Questions Your Doctor May Ask - and Why!
During a consultation, your doctor will use various techniques in his assesment of the symptom: Fertility symptoms.
These may include a physical examination or other medical tests.
Your doctor may ask several questions when assessing
your condition. It is important to remember that your consultation is a two-way process and any extra information
you can share with your doctor may help them with their diagnosis.
Some of the questions your doctor may ask are listed below:
- How long have you been trying for pregnancy?
Why: Infertility is defined as the absence of conception after a period of 12 months of normal unprotected intercourse.
- What is the frequency and timing of intercourse?
- Is there adequate penetration with intercourse?
- What is the age of the female?
Why: after the age of 32, fertility decreases by 1.5% per year.
- What was the age of menarche (first menstrual period) in the female?
- Menstrual history in female?
Why: e.g. days of bleeding per cycle, cycle length and regularity, inter-menstrual spotting, heaviness of period, clots, flooding.
- Obstetric history
Why: if any previous conceptions? - e.g. miscarriage, termination of pregnancy, stillbirth, full term birth, details of full term births.
- Previous contraception history?
Why: e.g. oral contraceptive pill, intra-muscular progesterone depot injection, progesterone implant.
- Does the female have symptoms of ovulation?
Why: e.g. mid-cycle egg-white-like stretchy mucous, abdominal discomfort or breast tenderness.
- Past history of sexually transmitted diseases (STD) or pelvic infection in the female?
- Previous intra-uterine contraceptive device (IUCD) in the female?
- Past Surgical history in the female?
Why: e.g. intra-abdominal surgery such as appendicitis may predispose to pelvic adhesions; genitourinary surgery such as abortions may be complicated by intra-uterine and fallopian tube infection.
- Body weight history?
Why: e.g. history of anorexia nervosa or obesity may cause failure to ovulate.
- What are your stressors at the moment?
Why: questions specifically about relationship, family, social support, occupation, general physical health and financial stresses. Stress related to lifestyle may affect male or female fertility.
- Are there any problems with the male sexual function?
Why: e.g. erectile dysfunction, ejaculation difficulties.
- Recent severe febrile illness in the male?
- Past history of testicular problem or injury in the male?
Why: e.g. orchitis (inflammation of the testicles), trauma, undescended testicles.
- Past history of sexually transmitted diseases (STD) in the male?
- Past medical problems in the male and female?
Why: e.g. diabetes, epilepsy, tuberculosis, kidney disease.
- Past history of mumps in the male?
- Past history of urethral problems in the male?
- Past genitourinary surgery in the male?
Why: e.g. hernia repair.
- Medications in the male?
Why: e.g. some medications may affect male fertility including chemotherapy, anabolic steroids, aminoglycoside antibiotics, sulphasalazine, cimetidine, colchicines, spironolactone, phenytoin, narcotics, nitrofurantoin.
- Occupational history in the male?
Why: e.g. exposure to heat, pesticides or herbicides.
- Drug or alcohol abuse?
Why: e.g. alcoholism and drug addiction may affect male and female fertility.
- Cigarette smoking?
Why: reduces male and female fertility.
Questions your doctor may ask about related symptoms:
Sometimes, other symptoms may be present and may help your doctor analyse
your condition. These may include:
- Erectile dysfunction in male?
- Menorrhagia (heavy periods)?
Why: may suggest endometriosis, pelvic inflammatory disease, fibroids.
- Dyspareunia (pain with intercourse)?
Why: may suggest endometriosis, pelvic inflammatory disease.
- Vaginal discharge?
Why: may suggest pelvic inflammatory disease (may be an offensive, pus-like vaginal discharge).
- Symptoms of endometriosis?
Why: e.g. dysmenorrhea which may start 1-2 weeks before the period and then reduces with the onset of the period, pain with intercourse, heavy periods and non-specific pelvic pain.
- Symptoms of pelvic inflammatory disease?
Why: e.g. fever (if acute infection) , mild to severe lower abdominal pain, pain with intercourse, painful heavy or irregular periods, bleeding in-between the periods, abnormal and perhaps offensive pus-like vaginal discharge, painful or frequent urination.
- Symptoms of polycystic ovarian syndrome?
Why: e.g. obesity, hirsuitism (excess hairiness), acne, irregular or absent menstrual periods.
» Next page: Types of Fertility symptoms
Rate This Website
What do you think about the features of this website?
Take our user survey and have your say:
Website User Survey
Medical Tools & Articles:
Next articles:
Tools & Services:
Medical Articles:
Forums & Message Boards
- Ask or answer a question at the Boards:
