TTC with PCOS (Lucky Thread 5)

Lyla thanks, me too! It hurt constantly but dtd didn't make it worse as long as my bladder was empty (although being so uncomfortable down there certainly didn't help things!). I can also take or leave meat but DH is a definite carnivore! What's your fave foods?

Tree thanks! It seems to depend so much on where you live, I know of a girl who was referred and given testing and then clomid without losing the weight and then my cousin has been told she had to lose a certain amount and did only for them to tell her another stone! They have given her bloods/scans/lap & dye already though.

Macca are you expecting test results? Let us know how you get on! Fingers crossed for you.

Lois that certainly does sound good! How was your opk?

Well we get sa results at the GP two weeks from yday, then it's a long wait til 23 Aug when we next see the specialist. Started with the inositol the other day and plan on taking a course of tribulus again bc I had ewcm for the first time in ages this month after taking it, will add evening primrose oil this month too - but before all that will do a test, the ewcm has given me a slight glimmer of hope, even though I haven't had a period since March... but a girl can hope! Lol

Called first thing and they are going to call Tuesday afternoon for a phone consultation. I even asked the receptionist if they could look and he declined. Not so shy when asking me why I needed an appointment in a crowded surgery but never mind

Its the second. Im on 100mg and my side effects were hot flashes in the beginning as it lowers oestogen but am ok now. Dtd Monday and last night so hopefully in with a chance. Macca did you phone GP?

loislane That's great news that the clomid appears to be working
Is this your first round? What dose are you on and do you get any side effects?xx

tree I know they don't like to give clomid unless you're within a certain bmi, and I know for IVF it is the same also. But 2 years seems quite a while to go without any further tests as they usually do more after 1 year. At least if you had a diagnosis it would steer you in the right direction? I can't see why they can't just do the blood test for ovulation as at least if you are, you don't have to worry as much and might get your bfp!
Not sure what shbg is lol?
How are you getting on with the Opk's?
How much more weight do you need to lose? And how is it going? xx

Macca they phoned me to discuss my results. It's good that they're on the ball I guess?
I took my last clomid on Wednesday 6th. July and appear to be ovulating ? Since yesterday clearer more copious vaginal discharge, a spot on the left side of my chin and the odd twinge! Sounds good? Need to do an opk I think!

Text from the GP tonight saying they want to see me, non urgently. Does that suggest they've found something? Typically the text arrived after the doctors had closed??!

danika that sounds really very painful, I'm glad to hear that you have gotten much better now! Also hope your dh SA gives you the results you want tomorrow.

lyla I haven't been tested for ovulation, and gp just wasn't keen to send me for more testing until I'd lost weight. She seems to be of the opinion that once I have reached just under the threshold to be referred to the fertility clinic 'they can sort it'. The only testing I've had is blood work. There are no problems there apart from low shbg, don't quite know what that means though. Do you think i should push to be tested for PCOS (scan) and also the test to see whether I'm ovulating?

What tests has everyone else had?

danika aww bless you, that sounds really awful. I'm so sorry you had to go through that. It's amazing that changing your diet has worked. Just goes to show the difference healthy eating can make!and especially with us having pcos aswell.
I'm so glad you don't get any pain now or any incontinence. Did it hurt when you dtd? I get bad cystitis sometimes and that is bad enough!
I guess it's the same as me being vegetarian, people always say "don't you you just ever fancy a burger"! But I don't at all and have been veggie for about 20 years so it's just normal to me now and burgers don't appeal to me at all lol xx

Lyla it wasn't by choice!! I have an inflammatory bladder which was terrible last year - I was in constant pain and had no choice when I went to the loo... Had a minor surgery and was later told I'd be given catheters on prescription and would have to self-catheterise a few times a day which would reduce the pain and should help slightly with control. Well I obvs wasn't happy with that and was just reading everything I could about it and saw that strictly following an anti-inflammatory diet could help - I've always loved baking and all the sweet treats that go with it, I also love wine, and brandy, and coffee, and all things sweet, and pizza, and ice cream, and eating the whole layer of a box of chocs etc etc lol so this was NOT easy for me. But understand I was in so much pain I've cried at putting a seatbelt on in the car and I could never not have super tena ladys on so I was willing to try anything at that point. A few weeks after I started improving and within a couple of months I was completely normal - like totally, no incontinence, no pain at all nothing (and I'd been told I'd have it for life). I also had 300mls retention which at my last bladder scan last year was down to 25mls which is considered normal, the docs were gobsmacked. Aside from my bladder, I feel so much better in general - I used to get regular bloating, heartburn, headaches, cravings, tired foggyness and dizziness, low energy - all things that I thought were just a part of life but I don't suffer with any of it anymore, and after the cravings went (about 3/4 weeks) I'm not bothered about the food I'm 'missing', it just doesn't appeal to me anymore.
Apologies for the testimonial!!! Just wanted to tell you how it came about, I'm not one of those super will power body-id-a-temple types but was desperate, found something that worked, and am very happy I did!!

danika I'm vegetarian so I don't eat fish, but I do try to cut out caffeine and alcohol. I also try to cut out sugar, but sometimes I have to have chocolate! Do you find it hard to be gluten free? I don't eat much bread but I can't imagine not eating pizza haha!
Sounds like you eat a very healthy diet though xx

Thanks so much Lyla, and that's great about your DH's second sa.

From what I understand pcos is an inflammatory condition so (without being obsessive) have tried to stick to an anti-inflammatory diet - cutting out inflammatory things like sugar, alcohol, caffeine etc. and eating as much anti-inflammatory foods as possible like lots of leafy greens and oily fish amongst others (watermelon is also anti-inflammatory).
I already don't eat gluten or dairy anyway (since before ttc) as after testing with and without them definitely felt better without (no bloating/indigestion/heartburn etc.), although dairy-wise I do eat live organic yoghurt bc the bacteria in it breakdown the lactose which is the bit that makes me bloated, but I guess being organic it shouldn't have hormones anyway. I also take a calcium and Vit D3 supp.

Danika That's great news you managed to get your bmi down
I will have to look into inositol as it may be worth me giving it a go. I am willing to try anything!
Do you know of any foods that help with pcos? I've heard watermelon? And also to avoid dairy due to the hormones in it?

I will have my fingers crossed for you for Friday! If it does come back not great, don't despair though as my dh had one 3 months ago that showed very low motility and morphology and I thought it was the end of the world, I don't think I've ever cried so much lol! But 3 months later after a lot of hard work on his part (bless him),eating healthy, cutting out caffeine and alcohol and taking proxeed his result has significantly improved and is now deemed normal so the first result is not always correct.
We did 3 days abstinence which was fine, so you should be fine also.

At least you have an appointment in August and things are moving in the right direction xx

Welcome Macca, sorry for your losses My hormone test didn't work bc they wanted to test at certain points in my cycle but they were impossible to pin point bc it's so all over the place - the next step was an ultrasound which confirmed what I already knew and gave the definitive diagnosis.

Tree way to go on the weight loss that's awesome!! It's amazing how messed up sugar seems to make us. I totally get you re. the sa, it's good news and increases your chances a lot but I find logical thought and this baby making game often don't go hand in hand mine has his sa this Friday.

Lyla that sounds positive that the clomid is making your cycle seem more regular. I've been told I'm not allowed it until I've had the lap and dye which I'm not allowed until all my extra test results come back to make sure "nothing else is wrong with me" and dh has his sa results. We're back again with the main guy 23 Aug and if all that's been good he said he'll order the lap and dye.
I don't need to lose anymore - managed to get my bmi to 21 but my cycle didn't do it's own reboot unfortunately! I learned of inositol on here and have then read some medical studies on it's use with pcos. Used to be called vitamin B8 and almost everyone is deficient - it plays a big role with insulin etc. and with almost all pcos ladies showing some degree of insulin resistance it's been shown to help in a lot of cases.
The morning shake makes sure I get my supplements and helps greatly in keeping my diet a protein heavy one. I can def tell the difference in how I feel when I skip it.

Well dh has his sa on Fri so fingers crossed we don't have double trouble. It asks for 2-7 days abstinence and I filled in his paperwork on Sun and wrote 6 days but he was desperate to dtd last night so I'll have to amend his paperwork

Thankyou tree I definitely agree, it will be good to know what is going on down there!
Do you find the Opk's work? I had to stop using them as they were just positive all the time!
Did your GP give you a reason as to why they won't do more tests or give you any medication? Have they said you are ovulating on your own?
I got diagnosed with pcos in November last year. After an early miscarriage in June (I conceived first month off the pill!!) I then had no periods for about 5 months which they kept saying was down to the miscarriage but I knew something was wrong, they finally did a scan and diagnosed me.
We saw a fertility specialist privately as I was fed up with waiting (I'm very impatient haha) and he prescribed me clomid straight away as he said I wasnt ovulating. We then saw gynae on nhs who has recommended the lap and dye.
After coming off the clomid I have had a period the last 2 months on my own but still not sure if I am ovulating.

When did you get diagnosed?xx

danika my temping went the same as yours lol!
What is inositol? Is it a vitamin? That morning shake sounds lovely. How much do you need to lose?xx

Hi macca so sorry about your losses. I too had an early miscarriage so I know how devastating it is.
Sounds like you may not be ovulating or maybe every other month? They will probably do your LH and FSH levels (I think LH is usually high in us pcos ladies) and if your progesterone shows your not ovulating they should do a scan xx

Had my hormone profile done today, and back in at the end of the month for a progesterone test. What tests will they carry out? Will I have to have a scan if the hormone tests come back abnormal?

danika thanks :) ordered my bbt last night will let you know how I get on. The first couple of days I used my opk's I got really very faint lines and then no line and then a fainter line today so it's already giving me the runaround. Going to take another one at 8pm. Planning on taking 2 tests a day. Wrt weight loss, I've done the same - no sugar and little carbs have lost 7lb in the past 3 weeks just hope I can carry it on. Also DH SA came back as normal, really pleased but can't help thinking it's all my fault then.

Hi macca really sorry to hear about your losses.
when is your test? Good luck!

Can I join? I'm being tested for PCOS but feel that it's a distinct possibility. TTC for about 2 years, two mc's (both a 5wks). DS is 4.5 and must have been a miracle baby. I've temped, charted, followed apps and nothing has worked. Think I'm not ovulating as periods are between every 34-61 days.

• should add that some with pcos do temp so just bc it doesn't work for some of us that doesn't mean all! Will be interested to hear how you get on with it xx

Morning Tree
I tried opk's with no joy and also temping which although I did it 'properly' i.e. same time every morning whilst still in bed before talking/drinking etc. my chart still just looked like rocky mountains so I stopped as it was making me crazy. But I've since read on here that others with pcos have found the same and tgat temping and opks didn't work for them; in fact I'm sure someone said when they got pg the opk had never been positive so that makes me feel a little better about it at least.
GL with the weight loss, it's not easy!! I find a scoop of protein (the stevia sweetened kind) whizzed up in almond milk with a banana sets me up well for the day and plan on adding my inositol to it aswell. My cousin found inositol powder (a B vitamin that aids with insuilin resistance issues almost all of us pcos-ers have) helped her shed her last stubbon stone she'd battled with for a while, so maybe that's worth a shot.

Lyla good luck hope it goes well, keep us updated . More knowledge about your body is never a bad thing so good choice.
We've been trying for 2 years naturally, only recently have I decided to use opk's (started month 1) and charting and temping etc. (Not started)

Gp seems hesitant to test me further than DH's SA and some bloods, curious as to how you got them to give you clomid after 11 months, sounds like you have PCOS too if so when was it diagnosed?

danika hi I need to lose about 1.5 stone before I can get a referral.
I understand what you mean about feeling like you've been trying for longer it feels like we've been trying for years and years.
I'm just taking pregnacare at the moment, hoping it will cover everything. Have you used any ovulation predicting methods aside from cm and position? How have you found it?

Hi girls,
I've been trying since Oct (but feels like longer bc doc didn't let me for over a year whilst I was having a bladder problem sorted).
My evening primrose oil and inositol arrived so I'll start with those at the end of this month I think.

Tree how much weight do they want you to lose? How do you feel about it? Hopefully the inositol/inofolic may help. For me it was quitting sugar and eating high protein that made mine fo and stay gone.

Lyla I wouldn't worry at all, just go with it and hope it helps! I've been taking a tincture for a few months that has agnus castus as well as ither things in and I add freshly ground flaxseed and maca powder to my morning protein shake. The one thing I did differently this month was take 10 days of tribulus tincture (which I read can reduce cysts and act similarly to clomid) - well I've had no egg white cervical mucus since I stopped taking my pill but had some this month so Im hoping it's doing something, made sure to drag my oh into the bedroom just incase

upthetree thankyou, that does give me abit of hope with the clomid. Although I have already been taking it for 4 months, which feels like forever!
I have decided to have it done (so nervous though!) and worried that I might wake up with no ovaries or something! But I feel like it would make me feel better to know there's no other problems or to find out there is but not to have wasted 3 more months doing clomid if I have a blockage or something. Still not sure about the ovarian drilling though??

How long have you been trying for? xx

Welcome Lyla

I don't have the experience to be able to fully answer your question, hope somebody can give you some first hand advice soon!

I do know someone who conceived twice using clomid however, and as far as I know it can take some time (up to a year) to help regulate the cycle/induce ovulation so personally I would go for delaying the test for 3 months, especially since the SA results have improved hopefully that gives you more of a chance.

I do understand that it could take a long time to get booked in again on the nhs and also I have read on here that the dye test can clear blockages resulting in conception. (sorry I know that doesn't help!)
Good luck I hope you come to decision soon

danika thanks! Will definitely look into inositol and inofolic too. Thanks lois.
My cycle length was 35 days prior to weight gain, nowadays it's anybody's guess. It ranges from 3 weeks to 9, not sure what to expect when.
I shouldn't say that the gp won't send me for an ultrasound it's more that they're not keen to do so, she recommended weight loss before we decide what to do next.
Have you had any sign of AF or +ve opk yet?