Question from a newbie around here..(Kind of long)

[ttcsadgegirl]

My husband and I have been ttc for just under two years and we are having a lot of difficulty. I have very long cycles (my period tends to be 2 or 3 months long) and I think I might have PCOS. We recently got much better insurance and I can actually go to the Obgyn for the first time in a few years.. I'm just not sure where to start.. my old obgyn has retired so I need to find a new one and I'm afraid they will just brush off the problem as a hormonal imbalance or something. I'm just not sure if I should schedule a regular appointment and then bring up my concerns or what to do. My insurance only covers 50% on infertility after the deductible so I would like to do as much as I can through a regular gyno rather then a RE..


TIA

 

[IsleChik]

Hi Tia,

I'm certainly no expert but I've been in basically the same position, while putzing around w/immigration & such - I was basically uninsured for almost 7 yrs and have now been covered since July 1 so I was in the same quandry....

What I did was call my GP & schedule a pap & I also mentioned (when I made the appt) that I wanted to discuss assorted female issues.
Make sure you mention that you have some concerns when you make your appt so they receptionist can book you in for enough time.

If you don't need a pap or anything - just call and say you want to discuss your cycles because they are really long. Your gyno can order blood work, tests, etc - you need to have a starting point. If you do have PCOS or some sort of hormonal imbalance, there;s really no reason that a gyno can't work on it.

Oh yes, also - I brought with me a list of questions, concerns, meds & supplements (with dosages) etc so that I didn't forget to ask or mention anything. I also took printouts of my last few months charts.

I'm guessing you're in the States. That's where I'm from and I'm used to being able to chose a GP and a GYN, whereas here in BC (and maybe Canada in general..don't know) - you get a referral from your GP for a gyno....I'm totally new to the system, still figuring it out

 

[hopefulchick]

I was in a similar situation. I don't have insurance that covers infertility. I called an OBGYN and asked the receptionist if they performed infertility exams. She told me that he was not a fertility specialist but he could perform a fertility work-up on me. I discussed my insurance and my concern about coverage and she assured me that everything would be covered (I guess they have a way of working it out).
If I were you I would make it very clear that you are having issues conceiving so they know how to treat the appointment. I let them know up front and he performed a pap test, blood work, abdominal ultrasound, and a pelvic ultrasound. I was having issues with my cycles, not that they were long but very erratic and he told me I was not ovulating (I kind of suspected because I would never get a positive opk). He prescribed Provera (insurance covered) to have a period and he prescribed Clomid (not covered but not expensive at all). I was given a plan to follow. I have to have day 21 bloods to confirm ovulation. Sorry for the length, hope it helps.
Also, I believe Clomid helped me ovulate this cycle because I got positive OPK for the first time ever! FX for you

 

[ttcsadgegirl]

Thank you both! I'm very excited to finally get it all checked out. I also went out and bought TCOYF so that I can become even more familiar with my body.

Baby dust to everyone!!!

 

[ermm23a]

My insurance doesn't cover any of the fertility stuff. I tried to go through my regular OBGYN, but I kind of got the feeling she was too busy to really investigate my problem. She would call me in provera, and then tell me she'd call me in clomid, but no offer to do bloodwork to check for anything, or do any kind of infertility workup.

So, I took it upon myself to go see a RE. I just pay out of pocket for it. It sucks, because it doesn't even go towards my deductible, but I feel it's worth it. He takes the time to explain everything and I feel like he can do more for me than my normal doc at this point.