Introduction/ Advice for first RE appt.

chicandbubbly · November 2015

Hello! A few weeks ago my husband and I learned that he has MFI (very low count). It was shocking and surprising for both of us. We have been trying since January 2015 but we in April/May was when we really got serious about the timing and I started OPKs and checking CM in addition to temping. He has since met with a Urologist and we are both meeting with a RE next week.

I am nervous for my first appointment and not really sure what to expect? We don't know anything yet about my fertility. Is the first appointment usually just sharing information about my health/cycle and our ttc journey or will I be doing tests as well.The Drs office said the appointment is expected to take anywhere from 1-3 hours! Any advice, things I should ask would be much appreciated.

I am looking forward to having the support from and learning from others' experiences from those who can relate on this board. I wish all of you the best of luck.

bsckgb7 · November 2015

You should be able to do a search because this is discussed often. I'll provide the cliff notes version of mine.

At my first appointment they did bloodwork, a vaginal ultrasound and a pap spear. The also do an STD check and also look for infections in your cervix. If you husband comes, they will probably expect a sample from him. It's a long appointment. Expectt to be overwhelmed. Did the urologist put your DH on ant meds?

chicandbubbly · November 2015

Thank you @bsckgb7 I will definitely do a search. I am definitely prepared to be overwhelmed, but I guess we will have to get used to it, huh?

The urologist didn't put my DH on any medication. He has only "made lifestyle changes." Stopped drinking, healthier eating, etc. But, the urologist said he wanted to wait for results on my side before taking any further steps.

bsckgb7 · November 2015

That seems crazy if you know DH has issues, why not go ahead and start him on meds? It takes about 3 months for meds to improve swimmers He will decent swimmers for TI and IUI. And depending on what is issues are, he will need some kind of swimmers for IVF. I would push the RE for meds for him, while you do all your testing. Do you remember what his problems were? Or the results?

Where will you be in your cycle when you go?

BrightenMySky · November 2015

My first RE appointment was really just meeting the doctor and talking about options. We had been TTC for a little over a year, DH came with me, and we did not do any testing. We had done genetic testing when we first started trying, and the RE suspected an issue based on those results, so he talked to us about options if that turned out to be the case (it didn't). DH did a SA and then I did an HSG within a month after that first meeting, because we decided we liked the RE. We are in an area where we have options on clinics, so we would have met at least one more RE if we had not been comfortable at that first meeting.

MNturnsVA · November 2015

My appt didn't take that long but I had also had some blood work & recent ultra sound done by my GYN. We also got a referral from my GYN for DH to get his SA. I hadn't started my cycle yet so they had to wait to do my HSG, which was yesterday. Our next appt may be a little on the longer side I suppose as they will have the results of SA back then & we'll talk about options. However my dr said that HSG's Can increase pregnancy chances. So, overall my went well & wasn't that long. The only thing I feel a little on the fence about is that I was anxious about my progesterone levels & they don't seem concerned about them at all. So before we move forward I may get a second opinion but we'll see.

khochanadel · November 2015

1. Expect them to blunt. Unlike your OBGYN, the RE is a lot less likely to sugar coat and "don't worry, it will happen!" Ours was very frank with us and it was honestly off-putting at first.
2. Expect them to be late. Mine runs about 40 minutes behind schedule on average all the time. Bring work of a book with you.
3. Expect to be poked and prodded. Between blood draws and ultrasounds. you'll have many of them.
4. Expect to come out with a game plan. This is the best part. You can feel like something is finally happening!

chicandbubbly · November 2015

bsckgb7 said:

That seems crazy if you know DH has issues, why not go ahead and start him on meds? It takes about 3 months for meds to improve swimmers He will decent swimmers for TI and IUI. And depending on what is issues are, he will need some kind of swimmers for IVF. I would push the RE for meds for him, while you do all your testing. Do you remember what his problems were? Or the results?

Where will you be in your cycle when you go?

Thanks for the feedback @bsckgb7. I did not go to the urologist appt, so I don't know for sure why he didn't put him on meds yet. He did do some hormone testing I believe, so it is possible that the RE can start him on something since she knows the results. Our RE and his urologist are part of the same fertility clinic. He has very low count- his SA showed only 2 million.

I will be a few days before ovulation when we go.

J+A2008 · November 2015

I already had blood tests from obgyn with amh level checked etc...mine was make 40 minutes....all talking in his office, reviewing options, thoughts, etc. We scheduled an hsg for as soon as we could, and started on meds after the all clear from the hsg

Best of Luck, and I encourage you to ask or read posts on here, before and after, as I have learned several things from others posts on here that my RE had not told me

FX

martinez1029 · November 2015

They will likely run blood tests on both of you your first visit. Also your RE will ask you a series of questions about general health/ family history/ ethnic background. They will also try to get a better understanding about your fertility journey and the steps you took prior to reaching out to an RE. Good luck to you both and hope you get your BFP soon!

wifeinraleigh28 · November 2015

I'm dealing with a very similar issue... prior to our first RE appointment my DH had already had 2 SA's with them so we knew we were dealing with low sperm count. Our first appointment involved sitting down with the RE and discussing our options, and then they did testing on me (which depends on where you are at in your cycle). They did an HSG since I wasn't currently on my period, and they drew blood to check my AMH levels. The reason for the testing was to figure out appropriate medication for me, since based on my husband's sperm alone our only options were IUI or IVF. My RE said that you are a candidate for IUI as long as your DH has a minimum of 1 million motile sperm on the day of your IUI. I learned later on though that they are going to make me superovulate with injections because of the low sperm count... meaning if his sperm was normal I would probably end up with multiples, but since it's not, we will be lucky to get 1 egg fertilized.

bsckgb7 · November 2015

chicandbubbly - They did an ultrasound at my first appointment and found a mature follicle and went ahead and gave me a trigger shot and told me the schedule for TI (at my very first appointment, talk about overwhelming). It's possible if they do an ultrasound, and the find follicles, they could trigger. Just a heads up (especially if you are close to O).

chicandbubbly · November 2015

Thanks everyone for the great information, I really appreciate it and it definitely help knowing all of this before. My appointment is tomorrow and I am a nervous wreck!! My DH unfortunately can no longer come with me so hopefully that will be ok

.

wifeinraleigh28 · November 2015

@chicandbubbly - I was so nervous at our first RE appointment too that I had pretty high blood pressure! But I knew it was the nerves because I could feel my heart racing and I have never had high blood pressure before in my life!! I hope the info on here will give you some reassurance so that you can relax a little

vnegron87 · November 2015

@chicandbubbly I hope your appointment went smoothly today.

chicandbubbly · November 2015

Thank you @vnegron87. It was a lot of info and I am still trying to process it all!! My doctor was wonderful though so that made it a little better.

Thankfully everything so far on my end was looking good- My DH is redoing his SA to see if IUI or IVF is a better option for us- unfortunately, it looks like at this point we will mostly likely have to do one of them.

wifeinraleigh28 · November 2015

@chicandbubbly - I know how overwhelming this can be... we are about to do our first ever IUI this cycle so it's new to me too. These forums are a great resource of support and information. GL to you!!

chicandbubbly · November 2015

Thanks @wifeinraleigh28, I am thankful for the support here. It is nice just to be able to chat with others going through the same thing. Best of luck with your IUI.

misspuppychow · November 2015

I had already had a HSG, MRI, and renal ultrasound done before I saw my RE as well as FSH, AMH, prolactin, and 7 DPO progesterone. My husband had already had a SA. We just talked and did a transvaginal u/s at my first RE visit!

My husband is normal. I have a low AMH and a unicornuate uterus.

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