Hi ladies, I too have PCOS. DH and I have been ttc since 2006 when we got married and were only 23. Now we're both 32.
I was dx with PCOS in 2007 after one year of TTC- which is when I sought help for the first time. Right off the bat I was told to lose weight and take birth control pills to regulate my cycles and balance my hormones. Blood work showed I was estrogen dominant with high androgens, but I had no idea what that really meant and my doctor didn't educate me enough. I took BCP for 3 months then went off, hoping I'd get pregnant, but my cycles went back to nearly non-existent.
Over the next 5 years (gradually gaining more weight) we didn't use birth control and I tracked my cycles on a phone app, that always placed ovulation at an estimated date around CD 14. The problem is that I only had a few cycles a year and I'm pretty sure I was never or almost never ovulating- especially at CD 14!
Our insurance didn't cover fertility treatments or tests, so we decided to just keep "trying" naturally, hoping for a miracle.
In 2012, at 29 years old, realizing 30 was approaching quickly, knowing it would only get harder to conceive, I went in to see an RE (paying out of pocket). The RE performed (a very painful, I might add) HSG which came back normal. I had cysts on my ovaries, but my ovaries weren't overly enlarged, and my uterus, tubes, cervix, etc all came back looking good. My hormones were out of balance, very few periods a year and being in the obese category on the BMI scale at 34.
The RE was very nice and 'somewhat' informative- more than any other doctor I'd seen up to that point. She told me to lose weight and come back when my BMI was at 30 and we'd precede with fertility treatments. She said she wanted my BMI at 30 or below because of increased risk of mc in PCOS and women who are obese.
In Feb 2014 I quit smoking.
In April 2014- I had a mc. I realized I was at my heaviest weight ever and my BMI was at 37! Yikes! It's like you look in the mirror one day and realize the full extent of what you've been blind to for years.
2014 was pretty awful- lots of family problems, loss of a dear pet, problems in marriage, etc. I was so stinkin' depressed, crying daily, feeling hopeless for so long.
In October 2014 I made the decision to turn my life around because I really want to be a mom, more than anything. I started (seriously) eating healthy again, running and exercising, researching PCOS, and taking supplements/vitamins.
Each month my diet got stricter. To the point of gluten-free organic vegan. It's not the kind of lifestyle you can adapt to over night lol, that's for sure! (I have incorporated oatmeal, honey, and some treats in once in a while).
The supplements and vitamins I took were just about everything recommended for PCOS. I did that for 3 months and lost 55 lbs. I didn't exercise a couple winter months (I run outside and there's lots of snow where I live). I've started running again just recently and noticed how much easier it is after losing so much weight.
My BMI is current 29- I'm right at the top of 'overweight' category on the BMI scale. My goal is to get into the healthy weight range. But the best part of all this is this is that my cycles have regulated- I OVULATE!!
yay! Finding 'Fertility Friend' to learn more about how my reproductive system works, and learning my own unique cycle has been priceless!
I've maintained my weight for about a month and a half- I think it's because of pure laziness! Winter is like that for me unfortunately. I'm pretty sure I'm at the point where I could conceive any cycle now. I think my chances would be a bit greater if I lost more weight. Also, chances of mc go down, and pregnancy & delivery are less complicated at a healthy weight.
I really hope I'll be sharing a BFP result with you ladies soon!- AND seeing your BFPs as well! I'm currently at CD 5, so ovulation isn't for a while yet.
