Making an appt with GP to discuss difficulty TTC - what questions should I ask?

[CostumeDramaQueen]

DH and I are both in our mid 30s and have been TTC for 1 year. We know that is not a particulary long time but we are not getting any younger. So I thought I would make an appointment to see my GP. I don't really know anything about what is out there to help with difficulties in TTC, can anyone suggest questions I should ask or things that would be good to mention? Thanks!

GP booked me in for a scan to check everything was anatomically correct (was so excited to hear I had two ovaries and a uterus). I also had blood tests to check hormone levels which may need to be on certain days of your cycle. Mr is booked in for a "fertility test" in January. We are 27 and 29 but still taken seriously. Honestly my GP was lovely, apologised that I'd have to wait 4 wks for the scan and everything. I said 4 weeks was nothing, I've been waiting to be a mum for years! Good luck

Thanks bugoven that's really useful and I have added them to my list of things to ask about:

• Scan to check I have all the right bits in the right place
• Blood tests to check hormone levels
• Fertility test for DH

We went to the GP last week after TTC for a year with no luck (we're both 31). I am going for a day 21 blood test in a couple of weeks and DH needs to jizz in a cup and take it to our local hospital. We'll get another appointment with the doctor in January to get the results of both tests. However the doc is expecting mine to be normal as I have regular periods and have had positive opks when I've used them... So if DH comes back normal too I'm fully expecting to be told to just keep trying for now.
Our GP was really nice and understanding, while also reassuring us that it is entirely normal for it to take this long. I told him about my parents taking 6yrs to conceive me and he said, it won't take you that long, there are loads of things we can do now, you WILL have a baby. The only other thing he said was to stop using the OPKs and stop trying to time sex :-)
It all made me feel a bit more positive about TTC which was nice!

Hi Moggle, thanks for your message, that is really comforting to hear.

Hi costumedramaqueen I am in slightly different place to you in that I am 43 and TTC - as time is very much not on my side so I went after 3 months. I was nervous about going (thought I would get a bit of a lecture about my chances etc) so I wrote down what I wanted in advance, which I gleaned from the internet (see below). I need not have worried my GP was fabulous and I and my DP are booked in for all the relevant tests....

Interestingly my GP also mirrored what moggle's doc said - that some people get so wound up about the whole process with OPK's, charting etc that it might affect chances of conception. She advised sex three times a week throughout your cycle and relax.

Anyway always best to rule out any potential issues earlier than later so I would go to your GP as soon as you can - Good luck!

Cervical smear test if you haven?t had one recently.
Urine test for chlamydia, which can block your fallopian tubes, preventing you from becoming pregnant.
Blood test to see if you are ovulating. This is done by measuring progesterone in a blood sample taken seven days before your period is due.
Blood test to check for German measles (Rubella) which, if contracted during the first three months of pregnancy, can harm your unborn baby.
Blood test during your period to check for hormone imbalances ?measurement of FSH (follicle stimulating hormone, LH (luteinising hormone) and oestradiol. This test can also identify possible early menopause as a cause of subfertility.

Thanks greenlizard, looks like I've got a couple more tests to add to my list next time then.