Quick Poll Please... do you have PCOS & gone on to concieve?

Basically yes!! First 2 dd's were clomid babies and so then was v.casual with contraception & along came my 3rd miracle dd3!! Good Luck xx

i disagree, attila. i have pcos and i found charting really useful. i guess it depends how frequently you have periods. my cycles were regular-ish, but loooong.
what i found interesting is that i was ovulating much, much later than i thought and consistently so. there is a theory that if you ovulate later than day 18, the egg starts to degrade, and the three times if got pregnant i know i ov'd on day 18. also i began ovulating earlier (for me, day 18 was early) the longer i was on metformin, possibly because i lost weight while on the drug.
anyway, pussycatmomma and wantababy, the best of luck to you.

I have one dd nearly 5 who wasn't planned and now trying for baby no 2 and have suspected pcos. I usually only have one AF a year. I have lost three stone in weight and have had 4 AF's this year alone which i am really pleased about, i think controlling your weight seems to be a factor I have had some tests and am due to do some more. Good Luck.

Thanks everyone for your advice

I agree about the pill... I think it just hid all the problems that were already going on... A quick fix.. not!

Don't think I will worry about the persona anymore or even the microscope.. since they wont be of much help but might look into the Provera as am really tired of waiting for af to grace me with her presence! I think I am day 63 now!

Thanks to everyone for their advice and own stories.. you guys are all wonderful and very encouraging!

Isn't this website addictive!!

Wantababynow,

Of course you can look at Verity!!. Know of some non UK residents who look at this site.

Losing weight with PCOS is difficult bcause some women with this can become insulin resistant. Not altogether surprised to read that you lost weight then put it all and then some back on. It does happen with this condition.

Persona is a machine that measures LH levels. You do not want to use a machine like this or ovulation predictor kits (this also measures LH). As many women with PCOS produce higher than average levels of LH hormone the kit will just read that and therefore give you a false positive result. These kits generally work on two principles; namely that a rise in LH is immediately followed by ovulation and women ahve one rise in LH every month. Both of these statement are not true.

Toni Weshler's book is about temp charting. Again little to no use at all if you have PCOS as you will end up with a chart that is impossible to determine with any degree of accuracy. Blood tests will determine with accuracy whether you have ovulated in any given month.

Metformin does have side effects; it can primarily affect bowel movements so a toilet is very handy to be near.

The causes of PCOS are not fully understood although there may be a genetic element passed down from the male side. There is no evidence to suggest that the pill is responsible for failure to ovulate but what the pill actually also does is mask the symptoms of the underlying problem (PCOS) which has always been present.

wantababy, I don't remember being nauseous, but I definitely felt v weird - very lacking in energy (literally couldn't get out of bed one morning ), but that settled down within a week or so.

I started taking it right after a bleed induced by Provera (I think? progesterone tablets), had a period a month later, and conceived 2 weeks after that period.

I kept taking metformin until I was 12 weeks pg, as I'd read that it can reduce the risk of pcos-related mc (and I was 8 weeks before I realised I was pg anyway ). My consultant was ok with that.

Hi,

I have PCOS and had problems concieving. Got pg once alone and miscarried then got pg again after three months of Clomid. DS is now 3.5 and fabulous. Haven't been successful in having any more babies but I am 40 now so age is probably against me too. IT does happen - hang on in there.

I have two daughters, both conceived after 6 months of ttc w/no assistance.

Have always had regular periods, although I do have acne related to my cycle.

there is a book by toni weschler called taking care of your fertility which is well worth reading. it's a bit american but not bad overall.
i got pg two months after the metformin, and i was very nauseous for the first fortnight of taking it. good luck.

Do you have any yet expatin?

I think I am just starting to realise now the complexities of womanhood and fertility.... almost need a medical degree to understand all the things that can happen!

My sister has PCOS. She conceived naturally and quickly twice after coming off the Pill.

After a while, however, she also began experiencing heavy, painful periods when she had them. She is 39.

She has now had endometrial ablation - her children are 12 and 9 and her husband had the snip years ago, so childbearing was complete for them - and is very pleased w/the results.

Imagine how big you would get with more than one.... lol

You must be so game giving birth to 5. I faint from a needle (pathetic I know esp when ttc)

Carolina were you sick from the metformin? Did you take anythin else with it? how long did it take?

I had parent interviews the other night and had just been on metformin for a few days. Had felt very queasy all day but had to leave parent in middle of interview and run to bathroom to throw up.. 5 mins later she was knocking on the door saying " are you alright dearie? " She was very undersanding when I emerged from the bathroom with mewly coloured shoes. She is a mum of 5 too ( 2 sets of twins about two years apart) I have had her twin girls tis year and last year and am having the other set start kindy next year. I also taught her eldest so I am glad it was her in there and not someone else!

The school I work at is riffe with gossip so I am sure they will all think I am preg by Monday!

yup.....all natural.....all singles.....!

I had pcos before conceiving ds. I had no periods for 9 months after coming off the pill (had been on it for 11 years, so it was masking or possibly even causing the pcos).

What brought them back was metformin (tablets you take a couple of times a day), and I conceived ds the following month .

Lol... 5 mini psychos.. thats funny!

After having 20 per day between 9 and 3 I dont think I could cope with 5 at home! I would be happy with 3!

Big push politically here at the moment for us to 'populate'. Government is even offering baby bonus of $4000 per kid.

Psycho Were all your munchkins conceived naturally? Were they all individual births?

i was diagnosed with pcos at 18 and told had a roughly 5% chance of falling naturally.

two years later found the wedding jitters were'nt jitters....was morning sickness.

Now have 5 mini psycho's and DH has had snip, me the mirena coil (mind....not cos of paraniodness of snip failing....also have endomitriosis and that is one of the 'cures'!).

Hmmmmm.. I think it is similar to ovulation microscope.. I do have one of those but told that it wont be reliable for us by GP as cycle is soooooooo long..

Who would have evr thought that you would be waiting for AF with excitement?

Persona . I'd email the company to ask about Australian equivalents if Persona isn't sold there.

LOL... Talk about losing weight and DH walks in with baskin robbins... best ice cream ever...

I will try and make this my last one! Health kick tomorrow....

Thanks to you both for your messages. I live in Australia Attila, do you think it matters looing on a UK site? I cant really find much here.

Should really loose some weight but I have been going to the gym all year and has made little difference. Lost 10kg last year but put it all back on and then some.

What is a persona???

Wannababynow

PCOS is a very individualistic disorder and affects each woman with it very differently. What may be an issue for one is not for another. It causes are not fully understood and no one therapy or treatment will completely eradicate it.

Re the cystic follicles - with PCOS such cystic follicles are very small and it can take a highly skilled operator to spot them. Also such cystic follicles do disappear (this is also maybe why they were not seen) only to be replaced by further cystic follicles.

Polycystic ovaries have what can be described as a "ring of pearls" appearance. They also appear larger than normal (walnut) size.

Would suggest you look at Verity's website which is www.verity-pcos.org.uk. Its the UK based support group for women with PCOS.

yeah me!
diganosed 99, plenty of symptoms, conceived v quickly 03. convinced that losing a stone and a half in the six months before hand did the trick but who knows.

Hi there,

I have been given somewhat of a diagnosis of PCOS recently.

I have had very irregular periods ( just 2 this year) and we have been ttc for about 2 years.

A bit overweight, weight actually goes up and down like a rollercoaster. No acne or excess hair but do have a little discolouring under the arm.Apparently not ovulating. Ultrasound did not show any cysts. Didn't want an internal ultrasound as sonographer was creepy.
Fertility specialist has given me metformin until dh can supply semen sample and will prescribe clomid next appointment which is not for another seven weeks. Have been feeling very sick from the metformin but am taking it regardless. 500mg three times a day. So far a I have been able to aquaint myself with the loo very well.

Would the metformin be enough to help conceive? I also have a maybe baby and we are starting to get the fern pattern come through. Only been on metformin since Tuesday though.

Sorry to post such a long message. Thanks to everyone for your information... it's really helpful!

yep, doc put me on metformin and it seemed to help.

Pussycat - I've had irregular periods since my cycle started and have always had a problem with weight gain, but other than those symptoms, was diagnosed by ultrasound when I was 21 (10 yrs ago) as having suggestive PCOS. It took 2 years to conceive DD, the 1st of which, we just weren't taking precautions, but not actively trying. It then took 9 months when we started trying again, but unfortunately, I lost that pregnancy at 9 weeks. Not managed to get pregnant again yet, but during my follow-up scan after my ERCP after my miscarriage, the ultrasonographer said that my ovaries looked very healthy and there was no sign of any cysts. So hopefully, my 2 pregnancies have sorted out my problems - still quite irregular cycle, but they are more frequent than before.

HTH

Good luck!!

ps both times I conceived was on holiday, while pretty drunk, relaxed and after we decided to leave TTC for a while!