Lovelies, FAQ time!
Quick one today. Quick, but still oh so important! So you’ve been knocking boots with the best of them but have had little luck in the way of positive pregnancy test, eh? That can be ok actually. It’s normal and fine for it all to take a few months, this we know, and repeat to ourselves over and over ad nausium while we struggle and try month after month… So when DO you worry? At what point should you swallow your pride and fear and ask for help from your doctor? Well, there are a few things that affect that answer, so let’s break it down.
Age: Like it or not age is a real factor in your fertility. I feel like in the IF community the idea of age being the reason people seek treatment gets a lot of eye rolls because there are so many more conditions that need to be discussed. But when looking at the bare facts of when to see your doctor because you are struggling to conceive it is the first thing that should cross your mind. If you are under 35 give yourselves a full year before you head to your GP for some answers. If you are over 35 six months is all you need to head to the doctor. Over 40 it drops to three months waiting only before you should get the ball rolling on testing. That’s because your fertility does start to steeply decline in your 30s and once you cross 40 you get dangerously close to the age where Fertility specialists won’t allow you to do IVF, which is usually at around 42. So don’t waste unnecessary months trying without answers. As you age act faster. Even though it’s scary.
Family History: If you have a family history of infertility disorders please seek advice from your doctor earlier than the recommended age times above. Certain conditions that result in infertility like Endometriosis and PCOS have strong genetic components. If you are at higher risk of actually suffering from infertility it’s best to put your fears and pride aside and head to your GP for testing as soon as you know that you are serious about starting a family. That way you won’t have to wait as long to get the helping treatments you need if you do in fact suffer from the conditions present in your family. And even if you don’t, there was no harm in investigating!
General Health: If you have had an STD, have really irregular periods or are significantly over or under weight it is a good idea to think about seeing your GP before you get too far into trying to conceive. Some STD’s can make you have great difficulty in conceiving or even render you sterile. There are some stds that are curable but others are much harder to get rid of, and may end up affecting your ability to conceive for a long time. Irregular periods may point to an underlying hormone imbalance that should be addressed earlier on in the TTC journey. And being too large or too small can complicate your journey too. Best to get the ball rolling on addressing these conditions and concerns with your GP now so that when the time comes to start a family you will be good to go!
There you have it! A quick overview on some factors that will impact how quickly you need to be heading to your family doctor when you have been trying and are getting no where fast in the baby making buisness. It also would be prudent to know that you are actually having sex around ovulation. For more on that buisness read -here-.
XOXXO,
The Chicken