Prepping for your family building journey can be exciting, but may leave you with many unanswered questions. Many individuals schedule appointments to see a Fertility Specialist for a Preconception Consultation, “just to get things checked out”, with the goal of gaining insights into their own fertility before they start trying to conceive. This is a wonderful opportunity to gain broader knowledge about both male and female fertility, the nuances of the menstrual cycle, and learn how to optimize their chances to conceive whenever they are ready to do so.
Understanding the Evaluation:
During the evaluation, we will use tests such as ultrasound to assess the antral follicle count (AFC), as well as blood tests called the Anti-Mullerian Hormone (AMH) and Estradiol and FSH levels.
These tests give us information about the ovarian reserve (the pool of remaining eggs within the ovaries). While this information is helpful,I always caution patients about using this info to predict their future fertility, especially if they haven’t attempted to get pregnant in the past.
Numbers aren’t everything:
Now, while these tests are helpful and can give us some information about your reproductive status, it’s important to acknowledge that fertility is multifaceted and can’t be determined by one single evaluation. These test results can provide useful information about your ovarian reserve, but they can’t truly predict your ability to conceive. In reality, the best way to truly test someone’s fertility is by trying to get pregnant. But if that’s not an option for you (which is perfectly fine!), we can still use this information to talk about whether fertility preservation might be a good idea, depending on where you are in your family building plans.
Empowering Knowledge:
A Preconception Consultation with a Fertility Specialist makes it easier to understand your fertility better and explore your options when you’re ready to build your family. Although the information we gain can’t entirely predict your reproductive future, this data can still be useful when making decisions about fertility preservation or when to start trying to conceive. Ultimately, knowledge is power and the information gained from the consultation will hopefully give you the confidence to make choices about your own reproductive health in the future.
