Lab tests to run if you’re trying to get pregnant
Written by Dr Kelsey Duncan ND.
Knowledge is power – especially if you’re trying to get pregnant. This why we run a thorough prenatal screen on all our patients, regardless of where they’re at in the their journey. If you’ve been struggling to conceive for 6+ months, it may be time to get a better look at what might be going on for you.
Here are our top 5 lab tests to recommend for any woman who is TTC.
TSH and Thyroid Antibodies
Thyroid dysfunction can be tricky. There are over 200 symptoms that can be linked back to your thyroid being out of whack. We’ve even had women in our practice who’s ONLY symptom of hypothyroidism is infertility. They weren’t tired, constipated, or losing their hair. It’s important to make sure your TSH and your antibodies are within fertility optimal ranges even if you don’t have symptoms of hypothyroidism.
Progesterone
Progesterone is made in the second half of our cycle after we ovulate. If this process isn’t happening, or you’re not making enough progesterone, your body will not be doing what it needs to do to ensure implantation and maintenance of early pregnancy. Early miscarriages in the 5th or 6th week are often due to low progesterone. This is why it’s important to know ahead of time where your progesterone is 7 days after ovulation to ensure pregnancy can happen, and then also to know your body can make enough when needed.
Vitamin D
Did you know Vitamin D is actually a hormone? A pretty important one too. Low vitamin D levels have been associated with higher miscarriage risks and poor egg quality Vitamin D is fat soluble, and proper dosing is necessary to get your levels to where they should be. So it’s important you are working with a professional who knows how to interpret vitamin D labs AND has the authority to prescribe Vitamin D appropriately. (Ps.. we can do both those things).
Estradiol
Estradiol is one of your three estrogens that we check on Day 3 of your cycle. It’s important to thickening that lining during your follicular phase to give your fertilized egg a nice, cushy place to snuggle into. Estradiol is also important in telling your cervix to produce ovulatory mucus to help the sperm get to where it needs to do.
LH & FSH
LH and FSH are two pituitary hormones that help signal the rest of your hormonal cascade. We need LH to surge and tell our body to release an egg. This surge happens when estrogen gets to a level high enough to signal your body is ready. FSH is responsible for maturing the follicle that’s going to be released at the time of ovulation. Higher than normal FSH can be a soft marker for poor egg quality, so it can give us some insight into other potential issues going on besides hormonal imbalance.
Depending on your history and your case, there are far more labs that may be necessary to get a good understanding of what might be going on for you.
Did you know that Naturopathic Doctors can order labs? Book a free 15-minute insight session with one of our Cared For Wellness NDs to get started.