Tests for IVF: the List for Both Partners Under Order 803n

The pre-IVF work-up is a rare case where the test list does not depend on a particular clinic's opinion: it is fixed by Ministry of Health order No. 803n, and the fertility specialist checks your folder against exactly that document. Below: what both partners take, what the woman and the man take separately, how long each result stays valid, and how to lay the testing out across the cycle so nothing has to be repeated.

Who sets the list: order 803n

Order No. 803n on assisted reproductive technologies is the master document for everyone entering a protocol. Its annexes list the examinations for the woman and the man and the validity period of each result. Two practical consequences: the clinic may not open a protocol without the full list — and should not demand more than it without indications. Any questionable item can be checked directly against the order's text.

The shared baseline for both partners

Both partners take blood tests for HIV, hepatitis B and C and syphilis. Validity — 3 months: the shortest-lived of the "long" items, so it is scheduled close to the protocol start date. A positive result does not end the programme: it changes the route (dedicated protocols and labs), not the outcome.

The woman's work-up: list and validity periods

The key block is hormonal. AMH reflects ovarian reserve and largely determines the stimulation protocol; FSH, LH, prolactin and estradiol are assessed together as a single sex hormone panel, strictly on cycle days 2–5. The infection block is checked separately — how to read toxoplasma, rubella and herpes-group results is covered in the guide to TORCH infections.

If the cause of infertility is still being clarified and the list feels endless, it helps to understand the logic of each item — it is laid out in the guide to female infertility testing.

The man's work-up

The male block is smaller but mandatory: no protocol opens without it, even when the infertility factor is considered female. The main test is the semen analysis (usually accepted up to 6 months old): the embryologist uses it to decide between classic IVF and ICSI. How to read its values — in the semen analysis guide. Added to it are infections (the shared block above) and a smear; if the semen analysis is abnormal, the further route is described in the guide to male infertility testing.

IVF under public insurance: the same lists

There is no separate "free IVF list" — the public-insurance quota rests on the same order 803n. The difference is organisational: for a quota the work-up is arranged through the women's clinic, and the commission checks the folder's completeness and each result's validity on the submission date. This is where short-lived tests most often "burn out" — make sure the one-month block is fresh for the commission meeting, not for the start of paperwork.

Why the validity periods are strict

The validity periods in 803n are not bureaucracy. An IVF protocol means hormonal stimulation and anaesthesia for the egg retrieval: the clinic must be sure that right now you have no anaemia, clotting disorder, active infection or untreated hypothyroidism — each of these findings changes tactics or postpones the protocol. An outdated result gives no such guarantee, which is why an "almost fresh" test will not be accepted.

How to schedule testing around the cycle

Plan backwards from the expected protocol start date:

• 2–3 months out: the "annual" items — fluorography, ECG, cytology, breast ultrasound, rubella; the partner's semen analysis in parallel.
• 1–2 months out: the infection block for both (the 3-month window leaves margin) and hormones on days 2–5 of the nearest cycle.
• 2–4 weeks out: the one-month block — CBC, biochemistry, coagulation, urine, smear — in a single fasting visit.

The IVF calculator helps orient in cycle dates and programme odds. And if you are still at the preparation stage and the protocol is not a matter of the coming months, start with the shorter list from the guide to pregnancy planning tests: all of it will count towards IVF later.

The short version

The IVF list is set by order 803n: infections for both partners with a 3-month window, the clinical and hormonal blocks for the woman with validity from 1 month to a year, a semen analysis and infections for the man. The strategy: work from the long-lived items to the short ones, anchoring hormones to cycle days 2–5. Once results are in, you can upload them for decoding — the service explains every value and helps you arrive at the fertility clinic with a clear folder, not a stack of forms.