Possibly PCOS?

[Mrs.LCS]

Quick bio:
surprise pregnancy last year, ended at 13 weeks- trisomy?? Been trying ever since- almost 10 months now.. was on 4 cycles of clomid then referred to a specialist.. just got labs taken and did a 2 hour glucose..insulin resistance test.. waiting results.. follow up apt Sept 17th. He already told me that he is almost 100% sure its PCOS.. i'm overweight, facial/body hair.. hormones whacked..
question is..whats next? Will I most likely be put on Metformin?

Will this increase my chances of conceiving?? Will this help me lose weight? Just hoping for the final tweeking to help us finally have our baby! Need advice

 

[The907]

Hi there. I was recently diagnosed with PCOS. It broke my heart at first, but then I did the whole "must accept this and move on" thing and I feel much better about it. I started a diet of low carbs, mondo fruits and veggies, and snacking on those healthy snacks every few hours. I also stopped drinking caffeine over two months ago. The month after I stopped drinking caffeine my cycles went from 75+ days to 24, then 28. I am hoping they regulate this month too with the pairing of the diet. Everything I've read on PCOS points to diet as the best way to control the symptoms and help regulate your cycles. That helps with the weight management too. I also just started Fertilaid, a product by FairHaven. All the reviews I read for that were super positive. Don't be discouraged. I asked my doctor and she said you can still conceive with PCOS. I've been trying for a year next month, and I feel 100% better just knowing what is going on in my body and how to help it. My doctor is considering putting me on meds next month, but I want to try the diet plus Fertilaid for at least 3 months before I do a pharmaceutical drug, ya know. Hope that helps.

 

[Mrs.LCS]

Sounds like your on the right track! I hate diet and exercise! hahaha..
I have normal periods/cycles and I ovulate, just not as good of quality as should be.. so my doc thinks the metformin will regulate my whack hormones and insulin..and hoping that will do the trick.. we'll see what he says on my sept 17th apt to go over my lab results.
What meds has your doc mentioned? I will have to read about Fertilaid, I don't know much about that. wishing you loads of luck though!!! I know plenty of women who conceive with PCOS and even worse..so theres hope!

 

[hopefulfor1st]

I recently started metformin and ovulated naturally for the first time in years! Fell preg and had a chemical though. Had my son on clomid hopefully try it again soon. Seems the met made me ovulate but need clomid to improve egg quality.
They are often used together.

Also I didn't get as sick as most people do on metformin which was good!

 

[Mrs.LCS]

I was on clomid for 4 cycles, did not conceive. Progesterone was 24, 20, 19, 10 I'm ovulating on my own, just not good enough..
Very anxious to meet with the specialist to go over my results and the new game plan.

 

[ltrip84]

I was diagnosed with PCOS years ago and although I was on birth control for a very long time, I had an intuitional feeling that I would have trouble getting pregnant. My gyno let me try 5 months of clomid, but I never ovulated and he referred me to a specialist. Once I went to the RE he said I was borderline insulin resistant and he was sure I had Pcos along with my other symptoms (acne, eccessive hair growth, no periods)but he thought I may benefit from Metformin. He also put me on a drug called Pioglitazone (sp?) that is generic for Actos. This drug is also a diabetic drug. I ovulated the first month I took the combination, but didn't ovulated the month therafter.

Once that was in place and since I had already tried Clomid, he put me on 2.5mg of Femara along with the other 2 meds and I ovulated. He said if it worked to make me ovulate the first month and I didn't get pregnant, he would have me take it a second month and perform a ultrasound around ovulation time and do a post coital test to see if my cm is hostile and see if my OHs sperm might have an issue. Since our bd timing wasn't all that great the first month, we decided to take another month of Femara before going back to the doctor and getting additional tests done. That was the month that I got pregnant!

It seems that you and I have a lot in common with the issues we have had with pcos.

 

[Hoping4peanut]

I am wondering if I might have pcos. But it is hard to tell because I recently have gotten off the pill, have always had a lot of body hair, and have struggled with weight for years. I have an instinct that something may be wrong but the docs...who are awesome btw..all want to wait a year of trying before investigating anything. I feel like I am wasting time though.

How did you discover pcos and what are some other symptoms I should look out for? I have had worse acne lately than when I was a teen. Never thought I would have bad acne at 27.

 

[ltrip84]

I am wondering if I might have pcos. But it is hard to tell because I recently have gotten off the pill, have always had a lot of body hair, and have struggled with weight for years. I have an instinct that something may be wrong but the docs...who are awesome btw..all want to wait a year of trying before investigating anything. I feel like I am wasting time though.

How did you discover pcos and what are some other symptoms I should look out for? I have had worse acne lately than when I was a teen. Never thought I would have bad acne at 27.

I was also on the pill for such a long time, but every time I tried to go off of the pill to give my body a break, I NEVER had a period!

The signs of pcos are:
-obesity and/or weight gain
-insulin resistance
-oily skin
-acne
-dandruff
-infertility
-cysts on the ovaries
-irregular or no periods
-excessive body hair

I do have to say that IMO, a lot of my friends think they have excessive body hair, but they really don't. I guess with the media pushing hairlessness nowdays, people think they shouldn't have any hair or it's excessive. For example, with me, I have hair on my chin and neck (coarse hair too), the hair on my arms are thick and dark (I shave them), I also shave or epilate my happy trail. I won't even get into all of the other issues, but that is just an example of excessive body hair.

Oh, I also want to add that you don't have to have all of the symptoms to have PCOS. I have most symptoms, but I actually don't have cysts on my ovaries. A lot of women with pcos have cysts on their ovaries, but it is a misconception that you have to have cysts on your ovaries to have pcos as it is called "polyCYSTIC ovarian syndrome."

 

[Mrs.LCS]

I do not have cysts on my ovaries, however, my symptoms are: oily skin, excessive hair (face, stomach, breasts..ugh) infertility, insulin issues.. I will have an official diagnosis next Tuesday..

 

[Mrs.LCS]

I was diagnosed with PCOS years ago and although I was on birth control for a very long time, I had an intuitional feeling that I would have trouble getting pregnant. My gyno let me try 5 months of clomid, but I never ovulated and he referred me to a specialist. Once I went to the RE he said I was borderline insulin resistant and he was sure I had Pcos along with my other symptoms (acne, eccessive hair growth, no periods)but he thought I may benefit from Metformin. He also put me on a drug called Pioglitazone (sp?) that is generic for Actos. This drug is also a diabetic drug. I ovulated the first month I took the combination, but didn't ovulated the month therafter.

Once that was in place and since I had already tried Clomid, he put me on 2.5mg of Femara along with the other 2 meds and I ovulated. He said if it worked to make me ovulate the first month and I didn't get pregnant, he would have me take it a second month and perform a ultrasound around ovulation time and do a post coital test to see if my cm is hostile and see if my OHs sperm might have an issue. Since our bd timing wasn't all that great the first month, we decided to take another month of Femara before going back to the doctor and getting additional tests done. That was the month that I got pregnant!

It seems that you and I have a lot in common with the issues we have had with pcos.

yes, we do have a lot in common issue wise It is very assuring that you are now expecting CONGRATS!!! How far along? I believe why I lost my pregnancy was due to hormonal inbalances etc.. (PCOS)

 

[ltrip84]

Thank you! I am only 6w1d today. My RE also has had me to keep taking Metformin while pregnant. I have read it can help prevent miscarriage in people with PCOS. I'm not sure if I will only be taking it during the first trimester or throughout the whole pregnancy.

It sounds to me like you may have PCOS-because you sound just like me! Keep me updated and just know that there's hope. Many people with pcos go on to have successful pregnancies.

 

[Mrs.LCS]

thank you! this appointment cant come soon enough!!! sick of looking at negative tests lol..
cant wait to hear how your pregnancy goes along, are you sick or anything??

 

[ltrip84]

I recently started a journal if you're interested in following (just click on the link and comment or subscribe).

I have felt a little nauseous a few times, but it has only lasted for an hour or two. I have also been really tired in the evenings, but other than that, I think I feel pretty good. I have all the other symptoms like full, sore breasts, frequent urinantion, some mild cramps, bloating etc. I am just crossing my fingers that I don't get full on morning sickness. I'm hoping I will be one of the lucky ones!

Thanks for asking and good luck to you. I know once you get things straightened out, things will be just fine and you will have a little baby to bring home in no time!

 

[hopefulfor1st]

Sometimes u need clomid and metformin together.

 

[Mrs.LCS]

got my results back for my 2 hour resistance tests, but haven't gone over with the Dr yet, my apt is on Tuesday:

Fasting Glucose 95
Glucose P.O.C.T. 98
Glucose 1 hour 207
Glucose 2 hour 131
Fasting Insulin 8.5
Insulin 1 hour 106.7
Insulin 2 hour 83.4

not sure what any of this means..or what is normal..but that's what came back on my electronic chart.. now I have to wait until Tuesday for the meaning lol... there were tons of blood labs taken too..but all of them I have no idea what they even mean.. so..

 

[ltrip84]

That sucks you have to wait until Tuesday to find out! I wish I had a clue what they meant. I only had to take one fasting blood test, but I don't think it was the 2 hour thing you had to take.

 

[Mrs.LCS]

sorry..that was confusing

 

[The907]

Sounds like your on the right track! I hate diet and exercise! hahaha..
I have normal periods/cycles and I ovulate, just not as good of quality as should be.. so my doc thinks the metformin will regulate my whack hormones and insulin..and hoping that will do the trick.. we'll see what he says on my sept 17th apt to go over my lab results.
What meds has your doc mentioned? I will have to read about Fertilaid, I don't know much about that. wishing you loads of luck though!!! I know plenty of women who conceive with PCOS and even worse..so theres hope!

That's great you have normal cycles. I think for me that can be the most frustrating part of PCOS. I just never know what's what. I have irregular bleeding, like bleeding in between periods and a history of hemorrhaging. I actually started hemorrhaging yesterday around 4pm. My doctor told me to go to the hospital if it continues throughout the weekend with large clots. I felt like crying because it really interrupts the whole TTC thing.

She also said it could be contributed to the Fertilaid, although there have been no reported negative side effects. But introducing those herbs to your body at once could definitely trigger some crazy things to happen.

Anyway, I hope you get a BFB soon. The diet and exercise sucks but it's worth trying. You have nothing to lose...except weight.

 

[Mrs.LCS]

sorry..that was confusing

I was typing out a long response on my phone..and it deleted it.. oooooops.. sorry! (that's why it says it was confusing)

 

[Mrs.LCS]

That sucks you have to wait until Tuesday to find out! I wish I had a clue what they meant. I only had to take one fasting blood test, but I don't think it was the 2 hour thing you had to take.

I think basically my insulin doesn't work right in my body..so im sure i'm insulin resistant.. i'll find out tomorrow and see what i'm to do from there.