Testing fertility so you know what your timeline is?

[Calico_Dreams]

I turned 35 last month, and my significant other and I would like to try for children in the future, but not the immediate future. He is nine years older than me. We are working toward a goal of moving across the country, but not nailed down to any timeline.

I had a check-up last week with a family nurse practitioner, and mentioned this goal. I asked whether it is possible to test my fertility now to get a better idea of what our timeline is (ovarian reserve, etc.) She said this isn't something they would do unless we tried and failed to conceive.

Has anyone had this done? I'm going to call an OB-GYN next week, but wondering if I sound like a crazy lady? I just want to know where to take my life and when so we don't regret the order of our priorities down the road a couple of years from now.

My biggest concern at the moment is that they are checking me for low thyroid. If there are problems, I worry more about our timeline. My sister has Hashimoto's. I am currently on the Nuvaring and worried it may be screwing with my systems, so I'm researching nonhormonal methods of preventing pregnancy until we are ready.

Any thoughts, or suggestions for what I can do to actively make this likely to be successful in the future would be welcome!

 

[Calico_Dreams]

I wanted to add that overall, the FNP seemed to feel positively about my fertility and wasn't too concerned about my age. Obviously we don't know what my bloodwork looks like yet, but I have never drank or smoked, and had regular period before going on BC in February (and I still do while on it -- I remove the ring every three weeks for one week before placing a new one.)

The only thing I need to change is to lose some weight and make sure I'm eating as healthy as possible and exercising more. I'm 5'7" and 170lbs.

 

[kbk]

First off, I totally understand you wanting to know what your timeline and options are. It is something I have thought about before. I have not personally had the test done but I did want to mention that a study came out recently questioning how accurate the AMH/FSH tests are for predicting the ease of conceiving. The women who were told they had low ovarian reserve were found just as likely to get pregnant as those with "normal" levels. So even if you do get the test and your results are not ideal, don't get too discouraged.

I'm not sure if this is helpful or not but I just wanted to pass the info along and let you know that you are not alone in trying to weigh out what is the best timeline for ttc for your life and goals. Best of luck to you!