My Preconception Appointment Experience

I am sharing all about my personal preconception appointment experience and any questions you might have that I can (hopefully) answer after having this appointment!

Prior to actually having my appointment, I didn’t really know much about what a preconception appointment was or what happened during it.

Now that I’ve actually had one, I wanted to share more about mine, and thoughts I have on it, so you can decide if you need one and any questions you might want to ask when you do.

I found it was hard to find out information on these kinds of appointments, so I’m hoping this post gives a bit more clarify around them!

This post is all about my preconception appointment.

Preconception Appointment 101 | My Experience + Questions You May Have

What is a Preconception Appointment?

A preconception appointment is basically exactly what it sounds like. It’s an appointment with your doctor, either your OB, GP, or a midwife, to go over your general health and any questions you may have prior to conceiving or trying to conceive your baby.

Do I Need a Preconception Appointment?

From my experience and what I’ve read online, I would say it totally depends, but that the answer could be no.

If you have questions for your doctor, then yes. Have your appointment and get all of your questions (hopefully) answered. If you need to get genetic testing done, or have health concerns, then yes, have one.

However, if you don’t have specific questions for your doctor and are in good health, it didn’t really seem totally necessary to have the preconception appointment. I didn’t feel like the doctor really did much of anything to help me prepare outside of answering the questions I had.

My preconception appointment was alongside my annual check up, so you always could do that as well. But from what I experienced, unless you have specific questions for your doctor, making a preconception appointment seemed unnecessary.

If you’re on birth control this would be another reason you might want to have an appointment in order to discuss when to go off and your timeline around that.

Another reason to have one is if you currently do not have a regular cycle. Isn’t necessarily a problem, but you and your doctor might want to discuss a game plan to get you regular or strategies to help you successfully make a baby.

Lastly, a reason to have one is to establish care with your doctor and get a feel of if you like him or her. They could be the one to treat you throughout your pregnancy and deliver your baby. It’s important to trust them and have a good relationship with them!

(I feel like those appointments *should* be ones that provide you with more information, but it seems that’s not how our healthcare system is currently set up. I wonder if having a preconception appointment with a midwife might be different, and encourage you to look into that if you want guidance without having real questions for your doctor! Could be worth exploring!)

RELATED POST: How To Prepare Your Body For Pregnancy | 10 Steps I’m Taking to Get Myself in the Best Possible Shape for TTC

What Happens at a Preconception Appointment?

This will likely vary from doctor to doctor, but generally they will ask you those overarching health questions you get asked at basically any general health check up.

What medications are you on, checking your weight, is there a history of any health concerns in your family, etc.

In terms of specifically around preconception, my doctor asked about my alcohol consumption, but that was pretty much it.

Should My Husband go to My Preconception Appointment?

If you have questions pertaining to the both of you, then if definitely doesn’t hurt to bring him along! Not necessary, but not weird either 🙂

That said, double check your provider’s Covid policy, because when I went to my appointment he wasn’t allowed to come with.

When Should I Have a Preconception Appointment?

If you are having one due to specific health concerns and questions, I would say the sooner the better. The more information you get sooner, the sooner you can take steps to get yourself in the healthiest possible shape to make that little baby.

Generally though, I would say around the 6 months before TTC mark. But before or after that doesn’t hurt! This just gives you a general idea.

Preconception Appointment Questions You May Want to Ask:

• When should I get off of birth control?
• How long will it take for my body and hormones to regulate after going off birth control?
• What is the best way to start trying for a baby?
• When should I start taking my prenatal vitamin?
• What prenatal do you recommend?
• Is there any recommended testing I/we should do before trying? (could include vaccinations, genetic diseases, etc.)
• If there are certain genetic diseases in your of your husbands family, are those a concern for your pregnancy or baby?
• Are the current medications I’m taking okay to continue taking while pregnant?
• If not, what does that plan to get off of them look like?
• Same for supplements.
• How can I get my body in the best possible shape for a healthy pregnancy?
• Is my weight a concern at all?
• Are there any vaccines I need to get before getting pregnant?
• How do I know if I’m fertile?
• What does my husband need to do to prepare himself to TTC?
• When is the best time to have sex during my cycle to conceive?
• Are there OTC medications I should avoid taking when TTC or when pregnant?
• Are there any foods or drinks I should avoid when TTC?
• How long will it take me to get pregnant?
• Is my exercise routine okay to continue while TTC or when pregnant?
• What should I do after I get a positive pregnancy test?
• Does any of my recent travel impact my plan to get pregnant?
• When do I need to stop smoking or drinking in relation to TTC/getting pregnant?
• How often do my husband and I need to have sex to get pregnant?
• How can I improve my changes of getting pregnant if I have irregular cycles?

READ MORE ON ALL THINGS TTC HERE!

My Preconception Appointment Experience:

My preconception appointment wasn’t *just* a preconception appointment. I also was overdue for a regular check up and needed to get my IUD removed. I scheduled all three for one appointment.

First the nurse got my weight, date of my last period, and took my blood pressure. Then, the doctor came in to chat with me.

I’m guessing my health stats looked fine because the doctor didn’t really mention anything around that or any changes I needed to make there.

I asked her to look over my prenatal and to make sure it was good, she approved. I asked if there was anything my husband needed to do to prepare to TTC and since he is in good health, there isn’t really.

All in all, I felt like it was on me to ask any possible questions and sharing with the doctor that we plan to get pregnant didn’t spark up a conversation on her end of what to do, not to do, etc. And this wasn’t because of her, she was a very very nice doctor who I liked a lot! I just found it interesting that there wasn’t even a pamphlet of here’s how to make a baby – because it’s not quite as easy as the movies make it look.

I personally didn’t ask much around how to get pregnant because I’ve done plenty of research myself and didn’t really feel like she could tell me much I didn’t know already. However, I’m not sure the average women does the same level of research and might be under the impression it’s easier than it actually is. I was slightly disappointed in this part of the appointment to be honest.

We decided to do genetic testing because I asked about it (it has been recommended for my husband and I to get it done because we are both Jewish and there are specific diseases Jews can carry.) We also decided to test to make sure I was up to date on all of my vaccines. Again though, this was only because I brought it up and asked.

I had no idea about the Jewish genetic diseases up until recently when my Cantor mentioned it when we were doing our marriage counseling!

I just found the lack of information given to someone who is about to go through something so intense shocking. Maybe this isn’t always the experience? Idk. But you don’t know what you don’t know, and you might not know what questions to ask to get information.

That’s a big reason why I don’t feel like a preconception appointment on it’s own is necessary unless you’re coming in specifically with questions or concerns. If you’re expecting your doctor to offer you anything all on their own, you might end up disappointed.

I’ve read a bit on Reddit from other women’s experiences, and it seems like I am not alone in this experience.

There is a LOT to learn about preparing your body for pregnancy, getting pregnant, etc. etc. and I wish it wasn’t completely our responsibility as women to seek that information out. I’ll get off my soap box now 😂

After that, we did my exam and I got my IUD out (which wasn’t NEARLY as bad at ALL as getting it put in!!!).

I ended up not doing the blood tests I was supposed to because I fainted when they tried to take my blood 🙃 so I’ll have to try that again. I recently moved and am going to try with a doctor in my area – maybe I’ll have a different preconception appointment experience to report back!

Alright, I think we covered just about everything surrounding a preconception appointment. Hopefully this gives you a bit more insight into what the actual appointment is, any questions you might want to ask your doctor, and if you feel this kind of appointment is truly necessary to have.

This Post Was All About a Preconception Appointment.