Some advice about my OBGYN please

i can second dr rosalie sant ... fab fab fab OB!

Hi CapeChick, I am seeing Dr Rosalie Sant (at Primavera Clinic) and I am really happy with her. If you search her, you will see loads of good feedback and recommendations.

the first visit to your OB when you find out you're pregnant is a bit of an anti-climax, maybe this is what the OP is feeling? given your experience with your family the OB could have been a bit more reassuring. first visits generally involve little more than urine test, blood pressure check and maybe a scan to confirm placement/heartbeat, booking in bloods such as HB/kidney function and a quick calculation of dates... oh and here of course they check your weight (and at every visit, you can refuse.. there's no need for it!) you don't say how far gone you are but try and relax and tick off those pregnancy milestones... 12 weeks, 24 weeks, 30 weeks.. it'll fly by. if you don't really feel comfortable with your OB then change.. it's a long personal relationship and this person will be delivering your first baby and you literally have to trust them with yours and your baby's life.

Pregnancy isn't a disease, so the less prodding and poking, the better really. Always ask what such-and-such an exam is meant to achieve. Here's ([url=http://www.tommys.org/page.aspx?pid=383'>copied[/url'>) a summary of miscarriage risk. As you'll see, it's sadly really quite common. ------- [i'>Last updated Feb 2011. Planned review date: Feb 2012[/i'> [b'>Miscarriage statistics [/b'> It is extremely difficult to obtain accurate statistics on miscarriage for several reasons, the main one being that the majority of miscarriages occur before the mother realises she is pregnant. If these unrecognised miscarriages are included, it is estimated that 40–60% of pregnancies ends in miscarriage.1 However, even if we restrict the figures to recognised pregnancies, the miscarriage rate is difficult to determine because many remain unreported. The following statistics are our best estimates based on the most reliable sources available. They may well be underestimates. [b'>Incidence of miscarriage [/b'> 1 in 4 women who get pregnant will experience a miscarriage.2 At least 15% of all pregnancies ends in a miscarriage.2,3 [b'>Relative risk of miscarriage4[/b'> First pregnancy: 5% Last pregnancy a live birth: 5% All previous pregnancies resulted in live birth: 4% Last pregnancy miscarried: 19% All previous pregnancies miscarriaged: 24% [b'>Risk of miscarriage at various ages5[/b'> Age: 12-19 years Miscarriage Risk: 11% Age: 20-24 years Miscarriage Risk: 9% Age: 25-29 years Miscarriage Risk: 10% Age: 30-34 years Miscarriage Risk: 12% Age: 35-39 years Miscarriage Risk: 20% Age: 40-44 years Miscarriage Risk: 41% Age: 45 or more Miscarriage Risk: 75% [b'>Repeated miscarriage[/b'> Around 1 women in 100 has recurrent miscarriages at some point (three or more miscarriages). This is three times the incidence expected by chance, although for some people it may be just that.6 There are many possible causes, yet often the miscarriages remain unexplained. In such cases, there is still a 75% chance that, with the benefit of supportive care, a successful pregnancy can be achieved in the future.7 [b'>Sources:[/b'> 1. Kallen B. The Epidemiology of Human Reproduction. Boca Raton: CRC Press; 1988. 2. Warburton W, Fraser FC. Spontaneous Abortion Risks in Man: Data from Reproductive Histories Collected in a Medical Genetics Unit. American Journal of Human Genetics 1964;16(1):1–25. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1932458/pdf/ajhg00547-0015.pdf) 3. NHS Direct Wales Encyclopaedia. Miscarriage. (http://www.nhsdirect.wales.nhs.uk/encyclopaedia/m/article/miscarriage/) 4. Regan L, et al. Influence of past reproductive performance on risk of spontaneous abortion. BMJ 1989;299:541–5. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1837397) 5. Nybo Anderson A, et al. Maternal age and fetal loss: population based register linkage study. BMJ 2000; 320(7251):1708–12. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC27416) 6. RCOG. Couples with Recurrent Miscarriage: What the RCOG Guideline Means for You. London: RCOG, 2004. (http://www.rcog.org.uk/files/rcog-corp/uploaded-files/PICouplesWithRecurrentMiscarriages2004.pdf) 7. Clifford K, et al. Future pregnancy outcome in unexplained recurrent first trimester miscarriage. Human Reproduction 1997;12(2):387–9. ----------------------

Hi Capechick, As the other girls said, everyone is different BUT I would def suggest getting a 2nd opinion. This is your first pregnancy (and even if it was your 50th!) you should to feel happy and comfortable with the doctor taking care of you... if you felt that doctor did not pay attention to your fears - which are very personal and thus, should be always be considered seriously - then, try someone else. On my first appointment (I was 6 weeks) I had a scan, blood test and urine and I was told to get prenatal vitamins which included folic acid. Congratulations on your pregnancy and best of luck.

my OB didnt even take family history details. i've had several miscarriages, the first in the family, and only after the 2nd one did my OB start doing tests. we've exhausted all avenues, been for second opinions etc, but after several more miscarriages absolutely nothing can be found 'wrong'. it's life and certainly not part of MY family history. get yourself onto folic acid immediately and eat healthy. no smoking or drinking - obviously - but in general just listen to your body. and if you still feel uncomfortable, find another doctor. your health and peace of mind is most important. congratulations with your pregnancy!

I saw the Dr when I was 9 weeks pregnant, she did an ultrasound and took a brief family history. There was no pelvic exam until right at the end of my pregnancy. Miscarriages are so common and there isn't really much you can do to avoid them or predict them so I doubt that your mother and sister having had them would be important info unless they each had several or there was some kind of medical condition found to have caused them. Obviously they would not remove your ovarian cyst during your pregnancy. I would expect though they they would have weighed you, done a urine test and sent you for blood tests unless you already did them before you started trying. I think the Drs tend to assume you already know that you should be taking folic acid and that the rest of the supplements are not strictly necessary unless your iron is shown to be low etc. There are certain foods you should avoid (like unpasterised cheese, cold meats, pre packaged salads etc) you can find more info on this online. I loved my OBGYN but we were always pushed for time and I had to remind her to check my iron levels etc. A good book to get is "what to expect when you are expecting" and try and stay off the internet in general but a good website is the babycentre one, it send you weekly emails telling you about the development of your baby and what to expect physically etc. It wouldn't hurt to see a different OBGYN and to make a list of any questions before you go.