Infertility, Secondary Support Group

"Secondary infertility" is difficulty conceiving after already having conceived and carried a normal pregnancy. Apart from various medical conditions (e.g. hormonal), this may come as a result of age and stress felt to provide a sibling for their first child.

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/ Infertility, Secondary Support Group

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meg40185
meg40185
My husband and I have been trying to conceive baby #2 for 3 years now. My doctor believes that I have PCOS but this hasn't been confirmed. I've tried temps, ovulation predictor kits, and even the expensive ovulation monitor. I also was on Clomid for three cycles. Nothing helped. Since my OB/GYN hasn't even bothered to order blood tests or anything to get to the route of the problem, we're going to see a specialist. Can anyone tell me what to expect at our first visit? I'm anxious about it all and I'd like to have a clue. Thanks in advance for any help!
deleted_user
deleted_user
Hi Meg,
Our first appointment with a fertility specialist was very informative. She explained that we probably wouldn't be able to find out WHY we were having these difficulties, but she told us all about the tests we would undergo anyway. On the first appointment, she ordered lots and lots of bloodwork (I believe they took 13 vials!!) - testing for things like FSH, estrogen, thyroid, HIV, and lots more. She also took some vaginal cultures from me. My husband had to do some limited bloodwork (1 vial only I think) and he took the little bottle home ;) to bring back with a sperm sample. The doctor told us what our treatment plan would likely be.

About a week later, I did a saline sonohystogram where they fill up the uterus with saline to visualize it, and then another week after I did a hysterosalpingogram to visualize the fallopian tubes under x-ray. I started cycle monitoring after that, with daily bloodwork and many ultrasounds to measure my follicles and the timing of my ovulation. After that, my doctor met with us again to go over the results and make suggestions about treatment.

So really, you wont get many answers from the first appointment but it will get the ball rolling & it will probably be a crazy month!
GOOD LUCK!!

(Oh, I should mention that I am in Canada so things may work a little differently here).
CarrieDawn
CarrieDawn
At my first appointment with my RE, we went over my medical history in depth. I had already had tons of testing done so there wasn't much left to do. I also had an ultrasound to check my ovarian reserve. We were there for at least 3 hours sinc e my medical history is so extensive. The only bloodwork I had done was on CD 3 and after ovulation. And my husband had already had a semen analysis done so that wan't necessary. Then we got started right in. Good luck!
LAmom3
LAmom3
My experience (in the U.S.) was identical to darien, but they also did an utlrasound to look at my ovaries at my first appointment. They are going to try their best to pinpoint the source of your infertility, so they can then offer a course of action. Best of luck to you my dear.
meg40185
meg40185
Thank you everyone for your comments! I feel much better knowing what to expect now and it has calmed me down a lot. I really appreciate all of you taking the time to answer.