Wasn't sure the best place to post this so Ive put it on a few different sections...sorry!

I wanted to start a thread to see if anyone is in a similar boat...I need a buddy!

As a bit of background, we have been TTC for 4 months now with about 6 months of NTNP before that. I came off birth control a year and a half ago and have had extremely irregular cycles ever since. In charting I discovered that I had a very short luteal phase which prompted me to go to see my obgyn for some CD21 bloodwork. My progesterone came back extremely low and my obgyn sent me to a FS.

My insurance threw a roadblock at us saying that they would not cover any diagnostic testing until after Feb when we had been trying for a year. My husband and I decided to pay out of pocket for the day 3 u/s and bloodwork. As suspected, they have determined that I have polycystic ovaries (PCO). They said that it is not PCOS because I do not have the other symptoms associated with the syndrome, only the polycystic ovaries. They believe that the progesterone problem will fix itself as soon as I am ovulating "strong" enough.

My FS is going to resubmit everything to my insurance to see if they will authorize treatment now that there is a diagnosis. Once it is covered, we will do an SA on my husband and I'll have an HSG done.

Just a bit of a rant because my FS keeps saying that I will respond very well to clomid, yet we won't have an answer from insurance in time to do any additional testing this cycle. So that means that the earliest we will do the SA and HSG is next cycle. THEN, hopefully 3 cycles from now I'll be able to start the clomid. Problem is that my last cycle was 40 days....so 3 cycles from now seems like an eternity!

I'm holding out the optimistic hope that we could still do this naturally. My FS doesn't think I'm ovulating every cycle, but this past cycle that they monitored I definitely did, it was just super late (CD31). So my good ole ovaries might be a bit broken but they aren't totally not working!!

Anyone else with PCO that could give me words of wisdom/advice?

Hi There - I'm not exactly sure what the exact difference is between PCO and PCOS. But I was diagnosed with PCOS. I was put on Metformin by my FS/Gyne. I have long cycles (34-36 days) and I don't always ovulate on my own. Right now, I am on femara/letrozole. This is my second cycle on it. My first cycle, I responded very well and released 2 eggs.

After reading about what could help me ovulate - because I am willing to do anything. LOL. I found some vitamins and minerals might help, for example ... evening primrose oil and vitamin B complex. I also found this website: http://www.ehow.com/how_2104061_trea...rome-pcos.html

I had just started evening primrose oil this cycle, so, i can't tell you how effective it is yet. Maybe someone else on here with first hand experience with EPO can give suggestion. If you do decide to take it, please make sure to only take it up until ovulation. Do not take past ovulation.

OMG!! My long lost twin, oh, how I have searched for you. LOL! I have exactly the same thing...well almost exactly. I was starting to think that my doctor was smoking something as I couldn't find anyone else with the same problem as me...PCO but not PCOS. I have no symptoms of the syndrome: I'm thin, don't have excess hair, my hormone levels are fine (even testosterone), but I do have the 'string of pearls' in my ovaries. And it's almost impossible to find info on the web as everything that pops up deals with PCOS.

You may not think so, but I think that you are lucky to find out what the problem is this early in the game. Because, as of now, we've been trying for 2 years & 2 months and I just found out what was wrong back in October, and not for a lack of trying to find out the issue. When we were 6 months ttc I went to see a FS since I come from fertile myrtles. They did all the blood work, SA, and a HSG. Everything checked out good, except that one tube might be kinked down a little, but should be fine. So, he said to try for 6 more months. So, in 6 more months (last December) I came back and we decided on a lap and dye. They found mild endometriosis, and unkinked the one tube. Again, he said try for 3-6 months then come back. Also, during all of this I had cycles that last anywhere from 27 days to 32 days, and lightly spotted anywhere from 3-5 days before AF. From temping and using OPKs (and one cycle of bloods) I found that I was O'ing every cycle, but later then the 'norm' as I was O'ing on cd17-20. Also, my luteal was long enough but sometimes varied, from 11-14days. (and this idiot told me that was normal and fine)

When it came time to go back, I actually decided to find another doctor and it took me 2 months to get into see one that was recommended to me from someone who had success with that doc. I decided to change cause I thought my current doc was an idiot based on some things he said. Changing doc's was the best decision! This new FS took one look through my charts and immediately he thought 'PCOS' (cause he said O'ing that late is not normal and can mean a problem with egg development and maturity). So he ran my testosterone, as the other's for testing for PCOS were already taken, and it came back fine, but then the u/s showed that I did in fact have polcystic ovaries.

So, after that I was put on clomid. First time we managed to be able to not have to do the IUI because my CM was fine, but BFN. Then round 2 my CM dried up and was therefore hostile and so we had to do IUI, but still BFN. Right now I just finished the last clomid pill of round 3 so we'll see what happens. If this doesn't work then I'm onto injectables for 3 more cycles. But I've also decided to do some harmless self medicating this month from some research I've been doing and stuff I've learned in here on these forums. It's not easy to confirm and I'm not quite ready to go to a reproductive immunologist quite yet, so I figured I would just run with a theory. I think I might also have a problem with implantation. If your immune system doesn't relax enough in the 2ww then it can be constantly attacking the embryo that is trying to implant. But after 2 years and failing with trying naturally and now failing 2x's with clomid (1x with IUI), I'm getting a little desperate and willing to try anything...I even tried wheatgrass the other day..bleckth.

Ok, enough rambling...I was just so excited to meet someone like me, I was starting to think I was the only crazy person.

In terms of advice or wisdom...you seem to be on the right track. You appear to have a doc that got to the bottom of the problem and understood you before suggesting treatment, unlike the idiot I had first "well, there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with you, but lets do clomid and IUI anyway". And in theory, that treatment is suppose to work. My advice is the same I tell everyone: be informed, don't just take answers at face value, look deeper, fight for what you believe in...but then again I'm a little feisty Also, find ways to decompress. I got so worked up about 8-10 months ago that I thought I was going to have to go to a loony bin. Even sometimes now I think that might be true, but I'm handling it better. It's just a bit draining to be constantly at battle with my own body cause it won't cooperate.

I'm sorry I do not have PCO, I have PCOS, but I wanted to comment on the American health care system. You guys need an improvement! You should be able to get whatever treatment you need at any time! All I have to do when I go to the FS is let them swipe my Ontario Health Card and boom! I get all the treatment I need. I know you're not going to be able to change the system, but come on... insurance companies take forever.

Thanks Mrs.Compass! I will definitely look into EPO and vit B

Hi Pheonixrose! You dont know how much I appreciate you sharing your story and how comforting it is to know that there is someone out there who is dealing with the same issues. I have become very frustrated trying to learn more about PCO as everything I seem to read is about PCOS. When we walked in for our first consultation my FS said that in reviewing my chart and history, it looked like classic PCOS. But, like you, I am thin, with no excess hair and do not manifest the rest if the PCOS symptoms.

After our consultation, we were waiting for my next cycle to start to do day 3 u/s. I had started spotting at CD32 and I thought it was my period so they did a "day 3" on me on CD34. From the bloodwork, it turned out I had only just ovulated but there were 36 follicles (16 on my right, 20 on my left). They brought me back in on my true day 3 (this past monday) and I had 22 follicles, 10 on my right, 12 on my left. All hormone levels were normal. I was told that on day 3 you should have somewhere between 8-12 follicles total and this confirmed that I had polycystic ovaries.

Before going to see a FS, i was in the process of switching ob gyns. My doctor is an idiot and I didn't trust her at all. I am extremely proactive about knowing what's going on with my body and educating myself and there have been multiple times where I felt like I was telling HER what was what! The best one was a few months ago when I KNEW I had a progesterone problem...in the months of charting and temping it was so clear. I spot 2-4 days every cycle before my period and this spotting typically starts about 8-9 DPO. She tells me that, no matter what, in every woman, you ovulate 14 days before you start your period. Seriously?! I made her give me the equivalent of a CD21 bloodwork (which of course for me, 7 DPO is way later cycle day wise, more like CD28-32, not CD21) and sure enough, my progesterone came back <1.0. At this point she referred me to a FS and I immediately decided I was never going back to her office again.

I have a lot of faith in the fertility specialists I am now with, but the insurance is a pain in the butt. The FS is in the process of putting together another claim to insurance now with the day 3 u/s results. As soon as we get authorization, the next step is an HSG and SA for my husband. I am at CD6 now so even if we get authorization in the next few days, it will probably be too late to do an HSG this month.

My FS has said that he doesn't think I'm ovulating every cycle, but it was great news to be able to confirm ovulation this past cycle. I know exactly what you mean about feeling at times like you could end up in the loony bin...I few months ago, TTC had slowly reached a point where it was consuming my life. Both my husband and I felt like we were on a schedule to have sex (which, like so many others, we claimed we would NEVER do)...it was all getting to be too much so I had to take a step back. It's hard for me because I definitely like to be in control and have my destiny in my own hands...and with this one I am slowly learning that I cant play God.

Our experience seems pale in comparison to what it seems like you have gone through and the amount of time that you have been fighting for this. Its people like you who still have the fight in them that give me hope. I am so glad to have found my long lost twin too!!!! I'll PM you, we should buddy up

Totally agree! Wish I could move!

Fingersxed4: I found two more who have pco and not pcos:

http://www.babyandbump.com/problems-...l#post14813805

Ps. I pm'ed you

I'm coming to join u - I have pco - left ovary only apparently and have been ttc for ever!

I'm joining you to if that's ok? I was ttc my daughter for 7 years. I've been ttc my 2nd for 5 months so I could be in for a long wait!!! I don't know which ovarys are pco but my fs told me that's why I needed clomid when we were disgussing my endometriosis! X