Determine The Gender Of Your Baby

You might be on the point of seeing the doctor hoping to learn why you and your partner haven’t been able to have a baby even though you’ve been trying for a while. Perhaps it feels easier to go on in the bliss of ignorance for a little longer. You won’t have any reason to keep procrastinating on that first infertility consultation if you are aware of what to expect, so here goes.

This is what the specialist will want to know.

 

• Even though you tried to forget those turbulent teenage years, you’ll have to try and recall when you started puberty, and the ladies will need to remember when their periods started. Delayed or early puberty may be indications of a problem.
• Any health issues you have at the moment or that you have had previously are important. Things that seem unimportant might end up being essential bits of information, so perhaps you should phone your parents and ask about any childhood illnesses you had and go from there. Your fertility could have been affected by the condition, or by the treatment for that sickness.
• Have you ever had any surgical operations at all? Tonsillectomy, tooth extractions, appendectomy - again, anything!
• Any chronic medication (prescribed or not)? Have you used chronic medication previously? Any supplements or vitamins?
• When was your first sexual encounter? How many sexual partners have you been with? Have you ever had an STD? STDs may bring about infertility and if girls are sexually active before 18 their cervix wellbeing might also be affected.

For the ladies:

• Women only: How is your menstruation? Predictable or irregular? Long or brief? Quite heavy or very light bleeding? Terrible cramps?
• How many times a week do you have sexual intercourse? Too much or too little can both be problematic.
• How does your sexual intercourse correlate with the lady’s ovulation? This is to check if you are having intercourse close to or during ovulation.
• Have you been pregnant in the past? This may seem like a strange question considering that you are trying to find out about problems having a baby, but many couples battle to conceive for a second time. If you have had many miscarriages previously then at least you know that conception is possible, but you have to work on keeping the pregnancy.
• Do you make use of lubricant? Which lubricant do you prefer? Any other intimacy enhancing products? Some lubricants are hostile to sperm – hence the embarrassing question.
• Do you or your partner have any sexual problems? Failure to reach orgasm? Vaginal dryness? Pain? Problems getting an erection? Nothing is out of bounds! All has to be revealed if you want an accurate diagnosis.

You might not be feeling too stable after that interrogation, but your doctor will also want to know how you are coping mentally. Keep in mind though, now is not the moment to be shy, if you haven’t shared all of this information with your partner in the past, it may be a wise idea to share before you get to the doctor so that there are no unpleasant revelations in the doctor’s room!

Your specialist will most likely also do a thorough physical examination, which includes an internal for the ladies. I understand it’s hard to relax someone is peering at your privates, but it’s much less uncomfortable if you just do your best to be calm. Do your best to get used to it – you’ll need to undergo at least a couple more when you eventually do have a baby.

When he (or she) has given you a good health check you might need some infertility tests. This might include tests to check for STDs, ultrasound scanning, blood tests, semen analysis for the man and a pap smear for the woman. Ladies could also require a laparoscopy or hysterosalpingogram to test for any structural difficulties.

Was that as horrid as you expected it to be? If it was, I completely understand! You could feel completely exposed, inside and out! Just keep in mind that this is to help you get pregnant – and believe me when that little hand curls itself over your finger someday, this will all feel very small in comparison.

Here is more information on Infertility Costs. Here is a website with a free mini-course dedicated to Infertility.

 

Tags: Pregnancy //