Antral follicle count is the total number of small follicles seen in both ovaries on a transvaginal ultrasound, usually performed early in the menstrual cycle. These follicles typically measure 2–10 mm and are small fluid-filled sacs where eggs develop.

What does AFC tell you?
AFC helps assess ovarian reserve and predict how the ovaries may respond to fertility medication, particularly during IVF. It does not count every egg remaining in the ovaries.

How is it different from AMH?
AFC uses ultrasound to count visible follicles. AMH is a blood test measuring a hormone produced by small ovarian follicles. Both help assess ovarian reserve, but their results do not always agree.

Does a low AFC mean pregnancy is impossible?
No. A lower count may suggest fewer eggs will be collected during IVF, but it does not, by itself, determine your chance of natural conception. AFC does not measure egg quality or guarantee pregnancy.

Your results should be interpreted alongside your age, medical history, hormone tests and previous response to treatment.

One number cannot tell your whole fertility story. An individualized assessment can help clarify what your results mean for your next steps.

Longevity Fertility Centre | Calgary & Edmonton

Waiting to find out whether you are pregnant can feel like the longest part of trying to conceive. Testing too early, however, can leave you with an uncertain answer.

When should you test?
Most home pregnancy tests are most reliable from the first day of a missed period—often around two weeks after ovulation. If you do not know when your period is due, test at least 21 days after your last unprotected sex.

Why can an early test be negative?
Pregnancy tests detect human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). If you test too soon, the level may be too low to detect, even if you are pregnant.

What if the result is negative?
Wait a few days and test again if your period has not arrived. Follow the kit’s instructions carefully. If a second test is negative and your period is still absent, contact your healthcare provider.

After IUI or IVF
Follow your fertility clinic’s assigned testing date. An hCG trigger injection can cause a false-positive result if you test too early. Do not stop prescribed medication based on an early home test without your clinic’s advice.

The wait can be difficult. Testing at the right time can help you get a clearer answer.

Longevity Fertility Centre | Calgary & Edmonton

Basal body temperature (BBT) is your temperature at rest. After ovulation, progesterone usually causes a small rise that lasts until your next period.

How should you track it?

• Use a basal thermometer each morning before getting out of bed.
• Measure at roughly the same time, after at least three hours of uninterrupted sleep.
• Record your readings and note illness, disrupted sleep or alcohol use.

What can your chart show?

A sustained temperature rise may suggest ovulation has already occurred. BBT is more useful for looking back at a cycle than predicting your most fertile days. Avoid waiting for the temperature rise to start trying.

What are its limits?

• An unclear chart does not automatically mean you are not ovulating.
• BBT cannot reliably diagnose low progesterone or assess egg quality.
• A one-day dip does not confirm implantation.
• Higher temperatures alone do not confirm pregnancy—take a pregnancy test if your period is late.

If your cycles are irregular or absent, or you are having difficulty conceiving, discuss an assessment with your healthcare provider. When needed, appropriately timed progesterone testing or ultrasound may help assess ovulation.

Your chart is one clue, not a diagnosis.

Longevity Fertility Centre | Calgary & Edmonton

Spotting near your expected period can leave you wondering whether you might be pregnant.

Light bleeding in early pregnancy is sometimes called “implantation bleeding.” However, its colour, timing or amount cannot reliably confirm implantation or distinguish pregnancy from an approaching period.

What should you know?

• Pink or brown spotting can occur before a period and during early pregnancy.
• Light bleeding does not confirm pregnancy, and many pregnancies begin without spotting.
• Bleeding in pregnancy can have several causes, including cervical changes, miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy.

When should you test?

Take a home pregnancy test from the first day of a missed period. If you do not know when your period is due, test at least 21 days after your last unprotected sex. If negative but pregnancy is still possible, repeat after a few days.

When should you seek help?

Contact your healthcare provider if you bleed after a positive pregnancy test. Seek emergency care for heavy bleeding, severe or one-sided abdominal pain, shoulder-tip pain, dizziness or fainting—even without a positive test.

Avoid assuming spotting is implantation. Testing and appropriate assessment provide clearer answers.

Longevity Fertility Centre | Calgary & Edmonton

Not necessarily. A lighter period does not automatically mean your uterine lining is too thin—or that you cannot become pregnant.

Menstrual flow varies from person to person. Some people naturally have light periods, while others notice changes related to:

• Hormonal contraception
• Stress, significant weight changes or intensive exercise
• Breastfeeding or perimenopause
• Hormonal conditions affecting ovulation
• Scar tissue inside the uterus, sometimes following a D&C or other uterine procedure

Can bleeding tell you your lining thickness?

No. Bleeding volume alone cannot reliably measure the endometrium—the lining of the uterus. Ultrasound can assess its thickness, but the result must be interpreted according to the stage of your cycle and any fertility medications.

When should you seek advice?

Discuss periods that become persistently lighter, irregular or absent, especially after a uterine procedure or if you are having difficulty conceiving. If pregnancy is possible and bleeding is unusually light, take a pregnancy test.

Light periods are one part of your fertility picture, not a diagnosis.

Longevity Fertility Centre
Serving Calgary and Edmonton.

Notice clear, slippery, stretchy discharge that resembles raw egg whites? This is often fertile cervical mucus—a sign that ovulation may be approaching.

As estrogen rises before ovulation, cervical mucus becomes wetter and more slippery, helping sperm move through the cervix.

What should you know?

• It can help identify your fertile window, but does not confirm that an egg has been released.
• After ovulation, mucus usually becomes thicker or less noticeable.
• Not noticing egg-white mucus does not automatically mean you are not ovulating or cannot become pregnant.
• Mucus patterns vary, and medications, infections and hormonal changes can affect them.

Tracking mucus alongside your cycle dates and ovulation tests may help you understand your pattern. Avoid relying on discharge alone to confirm ovulation or pregnancy.

Discharge with a strong unpleasant odour, itching, burning or pelvic pain should be assessed by a healthcare provider.

Not necessarily. Light bleeding before your period does not, by itself, diagnose low progesterone or a fertility problem.

Progesterone rises after ovulation and helps support the uterine lining. Although premenstrual spotting has been associated with luteal phase concerns, spotting alone cannot confirm a hormone deficiency.

Other possible causes include:
• Hormonal contraception
• Uterine or cervical polyps
• Fibroids
• Cervical irritation or infection
• Pregnancy-related bleeding

Should you check progesterone?
If testing is appropriate, your healthcare provider may recommend a blood test around seven days after ovulation—not automatically on cycle day 21. Progesterone fluctuates throughout the day, so one result cannot reliably assess the quality of the luteal phase.

Track when spotting starts, how long it lasts, and any associated symptoms. Discuss recurring spotting, bleeding after sex, or changes in your usual pattern with your healthcare provider.

If pregnancy is possible, take a pregnancy test when your period is due. Seek urgent care for bleeding with severe or one-sided pelvic pain, dizziness, or fainting.

Understanding the cause matters more than assuming you need progesterone.

Longevity Fertility Centre | Calgary & Edmonton

Are your periods coming closer together? A shorter menstrual cycle does not automatically mean infertility, but a persistent change is worth discussing with your healthcare provider.

Cycle length is counted from the first day of one period to the first day of the next. It is different from how many days you bleed.

How can shorter cycles relate to fertility?

• Ovulation may happen earlier, shifting your fertile window.
• Sometimes, shortening cycles can be associated with changes in ovarian reserve.
• A short cycle alone does not prove poor egg quality, low progesterone or difficulty conceiving.

What should you do?

Track your period dates, bleeding pattern and any ovulation-test results. Avoid assuming that ovulation always happens on day 14.

If you are trying to conceive and your cycles are consistently shorter than 25 days, seek advice early rather than waiting the usual 6–12 months. Also discuss bleeding between periods or a persistent change from your usual pattern.

Your healthcare provider can review your history and decide whether hormone testing or ultrasound is appropriate.

Cycle length is one part of the picture. Age, ovulation, sperm health and other reproductive factors also matter.

Sperm morphology refers to the size and shape of sperm. During a semen analysis, a laboratory examines sperm under a microscope and reports the percentage that meet strict criteria for normal appearance.

Normally shaped sperm have an oval head and a long tail. Abnormalities may involve the head, midpiece or tail.

Low sperm morphology, also called teratozoospermia, means that the percentage of normally shaped sperm is below the laboratory’s reference range. With strict criteria, a result below 4% normal forms is commonly considered low.

Does this mean infertility?

Not necessarily. A result of 3% normal forms does not mean you have only a 3% chance of pregnancy. Many sperm naturally do not meet strict shape criteria, and pregnancy can still occur with low morphology.

Sperm shape alone cannot reliably predict whether pregnancy will happen. Results should be reviewed alongside:

• Sperm count and concentration
• Sperm movement (motility)
• Semen volume
• Both partners’ reproductive health and fertility history

Your healthcare provider may recommend repeat testing or further assessment. One number does not tell the whole fertility story.

A positive pregnancy test followed by bleeding can feel confusing and upsetting. One possible explanation is a chemical pregnancy—a very early pregnancy loss, usually before five weeks, before a pregnancy can be seen on ultrasound.

The pregnancy produces enough hCG to give a positive test, but then stops developing and hCG levels fall.

Possible signs include:
• A positive test followed by a negative result
• Bleeding around or after your expected period
• Cramping or bleeding heavier than your usual period

However, bleeding alone does not confirm a chemical pregnancy. Bleeding can also occur in an ongoing pregnancy or an ectopic pregnancy.

Contact your healthcare provider if you bleed after a positive test. Repeat hCG blood tests and, when appropriate, ultrasound may help clarify what is happening.

Seek emergency care for severe or one-sided abdominal pain, shoulder-tip pain, fainting, or heavy bleeding.

Early losses often involve chromosomal problems and are usually not caused by anything you did. One chemical pregnancy does not mean you cannot have a healthy pregnancy in the future.

Your feelings matter, even when a loss happens very early. If losses repeat, discuss further evaluation with your healthcare provider.