IVF CO breath test

[LouHB]

Hi. Myself & my husband have been refered for IVF treatment & had out first consultation appt yesterday.
Very excited to finally get the ball rolling.
We both had to have a few tests, one of which included a CO breath test to see if we were smokers.
My husband is an ex smoker (5 years +).
And I am a non smoker (never even tried it)
After this test my husband's came back as normal (4) but mine came back too high (8).
We do not understand this atall & are quite upset over it!
I have to go back to be retested in 3 months, but if it is the same they said they won't give us treatment!
I'm just wondering if anybody else has had the same issue or knows anything that may help me.
(Our boiler in the house is new so we know this is not causing an issue).
Thank you

[Anaesthetist83]

How disappointing.

Had you been exposed to any passive smoking on the day, or spent time in a polluted area (ie standing by the side of a busy road)? Just read some of the papers relating to CO breath tests and they seem to give variable results depending upon speed of exhalation - slower exhalation associated with higher readings. Having said this, 8ppm is fairly high. Hope your repeat is better and the above may be worth bearing in mind?

[FakeTanandProsecco]

8 is quite high for a smoker as well as a non-smoker, i would consider getting your boiler tested. It may be that you were just exposed to higher levels from traffic etc but i would be surprised if that would give a reading that high. For comparison, if i see a woman in clinic (midwife) and she had a reading of 6+ it's usually as they have smoked that morning.

[Anaesthetist83]

But her partner’s level was ok - so if it was the boiler, I’d anticipate it to affect both of them (I assume you live together!)

[LouHB]

Hi. My husband said the same about the speed of the breath given, so will definitely keep that in mind.
We're pretty sure it's not the boiler as it's only a year old & my father is a gas engineer. & i asume as well that my husbands read would of been higher also as yes we do live together. But we are going to buy a new monitor just to be sure.
I think I'm also going to get the car checked for its emissions as it's due an mot in September.
But honetley we are so baffled by it because I truley have never even tried to smoke.
It's the one test I wasn't concerned about tbh.
Thanks all.