When infertile patients start obsessing over their test numbers

I'm a big believer in patient empowerment and feel that patients should do as much homework as possible, so they understand what their options are and can make well-informed decisions for themselves. Yes, this does involve a certain amount of effort, but it is possible for patients to decipher medical jargon and understand their options.Lots of husband and family members worry when patients spend time on the internet trying to make sense of their results because they feel that half knowledge is dangerous and that these are decisions which are left to the doctor. Because infertility treatment is elective, there are so many variables involved and so many different options, I think patients need to apply their minds so they can express their personal preferences when deciding what to do next. As with everything else, you can carry this too far. Just like being completely ignorant about what's happening and leaving everything up to the doctor is not a good idea, I think looking at numbers out of context also carries its own sets of problems. This seems to be a very uniquely American problem where not only are the doctors completely obsessed with minor variance in test results, so are the patients as well.Here's an example of a patient who sent me her report and what her concerns were.Hello. I am 29 years old, my husband is 32. We tried to conceive naturally for around 6 months but due to luteal phase spotting, saw an RE who recommended clomid. We did 4 cycles of clomid with possi...
Source: Dr.Malpani's Blog - Category: Reproduction Medicine Source Type: blogs