Tests before ttc

[JadeFeather]

Hi all

Hoping to start ttc in about two years I'm a real worrier and think having some tests to determine if everything is ok would help. Im not sure where to start though. In guessing gp won't be able to help as there's no known issue. Are there any particular types of tests that anyone here would recommend? I am in london so any recommendations for private clinics down here would be great
Thanks

How old are you? Do you have any underlying health conditions that you think might be an issue?

You'd have to go privately for anything because GPs won't do any tests until you've been trying unsuccessfully for a year but private clinics do fertility MOTs where they do a semen analysis for your DP and various blood tests and scans for you.
www.createhealth.org/fertility-treatments-services/fertility-diagnosis/ivf-treatment-servicesone-stop-fertility-mot
If you are over 35 and worried about egg reserves, they can also do a blood test which gives you an idea of that (the AMH test)

Personally, I would think the best way of seeing if everything is working is by ttc.
If you have anxiety issues, perhaps you could find a counselling service who can help with that, because TTC is a stressful time for anyone and you probably don't want to add to that stress by worrying unnecessarily about potential health issues.

I think talking to someone about your anxieties might help you here. You're more likely to get misleading results if you just randomly test for everything without having a clinical hypothesis to test out. Medical investigations only add evidence to what the doctor thinks is going on - no result is 100% accurate all the time.

So you could pay a fortune for 100 different tests, one gets a slightly abnormal result just by chance (normal ranges are based on a standard distribution and some people will normally have an 'abnormal' result) and then you'll be worrying more for no reason and will have paid for the privilege.

I hope that makes sense.

Thanks for your advice.
I'm 28. Can't ttc for another two years otherwise will be really tough for us financially.
No known medical issues or family history of infertility.
I guess my worry was brought on because I met someone recently who has PCOS. She knows she has it even though she has just started ttc a few weeks ago and I was wondering how she knew as symptoms don't seem very specific and she only came off the pill 2 months ago. Are there tests? This is probably going to make me sound silly but I got worried as I have bad skin and some body hair (but so do most women of my ethnicity!)
My sister in law (who lives in America) had tests because she was around 34 and desperately wanted a child and was told she should be ok. I thought maybe it would be possible to get an indication from doctors whether everythings ok. But if tests aren't helpful then I guess I will just have to wait and see when I'm ready.

PCOS can be diagnosed for reasons other than failure to conceive...

Are you currently on the pill?
Have you ever had irregular periods while off the pill?

Yes I'm currently on the pill. Never really monitored my periods properly but before I went on pill sometimes I think they would come up to a week later (rather than exactly a month later) but nothing else unusual.

I recently did the Create fertility MOT in their City office. Good for putting your mind at rest. £200, quick to get an appointment and they do an internal scan. It is by NO means a guarantee though. I'm 33 and wish I'd started ttc sooner. Sometimes there's nothing wrong but it just takes a long time. Good luck - I hope when you're ready it happens quickly for you.