Help for someone new to all this please ladies

[lil1ady]

We have been ttc for 16 months. My day 21 tests all came back fine but dh's 2 SA's were not good so we have been referred to the local fertility clinic. I have read lots about hsg's but not alot else so not really sure what to expect. Mainly my immediate interest is to know what will happen at the first appointment as I've had a call today booking us in for next week. So I'd be grateful if some of you who are a bit further down the road on this journey could give me some insight as to what was asked/done/talked about at the first appointment at your fertility clinic. TIA

Hi lil (((hugs)))

Ok, first things first. The tests you're likely to have are:

Early follicular phase hormone profile (lh, fsh, oestradiol and testosterone, between day 2 and day 5)
Rubella
D21 prog (I know you've had this but it may well be repeated)
Pelvic ultrasound
Hsg or HyCoSy, or laparoscopy if you've got a history of pelvic problems
Chlamydia testing

For DH - repeat semen analysis and separation test.

At the first appointment they'll go through your history and order tests. Don't worry, I know it's really stressful but I promise it won't be as bad as you feel it will be.

When you go back for the results, they'll either order more tests depending on what the results say, or talk about treatment options. Obviously they may well also say, don't worry, everything is fine - it's very possible so don't give up hope.

Which clinic are you going to lil? When is the appointment?

Hope you're ok x

Thanks fox. appointment is next Tuesday morning at my local hospital. still plenty of time to stress out between now and then agghhh! lol

My gp had done day 21 and 2-5 bloods. The hospital didn't repeat these but did screen for rubella. At the first appointment a history was taken from both of us and I was given an internal (yuk) and given forms for the rubella blood test, an internal ultrasound and a hsg, plus another SA for mr euro. I had a follow up when I had completed all of these.

The hsg is fine btw. There have been a few threads on here where people have shared their experiences so you might want to search for them.

I've seen men without a physical obstruction make a huge difference to a poor SA by making lifestyle changes- conception vits, good diet, reduce alcohol, loose pants, no laptop on groin, no long cycle rides, etc.

Good luck.

thanks euro. my Dr did amh and rubella with my day 21 test so that's a head start then! what sort of questions did they ask about history?

You've got a good GP - very few will do amh tests! (What was the result btw?)

History - you:
Age periods started
Cycle length
How many days bleeding lasts for
If you have any intermenstrual bleeding
Any history of std's/ sti's
Previous surgery (eg appendicectomy)
Any other relevant medical or surgical history
If you're on any medication (prescribed or over the counter)
If you're taking folic acid
If you've had any pregnancies / what the outcome was
Any children from previous relationship (will affect funding)
Alcohol intake
Smoking status
Recreational drug use

DH:
Relevant bits above
Specific question may be asked re history of mumps/ family history of cystic fibrosis/testicular trauma/un descended testes etc. examination may be required.

Both:
How long you've been together
How long ttc
How frequently you Dtd

There may well be more but I can't remember off the top of my head - will keep thinking....

Oh, also general family history, eg if your mum has been through the menopause then what age that started. Also may be questions re sibling history etc.

That sounds similar to what I was asked.

They might also get you to fill out some forms - don't worry, if it's a centre licensed by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority then they are basically arse covering tick box forms of very little significance unless you are undergoing active treatment. They were absolutely the bane of my life!

fox this is so helpful.

will they do any blood tests on dh? what about tests for infections? I've read that can be a cause of sperm issues?

no worries!

Quite possibly, but it's likely they'll want to do a semen analysis and separation test first (they can only do this in hospitals, your GP would only have been able to do a semen analysis). The analysis can come back with a low result and a separation test can show that things are actually alright. Further tests are going to depend on his history and the next load of results, and family history will also be taken into consideration.

Unfortunately men get away with a lot less prodding etc on the whole!

Yeah how is it fair women deal with periods, pregnancy, childbirth and all the prodding in between and men just have to orgasm on demand!

Hahahahahahahaha! That's quite a way of putting it!

Hi all - I've just been referred through for my first gynae appt, which should hopefully come through whilst we wait for OH to have his SA carried out (booked for a few weeks' time). Because he had one about 5 years ago which wasn't great, and because of our ages (I'm 36, he's 42) the GP has already started us down the fertility clinic route - we'd be eligible for IVF but of course that wouldn't be immediate, there would be lots of tests and probably a long waiting list before then!!

Depending on the test results, I'm thinking of asking my work if I can go part time for a while - well, work 4 days per week rather than 5! I do find it really stressful there, have been off twice with stress-related issues and still they do bugger all about it. It's catch 22 really, I'm looking for another job but then the maternity pay wouldn't be as good, which would also be stressful

Anyhow, thank you for all the very helpful info, and wishing you all good luck with the tests and the TTC!

hi ruby I can relate to the work stress. I went off with stress last year and ended up losing my job over it. dh and I decided that as he earns enough to support us I shouldn't rush into finding another job and maybe that would help with ttc. my cycles did seem to be starting to settle since then but then the last 2 have been weird again! good old nature! I hope you get to go down to 4days and take some time for you. and good luck on your ttc journey x

Thanks lil1ady :) my cycles have been pretty regular, I think it's been tiredness/ illness that's affected the last ones - mind you, we will see what the doctor says when I get my gynae appointment through!!

Oh how I wish I could just chuck it all in, but sadly not. In the meantime, it's job hunting and TTC for me!

just an update I didn't see consultant, just senior nurse. not an hour appointment, 15mins. they asked some of the questions suggested here but not as detailed and nothing detailed on family history.

Hi lil1ady (and everyone else!) - I have my first gynae appointment on the 24th with a specialist fertility nurse, but I'm a bit worried, specifically because I need to lose a bit of weight (only a stone or so but still.....) and also because they've specified that OH needs to come along. He will if he can, but he's self employed so it all depends if he's busy - plus he will be missing a few hours on the 22nd for his SA! Does it really matter that much if he can't be there?!

Hi ruby,

I think it is important that your dh attends the appointment, I know on our first one they ask you both lots of questions and there also a lot of forms that they need you both to sign. It might be worth ringing them up to double check. There will probably be lots of appointment that's you dh will need to come to and it is tricky to deal with work. I go to all my scans etc on my own but there's consultant appointments, information sessions, hycosy things like that he will need to attend. Just a word of warning. Good luck x

Thanks happily, I will give them a call tomorrow to see if it's essential that he comes along or if he could come to a subsequent one if he can't make it! We won't have the results of his SA then anyway - the test is on the 22nd and we were told it takes 7 to 10 days for the results - so any treatment would depend on that too.

I would have given them a call today, but helpfully they don't bother putting the number on the letter!! I also spent most of the day between the optician and the hospital for an eye problem I developed last week. It never rains but it pours, eh?! x

Eye is pretty much sorted thank goodness, and I eventually got through to the fertility nurse yesterday - it took me three phone calls to find the right person! She said it's fine to come without my OH if he can't make it, and TBH I don't know whether it's worth him coming (as it means missing work); once we've got his test results I think it would be more worthwhile him attending after that, I can answer pretty much all of the questions without him being there.

Plus, I'm now on day 35 with no AF - what is happening?!? I know I didn't OV till around CD22 but even so..... it used to be only 25 - 28 days and I was OV'ing on CD18, which I thought wasn't a long enough LP, so started taking extra B12. Wonder if that has affected things more than I reckoned on!