PCOS and TTC #1

[babysquash]

Yay congratulations!!!

 

[HopefullyOpto]

So first cycle of clomid for me was a bust, no ovulation and i have to wait till cd35 before i can start provera, which means my cycle is going to be 45 days at the very least unless AF randomly shows her face. I then will move up to 100mg and i so hope it works! Not sure my gyne actually prescribes Femara and tbh I dont know how i feel about injectables. I haven't ovulated since march so i deserve that at the very least. Im super tired with this all already and technically i am only at the beginning so that feels a little bit discouraging in itself.
Sorry for being a moody one...

Such fantastic lines dr, no doubting that BFP!

 

[Ibelieveitwil]

So first cycle of clomid for me was a bust, no ovulation and i have to wait till cd35 before i can start provera, which means my cycle is going to be 45 days at the very least unless AF randomly shows her face. I then will move up to 100mg and i so hope it works! Not sure my gyne actually prescribes Femara and tbh I dont know how i feel about injectables. I haven't ovulated since march so i deserve that at the very least. Im super tired with this all already and technically i am only at the beginning so that feels a little bit discouraging in itself.
Sorry for being a moody one...

Such fantastic lines dr, no doubting that BFP!

I dont think clomid works for PCOS really, I think femara is the best, adding injectables is really just a way of speeding the process, its all just hormones and the end result is what you want. Sometimes its better to just go to a RE and get it sorted rather than trial and error with a gynae. Good luck, hope you get your bfp soon!

 

[DannaD]

Congrats on the BFP !!

Hopefully, my first cycle was a bust too, it sucks but you'll get there! Injections were a scary thought for me too, but I had to use Ovidrel to release the egg, and it really isn't bad. In the end both pills and injectables try to do the same thing

 

[HopefullyOpto]

Hi Danna, thanks for that, my worry is that because my gyne more than likely doesnt offer femara as an option then im stuck with clomid or injections or both for that matter.
How are you getting on Danna?

Ibelieve i cant just switch to a RE the UK healthcare doesnt work like that unless i want to pay out thousands for private care, which would mean i probably have to go through the rigmarole of testing all over again which would also cost loads. So at this moment i am stuck with my gyne. Hes quite nice to be honest, and he puts my mind at ease when i see him. I might look in to having private follie scans just so i can see whether the meds are having any effect as its the unknown that bothers me most.

 

[DannaD]

Have you asked your doctor why he doesn't prescribe femara? Only reason I started with Femara was that there was a shortage of Clomid in my province at that precise time. If it didn't work the second time, I was gonna go on clomid (a stronger dose right away) and then injectables.

I'm doing great! It's pretty stressful though, mostly in the beginning. When TTC you worry that you might never get pregnant, and when you are pregnant you worry something will go wrong and you'll go back to TTC...
Oh and we are having a little girl

 

[drjo718]

How exciting danna, a little girl!

 

[pam1532]

Hi ladies! I'm new here and hoping for some support.

I'm 25 years old, been married for a year and a half, and just over a month ago I was diagnosed with PCOS. I went to the gynecolegist because I suddenly had bleeded only 2 weeks after my normal period, which has never happened before. An ultrasound showed a lot of cysts in both ovaries, and a blood test showed that I have high testosterone levels.

I was a bit shocked tbh, because I don't have all the typical traits of a PCOS sufferer -- No unwanted hair problems, I'm a healthy weight (110lb at 5ft 2in), and before last month I have had very regular mentrual periods for as long as I've been tracking it (about a year).

After the diagnosis we decided to start trying for a baby right away. We were already thinking of TTC, so we just decided to see what happens. I used ovulation pee sticks and I was happy to find that I had an LH surge on August 14th and 15th, so as soon as I got that result we did the deed for 3 days straight. Before that it was every other day.

I know one month is way too early to worry, but I'm not pregnant this month and I'm really concerned that PCOS is making me infertile.

As I live in South Korea now and don't speak the language very well I find it hard to get all the answers I want from the doctors here, so I hope some of the ladies here can help me understand this better.

1) Seeing as I have regular menstrual periods with an average 32 day cycle, and seeing as I definitely had an LH surge, can I assume I most likely do ovulate on my own?

2) All the advice for PCOS seems to be mainly telling us to lose weight. But I am already on the lower end of a healthy weight with a BMI of 20. So what can I do?

3) The doctor just gave me birth control pills which I haven't taken because I am TTC and because I worry about side effects. I have a bit of anxiety about medication and don't like to take pills unless they are absolutely necessary. He said I should take them for only 3 months just to get my "abnomal bleeding" under control. But I was a bit skeptical, because my periods are so regular and this abnormal bleeding has only happened once. Surely most women have a wacky period once in their lives, right? Or am I in denial?? I don't know what I should do and it's really hard to discuss with a foreign doctor. What do you ladies recommend? Would it do me a lot of good to take bc for 3 months, or am I okay ttc right now?

Thanks for taking the time to read my story xx

 

[Ibelieveitwil]

Hi Danna, thanks for that, my worry is that because my gyne more than likely doesnt offer femara as an option then im stuck with clomid or injections or both for that matter.
How are you getting on Danna?

Ibelieve i cant just switch to a RE the UK healthcare doesnt work like that unless i want to pay out thousands for private care, which would mean i probably have to go through the rigmarole of testing all over again which would also cost loads. So at this moment i am stuck with my gyne. Hes quite nice to be honest, and he puts my mind at ease when i see him. I might look in to having private follie scans just so i can see whether the meds are having any effect as its the unknown that bothers me most.

I completely understand, I was with my gynae for 12 months and nothing with my RE for 2 months and twins, which is why I recommend going straight. We were lucky as our results were passed on the RE so we didnt have to retest! A combination is usually the best and like Danna said it really isnt that bad, its actually painless and so worth the end result

 

[pam1532]

Welp. No luck on our first month TTC. AF arrived yesterday afternoon and is currently in full force. But I'm okay with it, and I'm just happy that AF is on time and regular after that abnormal bleeding I had last month. I was worried my cycle might have gotten screwed up, so that's one relief!

Also, I've ordered a BBT thermometer which should arrive tomorrow, and I'm going to try to start temping this cycle and montitoring my fertility more closely.

In other news, my husband's best friend's wife gave birth a couple of days ago. We went to visit them at the clinic today and we saw all the newborn babies in the nursery through a glass window... I was a bit apprehensive about going today because with all these concerns I've been having about my fertility since my PCOS diagnosis I was worried it would hit a raw nerve, and tbh I did almost feel like I was going to cry at one point. But I am extra emotional atm thanks to PMS!!

Anyway, a new month, a new chance! This thread seems a bit dead but I just needed to write my thoughts, haha. I think DH is getting a bit sick of me talking about conception strategies.

 

[wifeybby]

Hi Pam! It must be hard to see a doctor about anything, let alone TTC, when there is a language/communication barrier. I'm sure that adds a level of frustration that most of us don't even think about!

I wonder if the abnormal bleed was a ruptured/draining cyst? I don't know what kind of fluid ovarian cysts fill with, but that could be it.. Or it could have been an estrogen bleed had your hormones went wacky for a minute.. Either way, I would not be concerned with it unless it is reoccurring. Sometimes weird things happen and it's pretty hard to figure out our own bodies sometimes.

I have not been diagnosed with PCOS but I do have some signs/symptoms.. Since you're already at a healthy weight, I would look more into PCOS Diets to keep you at the right weight and avoid things that trigger PCOS. I know cutting out dairy is a big part of it, lose excess sugar, etc. Pinterest actually is a good site to go to for PCOS diets/articles. You don't have to go through this alone, even if a thread seems dead let it out!

 

[drjo718]

Hi pam, sorry to hear about af arriving and your new potential pcos. While it's true that pcos can make it more difficult to conceive, it isn't impossible. The biggest issue is that pcos messes with hormones and therefore causes ovulation problems, and that's why we struggle with infertility. Before I started taking medication to help me ovulate, my cycles were anywhere from 2-5 months apart, giving me only 2-6 chances a year to conceive! If you're having fairly regular cycles, the next step is to make sure you're ovulating by using ovulation tests and temping. If you're ovulating, then you have far less to worry about.

You can see in my signature I tried for 16 months and just found out a week ago I'm pregnant. I had a miscarriage straight off birth control but that was due to a fibroid in my uterine cavity, not pcos. I had that taken out in may, and two cycles later, I'm pregnant. I also took meds for high prolactin. For the pcos, since I have trouble ovulating, I took femara (clomid didn't work for me).

Your abnormal bleeding could have been a one-time fluke, or it could have been an ovarian cyst rupturing, as pp mentioned, or it could have been due to ovulation. Hard to say but I wouldn't worry about it.

Anyway, I hope this all makes sense and helps. If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask. Good luck on your ttc journey!

 

[pam1532]

Thank you both so much for the kind replies. You've both given me some comfort. It's nice to hear from women who really understand what's going on. I try to talk to my husband about my concerns but he really doesn't seem to understand how I feel... He just thinks there's nothing to worry about because there is treatment available if we need it. It's not as simple as that! Haha, but he's always laidback about everything and I'm always the worrywart.

Anyway, I doubt my abnormal mid-cycle bleeding was a ruptured cyst because there was no pain at all. Not even AF cramps. That's why I accidentally bled on the sofa, and when I stood up and saw it I was shocked! Luckily we have fake leather sofas so it was easy to clean. But yeah, seems like everything is back to normal now. Hoping it was just a one-off flukey period.

drjo - Congratulations!!! I love hearing PCOS success stories. Wishing you and your little baby all the best for a healthy pregnancy and delivery. xx

 

[babysquash]

Hey ladies, sorry I've been absent! I've been focusing on charting but also trying not to obsess too much about it all. I find that when I'm on here AND tracking symptoms, I get a little nuts.

So, welcome to the new ladies! I'm sorry about the diagnosis but PCOS is not the end. If you need hope, look at all the ladies in this thread alone who have gotten their BFPs!

So I have a question about temps. I've been taking my temperature religiously for almost a month now and I noticed that it recently shot up a whole degree and then stayed up for 3 days now. I'm also using OPK strips and they say I'm not ovulating. What does that spike usually mean if it's not ovulation? I realize that I haven't been temping long enough to really get a sense of what my cycles look like, I'm just trying to figure to get an idea of what that might mean since I don't have a period to go by. See screenshot below. Just as a note, it says I had a period last week but I didn't. It wouldn't let me use the app without saying I had a period. I haven't had a period in a year which means it's time to go see my doc!

https://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a290/organicdesigns/Personal%20Stuff/1DAD09CD-DAAC-4DDD-B013-9C2140DD4217.png

 

[wifeybby]

hi babysquash! you're right - PCOS is NOT the end.

I'm sorry I'm totally clueless when it comes to temping; I haven't started it yet (was waiting until my next cycle to start.. long wait!) but I just wanted to ask - have you not had a period in a year due to PCOS, or BC? What were your cycles like prior?

I'm on CD 50-something and have a obgyn appt at the end of this month when I'll be approx CD75. - nervous about what she'll say or do. Really hoping she doesn't blow me off and shove BCP at me.. Have you ever seen a dr. about this? What did they say?

TIA!

 

[SarahLou372]

Thank you both so much for the kind replies. You've both given me some comfort. It's nice to hear from women who really understand what's going on. I try to talk to my husband about my concerns but he really doesn't seem to understand how I feel... He just thinks there's nothing to worry about because there is treatment available if we need it. It's not as simple as that! Haha, but he's always laidback about everything and I'm always the worrywart.

Anyway, I doubt my abnormal mid-cycle bleeding was a ruptured cyst because there was no pain at all. Not even AF cramps. That's why I accidentally bled on the sofa, and when I stood up and saw it I was shocked! Luckily we have fake leather sofas so it was easy to clean. But yeah, seems like everything is back to normal now. Hoping it was just a one-off flukey period.

drjo - Congratulations!!! I love hearing PCOS success stories. Wishing you and your little baby all the best for a healthy pregnancy and delivery. xx

I used to post here a lot too.. I also have PCOS and understand how hard it is. I have sent you an inbox message too

 

[babysquash]

hi babysquash! you're right - PCOS is NOT the end.

I'm sorry I'm totally clueless when it comes to temping; I haven't started it yet (was waiting until my next cycle to start.. long wait!) but I just wanted to ask - have you not had a period in a year due to PCOS, or BC? What were your cycles like prior?

I'm on CD 50-something and have a obgyn appt at the end of this month when I'll be approx CD75. - nervous about what she'll say or do. Really hoping she doesn't blow me off and shove BCP at me.. Have you ever seen a dr. about this? What did they say?

TIA!

Hi wifeybby, I had a normal period when I first started (12 or 13) and then it got super heavy and intermittent when I was a teenager. Like I would only get it once or twice a year and it would be terrible. Then it just stopped in my early 20s. I was dumb and went years without having a period but I was finally diagnosed with PCOS when I was in my late 20s. Since my teens I haven't had a period without being on BCP. I was on that for a few years and then stopped taking it a year ago so that we can TTC (and because it made me crazy and gain weight).

Over the years several doctors have tried to figure it out. One put me on metformin for awhile but that didn't cause a period and it made me feel sick. My current obgyn said that the first thing he wants to try is to put me on BCP for a month to hopefully cause me to have a cycle. If that doesn't work, he'll try the next thing. I think a lot of doctors try BCP first because of insurance but also, no one really seems to know what causes PCOS or how to treat it. It can be frustrating because of that. Luckily my years of not having a period doesn't seem to have negatively impacted my uterus too much. My doctor says that it is classic PCOS which I'm assuming means that there are cysts but it's not excessive. I have an appointment with the obgyn on Friday so I will out then how he wants to proceed! I'll report back since this is my first time seeing a doctor with the express purpose of TTC. Maybe my experience will help?

Sorry my response was long but I thought it might help to know my whole history with it for context. When you see your doctor, my best advice is to listen to him/her and be willing to try a few things. If you don't feel good about it though, listen to your intuition and find a second opinion. When I go back to preventing pregnancy, I will not be going back on the pill for example. It makes me feel terrible so there has to be a better way!

 

[jaysta]

Hello everyone
My DH and I are TTC since March 2014, still unsuccessful unfortunately. I have been diagnosed with endometriosis in 2004 and have undergone two laparoscopic surgeries since then. So my endo should be under control. So we went off the pill in March 2014 and after 6 months of nothing, I went to see my OBGYN, which then diagnosed PCOS. We have tried 3 cycles to stimulate my ovaries with hormones, nothing helped. Because, as I'm sure most of you ladies can relate to, it was exhausting, we took a break from actively TTC for a few months. We didn't use contraception, obviously, but we didn't calculate anything either. Nothing happened, of course...
So now we wanted to start preparing for IUI, by a different hormone treatment. But now I just found out three weeks ago, that I have a cyst. Now we are hoping it will go away with my next period (which should have started 4 days ago but didn't). As long as the cyst is there, no chance of getting pregnant. It's just so frustrating.

 

[babysquash]

Hi jaysta! I'm so sorry to hear about the hurdles that keep popping up. We all know what that feels like.

 

[wifeybby]

Thank you so much for sharing with me, babysquash! I love the long responses lol I want to hear as much as possible from you or anyone who has been in my shoes. I know I'm just freaking myself out about things but I'm just fearing for the worst. When is your appt? I will keep you updated on mine too!

jaysta, I understand how you feel. Very frustrating. You will get your BFP, don't lose sight! Hoping that cyst goes away in time too, and never comes back.

:babydust: