How likely is it really for a woman in her late 20s to be infertile?
April 7, 2013 4:24 PM Subscribe
How likely is it really for an average woman in her late 20s to be infertile?
This year I will turn 29, and I am starting to seriously consider having a baby, but I am a bit paranoid about being infertile.
In an unofficial survey of close girlfriends (all of us in our late 20s, married or in long term relationships, never pregnant), I have discovered that almost all of us have the same lingering fear, mostly based on the fact that even though we haven't been trying to have babies, we haven't been super responsible with birth control either and yet, childless we remain. A couple of us have been using the pull and pray method for years, and others are positive they have screwed up their calendars/pills/condom usage more than once.
Do you know of any studies or statistics (or even anecdata) that would ease our minds? I read this article and felt better, but would like to hear more on the subject.
This year I will turn 29, and I am starting to seriously consider having a baby, but I am a bit paranoid about being infertile.
In an unofficial survey of close girlfriends (all of us in our late 20s, married or in long term relationships, never pregnant), I have discovered that almost all of us have the same lingering fear, mostly based on the fact that even though we haven't been trying to have babies, we haven't been super responsible with birth control either and yet, childless we remain. A couple of us have been using the pull and pray method for years, and others are positive they have screwed up their calendars/pills/condom usage more than once.
Do you know of any studies or statistics (or even anecdata) that would ease our minds? I read this article and felt better, but would like to hear more on the subject.
Best answer: Wikipedia lays it out pretty clearly and has lots of decent-looking links for further reading.
posted by rtha at 4:39 PM on April 7, 2013
posted by rtha at 4:39 PM on April 7, 2013
I have no statistics, but yes, infertility can definitely happen, and it's not unusual - especially if you're lax with birth control, which can leave you wide open to STDs you don't even know you have that can make you infertile. I know a few 'younger' women having issues getting pregnant because they caught undiagnosed chlamydia which left unchecked can contribute to infertility. You just don't know what your situation is until you try. You can also get your egg quality/quantity checked as well. Statistics and averages are one thing, but your individual circumstance could be quite different.
Point in case, I'm a month off 39 - I should be struggling to get pregnant but I'm due with my second (completely natural surprise baby!) in 2 months. Statistically it should have taken easily a year, maybe, 2, quite likely never to conceive. I happen to be one of those that was statistically off (in a good way this time). But on average, your odds are pretty good in your late 20s - just don't rely on that alone to give you peace of mind.
posted by Jubey at 4:43 PM on April 7, 2013
Point in case, I'm a month off 39 - I should be struggling to get pregnant but I'm due with my second (completely natural surprise baby!) in 2 months. Statistically it should have taken easily a year, maybe, 2, quite likely never to conceive. I happen to be one of those that was statistically off (in a good way this time). But on average, your odds are pretty good in your late 20s - just don't rely on that alone to give you peace of mind.
posted by Jubey at 4:43 PM on April 7, 2013
Anecdata: I was in exactly the same spot at 29 (not always careful but no pregnancies, feared infertility) and 39. Got pregnant at 40 on the first try. For a few hundred dollars, you can get some tests to put your mind at ease and/or help you decide to accelerate your efforts.
posted by judith at 4:44 PM on April 7, 2013
posted by judith at 4:44 PM on April 7, 2013
I had a child at 19, then went through treatment for HPV (cryocautory), and PID treatment for chlamydia, including having my ovaries scanned. Then off the pill and was told there was no way I could get pregnant, as I wasn't ovulating and my then husband's sperm wasn't up to snuff. As soon as I quit my job with health insurance, I got pregnant. So there you go. He's almost 21 now.
posted by Marie Mon Dieu at 4:50 PM on April 7, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Marie Mon Dieu at 4:50 PM on April 7, 2013 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I got pregnant with my first at 29 and had him at 30. Infertility happens, yes, but it's really not something you can stress about until you're actually trying and failing to get pregnant.
Reading Taking Care of Your Fertility and charting each month did ease some of the same worries when I had them -- I could see, at least, that I appeared to be ovulating, so at least one piece of the puzzle was where it needed to be.
FWIW, withdrawal/pull and pray is only slightly less effective than condoms.
posted by ThatSomething at 5:13 PM on April 7, 2013 [3 favorites]
Reading Taking Care of Your Fertility and charting each month did ease some of the same worries when I had them -- I could see, at least, that I appeared to be ovulating, so at least one piece of the puzzle was where it needed to be.
FWIW, withdrawal/pull and pray is only slightly less effective than condoms.
posted by ThatSomething at 5:13 PM on April 7, 2013 [3 favorites]
Well, the thing to keep in mind is that "infertility" is not an end - it's just a beginning. My husband and I started trying to conceive at age 30, and we were eventually diagnosed with "unexplained infertility". But once we had all the tests, the doctors started discussing treatment... and within a couple of months we were pregnant (via IUI with Clomid)!
So even if you have trouble conceiving, it's not like you'll automatically need IVF or be unable to have a baby at all.
posted by barnoley at 5:20 PM on April 7, 2013
So even if you have trouble conceiving, it's not like you'll automatically need IVF or be unable to have a baby at all.
posted by barnoley at 5:20 PM on April 7, 2013
Best answer: Came in to say what ThatSomething did. For avoiding pregnancy, withdrawal is actually surprisingly effective.
It's still Not Recommended because (a) an unwanted pregnancy sucks so hard that every last percentage point of prophylactic effectiveness counts, (b) withdrawal does nothing for STD protection, and (c) dudes who say they'll pull out are sometimes full of shit.
But yeah, in fact, if your male partners are holding up their end of the deal and you have a bit of luck, you can be healthy and highly fertile and still get away with nothing other than withdrawal for a long time.
posted by Now there are two. There are two _______. at 6:02 PM on April 7, 2013 [4 favorites]
It's still Not Recommended because (a) an unwanted pregnancy sucks so hard that every last percentage point of prophylactic effectiveness counts, (b) withdrawal does nothing for STD protection, and (c) dudes who say they'll pull out are sometimes full of shit.
But yeah, in fact, if your male partners are holding up their end of the deal and you have a bit of luck, you can be healthy and highly fertile and still get away with nothing other than withdrawal for a long time.
posted by Now there are two. There are two _______. at 6:02 PM on April 7, 2013 [4 favorites]
It is unlikely that you would *become* infertile at that young of an age, if you were ever fertile.
But yeah, getting pregnant isn't all that easy. It's just that there are so many opportunities over the course of a year to get pregnant that even low rates per sexual act sum up to a higher rate of pregnancy. A 1% chance of something that happens 100 times, gets close to 1:1.
There is also the idea of the silent pregnancies that most women have and never know about. Sometimes "late" is a successful fertilization that didn't take root properly and it's just a blip on the calendar, so to say.
posted by gjc at 7:32 PM on April 7, 2013
But yeah, getting pregnant isn't all that easy. It's just that there are so many opportunities over the course of a year to get pregnant that even low rates per sexual act sum up to a higher rate of pregnancy. A 1% chance of something that happens 100 times, gets close to 1:1.
There is also the idea of the silent pregnancies that most women have and never know about. Sometimes "late" is a successful fertilization that didn't take root properly and it's just a blip on the calendar, so to say.
posted by gjc at 7:32 PM on April 7, 2013
Best answer: I was in the same boat as you, so I went and made an appt with a GP that also does women's/sexual health and infertility. She confirmed that my suspicions of endometriosis were not unfounded, and that I very definitely have PCOS, albeit largely asymptomatic.
I would have been happy to wait until my mid thirties, but given the above we are Definitely Not....we're trying next year. I've been given the thumbs up to make an appt if we have no luck in six months, and clomid and laparoscopy have been mentioned. We aren't going to just 'stop not trying' either....hitting up Taking Charge of Your Fertility etc.
I guess what I'm saying is... Knowledge is Power. Go to a doctor. I'm glad I did!
(and hey...if everything is in good working order, you can rest easy for a few more years... My sister in law and cousin both got pregnant easily in their late thirties.)
Good luck!
posted by jrobin276 at 8:04 PM on April 7, 2013 [1 favorite]
I would have been happy to wait until my mid thirties, but given the above we are Definitely Not....we're trying next year. I've been given the thumbs up to make an appt if we have no luck in six months, and clomid and laparoscopy have been mentioned. We aren't going to just 'stop not trying' either....hitting up Taking Charge of Your Fertility etc.
I guess what I'm saying is... Knowledge is Power. Go to a doctor. I'm glad I did!
(and hey...if everything is in good working order, you can rest easy for a few more years... My sister in law and cousin both got pregnant easily in their late thirties.)
Good luck!
posted by jrobin276 at 8:04 PM on April 7, 2013 [1 favorite]
I think this is a reasonable fear and one that I share, to some degree. If you really want to have kids, or even if you think that you might someday, it's understandable to wonder, but what if I can't?
I think it's healthy to think through what you would do if you wanted to have kids and the old fashioned way wasn't panning out. Would you adopt? How do you feel about IVF? Do you definitely want kids? How many? What if you find a partner who does not want kids? Suppose that you don't find a partner - would you consider a sperm donor?
More importantly, have you been getting annual exams from a gynecologist? Mine is great for answering questions and just helping me chill out, while keeping it real. If you start going now and you find out that you do have something that might make it a challenge to get pregnant, it's easier to start working on it now. Plus it's empowering - fertility in some ways is a black box but taking responsibility for your health puts you in the driver's seat.
posted by kat518 at 8:10 PM on April 7, 2013
I think it's healthy to think through what you would do if you wanted to have kids and the old fashioned way wasn't panning out. Would you adopt? How do you feel about IVF? Do you definitely want kids? How many? What if you find a partner who does not want kids? Suppose that you don't find a partner - would you consider a sperm donor?
More importantly, have you been getting annual exams from a gynecologist? Mine is great for answering questions and just helping me chill out, while keeping it real. If you start going now and you find out that you do have something that might make it a challenge to get pregnant, it's easier to start working on it now. Plus it's empowering - fertility in some ways is a black box but taking responsibility for your health puts you in the driver's seat.
posted by kat518 at 8:10 PM on April 7, 2013
Anecdotal: I suspect that infertility, or at least what's clinically defined as infertility (a year or more of tracked cycles and appropriately timed sex not resulting in pregnancy) is a lot more common than anyone would expect. I know five women, plus myself, who, in the last five years, have embarked on a baby-having mission, and all of us experienced clinical infertility. Two of us got pregnant after 3+ years of attempt, plus Clomid, plus other tests and interventions, and then miscarried; two others got pregnant after a year and a half to two years of trying and using Clomid, and carried to term. One decided she didn't want medical intervention and stopped trying after several years. The remaining friend has taken Clomid, but doesn't want any further intervention and still hasn't gotten pregnant. All of these people are reasonably healthy, in reasonably good shape, and are between 29 and 37.
I mean, I suspect that the above is an extreme example, but the longer I've dealt with my own infertility, the more that I've come to realise that it's something that many, many people struggle with, to different degrees. Hard time getting pregnant, or getting pregnant and having repeated miscarriages, or whatever. A recent Canadian study found that one in six couples have trouble conceiving. That's 16%. For comparison, that means that the odds of having difficulty conceiving are roughly the same as your odds of being raped. It's about the same frequency at which prostate cancer occurs. It's about the same as the rate for children with developmental disabilities. It's about as common as herpes.
I don't say any of that to be scary, but to point out that infertility is incredibly common--and, like most really common things, there are many ways to try to help your body along, and to try to correct whatever's causing your infertility. It's not perfect, obviously, but there are many different treatments, and they range from "take this pill for a couple days" to "we're going to put these fertilized eggs into your uterus for you". I'm not going to say that it's something you shouldn't worry about, because, you know, it sucks. But it's worth noting that in my sample group, four of the six people who were trying to get pregnant eventually did so--infertility means that it's harder to get pregnant, not that it's impossible.
Also, regarding your experiences with not getting pregant despite not taking precautions, I wouldn't consider that, in and of itself, a red flag. You have a window of four or five days (at the outside) during which having sex can lead to pregnancy. Even if you have sex in that window, it'll only result in pregnancy 20% of the time for women in their twenties, and it drops to 15% of the time if you're in your thirties. So having sex and not getting knocked up isn't that weird, all things considered.
posted by MeghanC at 8:26 PM on April 7, 2013 [1 favorite]
I mean, I suspect that the above is an extreme example, but the longer I've dealt with my own infertility, the more that I've come to realise that it's something that many, many people struggle with, to different degrees. Hard time getting pregnant, or getting pregnant and having repeated miscarriages, or whatever. A recent Canadian study found that one in six couples have trouble conceiving. That's 16%. For comparison, that means that the odds of having difficulty conceiving are roughly the same as your odds of being raped. It's about the same frequency at which prostate cancer occurs. It's about the same as the rate for children with developmental disabilities. It's about as common as herpes.
I don't say any of that to be scary, but to point out that infertility is incredibly common--and, like most really common things, there are many ways to try to help your body along, and to try to correct whatever's causing your infertility. It's not perfect, obviously, but there are many different treatments, and they range from "take this pill for a couple days" to "we're going to put these fertilized eggs into your uterus for you". I'm not going to say that it's something you shouldn't worry about, because, you know, it sucks. But it's worth noting that in my sample group, four of the six people who were trying to get pregnant eventually did so--infertility means that it's harder to get pregnant, not that it's impossible.
Also, regarding your experiences with not getting pregant despite not taking precautions, I wouldn't consider that, in and of itself, a red flag. You have a window of four or five days (at the outside) during which having sex can lead to pregnancy. Even if you have sex in that window, it'll only result in pregnancy 20% of the time for women in their twenties, and it drops to 15% of the time if you're in your thirties. So having sex and not getting knocked up isn't that weird, all things considered.
posted by MeghanC at 8:26 PM on April 7, 2013 [1 favorite]
Successfully producing offspring is the one thing that you can know for absolute certain that every single one of your ancestors, including various rodents, lizards, fish, and single-celled organisms etc. going back 3.4 billion years did successfully. Do not worry until you have something specific to worry about.
posted by 1adam12 at 8:35 PM on April 7, 2013 [4 favorites]
posted by 1adam12 at 8:35 PM on April 7, 2013 [4 favorites]
Just in time for Natiional Infertility Awareness Week! (it starts in 2 weeks)
Infertility will affect 1 in 8 couples. Infertility is approximately 1/3 male factor, 1/3 female factor, 1/3 unexplained.
In any case, the 1 in 8 couples includes couples with male factor infertility, secondary infertility, and couples who are older than mid 20s. Point being, the odds are against you being infertile. People have a mistaken idea of how easy it is to get pregnant from after school specials/sex ed scare tactics. just because you don't get pregnant if you miss a pill or use the withdrawal method... That's not at all equivalent to having unprotected, well timed sex for an entire year and not getting pregnant, which is the definition of infertility.
It's also no excuse for not using effective birth control methods if you don't want to have a baby.
posted by treehorn+bunny at 8:51 PM on April 7, 2013 [1 favorite]
Infertility will affect 1 in 8 couples. Infertility is approximately 1/3 male factor, 1/3 female factor, 1/3 unexplained.
In any case, the 1 in 8 couples includes couples with male factor infertility, secondary infertility, and couples who are older than mid 20s. Point being, the odds are against you being infertile. People have a mistaken idea of how easy it is to get pregnant from after school specials/sex ed scare tactics. just because you don't get pregnant if you miss a pill or use the withdrawal method... That's not at all equivalent to having unprotected, well timed sex for an entire year and not getting pregnant, which is the definition of infertility.
It's also no excuse for not using effective birth control methods if you don't want to have a baby.
posted by treehorn+bunny at 8:51 PM on April 7, 2013 [1 favorite]
Yeah, don't worry about this!
FWIW, I was diagnosed with endometriosis when I was 22 and was specifically told (by the surgeon who did my laporascopy) that I would have trouble getting pregnant.
This turned out not to be true. At all. Even when I got older:)
I think there is no way to know this until you are officially trying, but even then, I got pregnant naturally at a point when other couples would have opted for infetility treatments.
You're likely fine.
There is a lot of hype in the media about infertility. This is (mostly) because infertility treatments make certain people very very wealthy. When you see these types of stories in the news, understand that they help a small percentage of people, and the rest are just buying into the fear and lining someone's else's pocket with fat cash in the process.
posted by jbenben at 8:53 PM on April 7, 2013
FWIW, I was diagnosed with endometriosis when I was 22 and was specifically told (by the surgeon who did my laporascopy) that I would have trouble getting pregnant.
This turned out not to be true. At all. Even when I got older:)
I think there is no way to know this until you are officially trying, but even then, I got pregnant naturally at a point when other couples would have opted for infetility treatments.
You're likely fine.
There is a lot of hype in the media about infertility. This is (mostly) because infertility treatments make certain people very very wealthy. When you see these types of stories in the news, understand that they help a small percentage of people, and the rest are just buying into the fear and lining someone's else's pocket with fat cash in the process.
posted by jbenben at 8:53 PM on April 7, 2013
I just went back and noticed the link in your post.... Which made me confused about why you asked this question. The article you read clearly states the statistics and facts you say you're looking for - perhaps you could clarify why you did not believe the article so we could provide more specific information.
posted by treehorn+bunny at 8:59 PM on April 7, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by treehorn+bunny at 8:59 PM on April 7, 2013 [1 favorite]
15-20% by age 35 and 30-40% by age 40. 99% or greater by age 55.
posted by mr_roboto at 9:37 PM on April 7, 2013
posted by mr_roboto at 9:37 PM on April 7, 2013
others are positive they have screwed up their calendars/pills/condom usage more than once.
Other people in the thread have addressed the effectiveness of withdrawal, so concerning this part: there are only a few days in every cycle when you're actually fertile. Even if you have unprotected sex on every single one of those days, odds are still against it leading to pregnancy. Women who want to conceive are told that it can take up to a year for this reason. Yes, it's totally possible to get pregnant from messing up with the contraception just once, as we all get rightly warned in sex education - but it's still unlikely enough that you can't deduce infertility from doing that a few times and failing to get pregnant, not even close.
posted by Catseye at 10:50 PM on April 7, 2013 [1 favorite]
Other people in the thread have addressed the effectiveness of withdrawal, so concerning this part: there are only a few days in every cycle when you're actually fertile. Even if you have unprotected sex on every single one of those days, odds are still against it leading to pregnancy. Women who want to conceive are told that it can take up to a year for this reason. Yes, it's totally possible to get pregnant from messing up with the contraception just once, as we all get rightly warned in sex education - but it's still unlikely enough that you can't deduce infertility from doing that a few times and failing to get pregnant, not even close.
posted by Catseye at 10:50 PM on April 7, 2013 [1 favorite]
My parents were both told by doctors 'You'll never have a child without medical intervention' - both of them were infertile, due to things that'd happened earlier in their life. For personal reasons, they never tried medical intervention.
Clearly, they ended up with a child - about 5 years later, when mum was 33.
posted by Ashlyth at 11:22 PM on April 7, 2013
Clearly, they ended up with a child - about 5 years later, when mum was 33.
posted by Ashlyth at 11:22 PM on April 7, 2013
Another anecdote: I did the "less than totally safe" sex for five years with my ex, had no babies, and suspected/feared that I might have fertility issues. Then I met my current partner, and the FIRST time I had un-safe-ish sex (I freaked out momentarily, then stupidly went "ah, well, it's happened before and I never got pregnant, I'll be fine" - HA, facepalm) I was pregnant immediately. My second child was also conceived on the exact first potentially-fertile sex act. So I now place the lack of earlier baby-making on the biology of my ex, not myself, as I am apparently the most fertile person on earth.
Turns out my partner's mother even got pregnant (but miscarried) AFTER getting her tubes tied, so the running joke in the family is that their men have extra amazing Super Sperm. Yaaaay.
posted by celtalitha at 11:32 PM on April 7, 2013
Turns out my partner's mother even got pregnant (but miscarried) AFTER getting her tubes tied, so the running joke in the family is that their men have extra amazing Super Sperm. Yaaaay.
posted by celtalitha at 11:32 PM on April 7, 2013
I once went to my doctor to talk about alternative methods of contraception because I was really bad at remembering to take my pill, especially at the same time every day as recommended. I was missing at least two pills a month, and another two or three times would only remember in the middle of the night. (Strangely I've gotten better at it in recent years).
The doctor said that with many contraceptive pills today, including the one I was on, they worked in multiple ways all at once. (I hope I get this right.) (1) by inhibiting the follicles that contain an egg from developing (i.e. the egg is less likely to "ripen"); (2) by preventing you from having the hormonal changes that cause you to ovulate (a ripe egg won't be released), (3) by thickening the cervical mucus, which means sperm is less likely to get through to fertilise the egg anyway, and (4) due to the hormonal suppression, your endometrium doesn't build up the thick layer it usually would, so that might mean a fertilised egg is less likely to implant.
So even if you miss a pill and you end up ovulating, all those other changes (thicker mucus, thinner endometrium, etc) still help prevent pregnancy. He said he wouldn't chance it if having a baby would be an absolute disaster, but neither does it mean you are destined to get pregnant if you aren't good at remembering your pill 100% of the time.
Also seconding the fact that you might have got pregnant a bunch of times and had really early miscarriages without knowing it. Since I've had a good friend doing IVF, I've been amazed (and sad for her) at how often she has done a cycle, got a "positive" pregnancy test result a week or so after transfer, and then a heavy period a few days after she would have been due anyway. If she hadn't been testing because of the IVF, she'd never have known she was so briefly pregnant.
And finally, anecdata: I was also convinced I was infertile because I have had so many contraceptive "woopsies" without getting pregnant. Recently (for complicated reasons, not because I plan to have a baby), I discovered I am definitely not.
posted by lollusc at 1:33 AM on April 8, 2013
The doctor said that with many contraceptive pills today, including the one I was on, they worked in multiple ways all at once. (I hope I get this right.) (1) by inhibiting the follicles that contain an egg from developing (i.e. the egg is less likely to "ripen"); (2) by preventing you from having the hormonal changes that cause you to ovulate (a ripe egg won't be released), (3) by thickening the cervical mucus, which means sperm is less likely to get through to fertilise the egg anyway, and (4) due to the hormonal suppression, your endometrium doesn't build up the thick layer it usually would, so that might mean a fertilised egg is less likely to implant.
So even if you miss a pill and you end up ovulating, all those other changes (thicker mucus, thinner endometrium, etc) still help prevent pregnancy. He said he wouldn't chance it if having a baby would be an absolute disaster, but neither does it mean you are destined to get pregnant if you aren't good at remembering your pill 100% of the time.
Also seconding the fact that you might have got pregnant a bunch of times and had really early miscarriages without knowing it. Since I've had a good friend doing IVF, I've been amazed (and sad for her) at how often she has done a cycle, got a "positive" pregnancy test result a week or so after transfer, and then a heavy period a few days after she would have been due anyway. If she hadn't been testing because of the IVF, she'd never have known she was so briefly pregnant.
And finally, anecdata: I was also convinced I was infertile because I have had so many contraceptive "woopsies" without getting pregnant. Recently (for complicated reasons, not because I plan to have a baby), I discovered I am definitely not.
posted by lollusc at 1:33 AM on April 8, 2013
Best answer: Here's the thing about statistics: someone makes up the 10% (or whatever) of infertile 29 year old women. It will be cold comfort to you if you turn out to be infertile to consider that other 90% (or whatever) of fertile women.* If you are concerned about this, and it is affecting your mental equanimity, go see a fertility doctor.
*This applies as well to situations in which you are "right," but might end up right and dead. E.g., biking in traffic.
posted by OmieWise at 5:14 AM on April 8, 2013 [3 favorites]
*This applies as well to situations in which you are "right," but might end up right and dead. E.g., biking in traffic.
posted by OmieWise at 5:14 AM on April 8, 2013 [3 favorites]
Response by poster: I know it's irrational, but your anecdotes do make me feel a lot better. I am however going to go to the doctor soon to get this out of my mind.
Thank you for your responses so far!
posted by Tarumba at 6:09 AM on April 8, 2013
Thank you for your responses so far!
posted by Tarumba at 6:09 AM on April 8, 2013
My wife is 7.5 months pregnant and is 30. She got pregnant at 29 . It takes an average of 5 months to get pregnant.
It took us the average of 5 months to get pregnant. That's having sex 5 out of 7 days that week.
Doctors say if it takes more then 1 year to get pregnant then worry.
I wouldn't worry about being infertile unless you go through a year of trying.
posted by majortom1981 at 6:37 AM on April 8, 2013
It took us the average of 5 months to get pregnant. That's having sex 5 out of 7 days that week.
Doctors say if it takes more then 1 year to get pregnant then worry.
I wouldn't worry about being infertile unless you go through a year of trying.
posted by majortom1981 at 6:37 AM on April 8, 2013
There is absolutely no reason to waste your time and money going to see a fertility doctor at 29 unless you are actively trying to have a baby and have not been successful for several months. I can't believe an insurance policy would be irresponsible enough to cover a woman going to see a fertility doctor who has not even been trying to get pregnant and is in her 20s! There are a million things that might be wrong with you but, absent any symptoms that there is a problem, seeking treatment for them would be ridiculous. No one would tell you to go see an oncologist for an imagined cancer, you should not be going to see an infertility doctor for imagined infertility.
Every woman I know that has not gotten pregnant yet but might someday want to, and actually many of the men I know that have never gotten someone pregnant, wonders a little if s/he might be infertile. But odds are very low that you are unless you've had untreated STDs or reproductive issues like PCOS that you'd probably already know about. If you're getting regular gyno exams and having safe enough sex you are almost certainly fine. Seriously, don't sweat this unless and until you actually are having trouble getting pregnant. There will be plenty of time to deal with it then, unless you're thinking about waiting 10 years to do so.
posted by ch1x0r at 10:57 AM on April 8, 2013
Every woman I know that has not gotten pregnant yet but might someday want to, and actually many of the men I know that have never gotten someone pregnant, wonders a little if s/he might be infertile. But odds are very low that you are unless you've had untreated STDs or reproductive issues like PCOS that you'd probably already know about. If you're getting regular gyno exams and having safe enough sex you are almost certainly fine. Seriously, don't sweat this unless and until you actually are having trouble getting pregnant. There will be plenty of time to deal with it then, unless you're thinking about waiting 10 years to do so.
posted by ch1x0r at 10:57 AM on April 8, 2013
To put my answers above in context, I have been through infertility. So I don't mean to imply that infertility is such a rare thing it's not worth worrying about. All the same, I think it would make more sense for you to do the charting/temping and reading Taking Charge of Your Fertility thing recommended above, rather than going to see a doctor to try to answer a question that has no grounds for being asked yet, and thus cannot be answered.
I have heard and seen stories here on the green about people seeing their GP to have some 'fertility testing' done, for example doing blood tests that check on ovarian reserve. That only checks on one possible cause of female factor infertility. If you actually try to conceive for a year and are not successful (have infertility), you would go through a much more complex workup to figure out the cause. You would have a full panel of blood work including thyroid and other hormonal testing. You would have a pelvic ultrasound to look at your uterus and ovaries. You would have a hysterosalpingogram, which is a radiologic test that shoots dye through your Fallopian tubes to show that they are open. You might even have a saline sonogram, another type of pelvic ultrasound to show that your anatomy's in working order.
Most of those tests are typically required to get to the point where your doctor has actually fully investigated your fertility. And even after women get all that testing done, 1/3 of the time the tests are all normal and they get diagnosed with 'unexplained' infertility. Having normal tests, in other words, does not mean you are fertile. So that hopefully explains better why going to your doctor to ask "am I infertile?" before you try to get pregnant doesn't usually result in a useful answer.
posted by treehorn+bunny at 9:51 PM on April 8, 2013
I have heard and seen stories here on the green about people seeing their GP to have some 'fertility testing' done, for example doing blood tests that check on ovarian reserve. That only checks on one possible cause of female factor infertility. If you actually try to conceive for a year and are not successful (have infertility), you would go through a much more complex workup to figure out the cause. You would have a full panel of blood work including thyroid and other hormonal testing. You would have a pelvic ultrasound to look at your uterus and ovaries. You would have a hysterosalpingogram, which is a radiologic test that shoots dye through your Fallopian tubes to show that they are open. You might even have a saline sonogram, another type of pelvic ultrasound to show that your anatomy's in working order.
Most of those tests are typically required to get to the point where your doctor has actually fully investigated your fertility. And even after women get all that testing done, 1/3 of the time the tests are all normal and they get diagnosed with 'unexplained' infertility. Having normal tests, in other words, does not mean you are fertile. So that hopefully explains better why going to your doctor to ask "am I infertile?" before you try to get pregnant doesn't usually result in a useful answer.
posted by treehorn+bunny at 9:51 PM on April 8, 2013
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There's still plenty of time.
posted by Thorzdad at 4:38 PM on April 7, 2013 [2 favorites]