Questions you should ask your infertility doc before you leave the office

So you’ve spent about a year trying to get pregnant and you’ve now found yourself in a very overwhelming situation – you have to take fertility drugs. You always thought getting pregnant was going to be easy for you…..but you’re now having to inject yourself with medications that have names that you can’t pronounce with 5 syllables and you have no idea why you’re taking them.

Empower yourself.

The more you know about what you’re doing and why – the more successful your treatment will be.

Ask your doc the following questions:

1. What is my infertility diagnosis?
2. What are these drugs supposed to do?
3. What are the names of the drugs that I’m supposed to be taking? What dose and when should I take them? How do I take them? Who can I call if I have any questions or problems after hours?
4. When should we stop having intercourse during this treatment plan and why? I recommend having intercourse up until ovulation unless you have a low sperm count – ask your doc this question and you’ll get an answer based on your particular situation.
5. What are some common side effects? Some drugs cause headaches and visual changes. These side effects should be taken very seriously. Knowing side effects ahead of time will help you recognize what symptoms you should take seriously. Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome is also a side effect of infertility treatment. You should know the symptoms.
6. Will the medication interact with any of the medications that I’m already taking?
7. How many eggs do you expect me to ovulate?
8. What is my chance of pregnancy? What is my chance of twins? What is the chance that I will get pregnant with more than twins?
9. If I don’t get pregnant with this therapy – will I have a chance to meet with you to discuss whether you think I should do this again?
10. Who will be doing my ultrasound during this treatment plan? Who will be doing my insemination? In many clinics you may have your doctor doing everything. In some clinics – you may have an ultrasound tech doing your ultrasound, a “doctor of the day” reviewing the ultrasound and another doc doing your procedures. Knowing what to expect will prepare you for what is to come.

11. Should I be taking progesterone during this treatment?
12. Who will be following up with me to let me know the progress of my treatment?

I think that if you know the answers to the above 12 questions – you will be very prepared for your treatment.