Our fertility health tests provide a baseline to check the health of the female reproductive system including high definition ultrasound scanning.
*Verbal Result. Written report within 24hrs.
The fertility tests can assess the general gynaecological health of the female reproductive system. This can be done using high resolution ultrasound scan and / or blood tests.
Our fertility scan can check the general health of your womb and ovaries including information about the follicles and potential of the ovaries to provide eggs, called the ovarian reserve. This can be combined with our fertility blood tests which can further include information about the ovarian reserve. The information can then be used in conjunction with a fertility specialist to provide you with further guidance regarding your fertility.
The transvaginal ultrasound will check the general gynaecological health of the womb (uterus), the lining of the womb (endometrium) and more specifically in relation to fertility allow a detailed inspection of the ovaries. Examples of potential problems related to fertility include uterine fibroids and polycystic ovaries.
The transvaginal ultrasound also includes assessment of ovarian follicles including follicle tracking and ovarian antral follicle count (AFC). The AFC is an important tool used to evaluate ovarian reserve, or the potential of the ovaries to provide eggs.
This test shows how many follicles (eggs) a woman has at any given point in time and is currently regarded as one of the best tests to check for ovarian reserves.
We offer a range of fertility blood tests which can all be found by clicking here or navigating to our blood tests page.
Our most popular blood fertility blood tests are listed below and are almost always combined with our fertility scan.
Basic Fertility Profile |
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Ideally on days 2/3 of your cycle |
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Luteinizing Hormone (LH) |
Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) |
Prolactin |
Oestradiol (17-Beta) |
Antimullerian Hormone (AMH) |
Advanced Fertility Profile |
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Ideally on days 2/3 of your cycle and with you fasting |
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Luteinizing Hormone (LH) | Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) |
Antimullerian Hormone (AMH) | Prolactin |
Oestradiol (17-Beta) | Testosterone |
Sex Hormone Binding Globulin (SHBG) | Free Androgen Index |
Glucose | Lipids |
TSH (Thyroid) | FT4 (Thyroid) |
Ovulation Test |
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Progesterone | Day 21 or 7 days before your period starts |
NB. Blood results should be shown to your regular health care professional / Fertility specialist for interpretation.
Fertility is defined as the ability to conceive children. Subfertility is defined as reduced or impaired fertility, or production of fewer offspring than is normal or average. Infertility is the inability to conceive children.
Many factors are needed to work correctly for both partners in order to successfully conceive. These factors include age, weight, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), smoking, environmental factors such as exposure to certain pesticides, heat or solvents and stress.
In women, specifically, other factors also have an effect. They include ovulation disorders such as polycystic ovaries, thyroid problems and gynaecological disorders including problems with the womb (uterus) or fallopian tubes, scarring from surgery, medicines and drugs.
In men other factors include abnormal semen, testicular problems, hormonal problems, medicines, drugs and alcohol.
Fertility problems affect 1 in 7 couples in the UK, around 3.5million people. For most couples, engaging in regular unprotected sex is all it takes to become pregnant, however knowing the basic facts about fertility can often be very insightful and helpful in conceiving.
Every month hormonal changes in a woman's body cause an egg to be released from her ovaries. This egg travels into the fallopian tubes, which connect the womb to the ovaries. Conception is most likely to occur if unprotected sex occurs a day or so after ovulation. In many women, ovulation takes place around 14 days after the first day of her last menstrual period (LMP).
For conception to occur the sperm must fertilise the egg within 12-24 hours after it is released, however as sperm can live inside a woman's body for up to 7 days, an egg can, therefore, get fertilised by sperm that entered the body before the egg was released.
As women age they will become less fertile and have a lower quantity and quality of eggs, potentially reducing the chances of conceiving children and increasing the chances of miscarriage. Certain medical problems in the past such as ectopic pregnancy or surgery can also affect fertility.
If you have been trying for more than a year and have not been successful then it is useful to seek advice from a healthcare professional who can perform tests such as hormone blood tests and an ultrasound scan to identify possible fertility problems.
Common causes of subfertility and infertility that affect women include age, cancer treatment, lack of regular ovulation, blockage of the fallopian tubes, endometriosis, certain lifestyle factors such as stress, and sexually transmitted Infections (STI).
In around 25% of couples the cause of fertility problems cannot be found and is unexplainable.
As mentioned age is one of the most important factors when estimating the probability of conception as it is a strong determinant of egg quality and quantity. Each woman is born with all the eggs she will ever need. The number of these eggs constantly decreases with age and by the time she undergoes the menopause the store is depleted.
Screening tests can check how many eggs remain in a woman at any given point in time, however, cannot provide information about the quality of the eggs. Age is currently regarded as the best test for egg quality.
These tests performed to check the number of eggs are often referred to as ovarian reserve, which essentially refers to the remaining egg supply or store of the ovaries at a given period in time.
Follicles are small fluid sacs that contain an immature egg, found in the ovaries. During ovulation, a mature egg is released from a mature (dominant) follicle.
Antral follicles are small follicles present in the ovaries that we can see during the transvaginal ultrasound scan. These follicles are typically very small, between 2-10mm, and can be regarded as ‘developing’ follicles which contain an immature egg. These follicles can potentially produce a mature egg and ovulate in the future. The amount of these follicles is indicative of the number of developing follicles remaining in the ovary and thus provide a guide on the number of eggs.
The fewer the number of visible antral follicles, the fewer the eggs remaining. Conversely the higher the number of visible antral follicles, the higher the remaining eggs. As already mentioned as a women ages, she will naturally have fewer eggs remaining, therefore, having fewer antral follicles.
During the ultrasound, these small follicles are counted, providing a quantitative figure called the antral follicle count (AFC). This information, along with female age is currently considered by far the best tool for estimating the ovarian reserve.
Also in IVF, the number of eggs retrieved correlates with IVF success rates and chances of IVF success. AFCs are also a good predictor of the number of mature follicles that will be able to stimulate with medicines used in IVF.
Women are born with their lifetime supply of eggs, and these gradually decrease in both quality and quantity with age. Anti-Mullerian Hormone (AMH) is a hormone secreted by cells in developing egg sacs (follicles). The level of AMH in a woman's blood is generally a good indicator of her ovarian reserve.
AMH is a hormone found in the blood. It is produced by cells in the ovarian follicles during reproductive age. These follicles have different stages of development from their earliest “sleeping” stage to a mature stage where it has produced and released a mature egg. AMH is first produced in the very early stages of a follicles life cycle. At this stage these tiny follicles that make AMH are only visible under a microscope and cannot be seen on an ultrasound. AMH increases and is highest in the preantral and antral stages of development (typically less than 4mm in diameter). As small antral follicles further develop AMH production falls and eventually stops once it reaches over 8mm.
Measurement of AMH is not dependent on the stage in the menstrual cycle and can be performed at any time.
AMH is only produced by the smallest of follicles in the very early stages of development, which cannot be seen on an ultrasound scan. Therefore by checking the levels of AMH it is possible to measure the size of the pool of growing follicles in a woman which reflects the size of the remaining egg supply or “ovarian reserve”.
Unfortunately, AMH does not provide an indication of the egg quality.
Women with higher AMH values will tend to have a better response to ovarian stimulation for IVF and therefore have a greater number of eggs retrieved and in general, the more eggs retrieved gives a higher success rate.
Please note
We at The Scan Clinic, started with a simple goal - Quality Healthcare with a Personal Touch. It is this mission that continues to drive us to this day and in this current global crisis. We continually strive to find the right balance between delivering on our mission and maintaining high levels of health and safety for our clients as well as our staff.
We have always maintained high levels of cleanliness and infection control and since the start of the pandemic have taken additional daily infection control measures across the clinic as well as ensuring all staff have adequate PPE (personal protective equipment).
You will notice that some of our services are no longer available at the moment and this is because we are limiting our range of available services to essential scans only until further notice. Furthermore all Off-Peak clinics have been suspended until further notice
We have been continually monitoring the ongoing situation and taking all official guidance, however as this is an evolving situation the information and guidelines given below are subject to change and can change with immediate effect. We appreciate this can be challenging but please bear in mind that the steps we take are for the health and safety of all our staff and clients and we really appreciate your support and understanding to follow them.
If you have any questions, queries or concerns about any of this then please get in touch with our customer care team who are more than happy to help.
Hand hygiene is important please ensure you are washing your hands regularly with soap and water or a disinfectant.
Click the links: NHS or Public Health England for updates and advice on Coronavirus - COVID-19.