First, I got a new OB when my old one retired @ 8 months ago. When I called her office to set an appt to talk about all this, a nurse called me back and said it was probably unnecesary b/c they could answer any questions I had over the phone. They basically said get off the pill and onto pnvitamins and give it some time. My main question was that the last OB had a concern that I might (very big might) be parimenopausal b/c of extreme nightsweats, hotflashes, etc.-she couldn't tell for sure b/c I was on the pill. When I raised concerns about this the new OBs office said no way and not to worry about it. So should I push the issue and ask for the menopause level test or give it a year and see?
Jennifer
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Jennifer - I don't want to scare you - but I think it would be a good idea to ask for an FSH test -- chances are 99.9% that NOTHING is wrong with you - but the FSH test (that looks to see if you are going through early menopause) is nothing more than a simple blood test -- you have it on day 3 of your cycle. Again - chances are you are 100% fine - but why not get confirmation of that if it is as easy as a blood test.
I myself was diagnosed last June with POF (premature ovarian failure - also know as early menopause) -- I was 32. Unfortunately for me - I wasted a year of trying on my own only to find out - when I finally switched from my obgyn to a RE specialist - who immediately ordered a whole battery of blood tests - that my condition could have been diagnosed immediately a year ago and I could have then been a whole year earlier in my egg donor/IVF process.
Thankfully (so far) things (although off to a late start) have worked out great for me because I found a wonderful donor - did my IVF in Feb and am now 5 weeks pregnant!
I guess my point is this -- while I think Rebecca's advice to you to wait and see if things resolve themselves off the pill is sound and good advice -- having been through it myself so recently and having been so mad that my condition could have been diagnosed earlier with a simple blood test -- I am very very in favor of Cycle Day 3 FSH tests now. I pretty much recommend it to anyone trying to conceive.
Again - the only real benefit to getting checked sooner rather than later is that you don't lose time AND you also save yourself the stress of the charting, temperature taking, OPK, doctor's appointments, 2ww....etc -- I did that for a year and that was the most fustrating part for me - the constant hope and then the crush when it did not happen.
If your period does not become somewhat regular in the next couple of months - I would ask for the test - nothing to lose! My irregular periods were really my only symptom -- some times my period would be 12 days, then the next time - 60 days, ever time was random 25, 36, 42, 12, 60 - I had no consitency -- that is why I ended up at the RE in the first place.
I really really hope that this message did not freak you out in any way because that is not my intent -- my intent was only to mention this test and encourage you to get it so that you can put your own mind at ease. If I had to go through this infertility/ttc journey again from scratch - the thing I would change is I would have been more aggressive with my doctors - I find most doctors are content to just tell you to keep trying and not to worry - rather than to do tests and confirm all is well.
Any questions - ask away!
~Nicole