Guidelines for Referring your Patient to an Infertility Specialist
When to consider referring your patient to our center depends on many factors. Certainly your own comfort level in treating infertility patients is an important factor.
You might consider referring your patient in the following situations:
- Cycle Day 2 or 3 FSH level of 8.0 or above OR an AMH (anti-mullerian hormone) level less than 1.0 – these patients need urgent treatment
- Female age 35 and over -these patients have little time and need urgent treatment
- Abnormal semen analysis – abnormal count, motility or morphology
- Unilateral or bilateral tubal obstruction
- History of Gonorrhea, Chlamydia or tubal surgery – surgery generally has significantly lower success rates and increased risk of ectopic pregnancy
- Failure to ovulate with Clomiphene treatment or 3 or more unsuccessful cycles of Clomid
What you can do prior to referring your patient…
When patients first come in to meet with us it is helpful to have a copy of their recent medical records, any previous evaluation or treatment as well as any pertinent test results.
For female patients…
We order the following tests in our infertility work-up. These tests can be completed prior to referral so long as they are completed within 12 months of their initial visit unless otherwise specified.
- Carrier Screening (Natera)
- Complete Blood Count (CBC)
- Chlamydia Trachomatis Antibody Panel (IgG, IgA)
- Creatinine
- Cystic Fibrosis (included in Counsyl Panel)
- Cycle Day 3 E2, P4, FSH, LH, and hCG
- Hemoglobin A1C (HgbA1C)
- Hepatitis Panel (Hep BsAg, BsAb, B core IgM, Hep C Ab)
- HIV 1 & 2
- Prolactin
- Syphilis (RPR)
- Thyroid Panel (TSH, Free T4, Anti-TPO)
- Vaginal Culture for Chlamydia/Gonorrhea DNA Amplification, Trichomonas, Yeast & Bacterial Vaginosis
- Pap (within 3 years)
- Hysterosalpingogram (HSG) (can be done anytime)
For male patients…
We can run a semen analysis in our office for a discounted fee. Reference laboratories typically only provide basic information such as volume, concentration, motility and forward progression. In addition to the basic SA information listed above, we also provide a test to see how many sperm would be available for artificial insemination as well as examine sperm vitality/viability. As the referring physician, we will provide you with a complete copy of the lab results for you to discuss with your patient. In addition to the Semen Analysis, we order the following blood tests in our infertility work-up:
- Carrier Screening (Natera)
- HIV 1 & 2
- Syphilis (RPR)
- Hepatitis Panel (Hep BsAg, BsAb, B core IgM, Hep C Ab)
- Chlamydia Trachomatis Antibody Panel (IgG, IgA)
Once you have referred your patient to us we will keep you informed of their progress and when they achieve a pregnancy we will always refer the patient back to you for the remainder of their care.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us anytime. If you would like to order supplies from our office, (including desk calendars, cards, and brochures) CLICK HERE to complete our online MD Supplies Order Form.