1. Meeting your Fertility Specialist
First, you’ll need to obtain a doctor’s referral from a GP (valid for 12 months) or from another specialist gynaecologist, obstetrician or endocrinologist (valid for three months). These ensure you’re eligible for Medicare rebates.
We’ll then meet with you, and wherever possible, your partner. We’ll look into your medical history and current health, and arrange some initial tests and investigations.
The most important tests we carry out are a semen analysis for men, and ovulation analysis for women (this is done with a simple blood test).
Other diagnostic tests may include some or all of the following:
Blood tests for women
- a complete hormone profile including thyroid function
- screening for infectious diseases, including hepatitis B and C, syphilis and HIV
- full blood count, checking your blood group
- karyotyping (chromosomes)
- rubella immunity (German measles)
- chicken pox (Varicella)
- screening for cystic fibrosis
Other tests
- vaginal ultrasound to check for fibroids, polyps, ovarian cysts, and to act as a ‘baseline’ for reference during your treatment
- current pap smear (within last 2 years – it‘s usually best to get this done with your GP)
- ovarian reserve (AMH) test
Blood tests for men
- hormone profile and thyroid function
- screening for infectious diseases, including hepatitis B and C, syphilis and HIV
Other tests may include
- semen analysis to check for sperm quality, antibodies and any possible infection
- our unique Sperm Chromatin Structure Assay (SCSA) test, to identify damaged DNA within the sperm
- sperm chromosomes
Once we have the results from these tests, your fertility specialist will meet with you again, and explain in detail any recommended treatment.
2. Preparing for treatment
After your appointment with a QFG fertility specialist, you will then meet with our nurses, counsellors and administration team members before you begin any treatment.
Your fertility nurse will explain what to expect in your upcoming treatment program, including any specific treatments, injection techniques and medications. It is best to arrange for the appointment to be about a week before you expect your period.
You may wish to meet with a fertility counsellor to discuss the physical and emotional implications of your treatment. We appreciate that you may have already faced frustration, disappointment and other tests and investigations before coming to us, so our expert counsellor is here to discuss anything you like about your treatment and help make the entire process easier to cope with.
Our experienced nurses will explain all treatment costs and answer any questions you have about them, such as the complexities of the Medicare Safety Net, Medicare rebates, and so on.
Meet our fertility specialists...
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