I only go to an OBGYN.. i dont even know what an RE is... what is it... and what do they do that an OBGYN doesnt?

and will my ob check for folicules??... and when do you check?? like while your on clomid or before your period or after or what...

and do they just do a sonogram??

and if you have big ones what does that mean... like i see you girls say they are like 18, 22 what does that mean??

what do i tell my dr??

is it important to know how many you have if you want to get pregnant?

Hi Long

I would go to a RE not stay with a OBGYN. RE is a Reproductive Endroconoligist(sp). They specialize in the reproductive system. Some OB's do check just depends how much IF they deal with.

If you are taking clomid you should be monitered using a sonogram. This is to avoid multiple births and to see if the clomid is working. You take clomid day 5 to 9 of a new cycle. You will be monitered at the start of the cycle and every few days after. If you have follies growing and you are doing IUI of BD you will be told when. They moniter the size of the follies and how many are growing. Some where around 18 to 22 is a good size.

At first they may do some blood work to see if you are ovulating.

I'd really suggest that you check out a book on infertility that will be able to answer a LOT of your questions also. It will give you a basic rundown on how your body as well as your DH's works and then where things can go wrong and how those issues can be treated. Being an informed and knowledgeable patient is the best way that you can ensure that you get the treatment and attention from your physicians that you need and deserve. It will also help you to know when you are having your needs ignored and therefore address those issues as they arise. Hope this helps...There is a book out now called "How to Get Pregnant" (I can't remember the author's names) and it is a pretty informative book. Good luck

Kelcey

I agree with Kelcey, How to Get Pregnant is a wonderful book, it's by Dr Sherman Silber and the 4th edition came out maybe 6 months ago? It has a lot of great information but warning, some people find it very technical and difficult to read. What I like about it is that he doesn't expect you to just believe him when he says something (like a lot of other IF books do), he backs it up with studies and facts and figures.

I also liked Expecting Miracles by Dr Christo Zouves. Each chapter is about a different technology or situation and he uses the story of an actual patient to illustrate the use of that technology or discuss the situation. It's a pretty easy read but still has a lot of good information. It's definitely geared towards IVF though. What I liked was that after I finished reading it, I felt I had a good idea of what an IVF cycle would be like, and what sorts of technology would be available to us.

Those are my two favorites. There are a lot of other books out there that just give a basic outline of what sorts of treatments there are, from clomid to IUI to IVF. They seem pretty interchangeable to me so just look in your library or local bookstore and pick one that appeals to you. I think I read something called the Fertility Sourcebook that was helpful to me in the beginning.

Just wanted to give you my take on your questions...

An RE is a fertility specialist and an OB/GYN is not... they do a lot of things an OB won't/can't do. Most people start with their GYN. My GYN helped me get a basic blood panel done, offered to start me on clomid (I declined), and ordered an HSG for me (to see if my tubes were clear). Many GYNs will not monitor your clomid cycle although they seem quite happy to write you a Rx. IMHO when you "want to get serious" you should move onto an RE. Your OB/GYN is focused on delivering babies, doing c-sections, and deal with gynelogical infections and diseases. An RE is focused on getting people pregnant. That's all they do. That's why you want to be with an RE.

Not sure what you mean by whether your OB/GYN will check for follicles. During a clomid cycle? Or count your antral ("resting") follicles? Antral follicle count can be done any time during your cycle. Antral follicle count is one way of estimating how much ovarian reserve you have left. It's done with transvaginal ultrasound (the cootchy wand :) ).

During a clomid cycle, if you are being monitored, they will do transvaginal u/s to see how your follies are growing. That's so they can see how you are responding to the clomid. They can see how many follies are recruited and what size they are. Each follicle contains an egg. When they get to around 18-22mm they are big enough to ovulate a mature egg which can be fertilized.