DH is Furious and I'm confused...

lady_chance_99

Hey everyone!

I went for my annual today with my ob/gyn and we were going through all the updates since I saw him last and what he suggests and etc. We were having a casual converstaion about the meds I'm on when the ob/gyn says: "You've been ttc while on ______ medication?!" To which I answer: "Yes, I have repeatedly kept my RE updated on all medicines I take and have been on this med since last May..." Ob/gyn says: "So she knows about it?!" Me: "Yeah... my regular family doc put me on it and I have been on it ever since updating the RE monthly that I am still on the same meds." Ob/gyn: "You need to stop taking this immediately. This medicine is not appropriate to use while TTC. It can cause birth defects and increases the risk of m/c..." Me: "I was on it while I was pregnant the last time- and I m/c'd..." Ob/gyn: "Well we won't be able to tell now if that had anything to do with it but since you are about to do your first IUI in a few days you need to stop it NOW."

So I come home and tell DH about it when he asks how my appt. went. He is FURIOUS! He can't believe that my RE's office didn't check this out and tell me about it. He wants me to change RE's because of it. He said it's their job to check meds and know what is okay to be on and whats not... I'm just completely caught off guard and confused on what to do. My regular dr prescribed it to me knowing we were TTC and my RE never said it wasn't okay and for my Ob/gyn to be so vehement about it is really concerning. I want to give them the benefit of the doubt and assume that this is just a slip up and human error but DH is not so easily convinced. It doesn't help that he also hates their wait times (which with an appt can still be over 2hrs sitting in the room without seeing anyone).

I'm sure that part of me just doesn't wan tto have to drive an hour away to find another RE (especially in the middle of a cycle) but could you weigh in on this? Is this something you would leave your RE over? I don't know what to do... Thanks for any/all the advice you can spare... and as always GL

SkyBee

I am so sorry! I would be extremely frustrated about this whole situation. What I would do is call the RE and tell the about what the OB said and ask for an explanation and if there was a reason they felt it was safe to use while ttc. If they have no idea how to answer, I would find a new RE, however if it was me, I would finish out the cycle and then switch. I would be really upset if my OB reacted this way to something.

luvboston

I have 50 different doctors(no I am not kidding) and each has a different perspective on what is and what is not safe while ttc and pg. For example I take a steroid creme for my LS the OB thinks its fine, the re said no way, my primary care sides with the RE. So then I asked the LS specialist they said they do not prescribe it to pg or ttc women unless it is absolut necessary but in my case where I have had 5 m/c they would not prescribe it unless things got very out of control. So your RE and PCP might have a different perspective. Keep this in mind while talking to the RE, also I have no clue what the medicine is but you can go online to drug.com or rxlist and see what class it is in and research it for yourself.

lady_chance_99

luvboston:

I have 50 different doctors(no I am not kidding) and each has a different perspective on what is and what is not safe while ttc and pg. For example I take a steroid creme for my LS the OB thinks its fine, the re said no way, my primary care sides with the RE. So then I asked the LS specialist they said they do not prescribe it to pg or ttc women unless it is absolut necessary but in my case where I have had 5 m/c they would not prescribe it unless things got very out of control. So your RE and PCP might have a different perspective. Keep this in mind while talking to the RE, also I have no clue what the medicine is but you can go online to drug.com or rxlist and see what class it is in and research it for yourself.

someone on 3t suggested that and it looks like the ob/gyn was right... fda class d and repeatedly staes that it causes birth defects and not to take during pregnancy... i dont know what to think...

Mitzi Bishi

Oh my. I also was sent into a panic just before my ER #1, because I was taking a high dose aspirin due to an unrelated issue. I had to go to my GP and she was the one that questioned it, because it was days before the ER and they had concerns I'd bleed a lot. 

Honestly it was the tip of the iceberg as to why I left that RE. It is their job to make sure you are taking things that are "safe", especially since you are paying loads of money and going through invasive procedures. It's counter active.

This same RE also gave women ibuprofen after the RE, which is also a big no-no. When I brought it up and said I wouldn't take it at ER #2 they were astonished an said they had never heard of that.  

Many doctors also have tried to put me on anti-bacterials for reoccurring UTIs, which studies have found create cleft palettes and heart defects, despite knowing we're TTC and that it shouldn't be in a woman's system for 6 months before TTC. I researched it high and low and refused. 

I'd definitely consider a new doctor, because if there's an oversight like this who knows where else they are cutting corners. I'm probably bias, too, because my first RE was awful and we stayed because they were closer and didn't know any different until things kept popping up to give us concern. 

Trust yourself, because you are your own best advocate! 

LaLe09

I know that doctors do not know about all consequences of every med on the market. I think you mentioned the safe fetus website. I typically go by that and do a major google search about any medication I may be taking when cycling/TTC. I've learned that I can't rely on my doctors for everything. Things get missed. It's important to be your own patient advocate. 

Also- class C/D meds are prescribed to women during pregnancy when the risks of not taking them outweigh the risks of taking them. That is something you should be discussing with your doctor.

Hope you and DH can agree on what's best for you right now! Sorry you are in this situation.

AngnShaun

I was sick a few weeks ago and i went to a emergency medical place and they were shocked when i told them that i was taking prednisone for fertility treatment... so its not too surprising to hear that some drs are ok with certain drugs and some arent... but i would probably be very concerned with a class D drug... have you spoken to your RE about it?

lady_chance_99

I will be talking to the RE about it on my appt on Saturday. Today I have an appt. with my regular doctor and will be asking her about it for sure. This is the 2nd medication she has put me on that was not okay to take while TTC and she knows very specifically that we are trying and seeing an RE. If I hold anyone most accountable its her. DH on the other hand is furious with the RE because he says the regular dr can't possibly know every medication that is okay/not okay to take while pregnant because that's not her specialty but the RE on the other hand... That's why he is so mad at the RE he sees it as: this is her job to double check those kinds of things. I still don't know what to do but I am considering switching RE's.

Even though I hold my regular dr more accountable for this (which I am considering switching that dr as well) I feel like my RE should have caught this since I have to tell them what meds I am on every single month. It also calls into question for me if she should have given me progesterone during my pregnancy instead of waiting until I BEGGED her to give me some just to make me feel like we tried everything possible. Funnily enough when I was telling the ob/gyn about the m/c the first thing he said when he heard about my low beta was: "did she put you on progesterone?" I understand that I have to be my own advocate and have done it before but I just don't know if my faith is at the level it should be now... I will probably update you guys again after my appt. today...

Thanks for everything and as always GL

CeeCee82

Ooooh I definitely understand your DH. That would totally damage my trust in the RE. I would switch RE's for both the med issue and the progesterone. You're paying good money for their expertise and they are supposed to be knowledgeable! I switched RE's because of similar situations while I was doing IVF and because he just seems to put everyone on two or 3 basic protocols and doesn't consider each patient's individuality. Driving an hour is worth it, in the end, regardless of the outcome. You'll at least know you made the best decisions possible.

Mitzi Bishi

lady_chance_99:

... It also calls into question for me if she should have given me progesterone during my pregnancy instead of waiting until I BEGGED her to give me some just to make me feel like we tried everything possible. Funnily enough when I was telling the ob/gyn about the m/c the first thing he said when he heard about my low beta was: "did she put you on progesterone?" I understand that I have to be my own advocate and have done it before but I just don't know if my faith is at the level it should be now... I will probably update you guys again after my appt. today...

Thanks for everything and as always GL

I am so sorry. My first RE also put info in their web portal about me taking progesterone, except they said they'd mail me the Rx. Seriously?!

It's so difficult to know things until it's too late and learn the lesson the hard wa. I hope you can figure out the missing pieces and have a successful and as effortless as possible pregnancy soon.  

UMichGirl

...lurking...(Ticker warning)

OP, I'd be pi$$ed if I was you too.  I really hope that your doctor(s) have some answers for you to make you feel better, but it sounds like there were some serious oversights made.

Also, I am highly curious who your RE is.  If you're from SE lower MI, especially.  We started out at one clinic and ended up switching...too much miscommunication.  The second place we went to we ended up leaving as well.  We even met with a third doctor for a consultation, before ultimately deciding to travel out of state to C.CRM for IVF.  Anyway, I hope everything gets cleared up for you.  Good luck!