Undergoing fertility testing before egg freezing

In addition to a routine medical history and physical examination, patients will first undergo a series of routine tests. These tests assess their ovarian reserve and allow their physician to determine which stimulation protocol would be best for them. Our Austin egg freezing specialists also perform fertility testing before egg freezing to assess ovarian function, egg supply, and the patient’s overall health. The goal is to help determine if a woman is a viable candidate for egg freezing, as well as the likelihood that the process will prove to be successful.

Fertility testing before egg freezing: testing ovarian reserve

Assessing a woman’s ovarian reserve (egg supply) is a valuable predictor of how successful her egg freezing journey will be. In addition to age, factors such as genetics, environment and medical issues, including endometriosis, previous ovarian surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation, can influence the quantity and quality of a woman’s eggs.

TFC reproductive endocrinologists rely on several tests to evaluate a woman’s ovarian egg supply. These include blood tests that evaluate hormone levels.

• Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) An elevated FSH indicates a diminished egg supply.
• Antimüllerian hormone (AMH) Low AMH levels suggest a low supply of eggs as well as a potential low response to ovary-stimulating medication.

Since the egg freezing process involves stimulating your ovaries with fertility medication to produce multiple eggs, ovarian reserve testing also helps your physician predict how responsive your ovaries will be to these drugs.

Imaging tests to evaluate ovarian reserve

In addition to blood tests, ultrasound imaging is used to help evaluate ovarian reserve. Your Austin fertility specialist will use transvaginal ultrasonography to determine your antral follicle count. Antral follicles are small, unstimulated egg-containing follicles within the ovary. The number of antral follicles correlates with the quantity of remaining eggs and with the ovarian response during ovarian stimulation. A low antral follicle count predicts a poor response to ovarian stimulation.

Ovarian volume – With age comes a decrease in the number of ovarian follicles and egg supply. We measure the volume of ovaries using ultrasound technology. Although ovarian volume correlates with ovarian response to stimulation, it does not necessarily predict failure to conceive.

The conclusiveness of fertility testing before egg freezing

Because no single assessment of ovarian reserve is 100% conclusive, our Austin egg freezing specialists will often use a combination of tests to get a better estimate of your egg supply. Our experience in ovarian reserve testing positions us to predict individual outcomes with a much better degree of certainty.

Contact us at Texas Fertility Center to learn more about fertility testing before egg freezing.