where to go for fertility evaluation if ivf is not for us?

[Anonymous]

Definitely go to an RE. Sorry to say, starting with an OB seems like a good way to start but actually isn't--it can just be a waste of time. And if you do end up starting with an OB and then going to an RE, the RE will likely redo the tests anyway because the timing of many tests is really important and they don't trust that they were done correctly the first time (for good reason). If you are not interested in IVF, I'd still go to an RE for diagnosis and analysis. Just be upfront about what you're willing to consider and why you're there; most will have no problem with this. Depending on the diagnosis, if any, they may well tell you short of IVF your chances are low and recommend IVF, but you can say no, of course.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think Dr Sacks at Columbia Fertility Associates would be a good choice for this. I did a lot of cycles with him over a 2 year period and he never pushed IVF.

As for RE vs. GYN, definitely RE. I went to a GYN for a few months and I really wish I had that time back to spend on therapies that could actually help. My gyn really didn't know anything more than the basics, the lab for the semen analysis was terrible (and that can mess up the analysis) and she didn't monitor me, so we didn't know if anything was working or if ovulation was occurring. It was very unhelpful.

I am now going to Dr. Sacks and I think he's wonderful. He hasn't once mentioned IVF and hasn't even mentioned IUI. My husband and I have gotten full "work ups" and I have a diagnosis (PCOS) and he started me out on a basic clomid/HcG trigger cycle. Now that that isn't working, we're moving towards injectibles, but he still hasn't mentioned any ART. We made it clear at our first meeting that we weren't sure we wanted to do IVF and would weigh that with adoption before making any decisions, but so far it hasn't come up. We've been TTC for 15months.

I also saw Dr. Sacks for PCOS and discussed with him wanting to try to treat the problem before going to any ART. He out me on metformin which resulted in my now 18 month old.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I also saw Dr. Sacks for PCOS and discussed with him wanting to try to treat the problem before going to any ART. He out me on metformin which resulted in my now 18 month old.

Just wanted to add that while I love Dr. Sacks, he no longer prescribes metformin. He said there was a study that showed that clomid is far superior to metformin and unless you specifically need metformin for other symptoms, he won't prescribe it.