What actually happens.

Your GP can arrange the first fertility tests on the NHS for free: blood tests to check ovulation and hormone levels, a chlamydia test and, for a partner, a semen analysis. They can also refer you for NHS treatment if you are eligible.

The NHS suggests seeing your GP after a year of trying, or sooner if you are 36 or over or have a known concern. If you are single or in a same-sex couple, you do not need to have been trying first.

Ask: Can I have printed copies of every result? They are yours, and any clinic can use them.

Before IVF a clinic will want to see your ovarian reserve (an AMH blood test and an antral follicle count scan) and, if sperm from a partner is being used, a semen analysis. You do not have to buy these from the clinic. Your GP, an independent lab or a mail-in home kit can often give you results faster and for less.

Clinics do not have to accept outside results, though, and many put a shelf life on them. Blood tests such as thyroid and the infection screen often have to be from the last 3 months. AMH may be accepted for longer, but some clinics repeat it because labs use different methods, and some will not accept finger-prick home samples.

Ask: Before you pay for a test: do you accept outside results, from which labs, and how recent must each one be? Then time your bloods so they are still in date when you book.

A mail-in kit lets you take a finger-prick blood sample or a semen sample at home and post it to a lab. Most check AMH and other hormones, or sperm count and movement. They can be a quick, private first look, and a way to have results in hand before your first appointment.

Know what they can and cannot tell you. The HFEA says hormone tests like these give some indication of fertility, but the results are not guaranteed, and AMH does not predict your chance of getting pregnant naturally. A home sperm test usually measures only count and movement, so a normal result does not rule out a problem, and a low one should be repeated by a lab.

If you buy one, choose a kit marked UKCA or CE for home use, sold by a pharmacy or provider you can check, that sends samples to an accredited lab (UKAS, ISO 15189) and gives you a written report a clinic can read. We do not take payment from test providers or recommend a brand.

Ask: Will you accept a home kit result, and from which labs? If not, the test can still help you decide what to do next, but budget for the clinic to repeat it.

A licensed clinic has to assess you before it can treat you, so a first appointment with a doctor cannot be skipped. You can make it count. Send your test results and history (how long you have been trying, past tests, past treatment) ahead of time, so the appointment is spent on a plan rather than on paperwork.

Ask: Does the fee come off my treatment? Is there a free open evening or nurse call I can use first?

By law, anyone whose eggs, sperm or embryos will be used or stored must be screened for HIV and hepatitis B and C (and sometimes HTLV) before treatment. It is usually done within three months of starting. Most clinics run it themselves, so ask how they handle it and what it costs.

Consumer law guidance from the Competition and Markets Authority says clinics must give you clear prices before you commit, including what the headline price leaves out: drugs, scans, freezing, storage and any add-ons.

Ask: Can I have this in writing, with everything the headline price leaves out? Then compare it with another clinic: your test results travel with you.