Being diagnosed with infertility is stressful – you want a baby and you have to come to terms with the fact that your body isn’t cooperating. Once you have been diagnosed with infertility you may begin the process of trying to conceive with assisted reproductive technology and this is when you begin your foray into a world of doctor appointments.
When you start the process of infertility treatment it may feel overwhelming to have to deal with testing, medications, and endless doctors appointments. There are so many clinics and doctors in NYC to help you through this difficult time so first and foremost, find the doctor and clinic that makes you feel comfortable and at ease.
If working through all of the appointments and directions is overwhelming, take a step back and develop a system for organizing and recording appointments, details, next steps, questions, medications and lab results.
- Keep track of each appointment, which doctor you saw and when you need to visit again. Take detailed notes of what was discussed and directions for what you have to do before your next appointment. Review these notes (you can even rewrite them) and make sure to follow-up if you have any questions or concerns.
- Keep a medication chart including dose, times taken and any reactions you experience.
- Maintain a list of all of your medical doctors with name, address, phone number, email and fax number. Send a copy to each doctor and update when necessary. When one has a report to share they can easily access all of the information.
- Always ask for copies of your labwork and make sure they are kept by date in a secure place. You should always have these with you when you visit with a new doctor so they are readily accessible.
- Start a document where you tell the basic details of your infertility journey. When you visit a new doctor you can bring this report with any lab results so your doctor has a complete story that he/she can review. This is also helpful so you do not have to keep telling the same story over and over – and most importantly, so you do not miss any important details when retelling your story.
- Keep one list of questions that you and your partner can share in order have a place to refer to when you are visiting with a doctor.
- Don’t forget to validate how you are feeling by keeping a journal or seeing a therapist who can help you process your feelings during this difficult time.
Managing infertility can be a complicated process but one that you can break down into these bite size pieces that hopefully give you some piece of mind. Sometimes the best way to organize all the pieces is to work with a counselor who has experience guiding others through the process.