What Should I Expect on My First Fertility Treatment Appointment?
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Couples can be reluctant to seek help when trying to conceive. There is always a fear that there is something permanently wrong, something that cannot be fixed, that is keeping them from having a child. There is often the fear of the unknown, as well. Knowing what to expect on your first fertility treatment appointment can, hopefully, reduce these anxieties at least a little bit.
Generally, one of the first things that will happen during your first fertility treatment appointment is that your health care provider will take your medical history, as well as your history of trying to conceive. Knowing what sorts of medical problems you may have had in the past can help your health care provider to know where to start looking when it comes to trying to identify fertility problems. If you have been trying to conceive using an Ovulation Prediction Kit (OPK) or by tracking cervical mucus, you will want to discuss these measures with the health care provider, as well.
You should also expect to give a blood sample for all sorts of testing. The blood work will actually be taken several times over the next couple of months, as your health care provider will want to test your blood at various stages during your monthly cycle. Your partner will likely have to give a semen sample, as well, whether it is at this appointment or at a later date coming up soon.
You should expect to have a pelvic exam during your first fertility treatment appointment. This exam might also include a pelvic ultrasound to look for any visible abnormalities.
You should not expect to get any specific answers, or to formulate a treatment plan at your first fertility treatment appointment. This appointment will be a lot of gathering of data. You will have a follow-up appointment with the health care provider at some point to discuss the findings of all of the tests, and then to decide on a treatment plan.
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