Advice on appointment (loss mentioned)

allisona66 · January 2018

Hi all, I am new to these forums. Husband and I have been trying to conceive since March 2016, with one miscarriage at 6 weeks back in June. Family has been hounding us about when we are having kids, but just don't have the heart to reveal the struggles yet. I am pretty convinced I have some hormonal imbalances (low progesterone) contributing to our difficulties so i made an appointment prior to the 1 year mark. Looking for any advice on what to expect and what to be prepared for at the appointment with the OB/GYN. I want to make sure I have answers for all her questions, I just really don't know what o expect! Thanks in advance, and good luck to all!!!

ChristenMA83 · January 2018

Welcome @knottie1442369217 . Sorry for your loss and the difficulty you're experiencing TTC.
For us the first appointment with our OB/GYN regarding difficulty was very relaxed. It was really just about a 15 minute conversation recapping my cycle details (when was your last? are they regular? heavy? how long do they last? painful?). Then he ordered labs for both my husband and myself. Once the labs came back they called with the results and for me reviewed them over the phone and went over next steps. From there it will depend on the lab results as to what the next steps are.

Bababatty · January 2018

Knottie1442369217, I’m sorry for your loss and that you find yourself here. I approached beginning the IF treatment process slightly differently in that I mostly skipped my OB/GYN entirely except to ask her for an RE recommendation. (We also knew from DH’s urologist that MFI was a factor, and my OB did request to see a copy of his SA, but has otherwise been out of the picture.) Regardless, I’m sure your meeting will probably be similar to our first RE appointment in that your OB will take a medical history/TTC history and either refer you to a specialist or take some initial blood work and get an u/s. I was super nervous that the RE would laugh us out of the office, but that was not the case, and I know won’t be the case for you, either.

I’d go in with some questions written down. Like, if you think you have low progesterone, bring that up and express your concern. And ask your OB what next steps will be after your initial tests.

Good luck!

allisona66 · January 2018

Thank you for the advice! Just a couple days away now, getting anxious and excited to get the ball rolling.
My main concern is describing period cramps and pain to the doc. I just don't know if I experience excessive pain or not! My hunch is that if I don't know, it's probably just normal cramping. But it is VERY uncomfortable and requires pain meds every month, just not sure. Any insight on degree of pain that indicates something out of the ordinary for cramps?

funkykey · January 2018

@Knottie1442369217 - mention it, for sure. I don't know what kind of pain meds you're on, but I'd definitely mention it.

I was just reading today about how many women have fibroids, and their fibroids aren't detected until late because they don't seek help for their very painful periods. They just think the pain is normal.

Also, if there's one thing I've learned through all of this, it's that you have to be your own advocate. No one will take better care of your body than you, or care more about it!

wishing-and-hoping · January 2018

I told my RE that I thought my bleeding and period pain was excessive. The pain was enough to wake me up in the night and not be able to go back to sleep for an hour or more, only once 800mg ibuprofen kicked in. I was bleeding enough that I sometimes had orthostatic hypotension. I've had friends throw up from pain, though I have never been at that level (and everyone experiences these things differently). I felt like the RE really took my symptoms into consideration - and gave the impression that it was important that I mentioned it. I think it helped somewhat in diagnosing a lining issue and a polyp that I just had removed. So don't be shy!

hoffmanr7 · January 2018

I would definitely mention it.

emmasemm · January 2018

Hi there - I saw you also posted on the check in - please go back to the knot, change your user name, log out of here, log back in and then your new user name should appear. Then it’s much easier for us to recognize you, tag you and reply to you in other threads

Some REs will take you without a referral from an OB. But some insurance might require the referral. So I would suggest to check your insurance, and if not needed take yourself to an RE if you already know you have problems. The one thing you have to do in IF unfortunately is advocate for yourself - or in other words be pretty pushy!

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