I have my first appointment with a doctor about what may be secondary infertility.
I'm 36 and we've been tying for #2 since October.
This appt is to inform my family doctor, who is also my OBGYN of these facts, and to find out what our next steps are.
What should I expect at this appointment from her, and what questions should I ask?
This is all so new to me, so I"m nervous.
hostess / wonderful grape / 20803 posts
You've been trying 7 months? Why do you think you have secondary infertility? Are you ovulating? Have you had losses? I don't think most doctors consider you to have infertility until one year of active trying.
She will probably ask you to start keeping track of your cycles if you haven't already done this. I would just ask about how long you should try on your own before you do any testing and then from there ask what testing she would plan to do. I think every doctor is a little different in their approach.
pear / 1852 posts
@winniebee: I was told to see the doctor after 6 months of trouble since I'm over 35. our dd was conceived in 2 months.
hostess / wonderful grape / 20803 posts
@Mrs. D: gotcha. I still think it is within normal range for it to take up to a year to conceive, even if 35+. But typically doc will run panel of labs off the bat (testing FSH, AMH (for ovarian reserve) progesterone, thyroid, and oestradil). If everything comes back normal, they can do an ultrasound around ovulation to see what your follicles look like. From there, they can do a procedure to check your tubes. Usually your OB can do all of this initial testing and then refer to reproductive endochronolist. I never had discussions with my doctor beyond that.
ETA - fertility can be strange. My first took 8 months (but I had a miscarriage in there) at age 30. My second took 2 months at age 33, zero issues. My third took 5 months, but I had 4 chemical pregnancies while trying (I was nursing and apparently that was an issue for me) at age 35. As part of this, I had a lab workup and it turned out I had very low AMH -- which can suggest low ovarian reserve. For me, though, apparently this wasn't the case. Good luck. I'm sure it's very frustrating and I would probably jump to the conclusion something is wrong, but honestly 7 months is within the normal range still.
honeydew / 7235 posts
@Mrs. D: both of mine took about 7+ months -- i think even over 35 some still want you to wait a year.... are you ovulating regularly? are you tracking? i imagine its frustrating since it happened so fast for you the first time, but i'd give it a bit more time.
pear / 1547 posts
Just wanted to add that looking into things after 6 months for age 35+ is pretty standard. Mostly to catch things sooner if there are any issues even if everything may be normal. So I think seeing your doctor is a good plan. Good luck!
persimmon / 1188 posts
I already know that I have PCOS and hypothyroidism so I would ask for testing/review of my test results. Those are both pretty common so if you suspect they could be issues for you, you could ask about that. If I was sure I was ovulating and timing my trying right, I would probably see the doctor after 6 months too. I'm also in my mid-30s and I definitely expect our second to take awhile. Good luck!
coconut / 8430 posts
My doctor suggested doing a semen analysis to rule out male factor issues. It was relatively inexpensive and it's non invasive.
pear / 1767 posts
I'm 36 and am finally pregnant with my second after a little over a year of trying. I went to my doctor after about 5 months of trying (my son had been conceived the first month of trying) and pretty much demanded she run a full panel of labs (FSH, AMH, TSH, estrodial, etc.). My lab results came back with some numbers slightly outside the normal range and she promptly referred me to a reproductive endocrinologist. I ended up getting pregnant naturally but it took much longer than with my first with lots of heartache and two miscarriages along the way.
I think the most helpful thing you can do now is have a hormone panel run to make sure all of your numbers are normal. If your numbers come back normal, they may recommend that your husband have a semen analysis. Good luck! Hope you get a positive soon!
pear / 1852 posts
.....and my appt was postoned. Goes with the territory when your doctor is and OBGYN.
Sigh, now a longer wait to see if we need any help...
kiwi / 625 posts
@Mrs. D: I am in a similar position, only I am 38 
We started "trying" in November, but it was December when I even knew what / when ovulation was happening and I got pregnant right away, just like with my son. I lost that baby, and started trying again in April, but I got deathly ill, but then got pregnant again in May for about 1 day, then had a chemical.
After the first miscarriage I had the following tests done:
Thyroid tsh, freet3, free t4
Iron, b6 $ b12
A whole slew of blood clotting panel bloods
MTHFR
Progesterone
A thyroid uktrasound
It was a roller coaster and at the end the only thing I discovered was my MTHFR mutation. So now I take folate and baby aspirin
After this last miscarriage I am now going to persue a HSG next month, and if that shows nothing and I am still not pregnant then I will do the Estrogen, then the month after AMH & FSH etc testing. I am putting that off for a bit because I am not sure what good that info will do me, and I am worried it will get in my head
If I were younger (even 36) I would definitely be more relaxed and inclined to give it a full year.
Sorry for the long post - just thought I would share, since we are in similar boats.
Good luck with your Dr appt!
pear / 1852 posts
Finally got my appointment rescheduled. For Monday, YAY!
I'll also be 10dpo, wouldn't it be ironic.....
pear / 1503 posts
@Mrs. D: good luck with your appt. It would be so ironic if you were! I agree, though, that it's not too soon to see your doc. DH and I are wanting to TTC, but I hadn't got my period back (almost 14 mo PP). I have an appt to see my family doc on Tuesday for my annual, and planned to bring up not getting my period yet... And it started on Thursday! Go figure!
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