For a Friend... - Keller,TX

She does not have to wait a year to see a specialist. I tried for a year on our own with no success and my Dr said I should have seen the specialist after 6 months of trying (I never told my primary physician that we were trying). When she sees a specialist - they will run blood panels that a regular OB/GYN won't run. In my case - we found out that I had PCOS and too much testosterone. So - my diet was severly modified and I was put on a strict diet. I lost 40 pounds and then my specialist was ready for fertility meds. In my case - I was resistant to follicle stimulating drugs (after spending about 2 thousand dollars on them) and had 2 failed IUI's. I had an ectopic pregancy in September 2008 and decided to take a break. In order to help me relax - I saw an acupuncturist. Within 2 months - my PCOS was regulated and in month 3 - I was pregnant! No more fertility drugs! I did acupuncture every week for 3 months and it totally paid off! I just gave birth to our son 6 weeks ago. Tell your friend not to wait!! Good luck!!

~ J.

Hi H.,
Well it's not impossible to get pregnant with an irregular cycle it just takes a little more "effort" than with a regular cycle. With that said, if her problem/delay is caused by a irregular cycle. I have always had crazy cycles, they can run from 23 to 29 days long. The key is finding out when you are ovulating. Basil thermometers, Ovulation predictor kits are great but kind of pricey.
As for waiting, yes it's wise to wait for a full year for seeing a doctor regarding infertility. That is if she is not older (30's to 40's). The older you are the sooner you want to move forward with finding the problem before the old clock runs out.
My friend and I were in the same substitution and she did get pregnant before me. I ended up adopting two babies after two ectopic pregnancies and one miscarriage. It all turned out well. Yes she had the wonderful experience of carrying a baby for nine months but I skipped the labor and stretch marks and got the same outcome! Don't get too cocky, you might not get pregnant first or at all. It's one of those things that are not in your control. ")
Best Regards,
C.

My gyno did not care how long it had been. I had been off the pill for almost a year and my cycles were all messes up! She put me on chlomid to help me ovulate and paired it with glucophage. All of this was under "irregular cycles" not infertility and I got prego quick! I have heard that some specialists do required you to wait. My dr says I would have gotten preg on my own, but I just needed a little push to sort things out. I would just tell her to contact an gyno and try to get the cycle normalized and go from there

I'm not sure how irregular her cycles are, but a 35 day cycle is perfectly normal for some people. My normal cycle length is anywhere from 33-35 days (never been a 28 day cycle person) and got pregnant with both of my boys (with a miscarriage in between them) with no problems. With my first son, I ovulated on day 21, with my 2nd, day 19. So, her ovulating on day 20 shouldn't hinder her in getting pregnant, IMO, as long as she's timing sex around that and not earlier (like on day 14, KWIM?) Any way, I think if you're under 35 and have normal cycles, it's suggested to try for a year before going to see the doc. But, if she's concerned, she can certainly schedule an appt sooner (the worst that could happen is that they'd tell her to try for another 4 months and then come back and see them)! HTH!

Sounds like your friend might possibly have PCOS and/or a luteal phase defect. I'm not a doc by anymeans, but I've been down this infertility road now for three years and I was her, irregular cycle, irregular ovulation. There are a couple of books that your friend can read to figuare out how all this works, one the Taking Charge of your Fertility, and my latest revelation which I totally beleive will enable me to conceive soon, The Infertily Cure by Radine Lewis. Check it out on amazon has amazing reviews. Its about using chinese medicine, acupuncture and herbs to "heal" your body and conceive naturally.My cycles are the most normal they've ever been. Best of luck. Tell your friend to start taking Vitex fruit, that maybe in itself will help her conceive.