Home › Fertility laboratory in Goa: the tests run in-house
Fertility laboratory in Goa: the tests run in-house
Our fertility laboratory in Goa runs the hormone, sperm and infection tests that a fertility work-up depends on: FSH, LH, AMH, oestradiol (E2), progesterone (P4), beta-hCG, a complete thyroid profile, vitamin D, semen analysis, the sperm DNA fragmentation test, and culture with antibiotic-sensitivity testing. It is open 24 hours, every day, and most routine reports are usually ready within hours.
This page is about the laboratory itself: what it runs, how each report is checked and when it comes back. Which tests a couple actually needs, and on which day of the cycle, is explained on our page about fertility tests for couples.
Why does fertility treatment need its own laboratory?
Fertility treatment runs on dates. A hormone result on day 2 of the period decides how a cycle starts. An oestradiol or progesterone level during treatment can change the next step. A beta-hCG result is the answer a couple has waited two weeks for. With these tests run in-house, most routine reports are usually ready within hours, so the plan rarely has to wait.
Which fertility tests are run in-house?
Hormone tests for her
- FSH and LH: show how the ovaries, and the brain's signals to them, are working. Usually taken on day 2 or 3 of the period.
- AMH (anti-Müllerian hormone): a rough guide to how many eggs remain, quantity rather than quality. It can be taken on any day of the cycle. What a result means at different ages is on our page on AMH level by age.
- Oestradiol (E2): taken on day 2 or 3 of the period with FSH and LH as part of the baseline, and during ovarian stimulation a guide, alongside the follicle scans, to how the ovaries are responding.
- Progesterone (P4): taken about seven days before the next period is due (around day 21 of a 28-day cycle), it confirms whether ovulation has happened in a natural cycle; it is also checked around an embryo transfer.
- Beta-hCG: the pregnancy blood test, including the test after an embryo transfer. In early pregnancy the level usually rises quickly, roughly doubling every two to three days, so a first result is often followed by a second test a couple of days later. How that result is read is on our page on beta-hCG after embryo transfer.
Thyroid profile and vitamin D
A complete thyroid profile is checked because a thyroid that runs too fast or too slow can quietly upset ovulation, and it matters again in early pregnancy. Vitamin D is a simple blood test; a low level is common in otherwise well people and is usually straightforward to put right once found.
Sperm tests for him
Semen analysis: the count, movement and shape of the sperm, read against the World Health Organization reference values. How to read each line of the report is on our page on the semen analysis report.
Sperm DNA fragmentation test: a semen analysis shows how sperm swim and how they look, but it cannot see the genetic material they carry. The DNA fragmentation test measures how much of that DNA is broken. It is not a routine test for every man. It is usually discussed when the semen report looks normal but pregnancy has not happened, after repeated miscarriage, or after IVF cycles that did not work. A raised result points towards causes worth looking for, such as heat, smoking, an infection or a varicocele, and can change how treatment is planned. More on our male infertility page.
Culture and antibiotic-sensitivity testing
A culture grows any bacteria present in a urine or other sample, and the sensitivity test then shows which antibiotics act against them. A silent infection is worth finding and treating before an IUI, an IVF cycle or a pregnancy, and the sensitivity result lets the antibiotic be chosen for that particular infection rather than guessed.
Routine blood work
The routine blood tests that go with a fertility work-up, such as blood group, haemoglobin, blood sugar and the infection screening done before treatment, are run as well; this page keeps to the fertility tests.
How is each report checked?
The hormone and blood tests are run on automated analysers. Every day, before patient reports are released, the laboratory runs quality-control samples whose values are already known. Semen analysis is read under a microscope.
How soon are reports ready?
Most routine reports are usually ready within hours. The laboratory is open 24 hours, every day, so a sample given in the evening or on a Sunday is not left waiting for Monday. A culture needs time for the bacteria to grow, so it takes longer; for any test that is not ready within hours, you are told when to expect the report when you give the sample.
How do I give a sample?
Blood: most fertility hormone tests need no fasting; if a test on your form does, you are told when you book. Some hormone tests depend on the day of the cycle, so note the first day of your last period. Blood can be collected from your home. Home collection at zero cost to the patient is available from any place in Goa; for border areas the service may be nominally chargeable. Use the Call Lab button on this page to arrange it.
Semen: keep to the gap since the last ejaculation that the laboratory advises, usually two to five days. Collect the whole sample into the sterile container the laboratory gives you, and keep it close to body temperature until it is handed in, ideally within about an hour.
Urine for culture: a clean-catch midstream sample in a sterile container, ideally given before any antibiotic is started.
Can I bring reports from another laboratory?
Yes. Bring every earlier report you have, however old or untidy. A recent valid result usually does not need to be repeated. Some are repeated so that the plan rests on a current figure: a semen analysis taken soon after a fever, for example, or a hormone level taken on the wrong day of the cycle.
Where do I start?
The tests are usually ordered after a consultation, so that only the ones that apply to you are done. You can have your first consultation with our fertility specialist at whichever of our clinics suits you: Panjim, Margao, Mapusa or Vasco. Bring your earlier reports with you.
Questions about the fertility laboratory
Which fertility tests does the laboratory run in-house?
FSH, LH, AMH, oestradiol (E2), progesterone (P4), beta-hCG, a complete thyroid profile, vitamin D, semen analysis, the sperm DNA fragmentation test, and culture with antibiotic-sensitivity testing of urine and other samples. The routine blood work for a fertility work-up is run as well.
Is the laboratory open at night and on Sundays?
Yes. The laboratory is open 24 hours, every day, including Sundays and holidays.
How soon will my AMH or hormone report be ready?
Most routine reports are usually ready within hours. A culture takes longer because the bacteria need time to grow; for any test that is not ready within hours, you are told when to expect the report when you give the sample.
What is a sperm DNA fragmentation test, and who needs it?
It measures how much of the DNA inside the sperm is broken, which a semen analysis cannot see. It is not needed by every man; it is usually discussed when the semen report looks normal but pregnancy has not happened, after repeated miscarriage, or after IVF cycles that did not work.
Do I need to fast before fertility hormone tests?
Most fertility hormone tests, including AMH, FSH and LH, need no fasting. If a test on your form does, such as a fasting blood sugar, you are told when you book.
Can the blood sample be collected from my home?
Yes. Home collection at zero cost to the patient is available from any place in Goa; for border areas the service may be nominally chargeable. Use the Call Lab button on this page to arrange it.
How are the reports checked before they are released?
The hormone and blood tests are run on automated analysers, and quality-control samples with known values are run every day before patient reports are released.
Your visit is confidential — nothing about you appears on this website or on social media.
What you read here explains fertility care in general terms and cannot replace a consultation. Decisions about your own care should be made with a doctor who knows your history and has seen you. We do not carry out or offer sex determination of any kind, which is prohibited by law in India under the PCPNDT Act.