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Your help/advice re PCOS / TTC

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  • HI Emma

    If I were you I would deffo get your self back to the doctors.

    When I went I spoke to the doctor from the angle of my cycles rather than ttc then sort of dropped that in as a side line but made my main concern my cycle not that I wasnt pg yet.
    There has to be a reason why your cycles are so irregular and weather that is pcos or something else it needs investigating. I do have pcos and have very limited symptoms, I only get maybe one period a yr, occasionally get spots and dont really consider myself to have excess hair (although the hair on my top lip is getting darker but still not noticable to others) but it sounds like you do have the symptoms

    Good luck x
  • Of course thats ok, there are lots of ladies on here and all a great help and support, it can feel very lonely in the world of ttc. DO let me know how you get on at the doctors, I was really lucky, I saw a female doctor, and she was so understanding, as soon as I mentioned ttc she was so helpful and happy to refer once id had initial blood tests done. I didnt go in with any idea what could be the problem either.
    Did your blood test say you had ovulated do you know?
    I really hope you get somewhere this time x
  • Hi Emma, welcome to BE, just thought i'd say I've got PCOS and i've got 3 stone to lose (nasty side effect of pcos is weight gain) they wont see me at the fertility dept at the hospital until my BMI is less than 30.

    Although... as I faced this problem, I looked on the internet and discovered something caled Metformin, which helps reduce your insulin levels usually in diabetics, but also works very well with PCOS sufferers. I went to my doc and litterally asked for it lol, and they gave it to me then and there!? I couldnt believe my luck!

    2 months later, I've had my first ever 45 day cycle (usually 100+ days long) and I'm losing weight!

    Metformin reduces all PCOS symptoms, like weight gain, excess hair, regulated hormone levels etc. So i'm hoping that I might actually ovulate this month!! image We've been trying for 17 months now, so it would be amazing if it happened.

    Just thought i'd let you know my experience and how metformin is helping me, and i hope you get sorted hun, x x x
  • Hi Em

    PCOS means that you dont release and egg, generally women who have pcos do not get their period very often and therefore do not release an egg when they dont have a period (however this is not the case for all ladies with pcos, it can be quite broad) but the way I understand it is that pcos means you ovulate less than people who do not have it.
    You can get ovulation predictor kits, however these arent accurate with pcos due to the hormone inbalance. Other than that there are signs that your body may produce that may indicate ov, such a s TMI ALERT your cerviacl mucus changes around ovulation and resembles egg white and is sort of stretch/sticky, also you body temp changes (there is loads on the net about taking your basal body temp but it is hard work and also inaccurate for pcos)
    Perhaps keep your appointment until you see your neighbour and see if you can rearrange it with the good doctor instead when you find out who she is

    Hope this wasnt too much info for you LOL X
    Good luck
  • hi there emma
    when i read your first post there it could have been me writing that last year. My docs thought my period problems were thyriod related and my tests came back negative and he didn't bother with any other tests. So i saw another doc and she was great did my blood tests every friday morning for 6 weeks and sent me for an ultrasound and i was diagnosed with pcos.
    i was sent to a endocrinologist who deals with hormone levels and he wouldn't prescribe metformin cos he didn't believe in it for pcos?? but referred me to the fertility clinic for clomid which he insisted wasn't weight restricted but would have at least 13 week wait for appointment.
    i was worried cos my bmi is about the same as yours.
    We gave up trying but i asked my doc for tablets to force me a period as i hadn't had one for 149 days they worked and my next cycle was 40 days and then guess what i got a BFP so don't worry about pcos its still possible to pregnant even without medical help!
    good luck ;\)
    red x
  • Hi everyone,

    I have recently been told that I may have PCOS (awaiting scan etc) as my Progesterone and ASH levels are too high. However, I am in the 4% of women who have regular but painful cycles with PCOS. And my BMI is 21, I do suffer with acne sometimes, and have loads of abdo pain. My problem is more likely to be Anovulation due to increased Androgens (testosterone based hormones), which is why my levels are so high. I have always had very fair hair on my face and upper lip. I also have a hairy back and the same fair hair on my stomach (although no-one has ever really noticed it, so it doesn't bother me). I've had problems with my cycles from day 1. I first had AF at the age of 10. My cycles were such that I would have AF every two weeks for 3-4 months, then nothing for 3-4 months, and this would repeat.....my GP put me on the pill at 13. Since I have come off the pill, my cycles started the same way they were before, but have now been every 28/29 days for a few months. However, I did have 3 months where I didn't have AF last year, and then I didn't have AF in Jan (they thought I was pg, and recorded an MC, but I don't think it was now).

    My friend has PCOS, she has 3 periods a year, and she is 7 months preganant, naturally with no help. I am hoping that when I see the consultant he will tell me it's an easy thing to treat for me......

    I do hope you get the answers you are hoping for. Please let me know how you get on and I will do likewise.

    Babydust

    KC
  • Emily,
    Definitely get yourself back to the doc. They should recommend your for a scan as you can clearly see if someone has PCOS in a scan as the best way I can describe it is that the ovaries look like a pearl necklace when you have PCOS. Also despite not knowing where your cycle is they should notice an abnormality in your blood test esp with your progesterone levels. As someone mentioned Metformin is really good for it as well.
    I experience facial hair too, on my lip and my chin and a bit on the side of my face, when I was younger I use to shave it as I was absolutely paranoid but I now get it threaded and it has worked wonders. Be careful with shaving as it does make it grown back more frequently and darker and stronger. I know how horrible it is but it is usually much more noticable to you and I bet your friends don't notice. I once told a friend and she was absolutely gobsmacked as she had never noticed.
    Also although PCOS can be an hinderance, it does not effect everyone. I am struggling to get my BFP but my sister has PCOS and she got pregnant naturally with no help and quite quickly. She has two sons now so there are success stories as well.


    [Modified by: rachied on August 13, 2009 01:07 PM]

  • The ladies as always have given some great advice. I have nothing to add except I too have PCOS and mine was diagnosed with a 21 day blood test (high testosterone and low progesterone) and a scan. I'm like KittyCat in the fact that my periods are regular (ish) at every 35-40 days but I'm not ovulating due to not enough progesterone. Every woman is different so you need to get yourself to your doc and speak to them about what is right for you. I am going on Metformin and then clomid. I have to say my doc has been great and they have even been ringing me to chase making appointments! I am also starting acupuncture.

    Get yourself back to the doc and tell him your symptoms and why you think it points to PCOS. I knew I had it even before I went although I am not overweight, I have terrible acne, light hair around my belly button, and a family history of it. We know our own bodies better than anyone else.

    Good luck and keep us posted. You still have lots of hope of having a baby naturally and I have heard some great success stories on here and Verity (for PCOS sufferers) so keep that PMA up too.

    S xx

    [Modified by: SarahW2007 on August 13, 2009 12:39 PM]

  • Welcome EE!
    I had blood tests done as I hadn't had AF since coming off the pill over a year ago and they were inconclusive, but a scan showed that I have PCOS. I was put on Metformin and AF arrived just over a month later!! I think it's great stuff! I'm hoping that will be enough to help me conceive but am also looking into Clomid if needs be. Good luck to you!
  • EmilyEm, what a saga!! You do have a great way of telling a story though I was gripped to the end to see how the mysterious gas smell was explained! I'm sorry that you've had a few extra dramas that you didn't need though. LTTTC is stressful enough without being gassed by paint in your bedroom!!

    If you're doing well with the Slimfast then I would keep at it. I am lucky as I am not overweight with the PCOS, although I have put on 1.5 stone since I got married 2 years ago. I would however say you might be better trying a diet with no refined sugar. I have just been looking at the packets of things and if the carbohydrate that sugars is more than 50% of the total I don't have it. I have also cut out anything white - white bread, pasta, potatoes etc. and am trying not to eat red meat. I love fish so I am eating that instead with lots of roasted veg, salads, and sweet potatoes. I am also not eating crisps, chocolate etc. all those things that you know you shouldn't have. I have never been motivated to lose weight but now I am telling myself this will help me get my BFP I have never been so motivated!!

    Anyway, just wanted to say I hope all goes well with the chest x-rays and I am sorry you have had such a tough time of late. I hope you can look back on it all with a smile though. Just another great anecdote to tell when we do finally get our BFPs! I don't know if it's just because we are ttc but I seem to have to tell people I'm not pregnant on things all the time. Got a bikini wax before I went on holiday in June - had to sign a piece of paper saying I wasn't pg; went on a hen night to a spa and had a facial - had to sign to say I wasn't pg; went to a new dentist - had to sign to say I wasn't pg!! It's like they are rubbing it in!!

    Good luck with the doctors and keep in touch.

    TC

    S xx
  • hi girls, hope you dont mind me joining you, i found out 18th june 09 that i have pcos, i was shocked to say the least i have 2 boys that are 14 and almost 13 and i got pregnant with both really quick hence 13 months gap. so i thought i would do the same with my hubby, (my boys are from a previous relationship) i was on depo injection from 2004 till 2007 and then went onto norgeston mini pill came off that 5th feb 09 had first af on 26th feb 09 thought this is it. but i didnt see another af for 67 days, i went for blood test and that came back that i had 2 hormornes high, so doctor said it could be pcos i thought it wont be, she said go for another blood test in 2 weeks, and in meantime i will send you for a scan, well i went for blood tests, and then scan app came through for 1st june i had my 2nd af turn up on 4th may and then after i had the scan on 1st june, i had my 3rd af on 3rd june, so i thought everything is ok now, my afs are normal. i went for the results of scan and blood tests on 18th june, and that day felt like my life was over. i was so crushed. she said that i did have pcos, i am over weight but have been all my life my bmi is about 38-39 something, i have lost 18lbs in just over 2 months, but it just doesnt seem to be budging. anyway i dont have any other signs i dont have acne i have afs well have done since may, but had 31 cycle and then 43 so a bit irregular and im over weight.
    she then told me that my blood test i had done was normal again. i then went on to have cd21 blood test to check if i was ovulating it said i wasnt, but on cd29 that month i had a lot of cm. that was 43 cycle. i have started to do temp charting and have started using ff that says i have ovulated on cd23 im on cd31 now. i have my gnyaecology appointment on 25th august at 7.30pm i cant wait for it to come now. i have met some lovely ladies over on yyw on baby section and all are now pregnant and i am very happy for them just also down as it doesnt seem to be happening for me, i am 36 and im worried that time will run out. im janine by the way.
  • Hi Ladies

    I hope that you don't mind me joining you. I have read and can relate to most of the posts above, I could have written them myself.

    I was diagnosed with PCOS in Aug 2007 (blood test combined with scan), this news literally broke my heart, as all I have ever wanted is a home with children. When I was diagnosed I had only known my now husband for 8 months. He was great, so supportive, bless him I don't think he knew what to do with me. I was his first girlfriend and he was one of 3 boys so he had no experience of anything to do with women's bodies.

    I have some of the classic symptoms, excess weight (esp around the middle), 1 period a year if I am lucky, and light fluffy hair around the sides of my face with darkening hair on my top lip (thank heavens for hair bleach), can't ever seem to loose weight, even if I just walk past the sweet isle in a shop I swear I gain weight.

    Anyway, fast forward to April this year, I got married to my fantastic husband who has been nothing but super supportive. He has agreed that we won't be using protection for now (so we are not specifically trying as he is 24 and I am 25 but we are not preventing) and that next October (18 months from wedding) we will start actively trying for a baby. So I have made it my mission to spend the next 14 months getting myself into shape, and healthier so that when we do start to try I am in a better shape, but every time someone announces that they are pregnant or someone says 'I am sure that you will be pregnant in 3 months' my womb does a jump then my stomach sinks when I remember that we could be in for a really long difficult journey.

    Sometimes it does feel like I am so alone in this, so it is great to read everyone's stories and offer and get support from each other.

    Last week I went to see a new doctor who was amazing and she put me on metformin and ordered me to have more blood tests, I have an appointment on Monday to get the results. I am really nervous!! :\(

    I am really looking forward to getting to know you all over the coming months during our journeys to being mums.

    I wish you all the best in your endeavours.

    xx
  • hi mommywannabe, you made me smile and believe me this week that is hard to do as i have felt so down with it all. when you said you only have to walk past a sweet shop and you gain weight cos i am just like that. my doctor wouldnt prescribe me nothing, she said some doctors do some dont and one that dont. so i have to wait for gyn appointment thankfully it isnt to far away now 25th august. im 9dpo my cycles are long, but i have had one every month since may, we have been trying since feb when i got married. im janine. you are right it does feel like we are alone so it is nice to chat to others going through same thing,.
    i am getting so down with it all tho. i am getting as though i dont want to leave the house as all i keep seeing is a pregnant woman glowing or newborns being pushed my smiling happy women, and i just feel so sad cos it isnt me. and im not normally jealous well maybe a little of slim ladies but not to bad lol. but this i just want wot they have got so bad
  • hi emma, how did weigh in go on wii fit board. it is taking me forever to lose 1lbs, it took 2 weeks this time, i have cut right down on bread eat wholemeal where i can, grill bacon when i do have it, hardly have pasta or rice, but have wholemeal rice now, also have small amount of potatoes on my dinner now compared to what i used to. and yet still the weight stays on, i havent touched any chocolate or crisps or sweets in just over 2 months, i have lost just over 18" from everywhere tho. so when the weight isnt budging i measure me, its nice when i see inches have come off even if the scales dont move. janine xxxx
  • hi emma, how did weigh in go on wii fit board. it is taking me forever to lose 1lbs, it took 2 weeks this time, i have cut right down on bread eat wholemeal where i can, grill bacon when i do have it, hardly have pasta or rice, but have wholemeal rice now, also have small amount of potatoes on my dinner now compared to what i used to. and yet still the weight stays on, i havent touched any chocolate or crisps or sweets in just over 2 months, i have lost just over 18" from everywhere tho. so when the weight isnt budging i measure me, its nice when i see inches have come off even if the scales dont move. janine xxxx
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