Too early to have fertility tests?

[Chillipepper568]

Hi all. DH and me are thinking about TTC for our first. I’ve been on the pill for 10+ years and have never had any mishaps/scares etc although have always taken it on time and not missed pills/been ill etc. As a small child DH had surgery to correct an undescended testicle - he can’t remember when exactly but thinks it was about age 5. The op was fine, never had any issues since and the other testicle was (as far as we know) not affected and always in the right place so to speak! There has been a little niggling doubt in my mind about whether this might have affected his fertility. I know his parents were told at the time that it would not affect it but I have read conflicting things and understand that the op is now generally done much earlier (like aged 1) to minimise the risk. I am anxious kind of person and the worry has got worse the nearer we get towards taking the step of TTC. I have a friend whose wee ds had the same op and very sadly had to have one removed and she was told that his fertility with just one was unlikely to be affected. I’m in 2 minds about whether DH should go for a SA now before we start TTC just to see - I don’t want to cause loads of drama about it when it might not be an issue. Also, I’ve just turned 30 and we probably weren’t planning on TTC until next year but if it is going to be a problem, I don’t want to leave it too late! Does anyone have any advice/experience of this?

Please forgive the long rambling post - it’s a difficult thing to talk about with friends etc and I needed to get it off my chest!

You are massively over thinking this. Seriously. Remember please that ttc can take a while even if there's nothing wrong. We were 18 months for dc1. That was with sex every other day for months.

Dc2 we tried for 5 months and the month we got pregnant we only had sex once due to us both having nasty colds.

If you're this stressed now ttc is going to be a nightmare. Relax.

Generally speaking fertility tests are done after a year of TTC, so honestly I'd say not to worry too much at the moment as hard as that may be! Stress is actually a factor in conceiving so the more relaxed you are, the better!

If it is really worrying you, go to speak to your GP to let them know when you are about to start trying, they'll be able to answer any questions you may have and it is good to have you on their radar so to speak.

If it'll make you feel better then I think go for it. A SA test is so easy to do, it's not like the barrage of tests they do for women.

I'm sure it'll be fine but I have a friend who's husband had exactly this and they ttc for two years before getting tested only to find out he has pretty much no sperm. They have 3 amazing children by IVF now but it took them years to get there and she wishes they'd known earlier and avoided the years of uncertainty and heartache before getting some answers and a plan.

In Australia loads of people get a fertility MOT before they start ttc. Chances are you'll start trying and it'll happen naturally in a decent timeframe, it does for most people. But you're already worried and knowing the full picture will help you to plan.

Loads of people have a story about how they relaxed and it happened, which is lovely for them, but difficult to do when there's something specific that's bothering you. Better to know and if you find out everything's fine then crack on.