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My doctor's rules are to come in if you haven't conceived in 6 months if you're over 35 or have any other factors (PCOS, endometriosis, etc). If this cycle doesn't take, you should definitely see someone. There might be some tests that could be done that would be covered by insurance. Once insurance covers them, I'd get them done asap. It's always good to know.

i would definitely see someone after your 6th cycle to rule anything out. My insurance covered everything and I did clomid/iui/saw an re when I was 29. I'd never heard of insurance not covering specific tests until you were 35.... that kinda sucks if it's true!

Yeah, I'm only 30 and saw an RE after only a couple of months off the pill. I knew something was wrong pretty soon though and sure enough my Gyno diagnosed me with PCOS after a quick blood test. As far as I know my insurance is covering it, I've never heard of insurance not covering it because of age!

@JoJoGirl: i just wasn't ovulating (was testing on the clearblue fertility monitor), so they put me on clomid. but it was probably just a fluke for 2 months (post miscarriage), because i ovulate normally now and got pregnant with charlie and olive without any fertility treatments.

If your gut it telling you that something isn't quite right, I would advocate for yourself. Sorry for the rant that follows - I just feel very strongly about this!

DH and I started TTC right after we got married in August of last year (I was 33 at the time, DH 36). I had just ditched the BC the previous month, so when we didn't get pregnant right away, I wasn't too concerned. I had a GYN annual visit in Nov, brought my charts showing regular cycles (~26-29 days), discussed that we were using pre-seed and that I was showing regular signs of ovulation (EWCM, sore boobs post-O, etc.), and he said he was sure that the next time he saw me, I would be pregnant. But he also said, that if I wasn't pregnant in 6 months to see him. We continued to TTC for the following 6 months (so I think 9 cycles total) until about March and I made the appt with him. DH and I went in to see him and by the end of the month we were seeing a specialist because we found out that I had tubal issues and DH had male factor (sperm) issues. I honestly never thought about the fact that we might have problems, so this was a total shock. But at the same time, I kinda knew that something wasn't quite right - that we should be getting pregnant!

I know that Docs always push the 35 thing, but really I would check with your insurance. My ins. didn't even question the fact that I was under 35 and that we had been trying for less than a year... I really think that is generally the Docs guideline rather than ins. That being said, if your doc won't get you the help you think you might need, maybe it is time to find another doc. I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised to hear my doc was going to be proactive in our case (since I am under 35). If he hadn't been, we would have had to wait A LOT longer to find out that we had problems.

Sorry for the rant. You can tell I feel very strongly about this subject due to my own personal biases, but I HATE that 35 cut-off. And, if my DH's SA and my HSG had come back without issues, I would have gladly TTC on our own for awhile longer. But I was also in a way relieved to hear that it wasn't all in my head.

I am so sorry you are having to deal with this - I wouldn't wish it on anyone! If you have more questions, please let me know! *HUGS*

I thought most ins covered it if you were trying for 12 months under 35 or 6 months after 35.

I went because my periods were just getting further and further apart, like 3 months apart! So that obviously makes TTC a nightmare. I'm 28, and was off BC for a year at that point.

If you're NTNP for 6 months and it doesn't happen, I wouldn't worry, but if you're tracking when you O (charting, OPK, or CM), BD'ing plenty around then and still after 6 months haven't gotten pregnant, then I'd see someone. Maybe there is nothing wrong and they will just put your mind at ease, or maybe there's something simple that can be easily helped, or maybe there's something that needs more work and better to start sooner than later.

@JoJoGirl: I definitely wish you the best of luck! I'm really glad you like your doc - that is so important! I know how frustrating it is to wonder every month, but hopefully the stenosis was the issue and things are back on track. I also HATE dealing with the insurance companies so it is really great that your DH can help on that end :)!

@Jojogirl: The RE office you decide to go with will run your insurance prior and let you know if anything isn't covered specifically. I had to give mine my ins info when I made the appt and they called me back and told me my coverage. So I dont think it's a bad idea for you to go ahead and schedule an appt & ask them to check your coverage beforehand. Also, fyi- diagnostic fertility testing for you needs to happen on CD3, so you may want to plan according to that:)

I'm not sure what kind of insurance you have, but it sounds strange to me that it would have an age limit for testing. I was 33 when I started getting tested. I had 3 miscarriages in 5 months, so I met the definition of "infertile." My RE said that he sees anyone who has had 3 or more miscarriages in a row, who have been trying to get pregnant (well timed trying) unsuccessfully for 1 year if under 33 and for 6 months if 33 or older.

ETA - I just read through the comments and wanted to add that I have five close friends who took over 8 months each to get pregnant after coming off b/c. I think it's possible to not ovulate during that time(?). Are you charting? I found that really helpful.

I don't want to sway you against going to a RE, if your instincts tell you something is wrong, but I found some of the routine procedures really painful. Emotionally, the appointments (the first appointment in particular, which was just a consult) were very overwhelming for DH and for me. Before you do make the appointment, just make sure you and DH are on the same page in terms of thinking that there may be an issue and at the point of wanting medical advice/intervention. An RE is there to get you pregnant, so it can be very overwhelming to sit in a room and have your TTC plan mapped out on paper by someone you're meeting for the first time. Good luck, I hope you get your BFP soon

Maybe call when you O and try to get something lined up for 2 weeks later??? Hopefully you can get in just for an initial consult in a couple of weeks!

@Jojogirl Obviously every dr's office works differently but for my CD 3 bloodwork, I just could go in without an appt on the right day (and I could do Day 2 or Day 3) so don't stress over those specifics until you have your first appt and go over everything with the dr...
Also, be prepared that it might take a couple of cycles to get all the tests done, so the process is slower than you'd probably like. For example, one of the diagnostic tests at my place is a HSG, which has to be done been CD 5-CD10 and of course I was on vacation during that time this cycle so I have to wait until Sep to do that...

Insurance not covering certain procedures because of age is a little odd. I know my insurance will not cover infertility procedures but it has nothing to do with my age.

I went to my OBGYN after 10 months of trying. I had bloodwork done to check hormones, and then I scheduled an HSG and my husband had a SA. I am 32. My doctor said that a year is usually the general timeframe but she knows that it gets frustrating so she was perfectly fine in ordering bloodwork and giving me orders for scheduling the HSG and my husband's SA. I think, if anything, these three things should be done at any time that you would like to, regardless of how many months you've been trying. All but the SA was covered by insurance (the SA was around $100).

As we approach our one year mark of trying (bleh) I am glad we went to the doctor a little bit earlier than what is considered "normal" and had the standard tests done. I actually wished we went earlier at 7 or 8 months of trying b/c I am in freak out mode right now and every month that goes by just keeps getting more and more frustrating.

My HSG showed open tubes and hormone levels were good - my cycles range from 28-30 days. SA showed borderline low motility. He's taking some fertileaid supplements to see if that will work. If we are not able to get pregnant in the next couple of months on our own my doctor gave me a couple of REs to contact for an IUI and other fertility testing. *sigh* TTC can be a cruel game sometimes and I wish you the best of luck and lots of baby dust

I might be the only one but I got advice before I even started. I had long cycles so I went in to my doc and got out on clomid before we even started, just to help me ovulate and regulate my cycles. Never too early!