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Conception

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PCOS and TTC! Anyone want to join with me?

235 replies

AnnieBeansMum · 14/10/2010 15:29

I ladies. I have DD1 (almost 3) and DH and I have begun talking about TTC #2. It took nearly 4 years to conceive DD1 and we finally had success with a course of clomid.

I am now in Canada and have just been referred to a new gynecologist who is apparently the leading expert in PCOS in Canada. So hopefully he will be able to help speed things along. I don't think I could take another 4 year wait.

Does anyone else want to join??

OP posts:
reallygrumpy · 21/11/2010 08:13

Congrats Louis!

Well I POAS this am (cd30) and BFN so I'm feeling very glum. Next month it'll be 2 years of trying and in that time I've got pg once and had a then had mc. I'm starting to think it'll never happen.

tinky19 · 20/11/2010 23:22

Congratualtions Louis!

LouisEwalsh · 20/11/2010 00:26

omg - the decision to try for dc2 or not has been made for us. Got BFP yesterday. I can't quite believe it but am over the moon :)

Fairygodmother1 · 19/11/2010 22:40

congrats tinky!!!

tinky19 · 19/11/2010 21:47

Hi. did a test but was negative. Must stop symptom spotting. Have lost 6lbs though!

Fairygodmother1 · 19/11/2010 21:38

Hi ya,

I'm back & haven't bled in 11 days!!!!!!

Congrats Pinky & Gruffalo Good that you're giving the rest of us hope!!!

How is everyone?

xx

boba82 · 19/11/2010 16:15

bump

womanlytales · 16/11/2010 08:49

Huge congrats pinkypanther and gruffalo
Attila Thank you for your response. I did blood tests for the LH / FSH in December -- the results were:6.2 and 6.2 iu/l. At this point th scan showed a left ovary that was polycystic and the right had a follicle in it so difficult to assess.
I meet up with the folks today for my CD 2 scan -- While yesterday definitely looked like AF, this morning, it's trickled down to just spotting... but I have a 1pm scan booked because I would still assume this is AF and today is CD2. I'll ask them about the LH, FSH tests too.

tinky19 · 15/11/2010 21:58

Congratulations gruffalo and pinky on your BFP!

boba82 · 15/11/2010 20:04

Congrats pinky Smile you ladies are giving me some hope!

pinkypanther · 15/11/2010 19:12

Thank you reallygrumpy. Fingers crossed you ovulated this month! I was using OPKs and never got a proper positive, yet I clearly did ovulate...hope that helps.

And yes, in my excitement I forgot to congratulate gruffalo - yay for you too!

reallygrumpy · 15/11/2010 18:52

Huge congrats pinkypanther, fingers x it's a sticky bean and congrats to gruffalo how lovely to have some BFPs on this thread.

I'm now cd24, feeling v tired and a bit nauseous so wondering if these might be good signs. I used OPKs this month but no positive. However the cons warned OPKs aren't very reliable for women with PCOS.

AttilaTheMeerkat · 15/11/2010 18:25

"I am not sure what my LH/FSH levels are now - when I tested for them at the start of my cycle and was diagnosed with PCOS they were both normal individually and relative to each other. interestingly this cycle with Clomid and Ovitrelle - I gave myself the inject on CD 9. On CD 16 and CD 19 my progesterone levels were 5 and 6 -- today on CD 23 I have something that looks very much like AF - - so am very confused.... cause it's here this early ...my average cycle length is 32.

Hi womanlytales,

re your comment above:-

I asked that as with PCOS there is usually an imbalance of LH to FSH (too much LH, not enough FSH). How were these tested at the start of your cycle, was this through blood tests?. In any event you should have up to date results; anything over six months old should be discounted.

It sounds like AF is on its way:(.

If your progesterone level is still low I would hazard a guess that your LH and FSH levels are still awry as well despite the clomid and ovitrelle. In any event as well clomid should always be given with a degree of caution to PCOS patients. LH and FSH are important hormones because these two hormones kickstart the ovulation process.

When do you next see the cons?.

pinkypanther · 15/11/2010 18:10

Well, hello from me too.

Just dropping by to say that I have been feeling pretty strange for the last few days, and...BFP this morning on day 41 of my cycle. I am totally Shock at the moment. If this is a sticky bean I am going to have a 16 month age gap! Shock

Wally - I had pretty bad pains on my left side this month (it was on the right last time round) - would love to know if it was ovulation...

Good luck to you all x

womanlytales · 15/11/2010 14:40

Attila - I am not sure what my LH/FSH levels are now - when I tested for them at the start of my cycle and was diagnosed with PCOS they were both normal individually and relative to each other. interestingly this cycle with Clomid and Ovitrelle - I gave myself the inject on CD 9. On CD 16 and CD 19 my progesterone levels were 5 and 6 -- today on CD 23 I have something that looks very much like AF - - so am very confused.... cause it's here this early ...my average cycle length is 32.

AttilaTheMeerkat · 15/11/2010 14:02

Womanlytales - you are certainly right to surmise that PCOS is a very indidividualistic disorder. It certainly does affect each woman with it very differently. The commonality is the cystic follicles on the ovaries. BTW the cystic follicles associated with PCOS can and do disappear; this is why the ovaries can appear polycystic one month and not say the next. However, the cystic follicles always return.

Good luck to you with the clomid/ovitrelle combination.

BTW what are your LH/FSH levels now?.

Do not be too hard on yourself, be kind to yourself instead!.

lucysnowe · 15/11/2010 12:48

YYAYAYA Gruffalo, how exciting!

womanly, congrats on the weightloss. I too followed a low-GI diet and lost around three stone. I am rubbish at losing weight normally but I found it helpful to imagine everything I eat that I shouldn't turning immediately into cysts on my ovaries... um that sounds a bit weird and obsessive but that kind of visualisation really helped.

So after vaunting soy to high heaven last time around it doesn't seem to be working now - I perhaps should have upped the dose. Anyway on cd30 and still pre-ov, which I know is still nice and early but I persuaded poor old DH that we should start SWI every other day from CD12 ... we haven't had so much sex in years Grin but I don't want to stop because that's what happened the last two cycles when we completely missed it. Annoyingly my temps have been perfect, pretty much 36.36 or so every day (and I have check the thermometer's working), my chart is a lovely long horizontal line...

Gruffalo, interesting about saliva ferning - since opks and ewcm don't seem to work for me could look into that... does it generally work for PCOS ladies?

boba82 · 15/11/2010 11:26

Congratulations gruffalo hope you have a H&H 9 months Smile

GruffaloMama · 14/11/2010 15:11

Hi all - sorry I've been crazy busy at work and charting (and BD Grin ) so not keeping up with the threads. Just dropped in to say I got a BFP today Smile though very wary as I don't 'feel pregnant' - not at all how I felt with DS. THat means just three cycles of trying (four months) compared to 14 months with DS.

Personally I found that charting worked for me - I got a clear temperature shift - and I used the saliva ferning monitor. Good luck to everyone.

Agree womanly we all seem to have our own variety of PCOS - you've done amazingly well. Suspect that I'll soon be on a similar diet plan as I had gestational diabetes with DS and they recommend the kind of diet you've followed.

boba82 · 13/11/2010 19:27

bump

womanlytales · 11/11/2010 12:36

btw - the book I recommend highly for PCOS is this - Polycystic ovary syndrome / Mohgah Elsheikh, Caroline Murphy

It's a slim book but an EXCELLENT one.

womanlytales · 11/11/2010 12:32

well - read up on the different cases above..and it just goes to show that folks with PCO / PCOS / PCOD are really on different places in this wide spectrum that is this condition. Also seems like our ovaries can go from being PCO to normal to PCO on different cycles.

I was diagnosed with PCOS in Dec 2009, did an Ovarian drilling in Jan, have only ovulated one cycle with clomid since..though my periods previous to the operation and post have been regular. Hormone levels (FSH / LH ratio) are all normal and for the past three cycles have been going through follicle monitoring and each cycle there is a dominant follicle that grows (this often doesn't happen with PCOS women) but ovulation is yet to happen..or if it has then we haven't been able to track it. IE - the Progesterone blood tests were done too early in the cycle.

I too have a weight issue and have to lose about 18 kilos to get to a normal BMI. I reallly struggle with losing weight and can very easily put on weight... Since Jan, I've managed to lose 12 of those 18 kgs and have six more to go will perhaps take me till February. It is a very slow and very challenging process though I am REALLY happy about having finally found a method that works for me - - This is the tough part because I've been on diets and exercise plans forever...and each time I failed to reach my goal weight... this time though it is different and as I type this I feel nervous in acknowledging that it is really different.

My diet plan is to follow a low GI/GL regime which means that I have five small meals a day, each meal is 50% vegetables, 25% protein and 25% carb. I stay away from all processed stuff - white bread, sugar (all colors), fried stuff and processed ready to eat meals etc (due to the extra salt, fat content).
I have fallen in love with running - - It really suits my temperament (am not into fast, stressful sports - eg Squash) -- but can run at my own pace for as long as I can.. I typically run 6km a day, and two days a week I try to do a longer 8 - 9km run.
I lose about 1.5 - 2.0kgs a month and though I track my food and exercise everyday - - I've noticed that my weight can go up and down based on my cycle.. ie weight peaks during ovulation (CD 14 - 21) and then again at the end of the cycle (CD 27-32) - - So I do not go by the numbers on the weighing scale.. I just persist with the diet and running and as my cycle progresses, the weight drops away.
I do emotionally eat EG: Today I have a progesterone test and I've been dabbling in the processed stuff since last night TERRIBLE -- and feel all kinds of guilt... but I am learning to be OK with these lapses and not expect to be on the plan 100% of the time.... the thing is even if I manage to be on the plan 50% of the time, the weight does come off.
Medication wise - I am on Clomid and Ovitrelle injections this cycle hopefully if this results in ovulation we'll be that much closer to a bfp.. but regardless my particular brand of PCOS (and we all have ours) it is an adventure getting pregnant.. and I feel I need to accept that unknown quality and brace for the ride.

boba82 · 10/11/2010 16:41

Yeah I think that you've got good reason now you've been diagnosed coconuts. You'll enjoy the book although it's pretty big, I'm still working through it & had it about 8 weeks! It's a lot to take in but v.v. interesting. x

ALovelyBunchOfCoconuts · 10/11/2010 16:16

Just G at the minute boba not being referred to fertility til we've been TTC for a year which I told them will be January (even though it was April)

But maybe now I've been scanned they might push it through.

I have oredered that book :)

boba82 · 10/11/2010 14:29

coconuts Hope you get on ok at GP. If you don't mind me asking are you getting treated at a fertility clinic or is it just GP?

allthatjazz I can totally sympathise with you, like coconuts my last cycle was a mammoth 130 days long. Just another PITA symptom of PCOS. I really recommend The Ultimate PCOS Handbook as it has lots of advice re trying to manage PCOS & regulate cycles.