Pregnancy

There are many reasons you might start thinking about fertility testing. Perhaps you’ve been trying for a baby and it’s taking longer than expected, you’re thinking about your fertility for the future, or you simply have questions about your reproductive health.

Many women spend their younger years trying to avoid pregnancy. Then, when the time feels right to start a family, a new question can surface: “Am I fertile?”

While there’s no single test that can give you a simple yes or no, fertility investigations can provide information about particular aspects of reproductive health. Different tests may help doctors identify potential concerns and decide whether further investigation is appropriate, but the results must be interpreted alongside factors such as age, medical history and individual circumstances.

In this article, we’ll explain what fertility testing actually involves for women and men, what common tests such as AMH testing and semen analysis can tell you, and just as importantly, what they can’t.

Many of us spend years trying not to fall pregnant. Then one day we’re ready to start a family, and we expect it to just… happen.  

The reality for most couples, is that trying to conceive is usually a longer game — and the earlier you understand the timeline, the better.  

GP and women’s health expert Dr. Michela Sorensen has this conversation with patients every day. Here’s the (realistic) fertility timeline she wishes more couples knew.