Do you trust what your RE tells you?

NandJ4Ever · July 2017

I'm struggling right now because DH is taking a medication that has clearly been shown in studies and there are many articles that say it negatively effects sperm. So I asked the RE if my DH should go off this medication and asked if it effects the sperm negatively and my RE said NO it does not effect sperm in any way. So I don't understand why the contradiction. Now I'm starting to wonder if my RE is just telling me all positive things so I'll pay him a bunch of money. Now I wonder if the chance of success prediction he gave me is even true or if he just wants me to pay him money. The RE has a good reputation and high success rates but now I wonder if any RE is 100% honest about your chances verses telling you it is better than it is because they want your money. And it's really bugging me about the medication because MFI is our main issue and we can't afford to have the sperm effected negatively in any way.

funkykey · July 2017

@NandJ4Ever - hm. I think it's worth confronting your RE directly, like showing the articles you've read, to point out your concerns. I also think, if you're having doubts, that it's always prudent to get a second opinion.

I trust my RE, to a certain extent, but everyone is human and makes mistakes. It's always worth asking questions and looking for more than one option.

Good luck!

bionerdsteph · July 2017

Honestly I know a ton of MDs and there are very few that I think are intelligent & that I'd want treating me. I always verify what my Dr says and if I find something that doesn't match what they are saying I ask them about it. Sometimes I miss something and the good Docs can give me an explanation the bad ones either deny it or seem completely taken aback that I'd question them. If ur Dr doesn't explain why that med wouldn't been an issue in this case when there's something showing it could be I wouldn't trust them.

helloworld9 · July 2017

What are the online reviews like for this RE? Sometimes it's really hard to judge. I had a coworker suggest an OBGYN to me and gushed about her. Turns out we just weren't that compatible.

radmom27 · July 2017

I think it depends where the articles are from...I would show them to your RE and get his/her opinion.

I am an MD and know many...I wouldn't say I know a lot of MDs that are not intelligent, but I do know alot of MDs that are overconfident and arrogant. I've been through six IVF cycles and I can't even begin to tell you the number of mistakes that have been made by multiple different doctors along the way. I often have to make corrections to my plan and I double check everything that happens with my own body. I tell my own patients and my family members that it is important as a patient to be your own best advocate, because ultimately, no one cares about your care as much as you do.

As for doctors out only to make money, I can say that this is my least favorite criticism of medicine. Most doctors are in this profession because they enjoy helping people...I do not know of any doctor friends that want to profit off of their patients by making them go through unnecessary care. If I wanted to just make money, I would choose a field that didn't require so much school and personal debt.

Off my soapbox...trust your gut. If you think this medication is bad, bring the articles to your doctor and discuss them, and if you don't get the answer you want, change doctors. Medicine is a service oriented industry and your doctor works for you.

bionerdsteph · July 2017

@radmom27 Arrogant and overconfident is probably a better way to put it. I've had a lot of interesting experiences with MDs that have probably made me a little over critical of Drs. As a grad student I TAed basic cellular & molecular biology classes for med students, I've been a cancer patient and now I'm working in biotech explaining research. I've become really skeptical of any MD that isn't open to questions or brushes them off.

radmom27 · July 2017

@bionerdsteph I agree with your sentiments 100%. I often find that the MDs that won't answer questions are the ones who are arrogant and often the ones that don't know the answer. I really appreciate it when someone tells me: "I don't know but I can look into that."

NandJ4Ever · July 2017

I get to see my RE again in a few weeks. When I asked about the med I called over the phone, spoke with his wife who also works front desk, she said she would personally ask him if the med was ok than she called me back. So when I see my RE in person soon I will bring it up again and go into more detail about studies I found. What I am concerned about is anti depressants which seem to have a lot of info on the internet saying they can negatively effect sperm. We have SEVERE male factor so this really matters.

The RE I plan to use has very good reviews on Yelp and other sites and has been practicing a long time. I guess I just want an explanation for why he thinks this med is ok.

i would love to get a 2nd , 3rd , 4th opinion on this but few REs will talk to you outside of paying a $300+ consultation fee

J1006 · July 2017

@NandJ4Ever I see that you are planning IVF in November. Are you doing IVF with ICSI? DH and I are also dealing with severe MFI. We have morphology issues. The highest it's been is .03% normal. When going over options with my doctor she said even though that's low they can still use it with ICSI. I'm wondering if this is what your doctor meant. Not necessarily that it doesn't affect sperm, but that you shouldn't worry about ut for your situation and plan of care. Hopefully your office gets back to you with a better explanation.

KLake42 · July 2017

It's possible that your doctor is also aware of studies that evaluate the incredibly high levels of stress people experience with IVF. He may feel that remaining on the antidepressant will help your husband manage that stress, and that will have a more positive impact on the outcome than the negative impact of the medication. And there may be known problems with the studies you're reading.

Or he may be ignorant. Take the studies with you and discuss them with him.

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