate and B12 – if you are homozygous or heterozygous there could be issues with fertility.

A DUTCH urinary hormone test is completed over a 24 hour period around 7 days post ovulation (as this is when progesterone should be tested). This test uses hormone metabolites to test for all sex hormones (except LH and FSH) with a detailed breakdown of each. For example it shows us all three forms of oestrogen (E1, E2, E3) and the 3 metabolites (2, 4 and 16 hydroxy oestrogen). We can also test for endocrine disrupting chemicals like BPA, phthalates, PFAS and heavy metals through the urine. This is a very useful test for women experiencing infertility and it helps to guide which herbs and supplements we use to correct issues – this is individualised medicine at it’s finest.

Issues with gut health flow through to reproductive health in several ways. First, when the gut is dysfunctional absorption of nutrients suffers, and you may end up low in nutrients needed to conceive. Second, the microbiome of the gut helps to metabolise hormones. Third, a leaky gut or the wrong metabolite production in the gut leads to higher levels of inflammation in the body – bad news if you want the best possible chance of falling pregnant. This data then helps us know if we need to improve gut health as part of your fertility treatment.

Sometimes done with a urinary hormone and sometimes on it’s own, a urinary toxin screen can help us know if your exposures to environmental disrupting chemicals (EDCs) is contributing to your infertility issues. This can screen hormonally damaging toxins like BPA, phthaltes, PFAS, parabens and more.

A semen analysis is the gold standard and if your fertility clinic has not already ordered a semen test then we can arrange this. We also like to check the sperm for DNA fragmentation – this is an extra test that can be added to the semen analysis.

Other testing for men includes environmental toxicity screens for the same reason as women above, MTHFR genetic testing and general blood work.

Looking at hormones is also important for men – especially testosterone and DHEA levels as these can directly impact sperm health.

A healthy sperm is so important for IVF to be successful but is is an area that is often overlooked by fertility doctors. At Shift Brisbane we treat both partners concurrently for the best chance of your resulting embryos being health and a successful pregnancy.