Is it time to see a Fertility Doctor?
When trying to conceive it’s best to be optimally healthy right from the start. Eating well, proper hydration, moderate exercise, eliminating as many environmental factors as possible, and getting enough rest, will set you off on the right foot a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby. However, when getting pregnant doesn’t happen easily it’s time to seek help.
People in Austin and RoundRock know that Sage Acupuncture is the best place to find resources and support for fertility. We guild people with everything they need to know from lifestyle advice to which interventions are going to work best for their unique circumstances. Another way we help is by talking through when they should seek the advice of their OB/Gyn or Urologist. Sometimes this looks like getting bloodwork to confirm that their hormone levels are healthy or getting a simple test to determine if their fallopian tubes are open so that sperm and egg can meet and then staying the course.
On one hand, when to take the step of talking with your doctor is a personal decision that involved many factors unique to each person or couple. On the other hand, there are some guidelines that can be helpful when thinking about timing. Here are some things to keep in mind when making this decision so that you are well-informed and understand what to expect along your journey.
The age of the person trying to get pregnant is the first thing to consider as this changes the timing of when to seek help. Unless there are obvious fertility issues that warrant more immediate attention or you are using donor sperm, and you are under 35 years old, the rule of thumb is to see an OB/Gyn after having had well-timed intercourse for 12 cycles. If you are 35 or older that number goes down to 6 cycles.
The next thing to consider is your menstrual cycle. If your cycles are irregular, you’re not ovulating, or they are very heavy or painful you may want to seek help sooner. Lastly, if you have a condition, such as an autoimmune condition, that is known to contribute to infertility it is prudent to check in with your doctor.
If you do visit with your doctor some good questions to ask are: what kinds of diagnostic tests are available, which ones are you choosing for me and why? If preliminary testing reveals that there is a concern it’s always a good idea to ask what experience your doctor has in working with infertility and when would they refer you to a fertility specialist or Reproductive Endocrinologist.
You want to know every possible option available to you, from supplements, nutrition, and acupuncture, to fertility drugs, surgery, IUI and IVF. This way you can make educated decisions about how to improve your odds of success when dealing with issues such as advanced maternal age, PCOS, endometriosis, and unexplained infertility.
At Sage Acupuncture we believe that the best medicine is the appropriate medicine for each person’s unique situation and that utilizing all of your resources is the best approach. This includes natural methods like acupuncture and lifestyle changes as well as Western diagnostics like lab work. We recommend educating yourself on options, assembling an expert team of providers and support people, and then listening to your intuition and inner compass.