An otherwise healthy couple arrives at the reproductive endocrinology clinic for their first consultation regarding primary infertility. They have been actively attempting to conceive for 18 months without success. The female partner is 27 years old, reports predictable 28-day menstrual cycles, and denies any history of pelvic pain, abdominal surgeries, or sexually transmitted infections. The male partner is 29 years old and has no significant past medical history. They are eager to understand the step-by-step process of their care. Arrange the following steps of their evaluation and management in the most appropriate standard chronological sequence, starting from the initial diagnostic step and concluding with the most advanced therapeutic intervention.
- 1Perform a semen analysis of the male partner
- 2Assess fallopian tube patency via hysterosalpingography (HSG)
- 3Conduct a trial of controlled ovarian stimulation with intrauterine insemination (IUI)
- 4Proceed to in vitro fertilization (IVF)