Fertility issues is a very sensitive topic when it comes to couples and their health. There can be a lot of unnecessary guilt, blame, failure, and even panic associated with couples who are having difficulties getting pregnant.

If you have reached this page, it likely means that you’re going through some difficult times trying get pregnant. If this is the case, I’m really sorry, I appreciate what a hard time you’re going through. The bravest thing that you can do, you’re doing right now. Looking for some information.

Although I’ll try to keep it general, I hope some information on here is helpful.

When should you see a medical practitioner? 

If you are trying to get pregnant, and you have don’t have a regular cycle (period or menses), or it’s outside the range of every 21-35 days, then I recommend that you see a medical practitioner as soon as you start thinking about getting pregnant.

If you have a regular cycle been trying to get pregnant unsuccessfully, I recommend seeing a doctor if:

-You’re under 35 years of age and have been trying for 12 months

-You’re aged from 35-39 and have been trying for 6 months

-If you are 40 or above, I want to try to get pregnant, I always advised to say medical practitioner, first, so that a plan can be tailored for you

What will be done if you see a medical practitioner? 

If you have been unable to get pregnant, the first thing that a medical practitioner will do will be to run some tests on both male and female partners. As a rule, infertility is 30% male, 30% female, 30%, both partners, and 10%, unknown. If you are having trouble getting pregnant, it certainly is not just a referral straight to IVF, which many couples are concerned that it will be. There are lots of different tests, and interventions that your GP can do to help get you pregnant. I certainly do love this part of my job.

INFERTILITY – Family Planning NSW

What will the doctor ask when I come in? 

In general, when you coming to see your doctor for infertility, we will ask about what your cycle is like, what has been like in the past, what contraception is you have used, and why you’ve been put on them. We will also ask whether or not you, or your partner, have ever been pregnant before, and what happened with that pregnancy . We will likely do a pelvic ultrasound, to check all the internal organs on the woman, as well as ask for the male partner to have a sperm analysis done. There are some more specialised tests that we can do, but we will tailor them, depending on whether or not, we were able to get pregnant, or whether or not, we would have multiple miscarriages. Multiple miscarriages certainly does still fall under infertility.

As well as this, you will have routine pre pregnancy bloods done and have a general health check.

Referrals 

If you want to be referred to a gynaecologist who is a specialist in infertility, an infertility, or straight to IVF, this can certainly be done at any point.

A lot of what will be done will be determined by you, the patient, and your partner, and also your age.

Other referrals that can be done include those to a psychologist, if you need mental health support, as infertility is known to be linked with depression, anxiety and stress on relationships, or even to a psychiatrist who specialises in reproductive mental health.

Social infertility

Same-sex couples can also be classified as infertile, but often they will refer to it as socially infertile. This certainly doesn’t mean that having children is out of the picture, however, it does mean that some help might be needed to get pregnant. Come and see your GP if you wish to discuss what options there are for you as a same-sex couple. It’s beautiful being able to see couples start and then complete their families.

In summary, please come and see your doctor if you have any concerns regarding infertility. We are very happy to discuss pregnancy planning, although we do definitely recommend seeing your doctor if you are 35-39 and have been unable to get pregnant for six months, or under 35, and unable to get pregnant for 12 months. Your GP will be a great source of information, and support during this journey, and I must say, the best part of my job, the best, is helping women get pregnant, and then getting to meet the little ones when they are born.

There’s nothing better in the world in this, and I hope you find the right doctor for you on this journey, and no matter what, never lose hope.