Question #1- Why the fuvcking hell are you wasting your time and my money with this worthless visit?

You really don't need any others.

I've got mine coming up, too (Jan 7th for me).  I created a list of questions after searching through lists of them from a google search for "preconception questions".  I found an answer to most of them from research online, honestly, but I still want my doc's input on a few.  Particularly:

Is it safe to continue x medication while pregnant?

Is hubby's sperm motility or count affected by x medication he's on?

I also take a lot of hot baths and saunas and I know that hot tubs and jaccuzi's are a no-no, so I'm going to ask him about how hot is too hot.   (if he knows)

I'm going to ask him about midwives in my town and what portion of this is covered under the provincial health benefits.

Am I up to date on my vaccinations? (I'll bring my vaccine history card with me, but I don't really know what I'm looking at when I read it).

And I'm going to get his input on pre-screening tests, like for cystic fibrosis. I'm likely not going to get any, but I'd still like to know what he thinks.

And I'd like to know if he has any concerns regarding my medical history.

There's no point in a preconception appoinment. Unless you're due for a pap and were going to go anyway, it's a waste of time and a copayment. All the doctor is going to tell you is to start prenatals and to call once you get a pregnant, or come back again in a year.

ETA: I will say that the appointment might be necessary if you have a diagnosis that might impact getting/staying pregnant. I have a clotting disorder, so that's the only reason why I went to a preconception appointment with a MFM. 

kicius56:

All he will do is tell you to take your prenatal vitamins. Which you know now if you didn't before.

nlscroggins:

kicius56:

All he will do is tell you to take your prenatal vitamins. Which you know now if you didn't before.

absolute truth. and this is from someone who got overly excited and made one of these appts long ago. real waste of time!

True story: I didn't know prenatal vitamins existed, much less that I should take them while TTC. I started taking them at 6wks pregnant after my first OB appointment.

Edited to clarify. 

kicius56:

nlscroggins:

kicius56:

All he will do is tell you to take your prenatal vitamins. Which you know now if you didn't before.

absolute truth. and this is from someone who got overly excited and made one of these appts long ago. real waste of time!

True story: I didn't know prenatal vitamins existed, much less that I should take them while TTC. I started taking them at 6wks pregnant after my first OB appointment.

Edited to clarify. 

Do you not know anyone that has been pregnant ever?

GhostMonkey:

kicius56:

nlscroggins:

kicius56:

All he will do is tell you to take your prenatal vitamins. Which you know now if you didn't before.

absolute truth. and this is from someone who got overly excited and made one of these appts long ago. real waste of time!

True story: I didn't know prenatal vitamins existed, much less that I should take them while TTC. I started taking them at 6wks pregnant after my first OB appointment.

Edited to clarify. 

Do you not know anyone that has been pregnant ever?

 

I was the first of my friends and close family to get pregnant in a looong time (youngest was about 18 at that time), so yeah. No one mentioned a damn thing. Even at my annual I mentioned we will be TTC soon and the OB did not say anything either. I could keep going with the excuses.

Nukke:

I've got mine coming up, too (Jan 7th for me).  I created a list of questions after searching through lists of them from a google search for "preconception questions".  I found an answer to most of them from research online, honestly, but I still want my doc's input on a few.  Particularly:

Is it safe to continue x medication while pregnant?

Is hubby's sperm motility or count affected by x medication he's on?

I also take a lot of hot baths and saunas and I know that hot tubs and jaccuzi's are a no-no, so I'm going to ask him about how hot is too hot.   (if he knows)

I'm going to ask him about midwives in my town and what portion of this is covered under the provincial health benefits.

Am I up to date on my vaccinations? (I'll bring my vaccine history card with me, but I don't really know what I'm looking at when I read it).

And I'm going to get his input on pre-screening tests, like for cystic fibrosis. I'm likely not going to get any, but I'd still like to know what he thinks.

And I'd like to know if he has any concerns regarding my medical history.

Don't be surprised if your doctor isn't able to answer some of these questions. I've read it on here a million times, but it's true: an OB is trained to care for you while you're pregnant, a RE is trained to help you to get pregnant.

I started to see a new ob/gyn for my pap this year and we were on cycle 3 of ttc. When we started to talk about it, he gave me completely wrong information which threw me for a loop. I was reassured on here that I should take it with a grain of salt, so I did, but I'm glad I wasn't relying on him for ttc info.

kicius56:

GhostMonkey:

kicius56:

nlscroggins:

kicius56:

All he will do is tell you to take your prenatal vitamins. Which you know now if you didn't before.

absolute truth. and this is from someone who got overly excited and made one of these appts long ago. real waste of time!

True story: I didn't know prenatal vitamins existed, much less that I should take them while TTC. I started taking them at 6wks pregnant after my first OB appointment.

Edited to clarify. 

Do you not know anyone that has been pregnant ever?

 

I was the first of my friends and close family to get pregnant in a looong time (youngest was about 18 at that time), so yeah. No one mentioned a damn thing. Even at my annual I mentioned we will be TTC soon and the OB did not say anything either. I could keep going with the excuses.

So you never looked at the boxes sitting right next to the other vitamins and glanced at what they said?

GhostMonkey:

kicius56:

GhostMonkey:

kicius56:

nlscroggins:

kicius56:

All he will do is tell you to take your prenatal vitamins. Which you know now if you didn't before.

absolute truth. and this is from someone who got overly excited and made one of these appts long ago. real waste of time!

True story: I didn't know prenatal vitamins existed, much less that I should take them while TTC. I started taking them at 6wks pregnant after my first OB appointment.

Edited to clarify. 

Do you not know anyone that has been pregnant ever?

 

I was the first of my friends and close family to get pregnant in a looong time (youngest was about 18 at that time), so yeah. No one mentioned a damn thing. Even at my annual I mentioned we will be TTC soon and the OB did not say anything either. I could keep going with the excuses.

So you never looked at the boxes sitting right next to the other vitamins and glanced at what they said?

Nah. Is it that hard to believe?  

I never made a preconception appt. until now, and only because my cycles last too long and we are finding out what we can do about that to get pregnant. I am using this to go over anything that I need to do in preparation for getting KU, as well as a chance to have a first meeting with him, as he is a new doctor that I will be seeing for the first time.

mrswilkening2b:

The only reason I made a preconcep appt was because I believe I will have TTTC. Other than that, I asked a few friends that are nurses if they did and they all said no and that there really isn't a point if you've had your yearly. It's really just personal preference I guess.nbsp;

I had a preconception meeting with my dr and it was quite helpful. They did a CBC and checked for thyroid issues, which runs in my family--all at the suggestion of my OB.

They also gave me a buttload of prenatal samples whcih was good.

ChuggingWater:

mrswilkening2b:

The only reason I made a preconcep appt was because I believe I will have TTTC. Other than that, I asked a few friends that are nurses if they did and they all said no and that there really isn't a point if you've had your yearly. It's really just personal preference I guess.nbsp;

why?

Because she's supa special yo.

ChuggingWater:

mrswilkening2b:

The only reason I made a preconcep appt was because I believe I will have TTTC. Other than that, I asked a few friends that are nurses if they did and they all said no and that there really isn't a point if you've had your yearly. It's really just personal preference I guess.nbsp;

why?

For the last two years I've had a total of 5 periods with all normal paps and normal bloodwork. I've just recently started more tests to find out why. My OBGYN thinks I may have PCOS, which is why she's doing an u/s of my ovaries on Wednesday. That's what we discussed on 12/26 which was my pre-concep appt.  

So if that makes me supa special then YAY! :) Thanks GM!!!

My dr couldn't wait for me to go off BC when I had my annual in May but my husband was between jobs at the time so it wasn't an option then.  She told me go off when your ready and for god's sake take your prenatals.  Then she said I'll see you in a year or when your KU.  I asked her if I needed to come back when I decided to try and she told me there was no reason to.  I have PCOS so I was concerned with potential problems and she said you don't know till you try so try then worry.  If I make it to next May before I see her again (never in my life have I wanted to visit that office so bad!!!) then we will take the next steps into seeing whats going on but like she said, don't know till you try!

If your generally healthy and up to date on your bloodwork and such you should be fine, although it is your preference.  I honestly can't think of anything I would want to ask her at this point since I haven't been trying long enough to be considered problematic and don't have any info such as charting to let her see.

just read this on POAS-

What's an evaporation line? Evaporation ("evap") lines result with the test's antibody strip just looks slightly different than the space around it. There is a line of antibodies (usually made from mouse cells) in the Control and Test section. The Control line binds with any liquid and turns pink (or blue, in tests using blue dye.) The Test/Result line turns pink only if pregnancy hormone is detected. If not, the moisture passes over this strip and does not turn pink. It may, however, become more visible when the light hits the moisture on the strip-- it may appear gray, colorless, like a "dent" in the test, or like a "ghost line." It may appear at any time-- as soon as the urine hits it, after a few minutes as the test absorbs the moisture, or after the 10-minute time limit. It may appear when the test is drying, or after it has dried. It may disappear as the test is drying, or after the test has dried, or not disappear at all.

The simple fact is that there is always "something there" that is slightly visible-- it's simply the antibodies on the test that would turn pink in the presence of hCG. When the test becomes wet, or as it dries, or after it dries, the antibody strip may become more visible. Therefore, all tests may have them. It is not a defect; it's just how tests are made.

A real positive is identified by its color (pink or blue, whatever the color of the test's dye is) and its appearance within 10 minutes of urinating on the stick. A line that appears after 10 minutes, regardless of color, must be considered an evap line and is caused by the test's chemicals changing. HPT's are rapid assay diagnostics, which means any results appearing after the "rapid" time limit of 10 minutes are invalid.

mrswilkening2b:

ChuggingWater:

mrswilkening2b:

The only reason I made a preconcep appt was because I believe I will have TTTC. Other than that, I asked a few friends that are nurses if they did and they all said no and that there really isn't a point if you've had your yearly. It's really just personal preference I guess.nbsp;

why?

For the last two years I've had a total of 5 periods with all normal paps and normal bloodwork. I've just recently started more tests to find out why. My OBGYN thinks I may have PCOS, which is why she's doing an u/s of my ovaries on Wednesday. That's what we discussed on 12/26 which was my pre-concep appt.  

So if that makes me supa special then YAY! :) Thanks GM!

I know a lot of people on these boards are against these types of things (but I am not sure why). I don't know if I actually scheduled an appointment and told them specifically it was to talk about conception etc, but I am glad I did.

I needed an update for my measles, mumps and rubella shot, and my doctor told me it would be harmful to get pregnant within (x) amount of time from taking the needle...and the needle was necessary to get PRIOR to getting pregnant because if you contract one of those while pregnant it can be extremely harmful. If I hadn't gone in, I wouldn't have known that.

My doctor also did a full panel of pre-conception blood work (lots of stuff they do when you find out your pregnant) because I needed some blood work done anyway, and because of my phobia she wanted to get it all out of the way.

I am in Canada and I know the systems are different, but I don't understand what the big deal is. I didn't have to pay, and I KNOW people go in for much "stupider" reasons. My visit was informative and well worth the 15 minutes I took of the doctors time. 

lorirachel:

I know a lot of people on these boards are against these types of things (but I am not sure why). I don't know if I actually scheduled an appointment and told them specifically it was to talk about conception etc, but I am glad I did.

I needed an update for my measles, mumps and rubella shot, and my doctor told me it would be harmful to get pregnant within (x) amount of time from taking the needle...and the needle was necessary to get PRIOR to getting pregnant because if you contract one of those while pregnant it can be extremely harmful. If I hadn't gone in, I wouldn't have known that.

My doctor also did a full panel of pre-conception blood work (lots of stuff they do when you find out your pregnant) because I needed some blood work done anyway, and because of my phobia she wanted to get it all out of the way.

I am in Canada and I know the systems are different, but I don't understand what the big deal is. I didn't have to pay, and I KNOW people go in for much "stupider" reasons. My visit was informative and well worth the 15 minutes I took of the doctors time. 

Because it costs money for unnecessary visits. It costs you money as well. Your health insurance is paid by taxes, so everyone pays for your pointless visit.

Here, that 15 minute appointment will be billed somewhere around $200 to insurance companies.

You can't do prenatal blood work while you aren't pregnant. You will have to redo every last bit of it. smh. So much stupid on this board tonight.

GhostMonkey:

lorirachel:

I know a lot of people on these boards are against these types of things (but I am not sure why). I don't know if I actually scheduled an appointment and told them specifically it was to talk about conception etc, but I am glad I did.

I needed an update for my measles, mumps and rubella shot, and my doctor told me it would be harmful to get pregnant within (x) amount of time from taking the needle...and the needle was necessary to get PRIOR to getting pregnant because if you contract one of those while pregnant it can be extremely harmful. If I hadn't gone in, I wouldn't have known that.

My doctor also did a full panel of pre-conception blood work (lots of stuff they do when you find out your pregnant) because I needed some blood work done anyway, and because of my phobia she wanted to get it all out of the way.

I am in Canada and I know the systems are different, but I don't understand what the big deal is. I didn't have to pay, and I KNOW people go in for much "stupider" reasons. My visit was informative and well worth the 15 minutes I took of the doctors time. 

Because it costs money for unnecessary visits. It costs you money as well. Your health insurance is paid by taxes, so everyone pays for your pointless visit.

Here, that 15 minute appointment will be billed somewhere around $200 to insurance companies.

You can't do prenatal blood work while you aren't pregnant. You will have to redo every last bit of it. smh. So much stupid on this board tonight.

 

it was not pointless at all. did you skim through the important part about measles, mumps and rubella and about passing that onto a potential child?

I think the health care systems are completely different, and you can't compare the US and Canada. I also mentioned people go to the doctor for MUCH stupider reasons then this and if it makes me feel better, I don't give an f+ck. It doesn't affect you, and if you can't afford to pay the $200, then I am sorry. I would never forgive myself if I had pregnancy complications because I didn't get this needle before I decided to conceive.

I am not stupid and I know there are certain tests that you can only while you are pregnant...however there are also lots of tests you can do before (such as thyroid, again-GLAD I got that done as I had a suspected thyroid problem).

Nothing you say is going to convince me that what I did was wrong, stupid or selfish, so it's just a waste of time and energy to write a response. I have seen this way too many times on here and finally wanted to share my piece. I don't care if you don't like it, we are all entitled to our opinions :) 

I had a pre-conception appt.  I was taking a lot of meds, and vitamins.  My doctor was able to tell me what I should stop (all of them), and that I should take the perinatal vitamin.  I'll be the first of my friends to have a kid, so no, I didn't hear about them before.  BTW I see a family med doc, not a OB/GYN.  She seems very knowledgeable in the whole process.