Is this normal?

[Anonymous]

I am hoping for some information based on personal experience:

I just had my annual appointment with my obgyn who I love and trust. My husband and I would like to start trying to conceive for the first time so much of the appointment was spent asking questions about conception. After telling me that I have no known risks or reasons to believe that we'll have difficulty (of course there is no way to predict difficulties), he suggested that I schedule a sonogram to make sure that I don't have fibroids in my uterus. He gave me no indication that he felt anything abnormal but said that there could be fibroids inside my uterus that he'd be unable to detect, and may make conception difficult. I've never heard of a sonogram before even attempting to get pregnant. Is this something you've heard of, was recommended to you, or done?

[Anonymous]

No, I've never heard of a check for fibroids if there is no prior history of them. Are you over 40? If you're older, your OB may think it is something non-invasive to do so you don't wast time. But if that is his/her view, then your DH should be doing a sperm test too. But most OBs say try 3-6 months before they check anything.

[Anonymous]

I have never heard of an OB checking for fibroids, but based on my experience I say do it!!! I was ttc for 6 mos with no success and OB sent me to RE. I had serious fibroids and had to have major surgery to address them. I lost a year+ of ttc due to the OB waiting period and dealing with surgery. I wish I had known at the get go that I had them. Many people have fibroids, get pregnant naturally and deliver with no problems. On the off chance you have them and they are problematic for ttc, I say all the better to know now. The sonogram is not a big deal and could save you a lot of trouble later. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

never heard of that, but hey -can't hurt

[Anonymous]

Never heard of that before, but a vaginal ultrasound is really no big deal (as all of us undergoing fertility treatments can attest!). It's painless and only takes a few minutes, so I'd say do it.

Either it will be clear and you'll have some peace of mind (now that your dr. for some reason has planted the seed in your mind that you could have fibroids!) or it will show something and you can get it taken care of instead of trying for months and not knowing if something's wrong.

[Anonymous]

Sorry to be a big skeptic but....if they do the u/s in their offices they'll make more $. Its always a good idea to question unnecessary procedure....just like you would a Jiffy Lube - not every car needs new wiper blades but almost everyone is told they "need" them.

My doctor and I decided to do in ultrasound after my last appointment because I was having pain that indicated a ovarian cyst. The procedure cost me about $200 because my insurance didn't full cover it.

[Anonymous]

I agree with the last poster. Unless you have been having some symptoms that suggest a problem, I don't see why they would do a sono before doing the rest of the infertility work-up. After all, if you are younger the most common (and easily diagnosed) problem is male factor and that can be picked up by sperm analysis (but your OB's office probably can't charge you for that). The one thing they should have done is a blood test to make sure you are still immune to Rubella.

[Anonymous]

I did have fibroids that my OB diagnosed LONG before we even thought to TTC. It's helpful to know if you can.