Intro/First RE appointment today

AnonymousNurse

Hi TTTC!  I am not brand new to The Bump, as I have been posting in TTGP on and off for a while now, but I am new here.  I had my first RE appointment today and am still trying to take in all of the information.  I was diagnosed with PCOS, which was kind of a surprise - it wasn't even really on my radar for some reason, but it makes sense.  I had a whole bunch of blood work drawn, and I also had an ultrasound that showed 30+ follicles on each ovary.  Awesome!

A little bit about me:  I am 28 years old, husband is 32, we have been married and TTC for a little over a year.  I'm an ICU nurse, and he is a chemist with a pharmaceutical company.  He is awesome and extremely supportive of whatever we need to do.

Next Friday I am having the HSG and SIS, and my husband is having his SA.  I'm excited to get this testing out of the way so we can start with treatment.  I have been given a prescription for Metformin to start after next week's appointment, and the doctor told me he is likely going to suggest either IUI or IVF right off the bat, depending on if we find any other issues.  This sounds a little aggressive to me, but I'm going to wait until we have our testing results before we go too far into that discussion.

This is all so new to me and a little overwhelming, to be honest.  I apologize in advance for the million questions I'm going to have for you all over the next few weeks and beyond!  I'm looking forward to getting to know all of you.

AnonymousNurse

Thanks @rainbowbridge14 !

LindseyM2012

I'm sorry you find yourself here, but welcome. Another PCOSer here. I agree that it sounds quite aggressive to skip to IVF. Don't forget to be an advocate for yourself and give your input on the treatment options (although being a nurse, you may not have to be reminded of that).

Hopefully we can help answer some of your questions over the next few weeks. The ladies here are so lovely and supportive. Good luck with the rest of your testing!

ashtownyeah

Welcome! Sorry you find yourself here. I recognize you fro TTGP … I'm a constant lurker.  

It's exciting to have some momentum after feeling like a standstill waiting through that first year! DH and I are unexplained, and we jumped into an IUIs right off the bat! But, you have to do what you feel comfortable with. I think it's totally fine if you want to pump the breaks a little. You need to be mentally prepared for the process … so take as much time as you need to get to a place where you feel "ready".

Best of luck to you throughout the rest of the testing process, and whatever plan you choose!

AnonymousNurse

LindseyM2012 said:

I'm sorry you find yourself here, but welcome. Another PCOSer here. I agree that it sounds quite aggressive to skip to IVF. Don't forget to be an advocate for yourself and give your input on the treatment options (although being a nurse, you may not have to be reminded of that). Hopefully we can help answer some of your questions over the next few weeks. The ladies here are so lovely and supportive. Good luck with the rest of your testing!

As much as I'm used to advocating for my patients, I do have a hard time advocating for myself sometimes!  I am definitely on top of this, though.  Or trying to be at least.  I'm thinking maybe he is giving me a worst case scenario.  Either way, as impatient as I'm feeling these days I still want to start with less invasive options first.

AnonymousNurse

ashtownyeah said:

Welcome! Sorry you find yourself here. I recognize you fro TTGP … I'm a constant lurker.  

It's exciting to have some momentum after feeling like a standstill waiting through that first year! DH and I are unexplained, and we jumped into an IUIs right off the bat! But, you have to do what you feel comfortable with. I think it's totally fine if you want to pump the breaks a little. You need to be mentally prepared for the process … so take as much time as you need to get to a place where you feel "ready".

Best of luck to you throughout the rest of the testing process, and whatever plan you choose!

Thanks for the encouragement : )

DSculley1824

Hi! Welcome to the group. I also have PCOS. I'm in the testing phase (had my CD3 blood work on Friday and my HSG on Monday). Waiting to get the final results and develop a plan. Hope your stay is short and sweet here

jennym25

Welcome to 3T! I'm also PCOS, but don't feel too discouraged. Do what you feel comfortable with and don't be afraid to tell the doctor you want to try this instead of that and see what he says. Good luck with your testing and hope you get answers soon.

BunnyBerry

Sorry you ended up having to make your way over to 3T, but I hope the testing yields some clear answers and a great plan that you feel comfortable with.

moto611

Welcome!  When my RE suggested going straight to medicated IUIs I thought it was really aggressive, especially since it seemed like I was ovulating just fine on my own... but then he talked about how the medications would increase our chances so I caved on that part. We did decide to start with TI instead of IUIs, but I spent that entire cycle freaking out about CM. Honestly that right there was enough to make me want to switch to IUIs - it's easier for me to have less to worry about.  If that makes sense.  And I'm not pregnant yet, so maybe the plan wasn't as aggressive as I thought?  Anyway sorry for the rambling - my point is I think IUI is actually a common first step for some REs.  IVF does seem especially aggressive though.

ritacita

Welcome! Being blindsided by a dx has got to suck, but at least you can take steps in the right direction now! I want to echo what the others are saying about being an advocate for yourself, it is so hard to do when you are feeling overwhelmed, but hopefully the support that you'll find here will help with that having said that, IUI isn't necessarily as aggressive as it might seem, but if you feel uncomfortable with any part of IF treatment the whole process is going to suck, so just make sure you know your options. Good luck and I hope your stay here is short!

dancerspose

Welcome and sorry you find yourself here.

I can tell you that with my diagnosis of PCOS (assuming my HSG come back normal) our RE is starting us with medicated TI cycles first, unless we want to jump straight to the more agressive (expensive) option of IVF.  It's pretty unlikely we will.

Good luck!