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I did not find the ultrasound to be horrible.

Having gone through fertility treatments, I'd personally go in with an idea of what kind of treatments and interventions you are and aren't comfortable with. I'd think about how aggressive you'd like to be, very, not very, whatever. I'd think about your age, your goals, how many children you want, and on what kind of schedule (in an ideal world).

I would also ask your doctor about their ideal treatment course, how aggressive they are comfortable being, etc. This was a big issue for me. I knew that I wasn't ovulating, and I wasn't interested in messing around with a year of waiting to see if it got better. If you're already seeing an RE, you might not have to deal with that. Just make sure that you're on the same page with the timetable you want.

I was not ovulating, and my problems were solved easily with clomid. I ovulated on 100mg of clomid, and got pregnant on my fourth cycle. It wasn't any fun, but it worked, and I got through it. Sperm quality issues are also on the easier side of things to deal with. You've got kind of a crummy road ahead of you, but there is most likely a big fat baby at the end of it.

@alie: hey! Just wanted to chime in and say good luck at your appointment ! I think I would prefer the ultrasouds, know as much as possible! My sister has been going to an RE for about 6 months now - they are doing IVF and she has had a good experience.... There are no dumb questions - ask as many as you want!

Keep us posted on how it goes!

Good luck with your first appointment! I know for me, that first appointment was hard because I was pretty sad about reaching that point in this journey. I was emotional, and scared about what was next. I think everyone on this thread has great advice. Understanding the aggressiveness of the treatment - what they typically do and what you're up for is a good thing. And making sure they know you have these pieces of the puzzle already (SA results and no ovulation) so maybe you can jump in to treatment sooner (if you want). Just make sure you speak up, and try not to get too overwhelmed by everything that they will go over with you. It's a lot to take in.

As for the ultrasound, I didn't go to mine with my husband. I think I would have felt even more awkward about it. In the end, my first experience with the U/S wasn't as bad as I had imagined it to be in my head. And on my second one, I just wanted to see my uterus and really understand what's going on in there. I was sad that I was looking at an empty uterus, but I know that someday I'll be looking at one with a baby inside. And so will you!

Here is my advice from my own personal experience:

1) Make sure your DH comes with you to the first appointment, or at least one early appointment with the Dr to discuss a treatment plan.

2) Figure out ahead of time what is most important to you, then be your own advocate throughout the process to achieve this. For me, I had irregular bleeding from PCOS and the only reason I went to an RE at first was to figure out why and make sure nothing was wrong. At one point I had to remind my Dr. about the bleeding since he just marked down PCOS and was about to treat me for NOT getting a period.

3) Don't be afriad to ask for the same instructions multiple times. Seeing an RE can be very complicated and confusing - every time I went I left with a completely new set of instructions that was like a choose your own adventure novel. I always asked the nurse to repeat the instructions several times so that I understood.

4) Be patient and accept the process. I have my greviences about the whole 'running up the bill' aspect of my fertility center, but I understand that the process they have set forth for patients was developed to be the most effective, convenient and painless. There were things that rubbed me the wrong way at first then I was like "Ah! Now I see why they do it that way".