Having trouble getting pregnant? Online at home testing can help

Submitted by Fantestico on Thu, 12/16/2021 - 00:00.

Fertility and pregnancy tests in the infertility journeyEveryone is different and personalized fertility testing for your reproductive health journey can guide you. Whether tracking your cycle and ovulation, improving your fertility, or getting pregnant, knowing your hormones’ levels is a key. There are several types of fertility, ovulation test, and pregnancy tests that can help you to answer the questions: “Can I get pregnant?”, "Am I pregnant?", or “When is my conceiving date?

Hormones are your body's chemical messengers. They travel in your bloodstream to tissues or organs. They work slowly, over time, and affect many different processes including reproduction.  Sex hormones are responsible for driving sexual development (puberty) and the main reproductive hormones are oestrogen and testosterone. if you're having trouble getting pregnant? Online at home testing can help. You can buy online an at home fertility test and pregnancy tests, or get a test in your doctor's office but let’s first find out what hormones are relevant, and which one can help you answer your questions.

Oestrogen (also called Estrogen) causes eggs to mature in ovaries once a girl hits puberty. These are then released at regular intervals during the menstrual cycle. Estriol (E3) and estradiol (E2) are two different forms of oestrogen. The third oestrogen form is estrone (E1), which is produced in women during menopause and young women who are experiencing their first periods (and therefore is less relevant for this article). Testosterone stimulates sperm production in males but combined with oestrogen, testosterone helps women with the growth, maintenance, and repair of their reproductive tissues, as well as bone mass, and behaviors. Other hormones involved in the menstrual cycle include: 

  • Follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), causing the maturation of an egg in the ovary and releases during the Follicular phase (also known as the Pre-ovulatory phase)
  • Luteinizing hormone (LH) stimulates the release of the egg which makes it essential for ovulation
  • Oestrogen and progesterone are involved in maintaining the uterus lining.

Urinary concentrations of the major progesterone (P4) metabolite pregnanediol-3-glucuronide (PdG) can be also used to confirm ovulation.

Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG) is secreted by the embryo and becomes detectable in urine and blood samples approximately 2 weeks following implantation, or 4 to 5 weeks following the first day of your last period. Increase level of hCG in urine is used as a pregnancy test. Increased levels of progesterone also signal the ovaries to not produce any more eggs at this time.

Another important hormone, for both ovulation and pregnancy, is Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) as it should be at its optimal level for having ovulation; up to 5% of women struggling to conceive have abnormal tsh levels. TSH levels are also important in the development of the foetus, as they are crucial in growth. Also eating food containing folic acid is important during pregnancy as it helps form the neural tube and prevent some major birth defects of the baby’s brain and spine. At home folic acid test is commonly available for online purchase.

Last but not least is male fertility. Low testosterone—can lead to issues with sexual desire and man’s libido as well as sexual functioning—namely, erections. It can also affect the development of sperm. In other words: Low testosterone can definitely affect a man who’s having difficulty achieving a pregnancy. At home testosterone test or T test is available for online purchase but be sure to consult with your doctor as taking testosterone supplements for fertility Is a bad idea. A semen analysis or sperm count is not less important and are available online as well.