First RE appointment..

[tngirl89]

Happy Saturday! Hope everyone is having a great weekend so far.

DH and I have our first RE appointment next Monday.  To be honest I am becoming more anxious by the day.   I just am not sure what to expect.  We did some testing with my OBGYN.  HSG, SA, some blood work.  I have copies of the results to give them.  Are there any questions that we should ask?  I have a few, however I am sure I will think of 100 after we leave.  How was your first appointment?  I just hate not knowing what comes next.  Thanks so much for any advice!

[yoshijo28]

Good luck to you! For my first appointment we just talked about basic medical history and my ovulation history. He did a transvaginal ultrasound and DH and I got blood tests. That was all. Your RE might want to do his own tests even if you bring results. He wanted to wait for our blood test results before discussing treatment. DH also came back to do a SA later.

[disneykate]

I just had my first RE appointment last Wednesday.

During the consultation, she went over our previous test results- confirming that they all looked good. She then went over our treatment options and how monitoring works (I can do my blood work and ultrasounds at the hospital I work at instead of having to travel over an hour to the RE's office which made me very happy). I would make sure to ask how they handle monitoring- what time of day/how often/who does the monitoring.

I would also ask if they have any other tests they want to do. I had additional blood work drawn to test AMH, vitamin D levels, rubella and varicella titers, and to see if I'm a carrier for cystic fibrosis. She also mentioned the possibility of doing a laparoscopy and hysteroscopy in a few months just to see if there are adhesions, scar tissue, etc.

They may do a transvaginal ultrasound too. My RE did and they pointed out my uterus, ovaries, and follicles to me.

The following questions I copied from a post over on TB when I was preparing my own set of questions:
1. What hours do you keep on weekends and holidays for time-sensitive procedures
2. Will I work with a specific nurse, or a team?
3. Who will perform monitoring ultrasounds/ how often will we meet with the doctor vs. the nurse
4. How soon can we start testing? How about starting treatment?

You may also want to ask about your insurance coverage/meet with a financial person there to go over billing issues.

Good luck at your appointment!!

[meredithcarole]

We filled out about 20 pages worth of paperwork before our appointment. We spoke with the doctor for about 20 minutes, then she did a TV ultrasound, the nurse took vitals, and they (tried) to draw 14 vials of blood. I got faint so they only got 9 that day. I went back on CD3 to finish the remaining vials and do my FSH. I still have to do an HSG, but we did a myomectomy last month so we are waiting until March for that so my uterus can heal. H also did an SA. After that is done we will go over results (I know the important numbers already) and come up with a plan.

[froggiesgirl]

I hope to be going to an appointment soon, as soon as DH is fully on board, so wishyou the bestof luck for your visit!,

[tngirl89]

Thank you, gave me some other things to ask about!

[BunnyBerry]

Working on a list like this for the 3TIF blog today. This post was great for ideas to add! Here's a few to think about.
1. What testing do you recommend for us? Why?
2. What cycle days do the tests need to be scheduled?
3. Are there any lifestyle changes that could help improve our chances?
4. Should my SO see a urologist?
5. When can we start testing?
6. How can I contact the nurse? How soon will they get back to me?
7. Are there any days when the office or lab is closed? If I need monitoring or a procedure on a weekend or holiday, what happens?
8. What are office hours for monitoring appointments? Bloodwork?

The questions below would be appropriate for a consult that occurs after testing of both partners is complete.
9. What is our diagnosis or diagnoses? Is further testing indicated?
10. Do any of our results indicate a need for surgery? If so, what are the potential benefits and risks?
11. In what time frame will my fertility likely decline?
12. What medication(s) do you recommend? Why? What are the risks and possible side effects?
13. Do you recommend natural cycles, Clomid, Femara, injectables, or a combination? Why? At what doses?
14. Are there any alternative medications you would recommend based on what my insurance covers?
15. How often will I be monitored by ultrasound and/or bloodwork?
16. What treatment(s) do you recommend? TI vs. IUI? IUI vs. IVF? What does it involve?
17. Are there any alternative treatments we might consider?
18. Do I need to chart or use OPKs to track ovulation?
19. What about a trigger shot?
20. Do I need luteal phase support?
21. Will I have a scheduled beta blood test or use a home pregnancy test (HPT)?
22. Will I work with a specific nurse? Who will do my monitoring and procedures?
23. What is our chance of success with this plan?
24. How many cycles do you recommend before we switch protocols?
25. What possible complications do you predict for us with this plan?
26. If this plan doesn’t work, where do we go from here?

[tkb24]

Good luck with your appointment!! At least you already got some testing out of the way!

[tngirl89]

Jan 24, 2015 20:33:43 GMT -5 BunnyBerry said:

Working on a list like this for the 3TIF blog today. This post was great for ideas to add! Here's a few to think about.
1. What testing do you recommend for us? Why?
2. What cycle days do the tests need to be scheduled?
3. Are there any lifestyle changes that could help improve our chances?
4. Should my SO see a urologist?
5. When can we start testing?
6. How can I contact the nurse? How soon will they get back to me?
7. Are there any days when the office or lab is closed? If I need monitoring or a procedure on a weekend or holiday, what happens?
8. What are office hours for monitoring appointments? Bloodwork?

The questions below would be appropriate for a consult that occurs after testing of both partners is complete.
9. What is our diagnosis or diagnoses? Is further testing indicated?
10. Do any of our results indicate a need for surgery? If so, what are the potential benefits and risks?
11. In what time frame will my fertility likely decline?
12. What medication(s) do you recommend? Why? What are the risks and possible side effects?
13. Do you recommend natural cycles, Clomid, Femara, injectables, or a combination? Why? At what doses?
14. Are there any alternative medications you would recommend based on what my insurance covers?
15. How often will I be monitored by ultrasound and/or bloodwork?
16. What treatment(s) do you recommend? TI vs. IUI? IUI vs. IVF? What does it involve?
17. Are there any alternative treatments we might consider?
18. Do I need to chart or use OPKs to track ovulation?
19. What about a trigger shot?
20. Do I need luteal phase support?
21. Will I have a scheduled beta blood test or use a home pregnancy test (HPT)?
22. Will I work with a specific nurse? Who will do my monitoring and procedures?
23. What is our chance of success with this plan?
24. How many cycles do you recommend before we switch protocols?
25. What possible complications do you predict for us with this plan?
26. If this plan doesn’t work, where do we go from here?

Thanks BunnyBerry this is great!

[lilyharper]

BunnyBerry I would also add to the list if there's a way to contact the clinic when they are closed (I've always been that girl).

[creamcheese17]

Good luck with your appointment. Only advice I have is don't be afraid to ask the RE to explain anything in more details. I myself like to know numbers(what they are, what they should be and what my RE would like them to be). I was annoyed with myself when I just took "looks good" as a result. I wound up waiting a month for my next appointment to get all my questions answered.

[helloamanda]

Good luck at your appointment!

My first appointment was much like the others- Discussing medical history, getting labs drawn, discussing possible first treatments. I also had to get medical releases from my PCP, my regular endocrinologist and my psychiatrist. That's what took me the longest to get done!

I would ask about possible medicines and where they recommend you get them. My office uses a mail order pharmacy and I get everything shipped next day to me, but I'm not sure how every one else's doctors do it.

[astop87]

Good luck at your appt! I was really nervous for mine as well. My RE told me so much stuff that I ended up not needing to ask many questions. I think that's a sign of a good RE. Btw, I love your profile image

Edited because it auto swapped my emoticon. Weird!

[tngirl89]

Thanks everyone!