Last gyn appoinment before TTC

housewifehobbyist

Hello All,

   I've been lurking here for a few days.  I'm 30, live in Brooklyn, and have been married to my wonderful DH for a little over two years.  We are planning to start TTC August of 2015, which I know is a ways away.  I'm in good health with no family history of fertility problems (Quite the opposite actually! We have a family history of getting KU early and often).  I usually only go to my gyn once a year for an annual exam, which is coming up in a few weeks.  My insurance covers the annual exam for free, but it has to be scheduled no sooner than a calendar year from the last one.  I know that it's not usually necessary to schedule an appointment before you TTC, but is there anything I should ask my gyn to prep myself as there is a chance I'll be pregnant before my next annual is scheduled?

Thank you for your help!

dietrajade13

I agree, just cover it with your doc when you go for your annual.  I went this month and we will be TTC in November.  She told me it's not necessary to come back and gave me all the info I needed.  She took my blood in case of thyroid problems (it runs in my family), just to make sure I didn't have any issues that would flare up due to pregnancy.

delujm0

Just mention it to your doctor...that's what i did last year.  She just made sure i was taking PNVs (i had been taking them for almost 3 years) and then she did take some blood to make sure that i was current on a few relevant immunizations (MMR, chicken pox).

housewifehobbyist

Thanks again ladies!  I don't plan on making another appointment until I'm due for my next annual exam, so I wanted to be sure to get all the info I needed during this one.  I'll just tell him we're going to TTC in the next year and see what he says.  I'm still not sure if he'll be my OB when the time comes, but I have plenty of time to work that out.

uclameghan

I mentioned it at my recent annual and am very glad I did - we changed some of my asthma meds and did a TSH/T4 check and my thyroid came back needing a higher dose again. Also I had never been to an OB/GYN (just a GP), so it was great to meet them. FWIW, I just want to caution you to not assume it'll be quick to get pregnant. I sure hope it is easy, but I am of the same kind of family.....and we're on cycle 5 with nothing so far.

housewifehobbyist

I know it can take up to a year for normal couples to get pregnant, I'm not in a huge rush, I just wanted to clarify that there are no underlying issues that would cause me to seek treatment before TTC the "normal" way.  I hope you get a BFP soon though uclameghan!

jennypolkadots

My GYN does pap smears every 3 years and a pelvic exam every year. If something looks unusual then we do a pap but that has never happened. Anyways, I went for a sort of "pre-ttc" check up just to get a pap out of the way before ttc/pregnancy/post-partum because the cervix will be through enough and I hate exams.

We talked a bit about ttc and she was just like "if you are charting and it takes over 6 months, come see me." You should start taking prenatals several months before ttc to get the benefits and your DH can be on vitamins as well. If you aren't already, try to get to a healthy weight which can really help conceiving and pregnancy. Other than that, just cross your fingers. 

We got pregnant the first month trying, and that month we happened to have lousy timing and not be charting because we were traveling. But we used NFP for a year beforehand and I know when I ovulate. I really expected it to take longer so it was a shock. I have a family history like yours - if anything, overly abundant fertility. Granted, no one in my family waited past their early 20s to have a baby so that is a factor. I am the oldest out of all women in my and DH's families. I'll be 25 when our baby is born lol 

housewifehobbyist

Thank you!  You made me think of something else too.  I've been on Seasonale for the past few years, just to avoid the hassle of periods.  Maybe I should change over to a monthly pill?  I'm not sure if it makes a big difference, but I normally have two periods a year, so getting on a monthly cycle again might make sense.

Also, can I ask how far in advance you started prenatal vitamins?

dietrajade13

I've been taking PN since November because I made a rash decision to cut my hair before the wedding.  My OB said the longer the better. 

On the BCP's I'm on the generic of that and am stopping it Saturday.  The OB didn't say I needed to switch or anything but that is why I'm stopping them a few months before TTC.

housewifehobbyist

Hey all!   Just had my appointment and thought I'd give an update.  Most of what we discussed is pretty standard; he did tell me that people with Irish ancestry (like me) have a 3x higher chance of neural abnormalities related to folic acid deficiencies, which I never heard before.  He just advised me to take an extra folic acid supplement along with my prenatals three months before TTC.  He tends to lean towards the cautious side though (switch to decaf, no more than one alcoholic drink a day while TTC), but I'd rather be safe than sorry.  He also said there was no difference TTC after monthly period birth control pills or my 4 period a year pills, so that's good news to me!

I'm excited to start trying in August!  I'll be lurking around here for the next 11 months trying to absorb all of the board knowledge that I can.