What tests should I take to get to know my fertility levels and how will this help you?

What test should I take to get to know my fertility levels? And how will this help you?

Similarly to what I mentioned in reference to unexplained fertility, there are some basic tests that are useful also depends on if you've been struggling to get pregnant for a long period of time, or if you're just kind of wanting to check what your fertility looks like. There are tests that a doctor would run, but I will kind of talk through the ones I would run in my clinic.

One of the ones I use most often is called a Dutch Cycle Mapping Panel, which shows us what your hormones do throughout the month, and it indicates kind of whether or not you've ovulated and allows us to see where you need any extra hormonal support.

For example, supporting progesterone at the end of a cycle. That's a really common thing I see with clients who are struggling to conceive. They need to increase their progesterone a little bit, so it can be useful for that. Another one is called Vaginal Ecology. And this tests your vaginal microbiome because the bacteria that actually lives in your vagina can kind of help or hinder fertility. There are certain strains that can be a little bit less helpful, so it's worth knowing what's going on there.

A complete thyroid panel is something that also often runs. GPs don't test the full range of thyroid hormones, which means certain things can like subclinical things might be missed. So thyroid is really important to fertility as well. A stool test. So if there are signs that your digestive system isn't particularly healthy, that means probably your hormones won't be looking fantastic. And there might be some information which are all kind of detrimental to conceiving.

Vitamin D tests too. I actually run a vitamin D test with most of my clients. So many of us are deficient in vitamin D which is really important for fertility