Fertility Treatment - Preparation

When the desire for children has gone unfulfilled for more than a year, one should first seek out a gynecologist as well as a fertility doctor. If no previous examinations have been carried out, your doctor will obtain an overview of the cyclic process during a so-called monitoring cycle. In this process, the woman should attend three to four monitoring examinations during her cycle. The blood levels of certain hormones will be measured and various ultrasound examinations will be performed. The quality of the mucous membrane is examined, as are the number and mobility of the post-intercourse sperm cells found therein (Post-Coital Test (PCT)). After this monitoring cycle, further clarification may be necessary. If this is not the case, treatment begins during the next cycle.

For women, established examinations for further clarification include an examination of oviduct flow with the aid of a special ultrasound examination, an x-ray examination, or an operative laparoscopy. The laparoscopy is carried out using anaesthesia. In this examination, an optical instrument (laparoscope) is introduced into the abdominal cavity via a small incision in the navel cavity. The fallopian tube is rinsed and its functionality is examined. A hysteroscopy is carried out in conjunction with the laparoscopy. Using anaesthesia, an thin optical instrument is introduced into the vagina so that the doctor can observe the interior of the uterus. For examinations that are conducted using anaesthesia, you should be sober and have an accompanying person drive you home.²

IVF is carried out using a special method of preparation. This includes the administration of a combination hormone pill (estrogen and progesterone) which is intended to harmonise the hormonal environment. Further hormonal preparation involves daily injections or nasal sprays.²

For men, one potential examination that is conducted as a precursor to sterility treatment is the creation of a spermiogram. For this, the man gives a small amount of sperm in the laboratory after a period of . The sperm will then be examined in terms of count and mobility as well as possible infections. Further functional tests are also performed on the sperm.²

When you are preparing for fertility treatment, it is important that you subject your body to the least amount of pressure possible. Stress, relationship problems, and other psychic or heavy physical burdens can have a disruptive effect on an otherwise successful course of treatment.²

Please speak about further preparatory measures explicitly with your doctor.