Fertility

[Ame_chan]

Hi everyone, I am 18 years old and I am with my boyfriend of 4 years. We plan to get married after college and have kids once we secure good jobs.
I have been thinking about having kids since I really do want them, but I am worried about my fertility. My sister tried to get pregnant so many times but miscarried all of them until just recently. She is 24. My Aunt was pregnant once and had an abortion and after that the doctors told her she was no longer able to have children. I know how abortions can hurt your chances of getting pregnant later on.
Anyways, my question is that since I don't have health insurance at this time, is there any other way than going to the doctor to see if I am fertile?
I would be devastated if I couldn't have children and it makes me depressed to think that there is a possibility of me failing my boyfriend. I told myself to wait until I could go to the doctor, but now it just hurts so much to the point of me crying when I think about it. I know I am still young but it still bothers me.
Please help...

[Shayne Plosker, MD]

Dear Ame-chan:

Infertility and miscarriages are not problems that are inherited. Your chances of being infertile when you are in your 20s and ready to try to conceive are only 10% (the odds of infertility increase as you get older). As long as your periods are regular, we know you are ovulating. I would not recommend a hysterosalpingogram xray - like all tests it is not perfect and has risks. There is a 1% risk of infection, and the last thing one would want to happen is to cause fallopian tube damage from an infection caused by an unnecessary medical test. Also, sometimes the test is wrong and inaccurrate. Even a sperm count is not helpful - most infertile couples have normal sperm counts, and many fertile men have low counths - unless the count turns out to be really low. Remember that your boyfriend has as much chance of being infertile as you do - and in both cases the chances are not high. I sympathize with those who have commented that they wish they had been tested sooner, but one must ask the question "what would have been different?" The cardinal rule of our profession is "first do no harm" - I would strongly discourage testing without the need to do so; the risk of complications from the testing or of inaccurate testing is actually greater than the risk of being infertile. It is only once infertility is confirmed that the balance tips in favor of testing. Finally, in 2008 even if there are problems, success rates are very high. Thus I would recommend waiting until you are ready to have a family, try first, only seek help if things are not working out. Please try not to worry needlessly about something that is unlikely to come about.

[shacar216]

Have you tried charting your basal body temp every morning and seeing if you have the characteristic "spike" in temperature at the time you should be ovulating? At least that would help you determine if you ovulate, which is a major first step. Start charting your menstrual cycles to see if they are fairly regular, which is also important. You can probably find a good basal body temp chart online to help you track your cycles. As you get closer to the time you want to try to conceive, you can buy the over the counter ovulation predictor kits to see when you are most fertile. These are a few simple things you can start to think about until your ready to start.

I got married young (19) and didn't give a second thought to my fertility until we were ready to TTC almost 10 years later. By that time, the docs ended up finding a few problems which I am still trying to fix. I wish that I had thought of my fertility a little earlier. I applaud you for thinking about your fertility early, although I hope you don't let it consume your thoughts, as no one really knows if they can have kids until the they start to try. As the pp said, enjoy your life and your youth.  And good luck in school, marriage, and trying to start a family!

[Ame_chan]

Thank you very much for responding.
I will just wait it out and try not to think of it as best as I can, and if I do think about it, I wont let it get me down.
Thank you again!

[Ame_chan]

Thank you so much, you really made me feel better. =3

[maybebaby29]

HSG-$5-800
Day 3 blood work--$200-400

Those are the first 2 tests they will require. If anything, do the blood test. It's easier, less painful, and cheaper. The OB/RE won't even look at you for an HSG unless you tried for a year and no success.

I just don't know why you're worrying about pregnancy now when you still have to finish college, get a good job, and get married. Life is stressful enough with exciting new things. You'll be fine.

You also don't know if your job will allow for infertility coverage. I believe in 4 states, it's manditory that insurance covers you if you have 25 or more employees.

Enjoy your life now and stop worrying about the What Ifs

[cris418]

Hi! Well i wanted to let you know that if you feel that you would like to get tested u should even if people are telling you that your too young. I am 25 now, and pregnant (thank god). We have been trying for a long time. When i was 18 i got pregnant, by accident, and had a miscarriage but everyone said that was normal. Then i met my husband and he had fertility problems. So we spent years testing him and although he was messed up i guess i was too but didnt know it.
From my experience im glad i was so persistant in getting tested young. We had done 1 ivf, then 3 iui;s and then the 2nd ivf and finally got pregnant. But the whole thing took years ........like 2.5 years between tests, doctors appointments, waiting to start new cycle.

If u dont have insurance maybe you can get a job that provides insurance just so that you get your tests done, becuase they are very expensive, and then once you know that your ok than you can get a real job.
Most insurances cover diagnostic tests.
My advice is to know early, that way you know what to expect in the future and its not a shock, plus you can start saving $ with a goal in mind.
Hope this helps !

Great luck,
Cristina