I hate doctors sometimes!

[Caz10]

TTC 1st baby, and I work in a primary school, so am quite worried about slapped cheek, chickenpox etc. Some pregnancy websites recommend that you get checked for immunity for these things before TTC; along with folic acid etc it is listed as something you should do as a matter of course. We've had both slapped cheek and chicken pox in the school in the past few months, and members of staff who are already pregnant were v worried and had to go and get blood tests etc. So I thought it would be sensible to go and see the doc now and get tested as part of being a responsible TTC type person!
Well she couldn't understand why I was wanting tested in the 1st place and made me feel really stupid. Chickenpox is ok because I had it as a child, I understand that. But I had to stick to my guns on the verge of tears to get her to test for rubella immunity and she refused flat out to check for slapped cheek immunity.
I know it is the kiss of death to start reading these things on the internet, but I looked up NHS24 which is normally quite down to earth and it says it is very important to get checked for immunity if you are exposed when pregnant. So, knowing that I have a very high chance of being exposed to it, would it not be sensible to check my immunity levels now?

Sorry, rant over, but she made me feel really upset!

I think it is very proactive of you to go for a test and prevent any necessary worry or complications. I can't beleive that the doctor can be so narrow minded, especially considering your profession. When you become pregnant you are sent for numerous tests to confirm immunity, so why could they not do them prior to pregnancy? Seems like another cost issue! The NHS seem to be reactive to anything rather than proactive, as they don't have the money to test everyone. Maybe it's something you may want to get done privately?

because, sadly enough, in this country medicine is not preventive.

Thanks for your kind words. I am really anxious not to over analyse and worry about every little thing when ttc, and generally trying to de-stress over the whole thing, but I was quite upset this morning.

If I were to come into contact with slapped cheek when pregnant and find out I wasn't immune, NHS24 says the baby would have to have blood transfusions...it seems safer, easier and simpler (and cheaper since that seems to be their main concern!)for me to get tested now. Grrrr.

I didn't think about going privately, thanks for the idea.

Isn't it because there isn't actually a vaccine for it? So even if they found out your antibody levels were low,there isn't anything they could do about it IYSWIM.

You're right, there is no vaccine, I was just thinking more along the lines of if I knew I had no immunity to it I could be more careful when I knew there was a case of it in school. I work on an individual/small group basis with children, so do get very close to them! Also if I knew I was immune it would lower my chances of freaking out!!
Colleague was 10 wks pregant when the last case was reported and she had to take days off and get lots of tests, although thankfully everything was ok.

I can see your pont and understand your worry, but slapped cheek is infectious mainly before the rash appears isn't it? So you could be exposed before you knew it was going round the school anyway. Totally understand where you're coming from though, I was exposed to it in pg and had worrying few weeks waiting for results. Luckily everything was OK. If you develop it when pg the baby will not necessarily need treatment BTW, they will do extra scans to monitor the baby more closely and treat if necessary.

Caz10 ? can understand how frustrated you are. I read ?What to expect when you are expecting? and it recommended all sorts of tests that I knew there was no way I?d be able to convince my GP to test me for like toxoplasmosis. A few years ago, I had a rubella jab because I didn?t think I?d had one as a teenager and because I knew it was a danger if I became pg. They gave it to me on the basis that I had never had the jab.

I recently had a MC, at 10 weeks, I hadn?t had a single test for anything by that stage and nor would I have had any since but it came to light that my family have a blood clotting disorder and whilst I may not have it and even if I do, it may not have been the cause for my MC, my GP did recognise that it was important to know and is testing me. When I asked her to test, I made it about the condition and needing to know rather than about the MC. Whilst she was sympathetic about the MC she did say they wouldn?t do any tests in relation to that unless I?d suffered 3.

Not sure this helps but I thought I?d post for you anyway

MrsMcEasterBunny I am sorry to hear about your m/c. I hope you get a BFP again very soon.

I am very new to all of this, having spent a very long time trying desparately NOT tp get pg! But it seems more and more that there is a big gap between the info in books and websites, and what actually happens when you go to the docs!

Friends who already have babies say that when you get to the stage of having a mid-wife/health visitor they are much more sympathetic and clued up, so I guess we just have to look forward to that.

gingernut I'm glad that slapped cheek did not cause you any problems. I had never heard of the thing before starting work at a school and now it seems very common! You are quite right too, I would have probably been exposed before the rash appears.

Thanks Caz10

It is an incredible irony isn?t it? You spend most of your early adult life terrified that you?ll get pregnant at any moment (because we are told that as young girls!) and then when you want to, you find out that it is not as easy as that, or, that it isn?t always.

When I was 23, I came off the pill very briefly and ended up pregnant when using barrier contraception before I?d even had a period, it was a terrible shock and literally happened ?that one time?. 10 years on, how I wish it was that easy. I guess age and lifestyle can get in the way too and in some ways, just the yearning for a baby maybe prevents us a little from getting one as we stress ourselves out!

I hope you are right about medical care in pregnancy, all I know is I got to 10 weeks and apart from the staff at the EPU, I saw no one and had no tests or consultations at all. I felt a bit abandoned.

I made the initial GP appointment when I got my BFP (I was 4 weeks) and all she did was tell me to come back when I was 8 weeks. I filled in the form for the midwife and never got a call or anything about a booking in appointment. I had to leave a message on the answerphone that I?d MC and they didn?t even call me back.

I?m sure due to the sheer number of early MCs and the strain on NHS resources generally, it is just not practical to see everyone in the early weeks and that had things worked out, I might have got more attention after the 12-14 week point when they do the first scan here. Just be prepared to not really have much medical guidance in the beginning, it came as a bit of a shock to me.