If you’re thinking about fertility tests, you’re not alone. In the UK, around 1 in 7 couples experience infertility, and many will reach a point where they want clearer information about what might be going on. That moment can come for lots of reasons — planning ahead, changes in your cycle, time passing more quickly than expected, or simply a feeling that it’s time to ask some questions.
Fertility tests can be a helpful place to start. But they’re often misunderstood, and they can feel daunting if you don’t know what the results really mean. This is about offering clarity, without oversimplifying or raising unnecessary worry.
- What fertility tests can tell you
- What fertility test's can't tell you
- Why personalised care matters
- Next steps
Why people choose fertility testing
People come to fertility testing at very different points in their lives. Some are thinking about the future and want reassurance. Others are trying to understand irregular cycles or symptoms that don’t quite make sense. Some have been trying to conceive for a while and want to know whether there’s a medical reason it hasn’t happened yet.
There’s no single “right” reason to explore fertility testing. What matters is having the time and space to understand the results properly, without feeling rushed or pushed towards decisions you’re not ready to make.
At Care Fertility, fertility testing is structured so that results are available before you meet with a fertility specialist. This allows your consultation to focus on explanation and understanding, rather than trying to make sense of numbers in real time.
What fertility tests can tell you
They can offer insight into egg supply
Blood tests such as Anti-Müllerian Hormone (AMH), alongside ultrasound scans that look at the number of small follicles in the ovaries, provide information about ovarian reserve — how many eggs are likely to be available at this stage.
These results can help guide conversations around timing and treatment options. What they can’t do is predict whether pregnancy will happen, or how easily. There is often a misconception that a low AMH means ‘low fertility’ or ‘infertility’, when that isn’t often the case. They are one part of a wider picture, allowing your team to guide treatment options and chances of success from these treatments.
They can show how hormones are working
Hormones play a central role in ovulation and sperm production. Fertility blood tests can show whether key hormones are within expected ranges and whether ovulation is likely to be happening regularly.
If a hormone level is higher or lower than expected, it doesn’t automatically mean something is wrong. Often, it’s simply a sign that results need to be looked at alongside symptoms, cycle history, and overall health.
They can assess sperm health
A semen analysis looks at sperm count, movement, and shape. This helps identify whether sperm factors may be contributing to difficulties conceiving.
It’s also important to know that sperm quality can change. Stress, illness, medication, lifestyle, and timing can all influence results. A single test offers useful information, but it doesn’t define fertility or future potential.
They can highlight medical factors worth exploring
In some cases, fertility tests point towards underlying conditions such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), Endometriosis, ovulation difficulties, or the impact of previous infections.
In other cases, results come back within expected ranges, yet pregnancy still hasn’t happened. This is known as unexplained infertility, and it affects many people. While it can feel frustrating, it doesn’t mean there are no options — it means care needs to be particularly considered and individual.
What fertility tests can’t tell you
They can’t predict what will happen next
Fertility tests can’t tell you whether you will conceive naturally, how long it might take, or whether treatment will be successful.
Pregnancy depends on many factors coming together at the right time, and not all of those factors can be measured through tests alone. This uncertainty can be difficult, especially when you’re hoping for clear answers.
They can’t directly measure egg quality
There is currently no test that can directly assess egg quality. This often only becomes clearer later, sometimes during IVF, when we can see how eggs fertilise and develop. The main factor that gives us information about egg quality before treatment is the age of the egg provider.
This is one reason why reassuring results don’t always lead to pregnancy, and why more concerning results don’t necessarily close doors.
They can’t be fully understood without context
Seeing results without explanation can be unsettling. Numbers can feel stark or confusing when they’re not placed in the context of age, medical history, lifestyle, and personal circumstances.
This is why fertility testing works best when it’s followed by careful interpretation and open conversation, rather than being left to speak for itself.
Why personalised care matters
Fertility testing is most helpful when it leads to understanding, not just information.
At Care Fertility, this starts with a pre-treatment bundle. It brings together the most relevant tests from the outset, so results can be reviewed as a whole rather than in isolation. This means that when you meet with a doctor, the conversation is informed, calm, and focused on what matters to you. Our pre-treatment bundle doesn’t just focus on your fertility health but your general health, whilst we want you to achieve a pregnancy, we want you to have a healthy pregnancy. That is why we test aspects such as your Vitamin D, Thyroid, sugar control and assess all aspects of your blood count.
From there, we create bespoke treatment plans, tailored to your results, medical history, and priorities. There isn’t a standard pathway that everyone follows, because fertility care isn’t one-size-fits-all.
This approach allows for:
- Personalised treatment protocols based on your individual results
- Medication choices and doses tailored to your body and previous response
- Recommendations made with clinical insight and care, rather than assumptions
- Optimisation of your health before pregnancy
Two people with similar test results may be advised very different approaches, and that difference is intentional. Personalised care recognises that fertility is complex and individual.
After your consultation, you’ll receive a clear written summary, outlining your personalised options and costs. If treatment is the right next step, you’ll then meet with a nurse to plan medication and timings in detail, with support throughout.
A final thought
Fertility tests are a starting point. They can help you understand more about your body and your options, but they don’t define your chances or your future.
For some people, testing brings reassurance. For others, it raises new questions. Both experiences are valid, and neither means you need to rush into decisions.
When you’re ready, we’re here to help you understand what your results mean, talk through your options, and support you in taking the next step — whatever that looks like for you.
Get in touch with our team today to discuss your options
