What tests need to be done prior to doing IVF treatment?
In order to perform IVF, only 3 things are required – eggs, sperms and a uterus, and before starting the IVF cycle, the doctor will check these. First, a sperm survival test is carried out. This is a “trial” sperm wash; using exactly the same method as will be actually used in IVF, to assess whether an adequate numbers of sperms can be recovered in order to do IVF. This test will also help the laboratory to decide which method of sperm processing should be used during IVF. A blood FSH level will provide an idea of the “ovarian reserve”, and provide information on whether or not the woman will produce enough eggs after superovulation. For older women, some clinics do a clomiphene citrate challenge test. If the level is very high, this suggests early ovarian failure, and it may be a better idea to consider donor eggs. Many clinics may do a hysteroscopy, in order to assess that the uterine cavity is totally normal. They may also do a “dummy” embryo transfer to make sure there are no techn
