Fertility Testing and Diagnosis: What to Expect
The fertility workup explained: AMH, FSH, LH, TSH, prolactin, semen analysis, PCOS diagnosis, and how to choose a reproductive endocrinologist.
The posts to read first.
21 min readAMH, FSH, LH: Your Ovarian Reserve Labs Explained
Dr. Rumpa explains AMH test charges, FSH, LH, and what your ovarian reserve labs do (and do not) tell you about getting pregnant naturally. Plain-English.
21 min readHow PCOS Is Diagnosed: The Rotterdam Criteria
PCOS diagnosis hinges on the Rotterdam criteria, updated in 2023. A doctor walks through the three features, the four phenotypes, and what gets ruled out.
21 min readHow to Choose a Reproductive Endocrinologist
Dr. Rumpa on how to choose a reproductive endocrinologist: credentials, SART/HFEA success rates, PCOS and male-factor fit, costs, and how to switch later.
20 min readThe Male Fertility Workup: What to Expect Step by Step
From home male fertility test kit to a full clinical evaluation: Dr. Rumpa on what a real male fertility workup looks like per the 2021 AUA/ASRM guideline.
PCOS Has a New Name: Why It Is Now Called PMOS
PCOS is now PMOS, Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome. Dr. Rumpa explains why the name changed in 2026, what it means, and why your care does not.
21 min readThe Four PCOS Types: Insulin, Inflammatory, Adrenal
PCOS symptoms insulin, inflammatory, adrenal, and post-pill patterns: Dr. Rumpa on the four-type lens, what it explains, and where the evidence thins.
Or pick a corner.
Hormonal Labs
1 post
15 min readProlactin and Fertility: When It Matters
An FSH LH prolactin test came back with a high prolactin. Dr. Rumpa on why most are false positives, what triggers imaging, and when treatment helps.
Male Fertility Workup
3 posts
15 min readHow to Read a Semen Analysis Report
How to read FSH test results sits alongside semen analysis. Dr. Rumpa walks volume, count, motility, and morphology against WHO 2021 reference values.
14 min readWhat's a Normal Sperm Count and What's Borderline
Fertility blood tests normal, what next? Dr. Rumpa on WHO 2021 reference values for sperm count, what borderline really means, and when to repeat versus refer.
15 min readSperm DNA Fragmentation Testing: When and Why
Sperm DNA fragmentation testing is selective, not routine. Dr. Rumpa on AUA/ASRM indications, the SCSA/TUNEL/Comet assays, and what to do next.
PCOS Phenotypes
1 post
16 min readPCOS Skin, Hair, and Acne: What They Tell You About Fertility
What does an FSH test tell you when skin and hair are the loudest PCOS symptoms? Dr. Rumpa on hirsutism, alopecia, acne, androgens, and insulin biology.
PCOS Workup
3 posts
14 min readLean PCOS: When You Don't Match the Stereotype
How to know if you have PCOS when you have a normal BMI. Lean PCOS is real, the workup is the same, and the management plan is not weight loss.
16 min readThe PCOS Blood Test Panel: What Each Number Means
What is FSH on blood test, and what do LH, testosterone, SHBG, DHEAS, AMH, prolactin, TSH, and 17-OHP mean for PCOS? A doctor reads each value.
15 min readPCOS Symptoms and Treatments: A Pre-Test Checklist
PCOS symptoms cluster in three buckets. A doctor's checklist of pcos symptoms and treatments to bring to your appointment, so you leave with the right workup.
A note from Dr. Rumpa.
Getting diagnosed is the section where a vague worry becomes a workup, and the labs for fertility workup that your clinician actually orders start to make sense. This journey covers the female and male evaluations, the PCOS pathway, the thyroid and prolactin questions that get missed, and how to choose the right clinician to read the results.
Start with the hormone panel. AMH test charges, what is FSH on a blood test, the FSH and LH blood test in context, and a doctor-led read on the fertility blood tests normal what next question. The thyroid post covers the 2.5 mIU/L preconception TSH target, and the FSH LH prolactin test post separates true hyperprolactinaemia from lab artefact.
The PCOS arc walks the 2023 Rotterdam criteria for PCOS diagnosis, the PCOS symptoms and treatments checklist to bring to your appointment, the PCOS blood test panel value by value, what is PCOS symptoms in females on ultrasound, and how to know if you have PCOS when you are lean or carry the skin, hair, and acne signs of androgen excess. The four-type lens (insulin, inflammatory, adrenal, post-pill) is honestly placed against the evidence.
The male workup runs in parallel: home male fertility test kit limits, the full AUA/ASRM clinical pathway, how to read FSH test results alongside a semen analysis, and when sperm DNA fragmentation testing is actually warranted.
Then the clinician layer: how to choose a reproductive endocrinologist, what to expect at first fertility appointment, and when a second opinion is the right call.
Keep moving.
Previous · Stage 01
Before you start
Preconception checklist, cycle literacy, and when to see a doctor.
Go back
Next · Stage 03
Preparing your body
Diet, prenatals, sperm health, and weight for both partners.
Continue