Blood tests
Fertility blood tests
Blood work is an integral part of fertility testing and treatment. The most basic fertility evaluation for the woman often includes testing for ovarian function (FSH and estradiol) as well as a few other hormones (TSH and prolactin). Other scenarios (e.g. PCOS or recurrent pregnancy loss) may warrant other types of blood work to be analyzed. Also, any couple pursuing intrauterine insemination (IUI) or in vitro fertilization (IVF) is required to have infectious disease screening prior to treatment. Your physician will individualize the type of blood work to be ordered based upon your very specific situation.
The final stage of IVF treatment involves the transfer of an embryo into a woman’s uterus. There, the embryo will attach to the uterine lining and hopefully, a woman will be pregnant. A blood test will be used to measure hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) in a woman’s system. hCG is the pregnancy hormone.