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An idea of what to expect at your first infertility consultation.

Thursday, January 28th, 2010

You and your partner have been trying for a while to conceive and nothing has happened so you make a plan to visit the specialist to find out if there is any medical cause for this. Perhaps it seems easier to continue in the bliss of ignorance for a while longer. You won’t have any reason to keep putting off that first infertility consultation if you have an idea of what to anticipate, so here goes.

The doc will want to enquire about the following:

 

  • Even though you try to forget those restless teenage years, you must try and remember when puberty began for you, and the ladies will need to remember when they started menstruating. If you began puberty very late or very early it might be an indication of a problem.
  • Any past or present health issues will have to be mentioned. Things that look insignificant could end up being vital pieces of information, so perhaps you should contact your parents and find out about any childhood illnesses you had and work from there. Your fertility might have been affected by the condition, or by the medication for that sickness.
  • Have you ever had any operations at all? Tooth cialis trial offer extractions, appendectomy, tonsillectomy – again, anything!
  • Any chronic medication (prescribed or over-the-counter)? Ever had regular medication previously? Try to think of any supplements or vitamins as well.
  • When was your first sexual experience? How many sexual partners have you had? Ever been infected with any STDs? Premature sexual activity for women can influence cervical health, and having many sexual partners might increase your risk of STDs, which can also cause infertility.

For the ladies:

  • Ladies only: How is your menstruation? Regular or irregular? Long or brief? Rather heavy or very light bleeding? Bad cramps?
  • How often do you have sex? Too many or too few can both be problematic.
  • When do you have sexual intercourse? This probably refers specifically to the time of the month, but heck, time of order cialis day might also be important! This is to ensure buy Atorlip-5 online that you are having sexual intercourse around or during ovulation.
  • Have you become pregnant in the past? This may seem like a strange question bearing in mind that you are there to enquire about difficulties getting pregnant, but many couples struggle to conceive the second time around. If you have experienced many miscarriages before then at least you know that conception is a possibility, and you have to work on keeping the pregnancy.
  • Do you make use of lubricant? Which lubricant do you use? Any further intimacy enhancing products? Another weird question, asked not because the doctor is curious, but because some lubricants give the spermies a tough time.
  • Do either of you have any sexual problems? Inability to reach orgasm? Vaginal dryness? Pain? Problems getting it up? Yup, it becomes pretty delicate – but your doctor needs to know everything to make an accurate diagnosis.

The specialist will also possibly also ask about your mental health, which is a difficult one, especially after that interrogation! Keep in mind though, now is not the time to be shy, if you haven’t disclosed all of this information with your partner beforehand, it might be a wise idea to share before you get to the doctor so that there are no unpleasant surprises in the doctor’s room!

Your specialist will possibly also do a thorough physical check up, which includes an internal for the ladies. It may feel like lots to deal with all at once, but it’s a good idea to try and recall that the doctor only wants to be of assistance, and that internal examinations are part of the deal. Believe me, when you are in labor at some point you’ll be asking for an internal so you can know how much longer you have until the baby is born!

Once he (or she) has given you a good once over you could need some infertility tests. This could include blood tests, ultrasound scanning, tests to check for STDs, semen analysis for the man and a pap smear for the woman. Ladies could also need a hysterosalpingogram or laparoscopy to verify any structural difficulties.

Was that as awful as you thought it would be? If it was, I fully understand! You may feel totally exposed, inside and out! Just keep remembering what your goal is – a little one of your own! That could help bring things into perspective.

Here is more information on Infertility Costs. Here is a website with a free mini-course dedicated to Infertility.

 

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