Seeing your gyn for infertility?

[Steph88]

Hi. I am new to this forum. Old gyn did preliminary infertility tests at 8 months of ttc and blood test looked normal, but then I got pregnant at 10 months and then very early miscarriage. We moved and now have new gyn and have been trying 5 more months. New gyn says after blood work/other tests she will probably put me on clomid first because since having first child my periods haven't been as regular. I expected her to refer me to an infertility doctor at this point. Is it normal for your gyn to help with infertility? She says insurance will cover it through gyn but not if I see an infertility doctor. I appreciate that she's trying to save us money but I would rather go to an actual infertility doc if that would be better. Any thoughts on this?

[Buzzer Beater]

Steph88,
I think it depends on your gyn. Mine was fantastic as far as we needed her. I was comfortable and she was very skilled at the tests and procedures she did here in our small town. Up to a point it's not rocket science, and then, well, you want a rocket scientist if you get into it, say as far as IVF. What training has your gyn had, and what direction do you want to take?
As far as your insurance goes I'd call them. That' an odd statement that a specialist wouldn't be covered. My insurance paid for all infertility testing up to a diagnosis (no matter which doc ordered the tests), then up to three medicated IUI, not a lot. We ended up doing IVF in another state.

Good luck in your process, I hope you end up with another babe!

[ratgrl]

I wouldn't have had an issue seeing my regular OB for clomid cycles as long as the pre-testing was done (HSG if warranted, day 3 bloodwork, etc). Beyond clo cycles I think I'd ask for a referral to an RE.

[GaleTX]

My regular GYN does most of the fertility-related things and refers me out to my RE for things he's not able to do. I had all the bloodwork done through my GYN because, like yours said, mine was covered under him, but not my RE. In my case, it was the way the tests were coded. He is also the one who did the internal ultrasound, prescribed the Clomid and who will do the endometrial biopsy when I'm ready for it. I have only seen the RE for my HSG and hubby's SA - he told me I was still okay with seeing my GYN for everything else and just to come see him again if we're ready to move on to IUI or IVF. HTH!

[bella99]

Well it's not that unusual for an insurance company to not even cover testing related to infertility (unless the coding is looking for another medical problem), or to cover any treatment, but how would your OB/GYN know that? I'd call your insurance company and get an answer as to what they do and do not cover. They will give you more precise answers and it can help you chart a plan.

My OB/GYN ordered testing such as blood draws and an ultrasound to check my ovaries. He eventually put me on Clomid, I got pregnant and miscarried, I went back on Clomid, we eventually tried Clomid with Estrogen priming, and then decided we needed more than he could give. He was completely supportive.

I eventually conceived my daughter with low dose injectables and timed intercourse, and my current pregnancy with a little help from Soy Isoflavones.

So my answer is that an OB/GYN is perfectly acceptable for the early stages and if you know you have a fairly simple cause of infertility (in my case, it was not ovulating). But at some point if you don't get pregnant, you need to move on and see a specialist. They are specialists for a reason and know more about helping a women get pregnant and stay pregnant than a regular OB/GYN does.

[goldfinches]

My ob didn't know what he was doing. He wasted 2 years of my life and complicated my infertility. Every test he did had to be repeated by my RE.

But, another OB I had later specialized in infertility. Maybe yours does too?

[jillybeans]

Originally Posted by GaleTX

My regular GYN does most of the fertility-related things and refers me out to my RE for things he's not able to do. I had all the bloodwork done through my GYN because, like yours said, mine was covered under him, but not my RE. In my case, it was the way the tests were coded. He is also the one who did the internal ultrasound, prescribed the Clomid and who will do the endometrial biopsy when I'm ready for it. !

This exactly. I LOVE my ob. He even didn't necessarily "agree" with certain things but when I told him what the RE said he gladly went against what he'd been taught to save us some money. He's even educated himself on it more!

[dakotablue]

My old GYN, ran a lot of the tests for me so when I did see an RE I could just start. He had me go through 3 cycles (was willing for 4) of clomid 50mg.

It was worth it for me because all the testing would have had to be done anyway, it was hard because I felt like a failure when I transferred to RE. The only testing he didn't do was sperm count which Dh ended up going through primary doc for anyway.