When to consult the infertility specialist?

You can read here a small fragment of the book that I wrote: “Las mil y una noches en busca del embarazo“. This book was published in late 2014 (in Spanish), which I wrote thinking about my patients’ questions (and about those who are not my patients, but who, perhaps, could appreciate some complex information explained in a simple way). While I spoke there about many topics, here I will only copy a very small (but important) part: When to consult the infertility specialist?

This is the translation: “When things do not work out as expected, we get frustrated. When you have a very desired plan, postponement generates a mixture of sadness and anger, among other things. When the expected result does not come naturally, seeking help is the best way out.

I once heard someone saying, “It is not important to know everything; the most important is to know who to ask.” I like that phrase because it made me free from the obligation to know everything, something that often was in my mind… (life is full of mysteries worth to be discovered). However, I feel that I must be clear here: it is not Google that we have to ask about things we don’t know! While on the Internet you can find some answers to a lot of questions, when we suffer from a health problem, the doctor is usually the right person.

As mentioned before, the various scientific societies recommend that couples who have not achieved a pregnancy after 12 months consult with a specialist doctor. And this period should be shortened to 6 months in those couples in which the woman is over 35 years. Consulting the right person, at the time indicated, usually leads patients on a shorter and direct way to solving the problem they have. The key is that we can make a correct diagnosis, proper treatment and good advice to our patients. ”

In conclusion, the ideal option is to consult with the infertility specialist after 6 or 12 months (depending on the woman’s age) of not getting a pregnancy. Or consult immediately if you suspect any specific problem: irregular menstrual cycles, family history in reproductive or genetic issues, surgeries that have affected any reproductive organ, etc. Consultation on time with the specialist will allow you to get on the right path, avoiding doing less studies than needed and also avoiding doing more studies than needed. The idea is to choose the best alternative to move forward. For this, nothing better than consulting on time with the infertility specialist.