PCOS Club!

[wantanerd]

Once you go through it once, it's no big deal. I have had over 10 in the past six months and will be adding 3-4 more visits to the internal ultrasound machine this cycle. Hoping they will show my follicles growing!

 

[courtw]

i had alot of US as well and im so excited to say that my next one will be to monitor my baby due around march 3rd!

 

[TurboTurtle80]

Hi Ladies,

I was part of this thread a while ago - I wasn't ovulating (progesterone levels <2nmol), had no periods. Tried 1 year of Clomid, was on 1000mg Metformin everyday and then was put on Tamoxifen.....

I done one round of Tamoxifen (20mg), had my CD21 bloods done and my progesterone came back as 94nmol!!!! (needs to be over 30nmol for ovulation to have occurred). I'm only on CD25 today but got my long waiting for BFP on Saturday evening (CD23!!)

Docs don't seem to like to give Tamoxifen as it is very expensive, but it has very little side effects compared to Clomid and has slightly better results.

I wanted to share this story with you so that if like me you felt as though you were at the end of road, here is another option.

Best of luck to you

xxxxx

Congrats! I'm so happy for you! Your story definitely gives me hope. Happy and Healthy 9 months!

Congrats also Courtw! H&H 9 Mo!

As for the u/s, mine wasn't uncomfortable at all either. I wasn't expecting to do a vag u/s so when my fs pulled out the giant 'unit' I was a pretty nervous. I think as long as you relax you'll be fine. Oh, and wear good undies. The gel is plenty and may make a mess when you stand up (tmi?).

 

[angel4eva]

I've been having problems on and off for years, ive never been 'officially' diagnosed as having pco, but showing signs according to the dr. I could actually tell her myself things arent right.

I was told to go back whenever it came to we were having problems ttc, but as we only started a couple of months ago, wont know for sure.

My signs were being overweight, well about 4 stone over weight, but I've lost over 3 stone since last year. My other problem is what really concerns me, is hair growth on my face, stomache, back, and toes. Also I have hair thinning. Ive been back to the docs because this bothers me, im being refered to a dermatologist. Not sure what'll happen here.

I've done my own internet research, i just dont feel the doctors actually help me, but hirsutism i believe is linked to pco, and to do with testosterone.

I just worry all this will stop me, having too much testosterone because of a possible link to this....

Anyone else with similiar probs?

 

[angel4eva]

and also a small cysts on my ovaries.

 

[MrS. MaBrEy]

tons of ladies with PCOS have testosterone issues. what you need is a referral to an endocrynologist. blood work is really all that you would need to tell you if you do have elevated testosterone levels or not. unfortunately depending on where you live you will be looking at trying on your own for a year, or even 2 in some places before any doctor will consider sending to to FS.

 

[charbaby]

I've been having problems on and off for years, ive never been 'officially' diagnosed as having pco, but showing signs according to the dr. I could actually tell her myself things arent right.

I was told to go back whenever it came to we were having problems ttc, but as we only started a couple of months ago, wont know for sure.

My signs were being overweight, well about 4 stone over weight, but I've lost over 3 stone since last year. My other problem is what really concerns me, is hair growth on my face, stomache, back, and toes. Also I have hair thinning. Ive been back to the docs because this bothers me, im being refered to a dermatologist. Not sure what'll happen here.

I've done my own internet research, i just dont feel the doctors actually help me, but hirsutism i believe is linked to pco, and to do with testosterone.

I just worry all this will stop me, having too much testosterone because of a possible link to this....

Anyone else with similiar probs?

I live in England and my doctor says there is nothing on the nhs for the hair growth , and i have to be actively trying for a year before they will help me with fertility treatments!!

 

[Euronova]

Hi Everyone, quick update after the scan today!
No cysts!!! and it seems I either ovulated or will ovulate soon! So grabbing OH as soon as he is home!! (Peed on an OPK on the off chance but it still don't seem to be able to get a positive). I am at 28 days. My cycle are very long but average about 40-45 days so seems plausible.
I have about 8 follicules per ovaries (i presume it's good) about 8mm. The one that ovulated or will is 21mm (anybody knows what that means?)
Anyway my blood test from last week at 21 days showed i had not ovulated and the doc wants me to go back to hospital tomorrow for another blood test.
They are still not ruling out PCOS as i could just have the hormonal side of it (apparently you can have PCOS without having cysts... but we shall see)
I am SO SO pleased I went back under the French national insurance and added a French private insurance.... my credit card is taking a beating but hopefully the re-imboursement will start arriving soon!
If i was on the NHS i'd still be waiting months of trying before i could get a referral.
My gyne had my results a few hours after the scan (the ultrasound lady talked me through everything anyway) and by the time i got home, i already had an email from the Gyne telling me to go back in the morning for blood. I feel so much happier and taken care of!
The ultrasound lady said my uterus, tubes and ovaries look great and healthy.... hopefully i get get my cycle sorted and get that BFP!
Very happy tonight!

 

[valerie1708]

Hirsutism is awful and there is not much you can do. I think getting your weight under control helps to sort some pcos symptoms, there is also Vaniqa to reduce unwanted facial hair, you can get it with prescription (without, it's not cheap)... I personally use Braun epilator to remove hair from my neck/chin ... it sounds painful but you get used to it, the rest (i.e. toes, belly etc) can be either shaved or removed using hair removal creams. There is also a natural remedy called Burdock that is said to help with balancing high levels of testosterone. Also Saw Palmetto, its slowing down the conversion of testosterone. I read about Burdock and Saw Palmetto in Colette Harris's book PCOS Diet Book. I actually am going to try Saw Palmetto soon, at the moment I take too many tablets as it is ... HTH

 

[charbaby]

My doctor told me about vaniqa but said she cant prescribe it me on the nhs and it will cost around £60 for a 60 mg tube!!! I use wax strips and pluck neither are very nice but beats having hair

 

[babygirl89]

hi ladies can i join??? just been diagnosed with pcos altho i dont have cysts, i get kinda regular periods (26 to 30 days) and i ovulate, the only reason my doctor said i have pcos was bcos she done a blood test and it came back high testosterone and low progestrone so she put me on metformin and progestrone, does anyone have the same problem?? im overweight and have a hard time losing it and i keep breaking out in spots and my hair is thinning!! im kinda confused about all this as i thought u would have to have cysts to have pcos but i only have high testosterone!!!

 

[MrS. MaBrEy]

i dont have cysts and i have PCOS. the weight issue is pretty common among "us" lol. the metformin had helped me lose 17 pounds so far so hopefully it will get you on track too. especially if you follow the diet they want you to with the met. ( i have to because the side effects are horrible if i eat carbs, but apparently that isnt the norm)

 

[wannabemummyb]

i dont have cysts and i have PCOS. the weight issue is pretty common among "us" lol. the metformin had helped me lose 17 pounds so far so hopefully it will get you on track too. especially if you follow the diet they want you to with the met. ( i have to because the side effects are horrible if i eat carbs, but apparently that isnt the norm)

I have appalling side effects if I eat carbs also!

 

[wantanerd]

i dont have cysts and i have PCOS. the weight issue is pretty common among "us" lol. the metformin had helped me lose 17 pounds so far so hopefully it will get you on track too. especially if you follow the diet they want you to with the met. ( i have to because the side effects are horrible if i eat carbs, but apparently that isnt the norm)

I have appalling side effects if I eat carbs also!

I think most of us with insulin resistance have a love hate relationship with carbs. While I LOVE carbs, they don't love me back when I am on metformin.

 

[MrS. MaBrEy]

i only say that is not the norm because i posted in another post about the side effects of metformin because NO ONE warned me and i ended up in a mess IYKWIM, about 5 ladies jumped all over me for saying that metformin has horrible side effects. didnt want to get my skin cut off again

 

[wannabemummyb]

i only say that is not the norm because i posted in another post about the side effects of metformin because NO ONE warned me and i ended up in a mess IYKWIM, about 5 ladies jumped all over me for saying that metformin has horrible side effects. didnt want to get my skin cut off again

I guess everyone has a potentially different experience.
We wouldn't cut your skin off

 

[johnson4]

i only say that is not the norm because i posted in another post about the side effects of metformin because NO ONE warned me and i ended up in a mess IYKWIM, about 5 ladies jumped all over me for saying that metformin has horrible side effects. didnt want to get my skin cut off again

My gyno didn't tell me any side effects about Metformin, and I found out on my own and a month and half later they are still horrible No matter what I eat, it's awful not the way I wanted to lose 15lbs but it is what it is lol...good luck

 

[MariaF]

Oh, I always thought I was extremely lucky NOT to have side effects on Metformin. Because everyone else seems to have horrible ones. So those 5 ladies probably never took it themselves!
But Im on the Extended Release one (XR) and take 3 pills in one go - never had a side effect at all, regardless of what I eat.
But then I got never tested for insulin resistance. My crappy FS at the time just assured me that EVERYONE with PCOS is resistant Only later Google told me the opposite

Just a quick update on me - Ive had 7 failed rounds of Clomid, one round of injectibles (with IUI) and Ovarian Drilling as a last step....that was 4 months ago and although I have had regular-ish cycles since then (23-30 days) I only ovulated twice and although we always BD at the right time, it still hasn't happened.

So we have been referred for 3 free IUI attempts and one free IFV! We hope to start in September! I know I will have a baby one way or another

 

[MommyMel]

you are so lucky MariaF, here in South Africa we dont get any of those procdures for free, even in our state hospitals.

good luck hun, wishing you all the best....

soon you will have you BFP.....

 

[MariaF]

Yeah, Im really grateful! But even here it's a Post Code lottery. For example in some parts of the country people get up to 3 free IVF cycles But if either you or your partner already had a child you won't get anything

Also, for the amount of Tax and National Insurance we pay I expect to get something in return. But I appreciate not all countries have these schemes.

Did you have to pay for all your treatment too? I had to pay for everything so far because we were told there's no budget. But then suddenly they found some money and because they knew we were on the list for so long they gave us this free treatment