What should I ask my GP?

[tidyupthehouse]

Having been trying for a year with no luck (regular periods, lots of sex, aged 30, normal bmi) I am going to my GP to ask for a referral. What should I ask her, what kind of referral do I need and if she says no, how can I persuade her?

Grateful for any advice.

The GP will be used to this so don't worry. The only thing you will need to prepare yourself for is that some PCTs now only allow GPs to refer patients once they have been trying for 2 years. So she may tell you to come back in 12 months. The first step is to have your blood work done. These need to be done at certain times of the month (e.g. 7 days after ovulation) your gp will arrange this for you and once the results are back, this will give your gp pointers as to what needs to be done next (depending on what the results are).

Good luck. I remember well how hard I found this whole thing.

I went to gp after a year of trying and he told me to stop trying relax and come back in ayear if nothing had happened. I did go back in Jan after trying for 2 years now. he first did a blood test on day 21 of my cycle to determine if i was ovulating. this result was negative so i was sent for an ultrasound on my ovaries which showed i was producing eggs but not ovulating. DH now has to go for a sperm test and if all is normal his end then i will be given clomid.

I mentioned in passing whilst discussing something else with my GP, she organised blood tests, which came back fine.
I have now decided to wait another 6 months, to bring it too 2 years, then I will go back again. My first DD, took 4 years co conceive and happened eventually with no medical intervantion, so I am hoping for the same here but a little quicker would be nice.

Just tell your GP how long you have been trying and they will advise your from there.

Good luck

The GP may or may not decide to do tests like blood tests and semen analysis before referring you. Would say that gynaes generally like to see people after a year of ttc without success or six months if over 35; to have to wait 2 years is not acceptable and I would push hard for a referral anyway. Patients should not be treated in such a manner, besides which fertility does decline with age.

Both of you should be tested in tandem asap to see if there are any problems preventing conception.

my dh and I have different GPs because I am still registered where I used to live because I like them so much and it just a couple of miles away and he is registered round the corner from our house - is this likely to be a problem? They are actually in different health authorities too