Endocrinology appointment

[MatriarchalDreams]

This is my first ever post on MN (and am bizarrely nervous!) although I've been lurking for a few months. I'm 27 and DH and I started TTC 11 months ago. Came off the pill and waited and waited for my first 'proper' period, started to chart my cycle, nothing happened. Had a bleed (rather than period as I think it was anovulatory) in February (and have since had one more, last month) went to GP and had blood tests in April. The results showed that some of my hormone levels are abnormal, haven't quite got my head round what they all are but most of them were 'things to do with the ovaries' and also one that can affect the thyroid (but not the actual thyroxine, that was normal apparently).

Anyway, she referred me to an endocrinologist and I've got my first appointment tomorrow. Has anyone else been referred to an endocrinologist as their first port of call or can anyone give me any idea of what they will say/do? I'm thinking maybe I've got PCOS as my periods were always very irregular before I went on the pill, if that is what the endocrinologist suspects what will do to try to confirm that's what it is (or isn't)? Someone I work with has also been having very irregular periods (though not TTC) and she's had ovarian scans, internal examinations and blood tests (which have so far found she hasn't got PCOS or diabetes), would it be the same sort of regime for me?

Have so far managed to avoid getting too stressed or panicked about the whole thing, I think it'd be a lot worse if I'd been having regular periods for 11 months and having to go through the whole 2WW thing every month, but I think that after tomorrow it will all start seeming more real.

TIA

Hello!

Sorry you've been having such a hard time.

The same thing happened to me when I first started TTC. When I came off the pill my period never arrived. It took a lot of persistence for the doctor to listen to me and refer me. Finally after about nine months, the doctor referred me to both a fertility specialist and an endocrinologist. I started like your colleague - with blood tests etc. Then I had to have a series of internal scans to check my ovaries to see if I had PCOS (I didn't). I'm sure you won't have that at your first appointment though - it'll probably just be discussion and blood tests. All of my results were inconclusive and the endocrinologist put it down to a combination of dieting too much, over-exercising and simply having been on the pill for such a long time.

I found it a long process (it took over 2 years from coming off the pill until getting pregnant), but felt very supported throughout. For me the appointments with the fertility specialist were much more productive. They can give you various drugs to make you ovulate. I would definitely push to see a fertility specialist because for me the endocrinologist was not there to solve the problem, only to diagnose.

My story ends with a healthy baby who is now 17 months. My periods returned to normal after I finished breast feeding.

Good luck for tomorrow. I hope that helps. It can all be very overwhelming, but there is so much help out there.

Thank you very much, that was helpful and very reassuring too. So pleased that you've now got your baby, hopefully I'll be the same within the next couple of years.

I finally got my doc to send me to an endo after a scan showed cysts, even though my bloods came back as normal (like you I had irregular periods as well as acne flare ups). Endo immediately put me on Metformin, which I've been taking for a month now. You don't need a gynae to prescribe (in my case, the next step will be Clomid). Good luck!

I've been ttc for 18 months. I queried with doc who agreed I may have pcos so I've got an endocrinology/ infertility appt. I think that's just how they name the first infertility appt. Good to hear you've been taken.seriously, hope it's a Bfp soon!

I was the same ish, came off the pill, didnt have a period for 5 months, went to the docs and was diagnosed hyperthyroid. I've been treated but my periods still haven't come back 9 months on. But in my experience, I only went to the docs in the first place because I was desperate to at least ttc, but my endocrinologist doesn't seem to care. Each time I see him and mention that I still haven't had a period, he says that he'd like to see my blood tests normal for at least 3 months before I try. Still not really addressing the issue I first went for!

This time though, I'm due to see him next week, I'm going to insist that he takes it seriously. I'm only 25 but my husband is older so time is not really on our side. I think that I might be the same as Rosieroo6, I was on the pill for about 10 years, I am at the lower end of the healthy weight range, am definitely underfat and do quite a lot of exercise. Problem is, I can't stop!! I think I have some underlying weight issue that I need to sort out, so could really do with some support from a doctor :(

So good luck with the endocrinologist, but be aware that they probably won't be interested in the fact that you want to have a baby, they are only really interested in treating your condition. And also be aware that they might tell you to stop trying until you're "normal" again.

Thanks for all your input everyone. Had my appointment yesterday and the endocrinologist was really nice. He said that he was 90-95% sure that I have PCOS and also kept going on about how he was surprised that I wasn't very hairy considering how high my testosterone levels are, well I'm certainly not complaining about that! He's referring me for a pelvic scan which will hopefully confirm that it is PCOS (although he says it only actually shows up in about 60% of cases so if it doesn't show anything it doesn't necessarily mean that I don't have it). He's also referring me to a gynaecologist who he said will probably prescribe me with medication to induce ovulation and he will see me again himself in six months to see what's going on then. I told him that I had been (trying) to chart ovulation, taking my temps etc but had stopped a couple of months ago because I was starting to get stressed about it, he said he thought that was a good idea. So I've just got to wait for my appointments now, really hope I don't have to wait too long.