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PCOS: How many of you fell pregnant without fertility drugs?

Hi ladies,

I'm 27 and was diagnosed with PCOS 7 years ago. After reading an article and realising I had many of the symptoms I visited my GP who sent me for an ultrasound scan which confirmed I had cysts on my ovaries. I wasn't referred or given any medication just basically told it was somthing I had to live with and that it may prove difficult to get pregnant.

Anyway, enough background and fastforward to today, my hubby and I have just started trying to conceive this month, currently on CD14. I can honestly say I hadn't given any thought to the PCOS until this morning.

I stopped taking the pill 7 years ago, around the time I was diagnosed due to headaches and the fact my mum had breast cancer, it took a long time for my periods to regulate and they are now on average every 40 days but when I was doing some reading this morning about PCOS and trying to conceive it said that just because I'm menstruating doesn't automatically mean I'm ovulating?! This now has me concerned, I figured that now my periods had regulated and because I had lost weight (now have a normal BMI and weigh 9.9 stone) have given up sugar and cut right back on carbs that things would automaticaly be ok.

I don't really want to take medication and be pumped full of hormones (think I have enough of those as it is :lolimage so my question is how many of you ladies have managed to fall pregnant without the use of pills and fertility predictor kits?

I also read that PCOS increased your chances of miscarriage up to 45% from 15% so wondered (although obviously very emotive question so feel free to ignore) what your experience / knowledge of this is as I find it quite frightening.

Thanks for any help or advice I really appreciate it.

XxX

NB. Also in pregnancy.
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Replies

  • Hi there, sorry to here of your difficulties trying to concieve, i know how frustrating it can be.
    im 21, and after falling pregnant a year ago after trying for some time, i then later misscarried at 11 weeks, after a scan they told me i have PCOS. they say it is more common in ladies who are overweight or it may be in the family. i hae neer been overweight and no one in my family has had this condition. they told me that the misscarrige may have been caused by me having PCOS, and i would find it very difficult to conceive. My partner and i were both heart broken, but didn't want to give up hope. even though i had very irregular periods, and i knew that with every period i would not ovulate because of PCOS.
    After 6 months of trying, all our hard work paid off, we found out i was expecting. we both kept quiet and didnt want to get excited as we know it could all end up in heart break. after a visit to the doctor, to find out if there was anything they could do for me to prevent me from having a further misscarrige, she told me all i could do was keep a positive mind, eat a healthy balanced diet, and make sure i was not under any stress. And i have been successful im due a little boy at the end of august.
    My advice is dont give up hope, i know its stressful particularly after trying for so long. make sure you arent under any stress as that can make things more difficult. also i never tried it but a few people i know who have had problems and dont want to use rugs to help, have been using chinese herbs and teas and have had a good sucsess rate.
    Best of luck xx;\)
  • I never come on this area because my PCOS didn't effect my fertility at all. However I saw this thread from the home page and thought I'd give some positive news.

    I was diagnosed with PCOS at 20 yrs after my periods completely stopped. I had hormone tests and then an ultrasound scan. My ovaries were literally covered in immature follicles. I was advised that fertility might be an issue, a piece of news that devastated me even though I wasn't interested in starting a family at the time.
    Although not overweight at the time I had been in the past and my weight fluctuated a lot. I was put on the pill and remained taking the pill for 10 years. My weight has fluctuated a lot during that time with my BMI varying between 24 and 32.

    I came off the pill in December 2007 and found out I was pregnant in April 2008. Abby was born in December 2008. I then went back on the mini-pill and came off it in Dec 2009. I became pregnant within 2 weeks! :\)

    I have done a lot of reading into PCOS over the years. It is a very common condition, affecting 17% of women. In many cases it becomes less severe as you get older, especially if you maintain a healthy weight.

    Good luck and hope to see you in pregnancy soon,
    H xx
  • hi hun, short reply from me as my baby is about to wake up, i was about to start metaformin on my next af and af never came as i got my bfp on my own after 17 months of trying, it can happen nautrally but might just take longer. xxxx
  • Thank you ladies for such positive replies, they really are reassuring to hear. Congratulations on your BFP DaniTreacle, not long to go now bet you're very excited. Congrats on you're little ones no2bump and blondefriend - great to hear some happy PCOS stories.

    XxX

  • Hi, i always thought i could have problems as i only had around 4 periods a year, so when it came to thinking about having a baby i went to the doctors. I was sent for an ultrasound and also blood tests, which confirmed my pcos.
    I came off the pill in Sept 07, i had a Hycosy in November 2008 to check whether any of my tubes were blocked - luckily they were not and i was due to go back in the January to discuss treatment but on 05th December 2008 i found out i was pregnant!! It took us 14 months but we did it image xxx
  • Hey
    Just thought I would share my experiences with you. I have PCOS and diagnosed following 21 day bloods showing high prolactin.

    Got pregnant in 2007 but had mmc, no idea why but did have a corpus luteum cyst so guess that had something to do with it....prior to this always had 28 day cycles and got preg after 2 months of trying....following mmc had the op to clear my uterus and following this my cycle ended up 35 - 38 days which caused me real frustration cos I am not a patient person!!! Thought something wasn t right as my cycle changed and was not getting preg. Did the whole ovulation sticks and temp and found this really reassuring as at least I knew I was ovulating..albeit late in the cycle....So I read a book on chinene medicine and this explained to me which hormones were responsible for what...anyway after researching a bit further decided to cut out aspartame from my diet and my cycle started to shorten. Had a referral to endocrinologist who tested me for insulin resistance and hey ho, I am IR...so was just about to write the script for me when I was able to tell him I was 5 weeks pregnant!!! Had the best pregnency ever, felt so well and happy and even labour was enjoyable and have a very precious son.....Am now on 2000mg of metformin a day and cycle 28 days exactly but I hadn t needed it to get preg.

    So if I were u, I'd use ov sticks/ temp to see when u r ovulating I think I concieved when I ov'd about day 20.
    It got to a stage where I was getting really frustrated I could not concieve (as on 18th month of trying when it happened) and that certainly doesn t help - you could get 21 day bloods done to check what's going on - for me my age was against me and I felt the clock was ticking, you are much younger.
    One thing I must add though is that in cutting out the things you have and making sure you have a healthy diet you are preparing your body for a healthy pregnancy. Forget those miscarriage statistics and focus on all the positive stories here....all the very best, I never ever thought it would happen for us and it did and am sure all will work out for you x x
  • hey i have not read this thread yet i am still trying to catch up on other threads lol i will read thourgh later but i feel PG 3 times with out any fertility and i had 2 and lost one 5 weeks ago i was dignosed with PCOS 6+ years ago and i wnt to the fertility clinic to have tests and they said i had PCOS and that i am releasing an egg and got PG then next one was i did not have a AF for a year and got PG all 3 were planned but i am on clomid this time i have been trying for 24 months 25 in july
  • i am only just starting to take clomid today so when i MC'ed 5 weeks ago i was not on anything
  • Quick reply from me

    I was diagnosed with PCOS when I was 21, when ny periods stopped. Had blood test and scan. Told not to worry but fertility may be an issue. At the time it wasn't even on my mind. Went on dianette - a fab pill for pcos but unfortunately nit widely used now. Anyway I stopped it in august 2008, but didn't start trying till jan o9. I fell pregnant in the April having only had 3 periods since I stopped the pill the prev summer! Now I have a bouncing 6 month old girl.

    Everyones pcos is different and although I had few periods I was still ovulating- just very infrequently!! I would also advise trying the ovulation sticks or see your gp who should offer to do a blood progesterone level at day 21 of your cycle and then every 7 days after to try to detect the surge in progesterone post ovulation. If your cycles ar 40 days then this surge would prob come at day 26-27.

    Hth
    Helen

  • HI! Do not worry sometime the body can do amazing things even with having fertility problems!

    When i was 21 i started having problems with large cysts on my ovaries that were so painful i was addmitted to hospital, after them bursting on the own with the help of tablets, two months later i got pregnant with TWINS, naturally! After i had my twins when they were 14 months we tried again and i fell pregnant within three months and got pregnant with a little girl who is now three! Last september i was having extreme heavy period that were more of a cycle of 35-40 days than my usual dates of 28-30 days. I went to the doctor and they scanned me as they thought maybe i had had a misscarriage as we had started trying again for our last baby. Anyway the scan picked up that i had medium bad PCOS i had 10 cysts on one ovarie and 6 on the other. My doctor told me it was a good job myself and my husband had babies early as it looks like i have stopped ovulating already at the tender age of 26!!!!! i was gutted i loved our three children but felt as if i wasnt done yet. I lost a little weight has my bmi is over 30 and still is and ate really well lots of fruit and veg lots of organic food and cut the crap by december my periods were back to 28day cycles and most months i seemed to be ovulating due to doing tests, any way i am very pleased to say i am now three months pregnant and have my first scan wednesday i have been really unwell this time with sickness so wondering if it may be mulitples again my midwife thinks it is as i am also showing early but we will see! so i have three children already and another one on the way have, and always likely to suffer badly from PCOS but never used any treatments i feel very very lucky and wish lots of luck to you trying but i hope this gives you more hope xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • i was diagnosed with pcos when i was just 15.i was told it would be difficult to concieve.i suffered a mmc last year and was told it was more than likely due to my pcos. however i fell pregnant again after trying and without the aid of drugs. i am now nearly 26 weeks pregnant with a baby girl. its amazing how your body can work miracles. dont give up hope and i wish you the best of luck,
  • hello



    I found out 3 weeks ago that i'm pregnant. diagnosed at 20 - now 27 - with PCOS. never given any drugs/medication to control it.



    i tried 6 years with my ex to get pregnant and nothing happened. convinced myself i would need drugs and tests and all sorts to get pregnant.



    fast forward to new relationship - was on the pill and not trying (obviously) and i am pregnant! i still cannot believe it!



    i have a period every month without fail, no usually irregular, but i had been told about having a period each month but not ovulating, so never felt 100% confident about that.



    anyway, it can DEFINITELY happen!



    good luck x
  • i found out I had both PCOS and Endometriosys 6 or 7 years ago, after i suffered with crippling anorexia, i didn't realise until recently that there is a link between PCOS and Anorexia sufferers.



    Anyway just to let you know i had my mirena coil taken out in January and because i had a totally erratic cycle when i didn't have the coil in we had no clue what was going on. I'm now 6 months pregnant, so it can happen.. xx
  • hi,

    I was TTC for 18 months, suffered a miscarriage changed GP and was finally reffered for test. My results came back that I had PCOS, i thought that was it, i would never have a child. However, 2 months after my diagnosis i discovered I was pregnant and went on to have a little girl, all be it 7 weeks premature. She is now a happy healthy 3 year old and im on the TTC route again after being on cerazette.

    My only advice would be to monitor your cycles and all ovulation signs. I was told to take vitamins and its helps with pcos, I am currrently taking pregncare conception.

    Good luck, sending baby dust
  • Hi everyone

    I was diagnosed with PCOS at 23 years, I'm 31 years now. Had been taking the pill for 5 years and in August 2011 all cysts were cleared. I stopped taking the pill in October 2012 and had regular periods every month, until this month. I've been having nausea since last week, today it's really bad. But I tried a pregnancy test and it came negative. Could it be because I tested in the evening?

  • can anyone(better if a doctor gynaecologist) explain,that if its neceesary to take the pill(medications) regularly to treat PCOS??? i m 22 years old,,i never had my periods regular,i have used multiple drugs to menstruate,,,since last 2 years my periods have become regular,but last only for 2 days,, i have consulted my gynaecologist,she said we can treat hirsutism(hair growth and acne) by giving anti androgens,,, i am surprised about that ,,,ino proper treatment for PCOS??? further she asked me to marry and conceive as soon as possible image but i have to complte my studies ,,i cnt marry for atleast 5 more years,,, i never feel any pain during mentruation,,i was obese,,but now i have lost 15 kg(previously it was 70 image) ,,,kindly give me some good advice,,,one thing more i had hormonal test+ultrasound on 4 feb 2013,but i was told to repeat hormonal test on 2nd day of periods and u/s on 10 day,,above all i believe fertility and all the other things are in ALLAH ALMIGHTY's hand,,He will definately do something better for us,,,image

     

  • Not sure why my thread has popped up after 2+ years but to anyone reading this now I can tell you that I did manage to get pregnant without fertility drugs.  I switched to a low GI diet, used concieve plus, took Agnus Castus and did the deed every other day and 2 months after my lifestyle change I fell pregnant and am now sat here with my gorgeous 15 week old baby boy asleep in my arms so don't lose hope ladies PCOS doesn't mean there is no hope. X

  • I had to reply to you Mrs E, and anyone who is seeking some guidance and support - I too have become pregnant without the need for fertility drugs.  I was referred by my Gp on Feb 26th this year to commence fertilty therapy, but obviously didn't need it as was one months pregnant at the same time nd didn't realise it!  I am 40 years old, a BMI of 35, had been actively trying to get pregnant for 9 months only..... I am definitely a lucky lady.  I had lost approx two stones in weight (since my heaviest) am 15 half stone now, and haven't gained a pound yet - am 16 weeks pregnant now. The Gp had started me on metformin 500mg twice a day, so was obviously taking this when babe was very early(!) and I was going to see a consultant to try Clomid.  My advice is don't give up, eat healthily, take the supplements like aforementioned and de-stress about tryng to get pregnant - I had thought it wouldn't happen naturally, so just enjoyed the experience of trying!

    I look forward to my little one being born in October this year.... image

  • Hi

    I too have pcos.  I found that whilst I was "well behaved" in my eating habits iu could keep my cycles at between 6-9 weeks, when I went off the rails (I have a rather sweet tooth) i required provera to bring on a cycle after it was gone for 8 months.

    When I say well behaved I had done allot of researching into pcos and I had NO sweet food very little carbs I ate flaxseed daily.  I took supplements of Angus Castus, N-Aceytl Cysteine, Inositol, Alpha Lipic Acid, Pregnacare Conception, Krill Oil, EP Oil, Vit E, Another 8mg of Zinc, Extra B Vitamins, and extra Magnesium, Magnese, Q10 and Selenium.  I also got 30 mins if exercise per day.  I also did ovulation tests but in pcos this hormone is high regular and does not mean you are ovulating so I didn't get too involved in there results.  Since we also had a male factor problem DP had a host of vitamins pumped into him.  We conceibed naturally but it took almost 2 years, I then had a mmc.  In between we were on waiting list for ivf so I had to ditch my pills and I got a positive BFP on Tuesday.  I'm having no pg symptoms whatsoever so I'm not very hopeful.  image

    if you are not going done the route of assisted fertility and if your pcos is quite severe like mine then I recommend the vits they are what's missing in pcos suffereRs.  We also have low progesterone so extra Vit B6 is the progesterone vitamin.  When taking extra B6 you need extra Vit B12 to balance.

    lisa

  • http://www.fertilityfriends.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=294994.0

     

    this link is great for natural supplements for pcos 

     

    exercise is very important for pcos as is diet

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