Day 3 Blood Tests... first visit to GP... advice please!

[freelancedolly]

Hello all,
Aged 37 and about to resume ttc my first, I decided to hop straight to my GP as we had previously been trying for approx 6 months without success.

Armed with all my prior MN / fertility knowledge, I was expecting to do a Day 21 progesterone test first of all, and (rather cleverly I thought) booked myself in on that day for my first chat. Instead my lovely and very helpful GP told me that my local hospital doesn't "go for" the Day 21 test as it is "commonly believed these days to be a bit of a waste of time if you're having regular periods, which demonstrates that in all probability you are ovulating".

The first test Kings recommends is the FSH/LH blood test which needs to be taken on Days 1-3, according to their information. I wondered what others thought about this because it seems to me that most people are referred for a Day 21 test first and I feel a bit left out!

I also thought that the test I've just been for needed to be done on Day 3 precisely and not on any day between Days 1-3. I'm probably over-thinking but wondering why this information differs from others' experiences.

Feeling a bit daunted in general... having wandered along to the GP expecting just to have a first cosy chat, I came out armed with all sorts of information about IVF/IUI/etc and with an assurance from him that he would definitely refer me to the Assisted Conception unit at Kings as soon as these prelim tests were complete. GULP!

What counts as 'in between'??! You mean prescribing Clomid, etc? How bizarre that they would resort to the more invasive and expensive procedures without trying anything beforehand.

My GP never gave me any tests but referred me to the local hospital subfertility unit.

I had day 3 tests done (what am I saying, had loads of the blooming things along with day 21s) initially before day 21s. As my periods were practically non existant blood tests were done regularly.

Progesterone is only part of the story. The day 3 is an important test in that is measures the levels of LH (luteinising hormone) as well as that of FSH (follicle stimulation hormone). These two hormones are key players in the ovulation process; if these two hormone levels are awry then ovulation will be affected.

Both you and your man should be tested in tandem, it needs to be determined at an early stage whether there are male factor problems.

You need a diagnosis first and foremost, don't think about any treatments yet.

Thank you both for your responses.

The GP has also asked my partner to do 3 sperm tests, spaced approximately a week apart each, so that they can have a good looksee at his side of the equation too. He seems remarkably up for the challenge (my partner that is; not the GP) at the moment... we'll see how he's feeling a couple of weeks from now.

I'm not entirely sure what will happen next and feel a bit queasy about the prospect. It's a bit of an awkward one because while we were ttc for six months before, we had put the process on the backburner as other life/relationship issues got in the way. So it's been a long time since we were trying but at this stage in my life I didn't want to wait another 6 months before seeking help. Hard to explain but I guess if I were at the end of those six months and then seeking help I'd be feeling a bit more like I needed help than I do now.

I just had my tests done a few weeks back. My consultant requested day 2 for LH/FSH and day 23 for progesterone (cycle was 30 day).

My doc was more interested in the day 2 results, as he also said if your cycle is regular you are probably ovulating. However, he did the day 23 because I had been diagnoised PCOS some years ago and wasn't ovulating at that time, and my cycle has only become regular in the last few months.

Thanks for that Orchid, nice to hear an experience that echoes the orthodox that I'm being preached by my GP. My doc is lovely; it's just that I was expecting, from MN-lore and such, that I'd be propelled first into a Day 21 progesterone test.

Had my test done today, and it was Day 2 for me.

Have you had your results back yet? I'm not even sure what the results are meant to be (vaguely remembering that the hormones are meant to be balanced in quantity/concentration?)

Day 2 LH 3.7, FSH 8.1
Day 23 Progesterone 30

My consultant had marked them all as OK.

It has been a bit of a strange few months, as six months ago I believed I never ovulated, then discovered I was pregnant, miscarried, then dicovered that my hormones are in the normal range.