express fertility check
express fertility check
Explore your fertility, find out where you stand
and be prepared for the future
Serum IVF clinic offers to couples, single women or men the opportunity to explore their fertility, even if they do not aim for an IVF treatment. Through this check, people will have the chance to be informed on where they stand in their fertility and be prepared for the future.
Female Fertility Assesment
SERUM is introducing a complete and thorough female fertility investigations package for women who want to get a clear view on their current fertility status and fertility perspective for the future.
The package includes an initial consultation with one of our fertility specialists, an advanced fertility ultrasound scan, a hormonal profile, and a uterine microbiome, along with a follow-up consultation to review and discuss the findings and provide advice on optimising chances for natural conception.
Before your investigations, you will have a consultation with one of our experienced fertility consultants who will explain in detail the nature and goal of each test and answer any questions.
This will be performed by the same fertility specialist and will take about 20-30 minutes. The doctor will perform an internal scan to check the shape and anatomy of the uterus and investigate any possible pathologies, such as polyps and fibroids. They will also examine the quality of the womb lining (endometrium) and check the blood flow of the uterine arteries. They will then move to the ovaries to measure their size, count the number of antral follicles (AFC/ovarian reserve) and confirm ovulation if appropriate.
The examination will be completed by an “aqua scan” which involves the injection of a small amount of sterile normal saline in the uterine cavity. This facilitates the detection of intrauterine pathology (e.g., adhesions, endometrial hyperplasia, adenomyosis, septa) that can be otherwise missed with a standard scan.
Depending on the day of your menstrual cycle you are on, a spectrum of fertility hormones can be checked. These include AMH, FSH, LH, Prolactin, Oestradiol, Progesterone, TSH. The doctor will explain and help you decide which ones are applicable to you.
The uterine cavity is not a sterile milieu but is inhabited by a spectrum of microbes, some facilitating embryo implantation while others creating a hostile environment. During your visit, a small sample of your endometrium can be taken and sent for PCR analysis. A complete profile of your uterine flora will be available within a few days and antibiotic treatment will be given if needed.
Your visit will be completed by a follow-up discussion, where the fertility specialist will review, explain all the findings of your examinations, and provide you with advice on your current and future fertility potential.
Male Fertility Assesment
This is addressed to men who wish to know what their current fertility potential is. They will be asked to produce a sperm sample at the dedicated private sample rooms, which will be then analysed by our experienced embryologists in the laboratory. The following investigations will be carried out:
This is the standard analysis of sperm parameters like count (number of spermatozoa), motility (percentage and degrees of motile spermatozoa), and morphology (percentage of normal forms). This is considered the baseline of sperm tests and provides valuable information on the fertilisation potential of the sperm.
This investigates the presence of destructive reactive oxygen species (ROS) which is associated with oxidative stress. Male germ cells are called spermatogonia. These cells undergo mitosis to form primary spermatocytes. Germ cells can be putative targets of ROS. Excess of oxidative stress in germ-line cells has a direct impact on male fertility.
Sperm maturation occurs in several stages of spermatogenesis. Immature spermatozoa which have not successfully completed specific spermatogenic events are unable to bind to hyaluronic acid, the main component of the oocyte surrounding matrix.
The Hyaluronic Binding Assay (HBA) determines the proportion of spermatozoa able to bind to HA due to the presence of adequate receptors on their surface.
The integrity of genetic information in the sperm is fundamental for successful fertilisation and normal embryo growth. Sperm DNA fragmentation is a term used to indicate abnormal genetic material within the sperm, which in turn may lead to male subfertility, IVF failure and miscarriage. This is because the integrity of sperm DNA is crucial, so that important biological and embryological events can be successfully completed, such as the fertilisation of the oocyte, embryo division, embryo progress, blastocyst development, implantation and further embryo and foetal growth. A conventional semen analysis cannot evaluate the sperm at the molecular level and thereby help the detection of DNA fragmentation.
The findings of your tests and investigations will be reviewed and explained by one of our fertility specialists who will provide you with advice on your current and future fertility potential.
