please get yourself to a *reputable* RE quickly! i can't stress that enough.
i spent 10 years with an MD (general practice) who always commented about my "large thyroid," but never ran any blood work other than a TSH, nor any ultrasound. she was negligent or uninformed or both.
her nurse practitioner (i couldn't get in to see my doc for annual appt.) was the one who said my thyroid needed further exploration. she was right!
apparently hashimoto's (thyroid antibodies present) can throw all sorts of curves and TSH can show in the normal ranges.
ANY thyroid disorder/disease can throw off pregnancy. at the very least - your doc of choice needs to check TSH, T4, T3U, T7, TPO, TGAB.
i'm not writing to say it is or isn't thyroid.
the message i want to give to you is - if you want children the old-fashioned way - do want you need to get an appointment quickly!
make appointments with several docs (at the same time), asking to be put on the cancellation list. i hated tying up appointments for others, but i was 43 at the time and knew the clock was ticking. the waiting time around here (cape cod) was 4-6 months. i got in to see a wonderful doc in boston in one week.
also, know that an endocrinologist is different than a reproductive endocrinologist. my docs didn't explain that to me and i wasted several more months on that aspect.
if you are not currently doing it now, chart basal temperatures, read cervical mucous, do all you can do to provide information for the docs! you can use the natural family planning method. it is acceptable by the church.
get plenty of rest, drink lots of water, eat right, sleep right. avoid stress. lol!
it is not my intention to make you sad, but after i was put on levoxyl for hypothyroid/hashimoto's, i had olny four chances at pregnancy.
i got pregnant 3 times, and have very early miscarriages.
my numbers now show low ovarian reaserve, blah, blah, blah.
IMPORTANT: have the docs test FSH, and also INHIBIN-A and INHIBIN-B. and don't let them tell you "no." these numbers will give information on egg quantity and quality.
although these numbers are not the end all and be all, they are pretty significant. there may or may not be anything that can be done with numbers out of normal range.
check to see what is covered by insurance first so there are no surprises.
you may want to consider freezing eggs, if that is an option for you.
here's my final message to you: if you hope to be a parent, ADOPT! our family includes two beautiful children. we adopted them many years ago (internationally), before we even considered pregnancy. it was the best decision ever! :)
sadly, i was just told yesterday that i am entering menopause, and the typical meds (clomid, etc) and procedures (iui, ivf, etc) are not an option for me, religious stuff aside.
at the time of the phone call, i was 44 years and one day old.
there is some evidence linking early menopause with late menarche, no pregnancies, breat feeding, etc.
http://www.geocities.com/menobeyond/age.html.
i am now exploring the option of chinese acupuncture. i have a consult this friday.
please let me know of your progress. i wish you all the best.
Thank you immensely. I've given new meaning to "I'm not getting any younger." Thanks for your courteous and prompt response.
I agree with you. At your age, I would go to a reputable Reproductive Endocrinologist and Infertility specialist as soon as possible and complete your work up including an HSG, and semen analysis and discuss fertility treatment. If you live in Texas, you can look at www.ihr.com to see the different fertility programs there.