Pre-Pregnancy Checkup

maggie1am · June 2014

Hi, new to here. DH and I are 37 and 30, and we are TTC, I wonder if pr-pregnancy checkup is necessary if we are trying to TTC now.

Anyone has any experience about that?

We are both perfectly healthy, we did annual body exam almost once a year (covered by our INS), and everything came out fine. I did all my shots, and has my pap smear almost every other year. Do i need the pre-pregnancy checkup NOW or we should wait till a year (they said any healthy human-being could take up to a year to get pregnant. ) to get it checked?

Any suggestion?

janda426 · June 2014

Not necessary.

Ladymouse · June 2014

My doctor just asked if I was taking prenatals and shrugged. Pretty pointless.

catlover790 · June 2014

I don't think it's necessary. If your annual visit falls while you're TTC I would mention it but I wouldn't make a special appointment for it. I would recommend starting a prenatal vitamin also. Good luck!

asoneill · June 2014

I happened to have my annual exam a few months before we wanted to start TTC, so I mentioned it to my ob/gyn. We just confirmed some things I already knew I should be doing - eating healthy, exercising, taking a PNV with folic acid, etc. She took some blood to pre-screen me for stuff, that was it.

There was no special appointment, just chatting while she was doing the breast exam.

blueoyster2014 · June 2014

I have a couple health issues, so I emailed my midwife (who I see for my annuals instead of an OB) to ask if I needed an appointment.
She responded and just said take a prenatal vitamin, avoid ibuprofen and don't drink alcohol after a positive test....no visit needed!
Good luck to you

Trampslikeus · June 2014

Mehhh... most of the time I've encountered that, its because of deployment or an urgent health insurance issue - so while its not my style, I don't judge. Plenty of far more offensive things going on in the world... (saying "baby dust" for example, which just makes me cringe)

And OP, if you already have a doctor you know you're sticking with, and you don't have health concerns - there's no need. The only case where it might be good to get a physical is if you're starting with a new doctor - as sometimes Docs aren't taking new patients, or "new patient" appointments are booked MUCH further out than an existing patient appts.

Ladymouse · June 2014

Some friends of ours married for logistical reasons (Army/out-of-state wife) but didn't want to get crap from their families for rushing into things. They kept it secret from family/friends-from-home until their anniversary, and had the ceremony/reception et al for them. It made sense to them.

augusta17 · June 2014

My cousin and his fiancée wanted to be married to each other, so they got married at the courthouse. They are saving money to have a "wedding" & celebration with family in a year or so. I don't see anything weird about it.

mangomimosa · June 2014

I had a pre-conception consult just to get a rubella titer (hubby has a lot of exposure to diseases at work & we wanted to make sure I was immune before trying), and they thought I was crazy for booking the appointment. I also asked their opinions on the few meds I take (all category C so could go either way) -- since the first prenatal appt isn't until like 8+ wks. Overall it was stupid b/c I'm otherwise totally healthy and have regular paps/etc; wish I would have just gone to my PCP for the titer.

urani · June 2014

Sorry, I'm mobile and don't want a huge chain of quotes. Just wanted to mention that some people get officially married before their 'wedding' for immigration purposes as well. Makes applying for the proper documentation easier/faster depending on your circumstances.

proudtobeazebra · June 2014

It's weird, I had almost the exact opposite experience. The clinic I go to strongly recommends them, and reviews your medical history and goes over a bunch of stuff with you during the appointment (not sure what, I haven't had it yet).

I have to get one anyway due to my health issues, but I wonder why this clinic is so different. Hmmm. I'll update after I go.

janda426 · June 2014

There are so many couples who would love to have the "fake" courthouse wedding people rush into while planning their pretty princess day. I'd be so pissed to find out I went to a wedding where the "bride and groom" were already married. It's just an act at that point. At least be real with your guests.

FJM85 · June 2014

Firstly, I'm not from the US, so things probably work different in my country!

I went for a check-up with my gp before we started ttc. The doctor did a few tests, including an ultrasound. This was when she found my fibroids.

I was referred to a gynae who recommended that they be removed before we start ttc, as their size and location could cause miscarriages or preterm births.

Although I do not recommend running to a doctor for everything, I am glad I made the decision to go before we started ttc. If I hadn't gone, I might have gone through a year of possible problems before getting any answers as to what is causing it.

maggie1am · June 2014

Oh, thanks everyone. First I removed the offensive "baby dust" on my signature, altho I don't think it's that offensive, since some might think so, I don't mind removing them.. Second, some have question regarding to my married/wedding date. I was about to go to China for a job, and probably gonna stay there for a while, DH doesn't believe in long distance and he is worried that I might just gone like the wind, he proposed and we got married within a week. It was just a very simple private paper signing event, just two of us were there. At the end, I didn't go for that job, I took another job in Cali, and we decided to have a real wedding a yr after. I like it this way, not everyone have the same wedding "pattern". To me wedding is just like a big party where we celebrate with all our families and friends. Married date is more private and meaningful.

maggie1am · June 2014

FJM85 said:

Firstly, I'm not from the US, so things probably work different in my country! I went for a check-up with my gp before we started ttc. The doctor did a few tests, including an ultrasound. This was when she found my fibroids. I was referred to a gynae who recommended that they be removed before we start ttc, as their size and location could cause miscarriages or preterm births. Although I do not recommend running to a doctor for everything, I am glad I made the decision to go before we started ttc. If I hadn't gone, I might have gone through a year of possible problems before getting any answers as to what is causing it.

Thanks for sharing.

buelah111 · June 2014

Sorry, I'm mobile and don't want a huge chain of quotes. Just wanted to mention that some people get officially married before their 'wedding' for immigration purposes as well. Makes applying for the proper documentation easier/faster depending on your circumstances.

-----------------------------------------------------------

This was why we did it. It normally wouldn't have been my first choice, but my husband is Australian. Our choices were to get married immediately and file for his greencard with him here in the states, or wait for our original wedding plans plus who knows how much longer with him in Australia. We officially got married in July then had our formal ceremony in Australia in November. It was actually kind of nice not having to deal with the marriage certificate on the Australia side. It was hard enough planning a long distance wedding! His family is so much larger than mine, though, that we really needed to do it there.

janda426 · June 2014

WhoCanItBeNow said:

janda426 said:

There are so many couples who would love to have the "fake" courthouse wedding people rush into while planning their pretty princess day. I'd be so pissed to find out I went to a wedding where the "bride and groom" were already married. It's just an act at that point. At least be real with your guests.

I agree with being honest, but I don't agree with getting pissy about it. They are having a celebrating of their marriage and invited you to join. No one is making you go. I wouldn't go to a wedding where I held such animosity toward the bride and groom that this would be an issue.

I know many people that do it because they have a destination wedding but want to include their family and friends that couldn't make it in their celebration.

::cue "they are being gift grabby" responses::

---end quote---

Well obviously I'd go because if the bride and groom weren't being truthful Id think I'm just attending their real wedding. Our family was faked out last year when a cousin had pictures from their "real wedding" on a table at her pretty princess day. We were like, wtf... What did we just watch then? They've already said their vows. When asked what the photos were they exclaimed "oh we just couldn't wait!!" They got legally married 2 months prior to the original wedding date. It's just a pet peeve of mine. Be honest. I don't want to see the bride playing dress up and saying fake wedding vows that were already said.

And see I think there's nothing wrong with having a celebration when you return home from a DW but I think (again my opinion obviously isn't the end all) that a party where no ones saying pretend vows or getting dressed up in their wedding gear again is totally acceptable. Play a slideshow from the real wedding in the background or something. Play music. Dance. Have fun. But it's not your wedding. Don't pretend it is.

KingLED · June 2014

janda426 said:

janda426 said:

There are so many couples who would love to have the "fake" courthouse wedding people rush into while planning their pretty princess day. I'd be so pissed to find out I went to a wedding where the "bride and groom" were already married. It's just an act at that point. At least be real with your guests.

I agree with being honest, but I don't agree with getting pissy about it. They are having a celebrating of their marriage and invited you to join. No one is making you go. I wouldn't go to a wedding where I held such animosity toward the bride and groom that this would be an issue.

I know many people that do it because they have a destination wedding but want to include their family and friends that couldn't make it in their celebration.

::cue "they are being gift grabby" responses::

---end quote--- Well obviously I'd go because if the bride and groom weren't being truthful Id think I'm just attending their real wedding. Our family was faked out last year when a cousin had pictures from their "real wedding" on a table at her pretty princess day. We were like, wtf... What did we just watch then? They've already said their vows. When asked what the photos were they exclaimed "oh we just couldn't wait!!" They got legally married 2 months prior to the original wedding date. It's just a pet peeve of mine. Be honest. I don't want to see the bride playing dress up and saying fake wedding vows that were already said. And see I think there's nothing wrong with having a celebration when you return home from a DW but I think (again my opinion obviously isn't the end all) that a party where no ones saying pretend vows or getting dressed up in their wedding gear again is totally acceptable. Play a slideshow from the real wedding in the background or something. Play music. Dance. Have fun. But it's not your wedding. Don't pretend it is.

What's with claiming everything is fake just because it's not what you prefer? How are their vows any less real just because they said them twice? How is their wedding any less real because they are officially married before they are ceremonially married?

And if they had a table of pictures from their legal marriage, how is that lying and hiding and pretending?

KatzKiss · June 2014

I went to a wedding for a "friend" who had four other wedding ceremonies all over the US. She is one of the most egotistical people I've ever known so this fit right in with her personality. But I went because her husband is DH's best friend and I wanted to be supportive of him. I just made the most of it- danced, ate great food, met some fun people, etc. Who cares about the situation, that's their business. Just make the most of it.

myatala · June 2014

Re: pre-conception checkup...

I was due for my annual exam so I just scheduled Mirena removal and "preconception counseling" for the same appt. If I hadn't been due for an exam I would have just scheduled Mirena removal on its own with the same preconception chit-chat. If I were using a different method of BC that didn't require a doc to stop using it, I could have just called and asked if there were anything my OB wanted me to do differently while TTC.

My OB likes to do some pre-TTC bloodwork in case there's anything that could impact fertility. My TSH level was jacked up, which can affect fertility, so now we're treating that. Also my OB wants me to take extra folic acid, way more than is in standard PNVs, so I wouldn't have known his recommended dosage without asking.

So if I hadn't needed an office appt anyway, for the annual exam and Mirena removal, I bet my OB would have just had his nurse give me the TTC instructions over the phone and mail me the lab slip to get the blood work done, like they've done for my thyroid issue followups thus far.

Want a personalized experience?

Pre-Pregnancy Checkup

Re: Pre-Pregnancy Checkup

Choose Another Board

Search Boards