Should I go to doctor before trying to conceive

[shouldnotbehere]

Hello

DH and I are planning to start trying in June for our first child. My best friend is getting married in May, and I am a bridesmaid, so have said I'd like to be able to have a few drinks at wedding, fit into dress, and have lots of fun at hen weekend etc. Also if gives DH and I longer to save money in preparation. DH will be 33 and I will be 28 in May.

Should I go to doctor for check up, start taking folic acid, and possibly pay for swine flu vaccine now.

I have already come off the pill, as I had near continuous thrush, and I thought coming off may help. It did thrush has cleared, and DH and I agreed to use condoms till we started trying.

Am I thinking about this too hard?

[expatinscotland]

I htink you're thinking too much.

Just take folic acid and keep fit as you can and eat/drink well.

I don't know any surgeries that provide 'check ups' without charge, tbh.

[expatinscotland]

Make sure your smear tests are up to date, too!

[CameronCook]

Unless you have any major underlying health issues then I don't think you need to do anything more than take folic acid and care of yourself. Giving up smoking if either of you do.

[shouldnotbehere]

Thanks. So excited, we have been married two years, but DH did not want to start trying straight away, he wanted to enjoy married life without children, and save some money. Way more sensible than me, as I'd have been trying straight away.

I will get a smear test done, and will also get swine flu vaccine (just to put my mind at ease).

[CameronCook]

Good luck - so exciting. Much more sensible than we were - we thought we'd enjoy married life for a couple of years then start trying, but instead got lax with contraception and DS was born a year after we got married

[MrsB33]

hi just thought id add, ive just gone 33 a little older than you, i got pg last yr for the first time but unfortunatly went on to mc at 12 weeks, but whilst i was pg i found out i wasnt immune to rubella and needed my mmr.
I would get a full health check up b4 hand, i had my mmr at school, but apparantly some people loose there immunity. I had to wait three months b4 ttc after the vaccine, which happened to make sense after my mmc.

[onadietcokebreak]

Also worth having a full sexual health screen

[BeachLover26]

Hi, I'm in similar boat (going to try in a couple of months). I went to doctors and the first thing he said was to check my immunity to rubella/german measles, which I would have never have known to do otherwise. I'm glad I went. Good luck ttc, and with the patience to wait. If it wasn't for my DH, we'd have started months ago!

[nannyl]

I planned in May 2010 to TTC is Dec 2010.

mentioned it to my GP in May, when i just happened to go anyway... and again in October when i went to try and get a flu jab. (I was not allowed one by the way, until i explained that when younger id had asthma, GP had to get out the originals of my notes and then i was written to and was allowed one)

My GP honestly thought i was mad... planning so hard, every last detail... i wanted a baby due in September (or October 2011) and in my mind thats what WAS going to happen...

Dr was explaining it might take ages, but i planned to prepare myself and our bodies for months and couldnt see why if we were both fot and healthy it should take long!

I started charting in Augast (when i came off pill) so when the time came i could completley understand my cycle. Used OPK's as well just to confirm i was interpretting correctly (I was)

I started taking folic acid in Augast, and OH started his zinc in September. (sperm takes 100 days to make so ideally need to be taking it 3 / 4 months before TTC). A month before we planned to concieve OH took dad to be tablets, and I took mum to be tablets for 4 months as well.
I cut out caffine, alcohol complelty in the 6 weeks before planning to concieve and gave up aspartane as in the summer.
I made sure we slept in a pitch black room throughout most of my cycle, although around ovulation our black out blind was up.
We are both fit and healthy and neither of us smoke. We both eat very well, and cook from scratch, with local meat and veg, bake our own bread etc.
OH was also alchol free for the week before we TTC

I suggest reading Taking charge of your fetility, zita wests guide to getting pregnant, and maybe baby - making bible.

Anyway i did what i feel to be be EVERYthing possible to improve our chances of conceptiom.... knew my fertile times, understood my cycle so well... and sure enough i got pg straight away

So many people thought i was mad doing s uch prepartion such a long time before but it worked for me!

I dont think its too early to start thinking about it.

Good Luck

[IslandIsla]

I've got the SF vaccine, and also taking folic acid. For the vaccine, I don't want to get SF, I have a toddler to look after and I don't want to come down with an illness that could prevent us DTD at the necessary time!

Aside from that, I just carry on as normal.

[shouldnotbehere]

Thank you all.

Nannyl thank you for your response, I will read Taking Charge of Your Fertility.

Also will check my immunity to Rubella etc.

[shouldnotbehere]

I should add, I love your organisation Nannyl. Glad I'm not the only person, planning in adcvance of TTC

[FluffyDonkey]

I would go for a full sexual health screen.

I did a few months ago (thinking I was overreacting as I had no symptoms and wasn't going to TTC until Jan 2011) and found an infection which can lead to MC. After a course of antibiotics it was all gone. I was very pleased to have found it before TTC and before a potential MC.

[ShowOfHands]

nannyl, I'm pleased that worked for you.

But op bear in mind that in a super fit healthy couple in their 20s doing absolutely everything right, the chances are never more than around 25% so don't worry if it takes a while. You're doing nothing 'wrong'.

I am fit, teetotal, non smoker, ditto dh. We cook from scratch, look after ourselves etc etc at all times. We're probably annoyingly clean living. It took 14 months to conceive. We were doing nothing wrong. It usually takes around a year on average in a healthy couple, just the way it is.

[ladygray]

Showofhands - I agree - it's so important to remember that getting pg isn't something we completely control. And TBH, when people make it sound like it is, it's really hard for those of us who are struggling to not feel like we're doomed (or worse, failures)

Me and my OH are both doing EVERYTHING we can do (and at the same time fighting the potential for it all to send us baby-bonkers and obsessed). Still nothing, a year later.

There is always just an element of luck - babies come when they are ready; not when we decide it's convenient!

[shouldnotbehere]

Thanks girls.

I know it doesnt always go to plan, I am just so excited. I am self-employed and DH is a partner in family business, due to us having a changeable income, DH has kept putting it back, particularly with recession. His business has not been affected, but my income is down by 10k per year.

DH is now wanting to put it back till January 2012 (as investment is required in his family business, and I would also like to start an evening accounts course in September (its not full-time study though)). The exams will be in June 2012, so I would not be affected by baby if we leave it till Jan 2012.

I will not have any maternity leave, being self-employed, and DH wants us to have as much saved by as possible. I completely get where he is coming from, but I say the timing will never be perfect, so let's just go for it. Although we do not always have a regular income, we are more lucky than most young couples, as we have recently paid off our mortgage. We paid it off in six years, with the help of some family money, and by both working six to seven days a week. DH is 6 years older than me and had 80k saved by, when we bought our house.

Sorry for going on and on, I know I am really lucky, but I am just broody, and want to start baby making rather than practising. We have been together 11 years, and I am fed up of having to always plan ahead so much. I just dont see why we cant start in May. I mentioned it to my mum, and she didnt think seven months made any difference. Am I being silly?

Righto I better get back to work, and earn some money.

THanks again

[expatinscotland]

'I am fit, teetotal, non smoker, ditto dh. We cook from scratch, look after ourselves etc etc at all times. We're probably annoyingly clean living. It took 14 months to conceive. We were doing nothing wrong. It usually takes around a year on average in a healthy couple, just the way it is.'

Whereas DH and I were both smokers, I was in my 30s, who ate a load of junk food and used his day off, a Tuesday, to hit a pub offering £9.99 pitchers of Red Bull and voddy, got leathered and didn't bother with the condom.