I have my first appt. to discuss treatments with my dr this coming Thursday. I'm SO nervous!! I have no idea what to expect!
I've had bloodwork and internal u/s to see if I had PCOS. Everything came back normal.
What was your first appt like? What did your dr do to determine which treatment is right for you?

At my first appt I took all my charts. Since I was ovulating (obvious by my temp every cycle) and had a long enough leuteal phase, my doc sent us straight to a urologist for DH. Lots of times that's where they start because IF testing for women is so invasive. It is easier to rule out (or pin down) male factor problems first and then go from there.

Good luck, Melissa!

Are you meeting with an OBGYN or an RE? I've never been to an RE, but I've been in your shoes. I just read your journal (hope you don't mind) and it sounds eerily similar to my situation. I've always had irregular periods. Bloodwork always came back normal. My doctors didn't think it was weight related (I have my doubts) even though I weigh more than twice what I should. I also had to take provera (generic) to bring on AF and then I took clomid (50 mg CD 3-7 then 100 mg CD 3-7). I got PG with my daughter on the 2nd try (after TTC for about 10 months).

We started TTCing in August, I started charting in November and brought my charts to my OBGYN in March and asked that something be done. Are you charting yet? If so bring your charts with you :nod: Hopefully it's somehting simple that can be easily corrected. For me it was as simple as taking clomid (which I am on again right now :) ). Hopefully you will be as lucky.

And your feelings about *IF* you have a baby are all normal. I bet everyone in this sub-forum has had the very same thoughts. I know I did. And I cried a lot and worried a lot. It seemed like EVERYONE was getting PG when I wanted to. It's a sucky feeling, wondering when, if etc. But feel free to vent about it here because if anyone understands, it's someone who's been there! :bighug:

Wishing you luck! :)

I just had a regular OB who did some bloodwork to discover my FSH was way too high so I wasn't Oing. He put me on Clomid and I did O very nicely with at least 2 eggs. He also did an SA on DH and it wasn't so great, so we did IUI. He's referring me to a Fertility Clinic in case the IUI doesn't work.

I don't know what's going on because I got PG very easily twice before (once from Mason, once from the complete mole which is an egg problem) so I am very upset and confused and hoping the chemo (12 shots of methotrexate) did not hurt my chances. I am 38 and so is DH, so time is ticking loudly!

Suzi: I took all my charts with me back in Feb. when I first went to her to find out what was wrong. She looked at them and gave them back. She said she really doesn't go by them because if you do one thing a little off, then it throws the rest of it off.
She did say that when I was ready to try treatments, then dh would have to be checked. Let me tell you..he's NOT happy about that :lol: I guess no man is...I'm so happy that he's actually willing to do that now though. He's come so far!
Thanks so much!!

Andrea: She's a OBGYN, but she's a specialist. I've never been to an RE..actually I don't know if there are any around here. I may have to go an hour or more away. Anyway.. I don't mind your reading my journal at all. :) Did Provera bring on AF just once or did it jumpstart her? It seems to only bring her on once with me :( I didn't chart (for some odd reason) back in March (brought on by Provera) and decided to start charting the next time AF came. She hasn't been back yet.
I know what you mean about feeling like everyone was getting pg. My sister has been married barely 18 months and is pg with #2..both are "oops" babies. It's SO hard to hear her (everyday) talk about morning sickness and planning for the future, ect. Thank you so much for posting!! I know there are great people on here that have went thru IF...but it's such a relief to hear about someone who has gone thru pretty much when I am going thru (same problems, ect.)
Thanks again for your support!

Beverly: Thanks so much!! I wish you lots of luck also!!

Melissa, let me tell you - the tests that DH may have to do (blood test, semen analysis, prostate check, etc.) are a lot less invasive than the tests that are done on women! I do have to say though - men are not at all accustomed to these kinds of test and I think women have an easier time dealing with them. Case in point: when we went to the urologist for DH (TWO and a half years ago), the doctor did a manual and prostate exam with me in the room. To this very day, Chris is traumatized by that and I keep hearing how awful it was. Excuse me....I have endured DAILY, (uncomfortable) vaginal u/s, two egg retrievals, surgery to remove a tubal PGY and only God knows how many shots and you are STILL talking about a freaking PROSTATE EXAM?? :doh:

Now that's what I call :deadhorse: :rotflmao:

I can't recall if provera helped more than one cycle when I took it before we started TTC. I was on BCPs for 10 years because I was so irregular. I KNOW I've taken it before, but I believe I always either started BCPs or clomid right away. Both of those kept my periods coming until I got PG. And this cycle I started with provera and then clomid CD 5-9 (50 mg). So I don't think I can really answer the question because as far as I recall, I've never JUST taken the provera.

Even without charting, it seems fairly obvious that you are not ovulating, at least not regularly. Your doctor SHOULD reccomend you charting and might even put you on clomid. Some doctors make you wait, mine didn't. Be proactive though and tell them what YOU want. The worse they can do is say no. It sounds like you are doing research, which is you best bet. I went in armed with as much information as I could find and TOLD my doctor I wanted clomid. I figured the worst she could do was tell me no and make me wait and then I was no worse off than when I started. I figured the best she could do was give me clomid and get me started right away, which she did.

I have a lot of faith that you will get PG easily. If other things have been ruled out and you still aren't getting regular periods, it may be a simiple fix like taking clomid. Like I said before, although my doctors said they didn't believe my weight was to blame, I do. I was *gasp* 275 when I got PG with Gabrielle. I'm only 15 or so less than that now :rolleyes: I did have a healthy PG though, despite delivering 4 weeks early. No one told me (and I only recently found the info) that clomid puts you at a highr risk of premature labor/delivery.

As far as your sister being PG, I can understand how hard that is for you. One of the people PG when we were going through this the first time was DH's best friend and his wife. And if I had a dollar for everytime I heard how they got PG the first time they tried, I'd be able to afford my bills right now :lol: I seriously wanted to hurt her everytime she said it. Even he bragged about how "good he was" because they hadn't used BC (only the pull & pray method) the entire 8 or so years they were married. People (this couple among many others) didn't (and don't) realize how difficult it is for a woman/couple to even have to think they may never see their dreams of a child become a reality. Even having "been there, done that" I still find it hard to find teh right things to say to people going through it. It's difficult. There really are no words to make them feel better. The ONLY thing that helps is that :bfp:

Keep us updated on how your appointment goes and what they say. :bighug:

Melissa, let me tell you - the tests that DH may have to do (blood test, semen analysis, prostate check, etc.) are a lot less invasive than the tests that are done on women! I do have to say though - men are not at all accustomed to these kinds of test and I think women have an easier time dealing with them. Case in point: when we went to the urologist for DH (TWO and a half years ago), the doctor did a manual and prostate exam with me in the room. To this very day, Chris is traumatized by that and I keep hearing how awful it was. Excuse me....I have endured DAILY, (uncomfortable) vaginal u/s, two egg retrievals, surgery to remove a tubal PGY and only God knows how many shots and you are STILL talking about a freaking PROSTATE EXAM?? :doh:

Now that's what I call :deadhorse: :rotflmao:


:rotflmao:

Every time he brings up the tests he has this dreaded look on his face..I usually bust out laughing!

I can't recall if provera helped more than one cycle when I took it before we started TTC. I was on BCPs for 10 years because I was so irregular. I KNOW I've taken it before, but I believe I always either started BCPs or clomid right away. Both of those kept my periods coming until I got PG. And this cycle I started with provera and then clomid CD 5-9 (50 mg). So I don't think I can really answer the question because as far as I recall, I've never JUST taken the provera.

Even without charting, it seems fairly obvious that you are not ovulating, at least not regularly. Your doctor SHOULD reccomend you charting and might even put you on clomid. Some doctors make you wait, mine didn't. Be proactive though and tell them what YOU want. The worse they can do is say no. It sounds like you are doing research, which is you best bet. I went in armed with as much information as I could find and TOLD my doctor I wanted clomid. I figured the worst she could do was tell me no and make me wait and then I was no worse off than when I started. I figured the best she could do was give me clomid and get me started right away, which she did.

I have a lot of faith that you will get PG easily. If other things have been ruled out and you still aren't getting regular periods, it may be a simiple fix like taking clomid. Like I said before, although my doctors said they didn't believe my weight was to blame, I do. I was *gasp* 275 when I got PG with Gabrielle. I'm only 15 or so less than that now :rolleyes: I did have a healthy PG though, despite delivering 4 weeks early. No one told me (and I only recently found the info) that clomid puts you at a highr risk of premature labor/delivery.

As far as your sister being PG, I can understand how hard that is for you. One of the people PG when we were going through this the first time was DH's best friend and his wife. And if I had a dollar for everytime I heard how they got PG the first time they tried, I'd be able to afford my bills right now :lol: I seriously wanted to hurt her everytime she said it. Even he bragged about how "good he was" because they hadn't used BC (only the pull & pray method) the entire 8 or so years they were married. People (this couple among many others) didn't (and don't) realize how difficult it is for a woman/couple to even have to think they may never see their dreams of a child become a reality. Even having "been there, done that" I still find it hard to find teh right things to say to people going through it. It's difficult. There really are no words to make them feel better. The ONLY thing that helps is that :bfp:

Keep us updated on how your appointment goes and what they say. :bighug:
Thanks so much Andrea! :bighug:

I went to her back in Feb. She did all the tests, ect. When they came back normal she said that my weight was most likely the cause. She put me on a 1200 calorie diet. I am horrible at dieting...and it's so hard to lose weight. She told me to call her when we decide the time is right to move on to treatments. I had discussed Clomid, ect with her. They even said something about Metformin (not sure if that is the right name)..so we shall see.

Thanks again for the support! :aok:

I can't add much to what's already been stated; most of us dealing with IF have had similar experiences with our first "IF treatment" appts, since so much of that first visit is about gathering information. Just expect a lot of questions about your medical history and even your sex life! :lol: Be prepared for more bloodwork, and possibly another u/s and/or other internal examinations. Make sure to write down any questions you have, and if you can, get copies of any test results you've had done already so this dr. can have easy access to them.

I've been to both an RE and a regular OB/GYN and got VERY conflicting results! The gyn said the bloodwork indicated I have PCOS (insulin resistance, elevated testosterone levels, etc.), but I had no ovarian cysts (she did an external u/s). The RE said I don't have any hormone imbalances or IR, but I do have ovarian cysts (she did an internal u/s). So, at this point, I don't know what to think. :tearhair: All I know is I have very irregular cycles and don't ovulate very often. I do tend to believe the RE, simply because I managed to get copies of her bloodwork, and I was able to see on the u/s screen when she was pointing out the presence of cysts. If I don't have PCOS, I'd be very relieved, but I do seem to have many of the symptoms; if nothing else, I appear to have the actual cysts!

Best of luck to you! :crossfing

Thanks so much, Lisa!

Good luck to you too! Hopefully something will happen for you soon :)