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Seeking help early

In some situations, you might want to seek an earlier assessment of your fertility. If, for example, there is a known factor that might affect fertility in you or your partner, such as an undescended testicle, cancer therapy, very irregular or absent periods, damage to the fallopian tubes from surgery or infection, or if the women is aged over 35 years.

Your doctor will tell you if there are any obvious problems and whether a specialist referral is required. Your doctor will give you some general advice, and point out the most important issues, such as the need to take folic acid, stop smoking, cut down or stop drinking alcohol, and you will be asked about your immunity to rubella and whether your cervical smear tests are up to date. You may also be checked for anaemia and hepatitis or HIV, as testing is needed prior to assisted conception because these conditions may have implications for the baby. If your doctor suspects you have endometriosis, you will be referred on for visual identification of the tissue.

If you are overweight, your doctor will advise about the need to reduce weight or limit weight gain. It is unlikely that you will be asked to use temperature charts or ovulation prediction kits in the first instance as there is little evidence to show that they improve success over regular intercourse occurring every couple of days throughout the cycle. If you have a particular medical problem, such as diabetes or heart disease, specialist referral may be required to obtain advice about the effect of this condition on any pregnancy and also the effect of pregnancy on your condition.