If you and your partner have been trying to have a baby for at least two years without success, there are many tests which can be done to find out the reasons why. Usually the cause of infertility will be investigated following a referral from your GP to an infertility clinic. Either your GP or the consultant can then give you advice about any possible treatments.

If the cause of your infertility has not been investigated previously, you may wish to ask whether a particular clinic can carry out the necessary tests. These tests may include an analysis of the man's semen and the conditions of the woman's womb, fallopian tubes and cervical mucus. Some clinics have a routine set of investigations, and you should ask what these include. For example, some clinics also do blood tests to check for immunity to German measles in the woman and for hepatitis B in both partners. Some people, particularly those in risk groups, may be tested for HIV before having treatment.

If tests have been done during previous treatment, you should ask whether it is necessary to repeat them. If you have already undergone investigations, you should nevertheless inquire whether additional tests will be required by the clinic.

Even after tests some infertility remains unexplained, but that does not mean that it cannot be treated successfully. The cause of infertility may be unexplained in as many as 30% of couples.

If tests show that the infertility is not apparently caused by faulty sperm or eggs, IVF treatment may be proposed to bring the sperm and eggs together outside the body to try to produce an embryo.