TTC with pcos and irregular periods

[Laurenasley]

TTC with pcos and irregular periods?
I just started trying to conceive last month. My last period was Feb 8th. My typical cycle lasts between 30-90 days so tracking ovulation is almost impossible.I have purchased a basal thermometer but haven't started using it yet. My husband and I have been doing it every other day since there really is no way of knowing when I will ovulate. Does anyone have suggestions on how I may know when I'm ovulating? Or products that may nppst ovulation. I will make an appointment with my obg in the next month or so to get assistance if needed. Also. Can anyone tell me what to expect from a TTC doctors appointment?

 

[wrapunzel]

Myo-inositol is amazing for PCOS and ovarian health in general. I'm taking it in the hopes of "waking up" my left ovary which hardly ever does a thing -- and it moved my O date up by three days!

 

[LydaBeth]

I also have very irregular periods, only 4 or 5 per year. This most likely means that I do not ovulate on my own. I had tried using OPKs and temping, but there didn't seem to be any sort of discernible pattern.

After a few months of charting and knowing something wasn't right I made an appointment with my obgyn. First she ordered bloodwork to make sure that there wasn't an obvious cause for my anovulation such as thyroid disease. My tests came back normal, so she prescribed 10 days of Provera to start a period, and 50 mg Clomid to take on cycle days 3-7. I have just finished my first round and didn't respond at 50 mg, so my doctor is increasing it to 100 mg.

From what I've read provera/clomid is the standard first step if anovulation is suspected and you don't get regular periods. My doctor was very understanding and proactive, but be aware that many doctors won't prescribe anything until you've been trying for at least a year. Which in my opinion is BS since if you aren't experiencing regular cycles, you likely aren't ovulating and trying is pretty much a waste of time.

Make sure you advocate for yourself and let your doctor know that something is wrong and that you want to be proactive in addressing the issue. You may wish to bring any charts/info that you've been tracking to show that you are serious to avoid the "come back in a year" brush-off.

Best of luck!

 

[SpartyMom05]

following your question because I'm also dealing with pcos issues that are rather new to me, I'm just now starting to work with a fertility clinic instead of my regular ob. I think your appointment will depend a lot on what specialty you're seeing and what your short-term goals are (aside from generally having a baby!) - such as the various types of "help" you want for fertility assistance.

i went in for a consult during my first month ttc, and they went over a few types of bloodwork they want to do and ultrasounds during my next cycle. Diagnostic types of things to get a handle on what I look like inside Then we also discussed starting Femara to jumpstart ovulation. This clinic recently started recommending Femara instead of Clomid because Femara works well and supposedly has less side effects. They explained to me that I should call as soon as AF hits, because the bloodwork is done early in the cycle, then ultrasounds the following week, and Femara around that time as well. So for example today - I think AF hit (urggg) - so I called the office and got some of those things set up. We'll see how the first cycle with professional assistance goes.

 

[Laurenasley]

Thank you! Its helpful knowing there are others dealing with the same thing, hope this go smoothing for you with the femara!

 

[Laurenasley]

Thank you!!!! It is pretty frustrating knowing they will probably make me wait a year but I will will sure to bring as much info as I can when I come.

 

[Palladium]

If you have PCOS then you might want to talk to your doctor about trying metformin. It's a medication for treating diabetes, but it also helps with pre-diabetes/insulin resistance, which many women with PCOS also have. Insulin resistance interferes with or prevents ovulation, so fixing that can improve fertility.
I don't have PCOS but I do have insulin resistance, and metformin is definitely what allowed me to have my DD. I'm on it again now to try for #2. It doesn't work for everyone, but with PCOS its definitely worth trying for a few months, although some people do have some unpleasant side effects.

 

[sarah2211]

I have PCOS and had crazy cycles. We tried for over a year before we started Clomid. I didn't ovulate on 50mg but I did on 100mg. I conceived on my second cycle of 100mg. If I had known what I knew now, I would have gone to the fertility clinic much sooner. Once we had a plan it didn't take long and as you can see from my ticker I'm 16 weeks pregnant.

My advice, if you're in any kind of hurry or want some reassurance, see an RE/fertility specialist.