What should be the initial evaluation to determine the etiology of infertility in a 25-year-old female trying to conceive for 1 year?

The initial evaluation for a 25-year-old female experiencing infertility after one year of trying to conceive typically involves assessing ovulation. Basal body temperature (BBT) measurements are a useful method for this purpose because they can help the patient track her menstrual cycle and identify patterns in ovulation.

By charting BBT, a woman can observe a slight increase in temperature that occurs after ovulation, thus offering insight into her ovulatory status and helping to determine if irregular ovulation is a contributing factor to her infertility. This can guide further investigations or interventions aiming to address potential ovulatory dysfunction.

While other methods, such as serum progesterone levels or more invasive procedures like endometrial biopsy and hysterosalpingogram, might provide additional insights into the reproductive health of the individual, they are typically not the first steps when starting the evaluation for infertility. The initial approach focuses on simple, non-invasive methods that can provide essential information about ovulation before proceeding to more complex diagnostics.