Hi everyone, I've been wondering about this lately... I know it can take a healthy couple a year to conceive, and so the general advice is not to have any testing done until you've been TTC for 12 months. But in TCOYF I remember reading that you should consider testing after 6 perfectly timed cycles (even if you are under 35). By perfectly timed, I mean sex at least twice during the FW and that the FW is confirmed by temping. Is anyone considering testing after 6 months instead of 12?
TTC since January 2015
3/15/2015 BFP!
4/15/2015 MMC
2/25/2016 BFP! Hoping for the best!
Re: Thoughts about advice in TCOYF?
I don't think it would hurt to start doctor shopping. You want to find a good RE if you go that route- the first one we used wasn't as good as my OB now. It takes awhile to set up the first consultation and the appointment may be a month or so out anyway. My OB is also a RE and told us my H should not have been labeled with the MFI diagnosis after a single SA. He said the average of 3 SAs should be taken. Which makes more sense to me, since we have 2 children naturally without intervention.
Eta sorry for the ramble. I've had a lot of coffee. What I'm saying is maybe start doing your research and homework now. Spend 2 months on that and you're already 8 months into TTC. Add another month to get in the door and you're at 9 months TTC. By the time testing is completed you're at 10 months.
Does anyone know if the 12 month requirement has to be 12 months of trying consecutively?
I'm in Canada so it may be different, but I asked my family doctor about it at around 4-5 months. I just asked if there was any preliminary testing that we could do that could give us a clue if there was something wrong, and she did confirm that sometimes if a problem is found that way then you can be "fast tracked" to a fertility clinic.
She had me do some bloodwork and we found that I had low thyroid and I'm now on Synthroid everyday. Apparently low thyroid can affect fertility and can impact the growing (or not growing) fetus.
Good luck!
I'm going to agree with @PocketFullofShells, unless you have another medical condition that you think could be preventing you from conceiving, I think being patient (as hard as it is) is the way to go. You can always have a conversation with your doctor about your concerns and see what he/she says but I think it's pretty rare for a doc to agree to testing without cause.
Me: 32 & DH: 37
BFP #2: 2/8/16 - EDD 10/20/16
IT'S A BOY!!!!
DS Born 10/16/16
I was not-trying-not-preventing for a year, but that's not exactly active TTC.
I'm not sure why anyone would want to jump on the testing train? It's not pleasant, can be expensive & could be fruitless. Infertility is not a chic club to join...
LFAF Summer 2016 Awards:
If 12 months of unprotected sex, even if it hasn't been purposefully timed, is enough reason to think something is wrong and see a doctor, why is 6 months of well-timed sex and no pregnancy not enough reason to think something is wrong?
Have you never gone to any other doctor for a "what if"?
~Formerly @dogmomwantinghuman ~
TTC #1 since January 2015
BFP #1: 11/30/15| MC 12/16/15BFP # 2: 6/2/16 | EDD 2/16/17
These posts frustrate me. I'm not infertile (as far as I know), but #3 is taking longer than either of my others. Why? I can guess I'm older, breastfeeding, and sometimes our timing was crappy. I don't automatically jump to infertility. It's just not reasonable for me.
I don't think it's reasonable for the average couple either, to be frank. Chart your 12 months & then schedule. Leave the RE's open schedules for those who've been patient before you. It's the considerate thing to do. Everyone wants a baby & waiting your turn for assistance is just good manners, IMHO. You don't cut in line in a queue, right? Same rules apply.
Also, I don't remember who asked-- but the months total, consecutive is what's been told to me. My CNM (midwife) & OB team specified 12 months of active TTC (best demonstrated via paper or computer charts) in a row. It "resets" after a pregnancy or loss.
My NTNP for 15 months was a concern, but not enough to warrant a referral. My insurance is also very peticular & paying out of pocket for IF testing *I might not need* is just setting fire to my money.
Anyway, the reason this chaps my ass as much as it does is for the friends (online & off) that have had to wait so long for basic appointments to figure it all out. If the 4-6 month TTC's join the queue then it's even longer & less resources. These women have waited & no one is more special to think that the rules don't apply to them.
If you are having thyroid issues? Go to fix that. Don't jump on the IF train because you "just feel like it".
LFAF Summer 2016 Awards:
Obviously the 6 vs 12 month “rule” isn’t a hard and fast rule that pertains to every woman. For example, my obgyn told me 6 months because of existing circumstances that affect my fertility. (This was a recommendation she made prior to us officially TTC and despite the fact that I am under 35.) That being said, if you haven’t already, I think you should talk to your regular gyn before you jump to the conclusion that you need tests at the 6 month mark. There are minimal tests that could be done there without having to schedule an appointment with an RE if your gyn deems them necessary.
I guess I didn't realize that, even though TCOYF is hailed as the TTC bible, everyone ignores this one part.
And I really didn't mean to offend anyone. I'm sorry that I did.
OP & other PP's - If I may make a suggestion: Please see your gynecologist AND General Practitioner before seeing an RE (unless you have a good reason to), it never hurts to make sure you're in OVERALL good physical shape (not just your reproductive organs, there are alot of other health factors that play into your fertility). You need a yearly checkup from both anyway, and you won't be taking the appointment away from a couple who has potentially been trying much longer.
HSG - All clear, ectopic kidney didn't affect uterus (yay!)
CT Adrenal Scan - no tumors!
SA - sperm count excellent, 2% Morphology
March/April IUI scheduled - surprise BFP w/ help of Progesterone - 3/18/2016
Beta #1 @ 11dpo - 45.7 #2 @ 14dpo - 163 #3 @ 18dpo - 997 #4 @ 21dpo - 3799
EDD 12/1 based on O, 11/28 per Ob/Gyn (but he's wrong lol).
*TEAM BLUE!*
Most doctors won't see you before 1 year of actively trying. The ONLY reason I went to my doctor earlier, and the ONLY reason that she saw me at 5 months was because I have a problem that became evident once I stopped hormonal contraception.
Me: 39 DH: 40
Married: 12/6/2014
BFP#2: 10/28/15 MC: 11/24/15
BFP#3: 3/20/16 MC: 4/26/16
BFP#4: 7/15/16 DD: 3/18/17
BFP#5: 5/1/18 EDD: 1/12/19
LFAF Summer 2016 Awards:
From what I understand, this is only done in cases where either a medical precedent makes natural conception unlikely, or a long TTC period can otherwise negatively affect health. Patients in this situation are under a similar protocol than patients over 35. Not sure how province-specific this is (health care is provincially regulated) so I can only speak for Ontario and Quebec.
For me, this was the established course of action at my preconception appointment, and agreed on between my gyn and my rheumatologist. I'll be getting get referred out this month, though my appointment will likely not be until a couple of months after that.
Like PPs said, this is a scary prospect, and I want nothing to do with riding particular this train, but an autoimmune disease can only stay untreated so long before going out of remission, and I have some worrisome medical history that is very likely to complicate conception, so here we are.
Lilo and Stitch (2002)
ETA: a word
Lilo and Stitch (2002)
TTC since January 2015
3/15/2015 BFP!
4/15/2015 MMC
2/25/2016 BFP! Hoping for the best!
LFAF Summer 2016 Awards:
It took me 4 years to conceive my first and 1 year to conceive my second and I still have the patience level equivalent to a teaspoon. Everything about TTC is filled with wait.
If there's 2 things I've learned from this journey it is that impatience and jealousy are NORMAL. You just have to try to work through it.
LFAF Summer 2016 Awards:
1. You could be jumping the gun and find out nothing is wrong with you. You waste some money and time but you know you're good.
2. You find out there is something wrong. Now you have the information of what can and can't be done so now you can prepare for alternatives.
Talk to your OB/GYN first and see what they say, if you have medical conditions that may make it difficult they may recommend it. Or they may tell you to wait a few more months.
Eta we really only saw the RE for IUIs.
So this might be TMI but I'm going to share anyway. I made some bad choices in college and caught a certain infection (please don't ask me what it was, I'm so embarrassed as it is. I refuse to say it) that went unnoticed for up to 10 months before I was finally diagnosed. Got back together with the same guy at one point and guess what came back (again undiagnosed for like 2 months). I was high risk for tubal damage because of this infection and how long it went unnoticed, so I had an HSG done VERY early in my TTC journey just to rule out structural tubal issues. My logic was if my dumb ass mistake caused a problem, I wanted to know about it NOW and was fine paying through the nose for the test - i.e., if my previous choices created an issue, I wanted to catch it early, and figure out if it would be treatable. I didn't want to go through hell every month worrying it was my fault for an entire year. My stress levels were really through the roof worrying over this, and I'm sure doing nothing good for our TTC efforts. My regular obgyn was able to order the test, and I just went to another facility for the actual HSG. Don't worry, I called 2 days before I wanted to schedule the test and they had like 3 time slots open, so I wasn't stealing appointments from anyone!
But this was MY choice to spend MY money so I could stop worrying that not getting pregnant was all MY fault. I also struggle with anxiety and depression, so for me having the test done was worth 100x the actual dollar amount for the sake of my emotional health. I'm more comfortable trying now, and any unsuccessful cycles I can just chalk up to chance.
All that being said, I don't plan to seek out an actual RE for additional testing unless we are still struggling for a take home baby this summer, and will be nearly at our 1 year mark. No one wants to join the infertility camp, but I understand wanting the peace of mind that test results can offer, or getting a jump on treatment if necessary.
***ETA QBF***
I agree with this. Most women should wait a year, but if you have a known issue that can cause infertility that may be a reason to go earlier.
I'm in month 7, but I have PCOS and therefore am seeing an RE tomorrow morning. I wasn't expecting to be referred so quickly, but both my GYN and the RE's office said I should be seen now.
However, I also am fortunate to live in an area with roughly eleventy billion REs. It took me less than two weeks to get an appointment. I was fully expecting to get an appointment 2-3 months down the road, meaning I would have been seen in month 9 or 10.
Married May 2012
TTC#1 July 2013 - July 2015 (no success)
Again TTC#1: Dec 2015
First RE visit: Feb 2016
BFP: 9/16/16 EDD:5/26/17
Watching her though is why I decided to start temping on my second cycle. Just confirming O is, to me, hugely reassuring on the it's just taking a while vs. IF debate.
I'm worried this may not have been coherent, but I'm clicking "post reply" anyway because today has been rough and it isn't going to get more coherent...
TTC #2: April 2018 ~~ BFP: May 2018 ~~ EDD: January 2019
I went in for my annual in August after 5 months TTC and brought up TTC and we talked about my concerning menstrual history (I was only on BC for 1.5 yrs and have my entire AF history since menarche- so ~10 yrs) as well as not ovulating. We decided to run some hormonal bloodwork and it came back that I have PCOS. I didn't expect bloodwork at that appointment either, but I'm glad she suggested it. It was ONLY after I had a Dx that I was able to get to go to an RE. I still didn't get to see an RE until mid October.
I also want to add that going through IF is not fun. I had to quit my job for my own sanity because the IF itself and medication is having a huge mental/emotional impact on me. You don't want to have to take super-duper hormone pills that can have unpleasant side effects or administer super-duper hormone shots into your abdomen that can give you cramps way worse than AF. I would take getting KU on/before 12 months "naturally" instead of IF treatment any day. Wait the 12 months.
3/2015: Start TTC
8/2015: PCOS Dx
4/2016: BFP, Loss (4+5)
2/2017: BFP
Honorable mentions: Biggest IF support sister, sweetest bumpie, most genuine, LFAFer you'd most like to visit, great things come in small packages, pocket sized babe
In the group, by the first cycle 38% of women were pregnant, by the 3rd cycle 68%, 81% at 6 cycles, and 92% at 12 cycles (for the truly fertile couples that actually conceived, the numbers were: 42, 75, 88 and 98% respectively) The authors conclude that every other woman after 6 cycles is either sub-fertile or infertile. They cautiously recommend a work-up after 6 cycles is warranted, although if you end up with something like unexplained (i.e. a "good prognosis"), probably better to go the full 12 cycles before pursuing something more invasive because you have a decent shot at conceiving naturally. Whereas if you're found to have poor prognosis you've "bought" yourself 6 months of time on your side.
Here's a copy of the article:
https://humrep.oxfordjournals.org/content/18/9/1959.full
WORF: I did not come here to admire the scenery.
DAX: If you say so. I guess we should just go home.
WORF: Well maybe. I would not be so hasty.
DAX: I take it the scenery has improved?
WORF: A few months ago, when I was commanding the Defiant on a scouting mission in the Gamma Quadrant, we encountered a protostar cluster, a swirling mass of colour set against a background of glowing clouds and burning sky. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen, until now.
DAX: I've got to take you on vacation more often.
LFAF Summer 2016 Awards: