At what point did you decide to consult an RE?

laurakaz13 · February 2014

***Child in siggy***

I am 39 and have been TTC #2 for 6 months. It has not worked and I don't appear to be ovulating, based on the the OPKs I've taken. I should also mention that I had an ectopic pregnancy that resulted in emergency surgery and my right tube was removed, so I have a few road blocks.

Just curious at my age if I should get a referral immediately after 6 months of trying or should I wait longer? Was your OB helpful and wiling to refer you to a specialist? I know it is different for everyone, but I'm starting to stress about it. :-( Thanks for any help you may be able to give.

[Deleted User] · February 2014

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Pintobean39 · February 2014

If I were you I'd go head and go now. I'm also 39 and I didn't decide to go until I had my 3rd mc in 5 months. I've been trying for just over 2 years. You don't have to do any treatments but they can just make sure everything is ok.

on42 · February 2014

I think it would be a good idea to consult an RE. With your age, having one tube, and already TTC for six months, I would want to know what your hormones look like at this point, and confirm with an HSG that your left tube and uterus are clear. Get some advice from the RE and then decide whether you want to pursue treatments. I'm a fan of having as much knowledge as possible of your body and what its doing, especially while TTC! Good luck!! xo

Mommalawyer · February 2014

Hi! I went straight to an RE when we had been TTC for over 6 months. I had spoken to one of my friends that is an OB-GYN and she said that if you are over 35 TTC for 6 months or more, it was appropriate to see RE. Plus, I had been keeping very detailed info about what had been going on since the start of TTC. I'd say do it sooner than later cause it takes a couple months to just get things started. Good luck!

HeathernSteven · February 2014

make the appointment now, you have tried for 6 months, like a pp said you don't have to go the way of ART, but they can help you and make sure everything is ok. SO get thee to an RE

ksgsmu · February 2014

I agree- go now!

laurakaz13 · February 2014

Thank you, ladies! I really appreciate all the advice and encouragement! I am calling my OB tomorrow for a referral. Good luck to everyone! I will definitely stick around this board and hopefully we can all celebrate at some point in our journeys. :-)

Karen1973 · February 2014

I think that is certainly the right decision- hopefully you can get a smooth referral and can be another step closer on your journey...

PrivateOne · February 2014

I agree with all the other ladies, make an appt now. It does take some time to actually get an appt with an RE and then it takes time to get all the testing done especially since some of the test are tied to your cycle as to when they can be performed. So, unfortunately you'll probablly be waiting to actually know the results of it all. I think as a general rule most good OBs are very good about referring patients to an RE (especially in cases of AMA).

I wish you the best of luck in your journey for #2!

AngelSong76 · February 2014

I just came on here to see what people were saying about this, so thank you for asking the question! I had my consult with an RE yesterday and it made me feel so much better. I'm 37 and we are in cycle 9 of trying. The only reason I didn't go after 6 was because my husband was traveling a lot for work and I didn't want to get something started and then have to stop because timing was bad.

I was terrified about the appointment but it went really well. Go. You will feel so much better because you are approaching it proactively.

We had no trouble at all with our first, who is now 17 months old - so this is all very new to me. Seeing a doctor who specializes in infertility really helped calm my nerves. And I'm actually excited to get the rest of the tests done and see what's going on.

All that said - I didn't wait for a referral. I knew my insurance wouldn't cover anything anyway, so I went straight to the doctor without a referral. My gyn wanted to do the testing in his office but I wanted to start with the person we would end with, if that makes sense. (my gyn doesn't do fertility treatments past medicated cycles, so if we had to go with a procedure, we would have to see this doctor anyway) So we decided to go straight to the specialist right away.

I described the appointment on my blog if you are curious about how it went. It will be different for different doctors/patients, but it may help to know how it went for someone else.

- warning: there are pictures of my toddler on the blog -
https://anitahavelsblog.blogspot.com/2014/02/infertility.html

laurakaz13 · March 2014

AngelSong76 said:

I just came on here to see what people were saying about this, so thank you for asking the question! I had my consult with an RE yesterday and it made me feel so much better. I'm 37 and we are in cycle 9 of trying. The only reason I didn't go after 6 was because my husband was traveling a lot for work and I didn't want to get something started and then have to stop because timing was bad.

I was terrified about the appointment but it went really well. Go. You will feel so much better because you are approaching it proactively.

We had no trouble at all with our first, who is now 17 months old - so this is all very new to me. Seeing a doctor who specializes in infertility really helped calm my nerves. And I'm actually excited to get the rest of the tests done and see what's going on.

All that said - I didn't wait for a referral. I knew my insurance wouldn't cover anything anyway, so I went straight to the doctor without a referral. My gyn wanted to do the testing in his office but I wanted to start with the person we would end with, if that makes sense. (my gyn doesn't do fertility treatments past medicated cycles, so if we had to go with a procedure, we would have to see this doctor anyway) So we decided to go straight to the specialist right away.

I described the appointment on my blog if you are curious about how it went. It will be different for different doctors/patients, but it may help to know how it went for someone else.

- warning: there are pictures of my toddler on the blog -
https://anitahavelsblog.blogspot.com/2014/02/infertility.html

I am an Officer in the military and have great insurance. It will definitely be covered. Well, we're not covered for some more invasive procedures, but the testing is definitely covered. I have my referral and will be able to contact the RE's office next week to make an appt.

My DH also travels tons for work (military pilot), so this is the best time for us. He has no major travel coming up anytime soon. We had no problem with #1 either, so this is new to me. Right now I am trying to relax, go to yoga, work out as normally, sleep a lot and eat well. And not stress!

We will see what happens!

indianaalum · March 2014

I think the general rule of thumb is anyone over 35 should only wait 6 months before they see an RE

That's what we did. I admit there ARE times where I just worry I didn't give it long enough, but I was so scared that I'd run out of time I just couldn't wait

At what point did you decide to consult an RE?

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