An ultrasound test through the vagina is performed to look at the ovaries, the fallopian tubes and the uterus. To exclude egg maturation disorders a number of hormones are determined.
Blood samples at the beginning of the menstrual cycle may be necessary to determine the hormones oestrogen, LH, FSH, testosterone, androstendione, prolactin and the thyroid hormones T3, T4 and TSH and, in the second half of the cycle, perhaps progesterone. Sometimes it is helpful to keep a basal temperature chart to get more insight into the course of the menstrual cycle. However, the certainty that ovulation has in fact taken place before the temperature has climbed by about 0.5 degrees is only 70 per cent.
Therefore an additional ultrasound test may be performed between the tenth and twelfth day of the menstrual cycle. The man’s fertility can be determined through an examination of the semen under a microscope (spermiogram). The man is asked to deliver a sperm sample obtained through masturbation to the lab. There it will be analysed under the microscope to see if there are enough healthy and sufficiently mobile sperms.
Since the quality of the semen may fluctuate considerably,
the statutory and some private health insurance companies
require two spermiograms with an interval of at least 12
weeks. If the results of all tests are normal, then the next
step will be a test to see if the fallopian tubes are permeable.
Various methods are available here. Tests with ultrasound or
X-ray tests with contrast mediums can determine whether
the fallopian tubes are permeable. However, the significance
of this result is limited, since adhesions cannot be determined
in this fashion. A visual examination of the abdomen
(laparoscopy) is necessary for a precise diagnosis.
zoom
Laparoskopie
Through a small cut at the belly button and at the edge of the pubic hair under anaesthesia, operation instruments are put inside the abdominal cavity. This allows the observation of the fallopian tubes and the abdominal cavity and minor occlusions can be removed. Only very small, virtually invisible scars remain.
Additional tests may be required, depending on the situation. Once all test results have been obtained, we will discuss the therapeutic options with you in detail.