when to seek treatment?

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ctrbabe1

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My hubby and I have been ttc for over a year now (14 months.) During that time, there were probably 7 or 8 times when I thought for sure there was a good chance I could have gotten pregnant. This is really mind boggling to me since my first two children were conceived on the first cycle of trying!

I've also been struggling with my weight for a couple of years, (have already seen dr's and there are no underlying problems i.e. thyroid or diabetes etc) but it's been really hard for me to lose weight. There was a period of time (3 months or so) that I was really exercising a lot, trying to lose the weight, my period was all over the place, so I stopped exercising so much to make ttc easier. Obviously, it hasn't helped.

Anyway, I'm just wondering if we should put off ttc for a few months while I try to lose weight, or should I just go see a dr... I'm really at a loss right now.
 
I would go see a doctor - I had a similar problem, conceived straight away the first few times and it just wasn't happening this last time. Turns out I wasn't ovulating, not sure why, but it only took two cycles once I started taking the medication my doctor prescribed to become pregnant.
 
Agree with nino to go see a doctor. We ttc for about 20 months before seeing a doctor, and it turns out that I had pcos and thus wasn't always ovulating. It just helps to get a clear picture of what the situation is and then handle accordingly.
 
It's always good to have more information - PARTICULARLY if you are over 35.

With my first, it took over a year and we went to a doctor - but due to my age (I think I was only 26 at the time), she told me to try for a few months with ovulation kits before she did any more of the expensive tests. (she did do an ultrasound on my ovaries, which did have some cysts, but "not enough to keep me from being able to conceive naturally", she said). Turns out the ovulation kits worked for us and we conceived within those three months that she told us to wait.

IF you have not been charting your cycle or using ovulation kits, that is one thing that you probably should do asap - many doctors will want to see that kind of information before treating you.

But honestly, it's never bad to go see a doc - and maybe it could be something which is simple to fix. And if it's not, then it's always better to know sooner rather than later!!
 
Hi Katie, is your period usually irregular or was this just when you were exercising? And what sort of doctor did you see about weight gain/diabetes/thyroid? I had IVF to conceive my son. In the process of working out why I couldn't conceive, PCOS was considered but I didn't have any cysts on my ovaries so the gynaecologist ruled it out. Recently I went to see an endocrinologist (hormone specialist) as my sister has been diagnosed with PCOS by one, and he thinks I have it. Irregular / long menstrual cycle and weight gain / difficulty in shifting weight are diagnosing factors. Ovarian cysts do not have to be present.

I agree with everyone else though, I would go and see a doctor. Certainly no harm in doing so.
 
Thank you for all the input. I really do appreciate it.

Where in HK can I but ovulation kits?

To answer a few questions... I'm 31, my periods have always been fairly regular, ranging between 28-30 days, and lasting about 5 days. When I was exercising a lot, my cycle would be 24 days one month, 36 days the next month, 28 days the next month... I went to a GP about my weight issues and told him about my cycle and he said it was still within the normal range. (but it was way outside of MY normal range.) They did blood tests and he referred me to a nutritionist, but I never went.

I do have a history of ovarian cysts. I had quite a large one attached to one of my fallopian tubes. It was diagnosed shortly after I became pregnant with my first child, and had to have surgery at 13 wks to remove it.

I haven't talked to my hubby about seeing a dr yet, but I think I will tonight when he gets home from work.

One other thing I've been wondering about, though, is my hubby was diagnosed with Graves Disease shortly before this last Christmas, and has been taking medication ever since then. I haven't been able to find much online regarding that, but I am wondering if maybe that is affecting his fertility at all? Any thoughts?
 
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I have seen ovulation kits sold in Watson's. It's in the same section where pregnancy tests are.

I do not know anything about Graves, but it is much easier and less invasive to test a man's fertility than a woman's. Having a sperm analysis done may answer your question.

Fertility testing for ladies involve many trips to the doctor for ultrasounds over a cycle, and may takes more than a cycle to determine the issue.
 
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