pre-conception appt. necessary?

[Anonymous]

Maybe this question should be posted on TTC, but since that forum seems to be more about problems with fertility I thought I would post it here:

My husband and I have decided to start TTC sometime in the next couple of months. I've been searching various websites about fertility and preparing your body for pregnancy and a lot sites suggest visiting your OB for a pre-natal consultation before becoming pregnant. Has anybody done this and if so, what was discussed/done at this visit? Did your partner come with you? How far in advance before TTC should this be done? I realize women get pregnant unexpectedly every day so obviously this isn't done by everyone, but as my husband and I are both relatively young (I'm 26) and generally healthy individuals, I'm wondering if this is something that we're supposed to do.

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

You need to be taking prenatal vitamins.

[Anonymous]

I had a pre-conception appt. and my husband came with me. In my case, I decided to have this appointment because I was 38 and had no much time to keep trying with no success. Both my husband and I had tests done and the doc explained the results to us, provided guidance and I read many articles and books to do things in the right way. After a few months...VOILA! I got pregnant!
If you want to make sure there are no problems, go ahead and make an appointment with an IVF specialist. Otherwise, just start trying and if you don't get pregnant within the first year, then see a doc.

[Anonymous]

I let me OB know in advance I would be trying and she gave me a booklet of info which had stuff like things to avoid (food, weird fumes, etc.) and gave me a prescription for prenatals. I don't think an OB visit is essential for this info - just look online and then definitely start on a good multi-vitamin plus extra folate.

[Anonymous]

At my preconception appt my ob-gyn ran a blood test to make sure my rubella vaccination was still working. It's important that it still be active because getting rubella (german measels) while pregnant is bad news and (I think) they can't give you the vaccine while you are pregnant. Also, since I never got the chicken pox and instead got the vaccine for that, they check to make sure that vaccine was working too. If you are Jewish they may also recommend genetic tests for tay-sachs (sp?) etc. Good luck!!

[Anonymous]

I asked my ob at my annual exam about what I should know about ttc rather than schedule a separate appt. She ran down my gyn history with me and we discussed any issues I had and family history that may cause a problem. As a previous poster said, it was all mostly stuff I could have read online or in a magazine. My ob said that based on my history at the time I shouldn't have any trouble. But, since I was still on the pill neither of us had any way of knowing that I had completely irregular periods. It has taken me 2.5 years, tens of thousands of dollars and many heartaches but I just got a positive pregnancy test this morning. So my advice? Unless you really don't know the basics about getting pg or if you have any personal or family history that you suspect might cause problems, you might want to save your copay. It is a good idea to be sure your pap is up to date to rule out any infections that could prevent or harm pregnancy. However, don't assume that healthy = fertile. At your age, if you try for a year and have not conceived, you should see a specialist. But, if you have very irregular cycles (shorter than 26 days or longer than 32) or painful periods or pain during intercourse you should see a doctor sooner.

[Anonymous]

I was 29 when we started TTC, and I had pre- conception visits but only because i was trying to find a Dr. If you are comfortable with your OB and have a clear medical and family history, and not of "advanced age" (which is technically somewhere around 35, I think), I would say that in general it is not necessary. If you really want to confirm your understanding of "best practices" for getting prego (vitamins, timing of ovulation, etc.) if can't hurt to make an appointment, but otherwise I wouldn't worry about it. And-- have fun trying!

[Anonymous]

An ex classmate from elementary and high school told me on a messenger chat his sister had problems getting pregnant until he found a brazilian doc who recommended to keep her legs up after the "happy moment". She got pregnant and I got pregnant too following that advice!!!
So...LEGS UP, ladies!!

[Anonymous]

OP, it never hurts to see your DR before you get pregnant. Prenatals, tracking your temp, etc. I think it also really depends on your age, as a PP mentioned. The older you are, the more there is to know!

[Anonymous]

Hi! I'm poster 14:31. When I said IVF, I meant the doc was a fertility specialist working in the IVF dept. of the medical center. Having that consultation was very important to us due to my age.
I learn so much from the doc and reading articles online and books from the library. Yes, I did research. Also, I had stopped drinking coffee and wine few months before getting pregnant. Prenatal vitamins play a very important role.

[Anonymous]

My ob/gyn is very thoughtful and had always asked about my and DH's plan to start a family ever since I started going to her for annuals.

I'm surprised your ob/gyn doesn't ask you about BC, plans for children, any questions you have, etc. at your annual doc. visits? I guess I always thought it was standard.

Anyway, when I told my doc. that we were finally "ready" to start a family she sorta gave me a quick pep talk about ideal times to TTC, pre natal vitamins, what to expect, be patient, and and what point (after trying for X months) to come and get help. It was very informative.

Also, depending on your age and medical history you may want to initiate the conversation next time you go in/

[Anonymous]

I'm going to differ from most of the PP's and advise you to have this appointment. I was 29 when DH and I decided to start trying, so no concerns about my age. I did have the pre-conception appointment. Yes, everything they told me, I already knew, but the most valuable thing they did was some pre-screening bloodwork. Since I am Jewish, they tested for some genetic disorders more prevalent among Jews, and also tested for other conditions. Turns out I tested positive for one of the genetic disorders (i carrry a recessive gene) and my thyroid was slightly under-active. AND, as it turned out, I was already pregnant... (At the pre-conception appt. I told them there was a chance I could already be pregnant, since DH and I had been a bit careless, so they did a preg. test and turns out I was.) Anyway I can't convey enough how scary it was, to be already pregnant, and not know if something was wrong with my baby. We had to wait several more weeks for my DH to get tested for the genetic disorder, and I had to be rushed in to see an endocrinologist to get my thyroid levels back on track, as under-active thyroid can lead to problems in a fetus's developing brain.

All turned out well in my case, as my DH is not a carrier of the genetic disorder, and my thyroid problem quickly got under control. I now have a wonderful, healthy 2-year old. BUT, it was so scary to already be pregnant and not know if something might be wrong. It would have saved me lots of anxiety and sleepless nights if I had just gotten all the testing out of the way BEFORE getting pregnant.

Just my 2 cents.

[Anonymous]

OP here: Thank you to everyone for your thoughtful responses. Based on everyone's advice I will definitely go ahead and make time to have this appointment before trying to get pregnant. Regarding genetic testing, my husband and I actually are of Ashkenazi descent and we knew to get tested before conceiving, but my husband is seeing his primary care physician next week so initally we were just going to have him get tested and go from there. But I like what one PP said about using the preconception appointment as a way to try out new OBs which I hadn't thought of before. My current OB has been just fine for my annual GYN care, but I think I would prefer a smaller, more intimate practice for prenatal care. To the PP who suggested this, did you have the same prenatal appointment with several OBs before finding the one you were comfortable with, or were susequent visits more like "interivews" rather than medical evaluations?

Anyway, thanks again to everyone for sharing their advice/stories!

[Anonymous]

Just FYI - in my experience, a lot of obgyn's don't do "consultations." I tried to set them up at several offices and it was very frustrating. You call and say, "I'd like to set up a consultation" and the person is like "a what??? are you a current patient? because if not it is a six month wait for an annual exam. Are you pregnant? If so I can TRY to squeeze you in..." VERY frustrating. Apparently most ob's make you wait until you are pg to see if you like them. And if you do get an appointment, you have to fill out a book of info before they'll let you in the door -even though you're not sure you want them to be your doctor. I hope you sample a different bunch of doctors than I did and you find this process easier.

[Anonymous]

My first prenatal visit wasn't with the OB/GYN doc I had seen for 2 years (because the there was no appointment available, and I didn't want to wait 3 months). I found another one in a much smaller practice in VA(but I wasn't happy). He ordered a couple of exams, then I asked him a copy of the results and went to see a fertility specialist in DC. She was very concise and professional.
When I got pregnant, I call the bigger practice in DC to get an appointment with another OB/GYN. They say there were no appointments available for 20 days. Finally, I got the help of my endocrinologist who knew I was pg, to get an earlier appointment with that doc I wanted to see. Instead of 20 days, I waited 10 days. Since I'm high risk (because of my age over 35), the following appts. were easier to get.
It took a great amount of patience, and thanks God I had it!