Post coital test?

[j*east]

Hi, I've searched and found nothing...if there's a thread out there, please point me to it. Thanks!

Has anyone had a post-coital test? How did it go? What did you find out?

I'm seeing an RE and am scheduled for a post-coital test (PCT) next week. The appt. is at 7:30 a.m. and we were directed to BD the night before. DH will work that night, so we can either BD ~6 p.m. or ~12 midnight. I would prefer to be asleep at 12. Oh, or we could BD in the morning, say around 5:30 or 6 am.

Can anyone offer an opinion as to when would be the best time? Is 6 the night before too early? Is 6 the morning of too late?

Also, if anyone has any general thoughts/experiences to share about PCT's, that would be great too.

Oh, and I will call my dr. if there's no consensus on the time issue, don't worry.

[Scooter]

It was mentioned briefly in this thread: CM questions (http://www.constantchatter.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4985), but I think the more extensive discussions about this one were in the FP forum & SAI threads on the old boards. Unfortunately.

There were a lot of people who had it done & posted about it before these boards were created. Basically, it's a controversial test. Like I said in the other thread, several people had terrible results (like all the sperm were dead) and then conceived that very same month! Others had great tests but still ended up needing IUIs or IVF.

I went to two different RE clinics, and both of them considered that test a waste of time. Many, if not most, clinics have stopped doing that test because the results are not consistent enough to be valid, but some RE's & clinics still see it as useful.

Basically, to tell it to you straight, if you're having it done and get good results, try not to get your hopes up too high just based on that. And if you get bad results, try not to get too down about it. Either way, good luck!

[pocahontas]

I agree with Scooter...I didn't have it done basically because when I asked my RE about it she said she didn't believe in it because it proves inconclusive. However, another girl right in the same city as me had it done by her RE and I guess they must not have found her results to be "favorable" because they sent her straight to IUI where she conceived on the first try.

[j*east]

Thanks Scooter and Pocahontas! I know, I've read that too, so I'm not feeling that great about the whole thing. I have to go in anyway for u/s monitoring of a cyst, and at least it's a quick test, but...eh.

Thanks for sharing your views.

Any other experiences?

[mrselle]

I think it’s a waste of time. We were instructed to DTD and come in two hours later. According to my doctor my CM was a little thick and there was no sperm. Three weeks later I found out I was pregnant. I later had a miscarriage, but it had nothing to do with the test.

[j*east]

Thanks, mrselle.

I had the PCT today. Here's how it went, for anyone interested...this is a cut and paste from my journal, basically.

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Today is CD14, so I went back for an ultrasound, bloodwork, and a post-coital test (PCT). DH and I had to BD last night, and then they took some CM out to see if sperm are swimming in it.

The nurse who did the u/s was really nice and told me everything. She said there's a 13 mm follicle on the right side, which should be about 20 mm before ovulation actually occurs, so I'm still a few days away from ovulating.

Then another nurse came in for the PCT--insert speculum, get mucus sample in syringe (felt nothing), remove speculum. No big deal, except the speculum was metal and f'ing COLD.

Since I'm still several days away from O, my CM was declared "too dense" and "hostile" and "acidic." The nurse showed us on a screen and it looked kind of cloudy and blotchy. She said when it's ready, it'll be clear on the screen. It's still a few days away from O.

Then bloodwork. Then we talked to the dr. He said my CD3 blood work looked good, all is normal.

I have to go back Monday to repeat basically everything, which is kind of a pain, but they really want to get the PCT and the b/w and u/s go with it, apparently, which will help determine next steps.
***************************

So, for whatever reason, my dr. is putting some credence in the PCT, though he said it is a gray area.

Thanks everyone for your responses. If anyone else has to go through this, I'm glad this thread is here.

[kazata]

I did the PCT. I had heard before-hand about how it is very unreliable so I wasn't putting much stock in it. However, I was with an RE, and they did ultrasound monitoring, and didn't order the PCT until they saw that the follicle was large enough and apparently they could also see on u/s that the cervical crypts (? I think they are called something like that) were producing CM, I never knew that they could see that on u/s, so I thought that was kinda cool. Anyway, we had to BD the night before (talk about pressure) and I had the PCT the next morning. It didn't feel any different to me than when they insert a speculum for a pap. I didn't feel it when they removed the sample (though for some reason I had some anxiety about it). The sample was very clear in the tube (I guess indicating the right type of CM) and then they let me look at it under the microscope. I wished that I had brought DH - because it was really cool - I got to see all of his little swimmers - all moving around under the microscope - looking just like you imagine. So, in my case it confirmed that my CM was ok, and that DH's swimmers were getting where they were supposed to be going (and at least surviving overnight). I wouldn't have put much stock into the test had there been a negative result, because I've heard so often that the timing has to be just right, but having a positive result was at least one less thing to worry about.

[j*east]

Thanks, kazata.

A little update: we failed the Monday PCT, though I think that was due to human error on our part--we were feeling the pressure (2nd test in 4 days) and I don't think the sperm got as close to the cervix as usual.

Due to that and a possible tube issue on my left side, and seeing on u/s that I was ovulating on my right (good) side, the dr. suggested we try IUI this month. I wrote about that in this thread. (http://www.constantchatter.com/forum/showthread.php?t=27476)

So, that's how it worked out for us...

[LIZNKEITH]

I don't put much stock in to PCT's either. I had all of my infertility testing done the same cycle. Just prior to the HCG, my OB put my on an antibiotic (I guess my white blood cell counts were a little evelated and they wanted to protect against infection?). Well, as a result of the antibiotics, I developed a slight YI. When I went in for my PCT on CD14, it showed I had very good quality EWCM, but all DH's swimmers had died. My OB concluded it was one of 2 things: either high pH or the slight YI. Either way, she said it was very unlikely I would conceive that cycle. She wrote me an rx to start Clomid the following cycle, and referred my to an RE thinking I would need to start IUI. Imagine my surprise 10 days later when I got a BFP. Go figure...

[j*east]

I posted this thread in SAI for someone else, but realized I never updated...

We had several more PCTs (my RE really likes them, apparently, and does them as part of the usual protocol every cycle). When they were done on the correct day (fertile with EWCM) and we BDed properly, we got positive results: we could see the sperm swimming in my CM. Cool!

Still no BFP for us, though...

[Squee]

Im a bit different because the PCT was done to confirm a problem we were pretty sure we had but just needed the results to prove was true. Because I have a disease that causes thick mucous everywhere else I figured that would be our problem.
We had sex at midnight and had to have the test done at 8am I think it was. The first day they did it they couldnt get any CM so they checked and I hadnt quite O'd so we did the same the next day. This time they got a bit, it was easy as a smear.
My results were on the scale of 0-non existant and 5excellent most of my results were 0 or 1. All sperm were dead and I was very acidic.
Looks like it was our only problem because our first natural IUI cycle turned into a bfp.

[j*east]

Just one more thing I found out at the RE today: one dr mentioned that they do PCTs every cycle specifically to avoid IUIs when possible and thus unnecessary costs for patients paying out of pocket. I thought that was an interesting angle.