Going to see GP about ttc - what will they do 1st?

[Moomin]

After 13 months of ttc with no joy, I have bitten the bullet and booked an appt to see my GP on Monday. Anyone have any idea what he will suggest first? BTW he's a fab bloke and very sympathetic and so will not be dismissive. We have one dd; I am 35 and dh is 38 next month. Dh has just given up smoking (hurrah!) and I DO think I'm ovulating (as I've detailed on the ttc 2 thread). Thanks x

[dejags]

Moomin,

Things may have changed because this was a couple of years ago, but when I saw the doctor about this the first thing he did was schedule a blood test for me. This test is done on day 21 of your cycle and tests the levels of hormones - which then indicates whether or not you are ovulating. I think the next step was a sperm count for DH - luckily for us I fell pg before I could even get the results of the tests.

HTH

[twiglett]

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[bunny2]

I was put straight onto clomid on account of very irregular cycles, no testing, nothing. I got pg second month of clomid. Take along a diary with all your period dates if you can, might be useful if your cycles vary. Good luck.

[eyelash]

We had tried for 12 months to get pregnant as well and toddled off to doctors. She asked us to temperature chart to check ovulation and then a month later had blood tests around day 7 (I think) and day 21. Also had ovary scan but can't remember if this was early on or late in my cycle. DH also had to have a sperm test. Luckily for us - and I think because it took all the pressure off - we conceived that month.

You are very fortunate to have a good doctor so you should be ok. Good luck.

[Moomin]

I'm pretty sure I'm ovulating and I had an ultrasound (both an outer and a vaginal) in August when they thought I might have a ruptured cyst. They said there didn't seem to be any probs and they even saw the next egg ready to be released. I get lots of egg white mucus and the only thing I don't know exactly is the actual ovulation time. I was hoping he'd set up the blood tests asap, to be honest. My cycle is very regular - 28 days spot on, so that shouldn't be hard to track.

[Quackers]

Yep, you should get day 21 blood test and sometimes day 5 LH/FSH too. They may give Clomid, especially if you ask for it if that is what you want. Then DH would be tested for sperm count and quality. They may also refer you to the fertility clinic at your local hospital for an appointment with a specialist. One of the most valuable things I think is the temp chart. It's amazing what the well trained eye can obtain from these!

[Wid]

DH and I bit the bullet before Christmas and went to see GP re. TTC. After reading lots of posts on Mumsnet, I convinced DH that it would probably not get round to sperm counts as I'm certain the 'blockage' is with me and some pretty quick blood tests would identify this.

The GP referred us immediately to the consultant at the hospital, although GP thought that as we already have a 3 yr old there wouldn't be anything major wrong. Within 2 weeks of seeing GP, two little pots arrived in the post! Sperm counts now done and awaiting results; I'm still waiting for an appointment to see consultant. So DHs beware - their tests may come first, so to speak.

[BeckiF]

Doing the sperm count is always one of the easiest and is of course totally inobtrusive! After that it's all needles and internals for the ladies! I've been on the rollercoaster for well over six years and you start to get blaise about the inpersonal approach! But if one gets the desired result then what the hey!

[Moomin]

I broached dh with the idea of the sperm test the other day. I thought his frail male ego might taking a battering if he thought our lack of success was down to his sperm being any less than mighty king prawns... but no, he was fine and said it wasn't a problem at all. I'm glad to read about the speed of the tests from those of you who've done this already. I'll let you know how we get on tomorrow.

[BeckiF]

I was amazed that you can also actually buy a home sperm count test! In simple terms it checks if the count is over 20 million or not I think! It's only about £20 for two tests and worth it if you are impatient like me!

[BigBird]

Moomin - kind of in the same boat as you. ttcing no 2 for a yr now - what age is your dd ?
Went to GP last Oct and got bloods done and sa for dh. Got referral to fertility specialist and appt for March. Have to get more bloods done (day 2 and 21) again and dh to get another sa done and then roll on march. Cycle is 26-29 days but the odd wierd one. I have also had spotting for a few days before AF and occasionally between ov and AF and have been reading that can show low progesterone...? Not sure. Hopefully Doc will be able to tell. Have been temping since last Summer so have a whole book of charts to show him !!!

[zebra]

Has anyone heard the Ben Elton routine about when he got back his sperm count report? "25% of them are swimming THE WRONG WAY", "15% swim TOO SLOW", etc. He goes on a bit, but it is funny. End result is "NORMAL". Perhaps search for it on the Internet to nurture fragile male egos.

[dadslib]

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[Moomin]

Back from the gp and, as expected he was a star. Dh was able to leave work early and met me there which was a lovely surprise. I've got to have a blood test on day 20 (day 21 is a Sat) and he gave dh a nice little pot to "do the do"! We had quite a laugh about the procedure - you have to take the sample into the clinic at the hospital within 1 hour of doing it, and the parking at our hospital is a nightmare. GP was joking about all these poor ttc men having to skulk around doing samples in the woods behind the hosp!! Luckily that's where dh works, so he can take it into the clinic before his shift starts.

Then we ring the gp up a week after my bloods. If not ovulating he said we could try clomid, if all seems ok with these tests we'll be referred to the fertility specialist where I spose we'll start charting. It was all very positive and we both felt relaxed. We're SO lucky with our GP!

Big bird - dd is 2 years 4 m.

[BigBird]

Moomin - sounds good and very like what we went through. If I were you i'd go to boots now and buy the basal body thermometer and charting book and start taking your temps now. It isn't a major hassle and from that the specialist can have a good base to work from.....Even if you only have a month or two done before you go to the specialist, it's all good info for them.
Good luck

[Bex4567]

Hi op did you concieve after