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The Next Step

When Is it Time to See an Infertility Specialist?

By Michele St. Martin

Brenda learned that a friend who was seeing the same doctor and had a very different diagnosis was following the same treatment protocol, and she became disenchanted with the doctor and his advice. "He kept telling us to 'relax and enjoy each other's bodies' and that we would get pregnant. He also said that if the Clomid didn't work, then I 'probably' had endometriosis, even though I had absolutely no indicators of endo." Brenda was frustrated because she felt the OB/GYN had no interest in finding the cause of their infertility.

The rule of thumb in seeing any doctor for help conceiving is that a couple without known fertility problems should first try to conceive on their own for a year if the woman is younger than 35 and six months if the woman is older than 35. Many women, especially those older than 35, believe that this often-given advice is too conservative. Claire Goodman is one of those women.

Claire, of Oakland, Calif., started seeing an RE after trying to conceive for six months. Claire, who was older than 35, had done some research and knew that time was running out for her, fertility-wise. She moved quickly; when the first RE made a serious error in her treatment, resulting in a failed IVF, Claire switched to another RE for her second IVF. The happy result: an active and beautiful preschooler named Rebekah. Claire advises women to take the lead when it comes to seeing an RE: "Do it when you are ready; don't wait some arbitrary period of time or wait for a referral."