We're very early in the TTC journey, and have no concerns so far, but I like to have a contingency plan for everything. So when did you start talking to your doctor about having issues, and how early did they offer treatment options, etc? I've heard at least 6 months ttc is normal, is that what you experienced? I feel like if I have a better idea what to expect if things go that direction, I won't fear it as much. Infertility has always terrified me, and stressing about it won't help me any!
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I spoke to my doctor at 6 months and she agreed then recommended some fertility clinics. I was and am healthy and at the time 27 years old. My DH was 28 at the time but does have some health issues. Don't know if that had anything to do with it.
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From what I've heard/read, I was under the impression that 1 year + TTC if you're under 30 years old and 6 months + TTC if you're over 30 years old. I think it depends on your doctor too.
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My doctor told me to come see her if it got to be 6+ months. I wasn't ready at that point, and waited until 8 months I think. She wasn't much help (and test results came back fine), so I also started seeing an acupuncturist at that time.
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I was told I'd have major issues based on my age and autoimmune issues. We had a detailed plan for all the modalities we would try, but decided we wouldn't do IVF. Turns out those docs didn't take into account my highly fertile Italian genes
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I went when I realized I wasn't resuming ovulation after coming off BC. I actually just expected my GYN to prescribe me clomid and send me on my way, but they insisted I had to see an RE. I would definitely give it a few months unless you suspect a problem.
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After a year we went to a specialist. I was in my late 20's at that point & since I didn't have any known issues I wasn't stressed or concerned til a year went by. At that point we both got tested & discussed our options.
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I think it really depends on your doctor and your prior health history. Some doctors will make you wait for a year and others will see you sooner.
I had an annual exam at 5 months and brought it up then. She had me wait until 6 months for my first "official" fertility appointment. One of the reasons why she would see me at 6 months is because I had been doing OPKs for at least 3 months. If I had gone to her without doing the OPKs, she would have told me to do that for 3 months and then come back. She said that timing is usually the issue so she wants to make sure we know when to BD before going into medical interventions.
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I told my regular doctor when we began trying to conceive. This was recorded in my medical records and proved to be invaluable for insurance purposes. Once we reached the year mark, I spoke with my OB about getting the routine testing taken care of, but after making calls to my insurance I found out that all infertility testing had to be done by approved doctors, and through a specific program. And they would only cover us after 1 year of trying. Bottom line - have fun, don't stress yet, but be sure to take into account the insurance aspect.
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I've heard the same thing as @LindsayInNY: The info came from my sister who ended up needing fertility treaments.
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Yes, I agree with @LindsayInNy--that's the standard advice based on ages.
@Sweetooth: very good advice on the insurance, especially given the thread earlier about the cost of IF!
After knowing we had been timing everything right, I decided to consult a doctor after 6 months or so. I didn't want to wait a year just to find out something was wrong all along. Many of the IF bees said they wish they had gone earlier rather than later.
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I was prescribed Clomid from my regular gyno at 6 months, but after a month long bleeding session and either not getting any positive OPKs or getting all positives 7 days in a row. I went to the RE right at the year mark, attempted IUI (two had to be cancelled, three didn't work) and did IVF after that. 2nd IVF worked!
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I waited until about 8 months before going to my doctor for some basic lab tests like a semen analysis and bloodwork and went to an RE at 10 months after that didn't seem to get us anywhere. Looking back, if you've done everything you possibly could (OPKs, charting, etc.) and still aren't having any positive results after 6 months, I'd go then. Oh and check your insurance. Ours didn't cover anything, so we could've gone straight to an RE if we wanted to.
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I sought out a fertility Doc. after we still weren't pregnant 10 months after my first MC.
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I talked to my doctor about fertility treatments before we even started. But I guess it's because for the whole year before I talked to him, I had 2 periods in that one year. So he wanted to test me and put me on an ovulating medication right away.
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We waited about 3 years.
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I mentioned it to my gyno at nine months. After some tests my husband was referred to an urologist. We didn't start any type of IF treatments until the 18 month mark.
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I had some blood tests done to check my hormones at about 7 months through my gyn, then I went to an RE at the 1 year mark (because insurance covered it then).
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We waited about four months. My OB suggested we go because of age (34) and we had reason to suspect MF. At appt we learned no MF but that I had endo. We waited another six months to start what would turn into many months of treatments.
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We saw a urologist after 3 months because we had reason to suspect MF based on DH's history. The urologist confirmed MF and sent us to an RE.
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I agree, with pp - I think it depends on your doc. My gyn won't even discuss IF until 12 months of trying...but really he prefers 18 months for someone my age (25) :-\
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I visited the doctor after a year, saw a reproductive endocrinologist at 18 months, and started with my naturopath at about 20 months. Most doctors won't even refer you somewhere until you have a year TTC under your belt.
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I was 29 when we started TTC. We tried for 9 months before my doctor gave me a referral to a RE. I have a known fertility issue (PCOS), so they were willing to see me earlier than the 12 months the usually have you wait if you are under 35.
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@doxielove: I don't get this. I really don't see any reason why it should take 18 months for a healthy couple with no known fertility issues to conceive. After 12 months isn't it astoundingly obvious that something else is wrong here??
I am 26 and having some pretty bad issues that are completely freaking me out... especially since I don't have a clear answer to what is causing them. I went to my GP at around the 6 month mark, when my period had completely stopped after having a few long and irregular cycles. I had an ultrasound and blood work done to look for problems but came back with nothing but hypothyroidism which I am not convinced is my whole problem. Depending on what my doctor says during my follow up appointment next week, I will likely be looking for a doctor who specializes in fertility issues, even if we need to pay out of pocket for it. At CD112 I'm starting to panic.
If you're not experiencing any issues (lack of Ovulation/Period or anything like that) I would wait 6-12 months before going to a doctor... normal TTC can take time.
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I think if you don't notice anything wrong then 6 months - 1 year is normal. But for me, I stopped taking the pill and was bleeding nonstop for months. So I knew something was wrong. I was diagnosed with PCOS and told my options were either to get back on the pill or to be referred to an RE. I chose the RE because I knew we did want to start TTC soon and it would probably take several months if not years to finally work - and I was totally right.
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@pui: I think you have a good plan in mind... If your current doctor isn't going to take you seriously, find someone who will. Just because @doxielove:'s doctor waits 18 months doesn't mean every doctor will. My fear if that my doctor will have a passive "you're still young" approach. I'll be 30 this year and while, yes I'm still young, we're ready now and I don't want to wait if I don't have to. She might not agree but that's not her choice, it's mine/ours.
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@pui: Yes, thank you! My OB claimed it's because the timing may not always be perfect, so you may *think* you've tried for 12 months, but realistically it may be closer to 8, for example. I tried explaining that if I have charts, and opks, etc, that show we've had semi-decent timing (EOD around O, at the minimum), why CAN'T we move forward with testing? I've already switched OB's once and am reluctant to switch again, because for the most part I mesh well with him.
ETA: @LindsayInNY: I also have the "you're young, it'll be fine!" stigma. I'm only 25 so I usually get the sideways eye of "enjoy your marriage, why do you want to rush babies?" Le sigh.
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pretty quickly. i had a miscarriage and then i wasn't ovulating for 2 months after that, so i started clomid with an re. it was less than 6 months since we first started ttc.
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Just wanted to mention that you may not actually need a referral from your OB. I worried about the "how many months" thing and then found out that with my insurance all they wanted was the referral from my PCP's office, which was easy enough to get over the phone.
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We have been TTC for 22 months now. We just started at the fertility clinic last month and are doing our first treatment cycle this month. I have PCOS and was diagnosed 10 yrs ago. My OB/GYN told me that at 6 months of TTC she would start me on Clomid (I'm 30). We waited until we had been trying a year and started with four rounds of Clomid. Sometimes I wish we would've started all the processes earlier. Good luck!
ETA: Also, if you're early into TTC and have no concerns, try not to stress and worry about it while you can. Try to enjoy it!
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@Mrs. Bee: How did you know you weren't ovulating?
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@Spaniellove: yes, I'm grateful I was didn't know about referrals. I just called and made an appointment on my own. When they asked who referred me, I said, "The internet, I guess."
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We went at 6 months (even though the recommended for <30 yrs old is 1 yr) because both of my sisters have PCOS and one of them struggled with infertility for 7+ yrs before deciding to adopt.
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