Preparing for TTC questions for doctor

MKM2014

Hello (newbie here)

My husband and I are planning to try next summer (there are several factors that just make that time & corresponding due dates ideal for us, our jobs, & our families). While it is a ways away I have my yearly appointment with my gyno tomorrow and I plan to bring this up since it is my last doc appointment before we TTC.

I am most interested in knowing what vitamins etc. Other than folic acid I should make sure I'm getting with my multivitamins and how soon before TTC I should stop birth control.

What else am I missing? This will be our first time around & I want to make sure my body is as healthy & prepared as possible. Just wondering what types of questions others had for their doc?

MKM2014

I am using nuvaring

I also had some questions about anything in particular I should avoid totally or during 2WW. Pregnancy will be an adjustment for me as I currently eat sushi once a month, have an alcoholic beverage probably 2 or 3 times a week, and drink a fair amount of coffee/espresso. Other than BC I don't really have any prescriptions to come off of but I do have a rescue inhaler I use every few months.

I know it can take a while but we are reeeeallly hoping we can make it in a 5 month window! But if we inch out of that it's not like we will stop and say "oh we will wait for this window again next year because it's most convenient". Life doesn't always happen in the most convenient way

That's a big reason why I want to know when I should stop BC though. I don't want to miss out on a few months of our most convenient window because my body is regulating/not ovulating

DebateThis

1. Start taking prenatals w/ folic acid now. I like the gummy VitaFusion ones.
2. Get your flu shot and any other booster shots you and YH are in need of. Get your titers run if you are unsure if you are in need of boosters. Many people who had an MMR vax as a teen are no longer immune and that particular booster needs to be done 30 days before you come off BCP.
3. Ditto PP's on Fertility Friend tutorials and Taking Charge of Your Fertility.
4. You don't need to avoid or give up anything for the 2WW. You don't even really need to give up most stuff during pregnancy. I ate sushi for the majority of my pregnancy and my kid is perfectly happy with his 15 toes and third eye.

There, I just summed up your preconception appointment. Can I charge you a copay?

painttheair14

Although I have no medical basis for saying this, I second the advice to stop your nuvaring a few months before TTC and using condoms until you're ready.

During that time, definitely start temping and charting with fertility friend.

sandrabrooke

Yeah, I'm also going to agree with stopping birth control prior to TTC.  I'm doing that now, and its nice to see myself regulating really fast.  But if I didnt' regulate fast, it would be good to know that I wasn't ovulating or as consistent as I thought for piece of mind in the TTC process.  

MKM2014

Crap! I completely forgot to ask about vaccines. I do happen to know that I will be about due for a tetanus booster in the time frame of our desired due date so I will pursue that. I usually get a flu shot in the fall anyway & will hopefully be able to schedule it with that (different office for my general doc).

It was my yearly OB exam but no up charge for the questions thank goodness

FYI she prescribed me a prenatal & said the same about not worrying about sushi & alcohol while TTC, only when I get a BFP. She also said that since I drink just one coffee pretty much daily & don't drink any pop that I won't even need to cut back when
pregnant

However, she did say that the vast majority of women will ovulate their first month off of nuvaring & that they only recommend waiting one cycle because you are more likely to hyper ovulate & conceive twins the first month off. Since we would love to have twins (only want 2 kids total & would like them close in age) she said she would just recommend trying the first month off.

I am probably going to go with that plan. If I happen to be in the minority who take a while to regulate I'm prepared for that consequence. I'll keep my fingers crossed

sandrabrooke

Yeah, i think some doctors believe in the miscarriage thing and other don't.  I haven't found anything good either  

You seem to have a good perspective on things so best of luck with TTC!  

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14whitney said:

I believe it's also suggested because miscarriage is common the first month. Let me look that up.

Hormonal BC works in part by thinning your uterine lining which can increase the risk of chemical pregnancies. How much it actually increases the risk is somewhat debated, though, because many women don't even know they're pregnant and assume it's their period, since the bleeding shows up at roughly the same time.

jennypolkadots

Sorry this is long but I seriously hate some of the silly restrictions during pregnancy that are just blanket rules when there is so much that is not black or white.

Sushi, Coffee, and Alcohol are fine during the TWW. You can't put your life on hold because it can take a long time to get pregnant. You will feel better if you read a bit about fetal development. You have until around 9 weeks before the baby can be affected by most anything you are doing. Sushi can only cause a problem if it contains harmful bacteria (quite rare) and it gets to the baby via the placenta. Your placenta will not be formed until 12 weeks, so you are good. It is natures little buffer to give a woman time to realize she is pregnant before she can do any harm to the baby.

With that said, if you have drank several nights a week for many years, you want to try to cut that out to make sure you are not physically dependent. I know that sounds extreme but these habits can be pretty hard to break and hard on your body. I am not sure how much you drink and not judging, just saying to consider it. I pretty much never drink but during my 2WW, I had 3 drinks with friends. No biggie.

On sushi, I would only eat it freshly prepared not the refrigerated trays at publix for example. If you are really concerned you can avoid high mercury sashimi (yellowtail, mackerel, yellowfin tuna) and get rolls that are made with tempura instead. Like crunchy shrimp rolls. I only order at nice restaurants that have a sushi bar where you can see how it is prepared. 

Read up on the true risks of some of the things you supposedly can't do or can't eat during pregnancy. For example, you can not get toxoplasmosis from a litter box if the cat is solely indoors and you don't have mice. You can not buy unpasteurized cheese in the US in any stores or restaurants, although you can at farmers markets from local places. Food contamination is easy to prevent and not an issue if you are eating at nice restaurants with freshly prepared food. You are at higher risk when eating at home if you use the same cutting board for meats and veggies and don't clean properly. You can also safely have 200 mg of caffeine a day, about 2 cups of coffee. The generalized rules are meant to protect the women who won't read up and make smart decisions about where their food comes from. Of course, once you are obviously pregnant you can expect some weird looks when you get that latte or order of spider rolls. I am 18 weeks pregnant and had a lovely order of sushi at an upscale Japanese place just 2 weeks ago... and I had some bleu cheese dressing last week. And some herbal tea this morning. And an iced coffee a few days ago. I am not losing sleep over it or putting my child at risk. 

MKM2014

Thanks!

I just want to clarify that I have 2 or 3 alcoholic beverages a week... not "I drink 2 or 3 nights a week" as in I get drunk. We usually keep wine around the house & beers in the fridge & I will have one glass with dinner every now and then. Most of my friends drink more frequently than I do and haven't had problems with it.

I will have to do more research on the sushi thing too. My doctor said "not after BFP" & my SIL is almost due & a sushi fanatic & hasn't touched it the whole time so I think I'll get some looks from family if I do otherwise. But it does seem a little overkill to completely eliminate some things that have very minimal risk.

SIL's pregnancy has definitely had an effect on how I think about my future pregnancy because everyone around us is seeing how much she has given up (she completely eliminated coffee at first and then gave in to a few cups every now & then. Even switched to non caffeinated pops etc). I don't want to look like the family member who half-asses it so I feel like I'll be explaining a lot of decisions to people for fear of judgement. The misconceptions can be frustrating!

jennypolkadots

@mkm2014 - thanks for clarifying. I assumed you meant 2 or 3 drinks a week but I didn't know for sure lol In that case I would just do everything you usually do until you have a confirmed pregnancy. It can not harm the baby. I wouldn't go binge drinking, obviously, but you don't do that anyways. Before I got pregnant I just learned a lot about actual fetal development and that calmed my fears.

I understand not wanting to be judged. I don't go taking my iced latte or sushi over to my in laws house lol if someone asked though I am happy to educate them. I wouldn't mention it to your doctor, but your doctor is also really unlikely to really care or ask. As far as coffee, it is widely published that 200 mg of caffeine is fine. Your sister is law sounds like a martyr, making it so well known what all she is "giving up for the baby". I am surprised she didn't just google these things. Most people are just not well informed. I wrote about this not long ago on another board. Doctors give blanket statements like "no sushi" when what they really need to do is inform mothers why. The absolute risk of getting any food borne illness is very very small, but if you want to be on the safe side there are ways to do that. Knowing what I know, I feel safer eating professionally prepared sushi than eating anything from a fast food restaurant where 16 year olds behind closed doors are responsible for making sure prep stations are sanitized and food is kept at the appropriate temperatures. Or eating at someone's home who uses a wood cutting board (extremely porous) for all of their foods. But you don't hear about these risks for whatever reason. I hope this helps but pregnancy is not a time to punish yourself with silly rules, just be smart about it! 

daisycakes2

Personally during 2WW, I would treat it as if I were preggo just in case! But anything during that time in moderation should be fine- that's just me being overly careful!

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daisycakes2 said:

Personally during 2WW, I would treat it as if I were preggo just in case! But anything during that time in moderation should be fine- that's just me being overly careful!

::facepalm::

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GhostMonkey said:

LongLiveTheEvilQueen said:

On the topic of vaccines is there a blood test available to see what shots you need? I was never vaccinated as a child until I was 12 years old. I moved to a different school system where it was mandatory for enrollment. I don't know how many shots I got or what kind and I doubt my mother has medical copies.

Absolutely. It would definitely be a good idea in a case like this.

Yup, it's called having your titers checked. Explain the situation to your doc and he/she can order the necessary blood work.