Table 1 Criteria for early referral to specialist infertility clinic
From: Management of the infertile couple: an evidence-based protocol
| In women | In men |
|---|---|
| Age: < 35 years with > 18 months infertility. | History of: Genital pathology |
| ≥35 years with > 6 months infertility | Uro-genital surgery |
| Sexually-transmitted infections | |
| Varicocele | |
| Cryptorchidism | |
| Length of menstrual cycle: < 21 days. | Systemic illness |
| > 35 days | Chemotherapy/Radiotherapy |
| Menstrual abnormalities: Amenorrhoea | |
| Oligomenorrhoea | |
| History of: Ectopic pregnancy | Two abnormal results of semen analysis: |
| Pelvic infections (PID) | Sperm count < 20 million/ml |
| Endometriosis | Sperm motility < 25% (grade-a) |
| Pelvic surgery (ruptured appendix) | Sperm motility < 50% (grade-b) |
| Developmental anomalies | Sperm morphology < 15% normal |
| Abnormal P/V findings on examination | Abnormal findings on genital examination |
| Chlamydia antibody titre ≥ 1:256 | Patient request or Anxiety |
| Mid-luteal progesterone < 20 nmol/l | |
| FSH > 10 IU/l early follicular phase | |
| LH > 10 IU/l early follicular phase | |
| Patient request or Anxiety |