At your initial appointment with a Melbourne IVF Fertility Specialist, your medical history and any preliminary tests that have been carried out with your GP or referring gynaecologist/physician will be reviewed. Further investigations may be necessary. Your fertility specialist will recommend a treatment plan based on the outcomes of these tests.

Infertility is a shared concern, wherever the problem may reside, so it is recommended that both partners attend this appointment and undergo routine screening tests (blood tests) and investigations.  For men, the first line of investigation is a semen analysis.  For women, the first step is to check ovulation through a blood test (although further investigations may be necessary).

The cause of infertility may be attributed to "female factors" (such as tubal disease, ovulatory disorder, or endometriosis) in approximately 40% of cases and to sperm problems in another 40% of cases.  Or it may be "unexplained" in 15-20% of cases.  In about one third of couples with infertility, there will be more than one problem present.