PCOS ladies - your experiences / advice please

[LittleMissSnowShine]

Hi ladies

I've got pcos, diagnosed a few years back and i dont have a lot of symptoms except a sometimes pretty messed up and hard to predict cycle.

I had DS nearly 2 years ago, natural concepton, if anything he was a bit of a surprise because my cycles were so far up the left that my gp had referred me to gynae / endocrine clinic because me and DH had thought we would try for a baby in 2010, assuming it might take a while...

Anyway now we're ttc #2 and its not going great. I've been monitoring my cycles and taking prenatal vitamins / agnus castus since Dec 2011 tho we only actively started ttc two months ago. In Dec, Jan and Feb before we were actively ttc I had nice, normal 28-29 day cycles. Then in March I had a 36 day cycle - I dont know why my cycles would have suddenly decided to go haywire again but if course pcos can be like that sometimes. When AF arrived in March it was v heavy and v v painful, but didnt think too.much about it. This month DTD like crazy and by my.prob not too accurate reckoning, I think I OV about a week late.

I did a pg test last week on CD32 and got a faint BFP. Tested again.the next day and got a v v faint line. Waited a couple of days and I've had 2xBFNs, so even tho AF has still not shown up (im.on CD37today) I've reached the conckusion that I've prob had a chemical.pg that didnt stick, and its possible (tho I.didnt test) that this also happened last.month given my.out of the.blue v.long cycle and my heavy, painful AF.

I've decided to go and see my GP next week but Im wondering whether ladies out there who are better read up, researched and who are veterans if the carious pcos treatments could.give.me.the.benefit of their experience.

Would Clomid / metformin / both help me get pg / avoid early.miscarruage?

What other trearments are there out there, complimentary etc? I've been using agnus castus already

I'm 28, healthy BMI tho at the top end of this.since despite eating a healthy diet and doing pkenty of exercise I've been finding it v hard to.shift last bit of baby weight

Your advice, experience, opinions all v gratefuly appreciated

Apologies for crap spelling - bloody phone!!

Hello, just seen this, I've also got PCOS and ttc #1, this actually made me a feel a bit better though as you managed to conceive naturally despite the PCOS. Although I'm a bit older (30 and five months old...and aware of each and every month!!) I wish I'd started younger now but that's life, I didn't meet my DH until I was 27.

Anyway I'm not 100% but I think the fact you had nice normal cycles means you were ovulating - someone told me when your cycles are irregular it means you prob won't have ovulated that cycle. Although you had the BFP and it sounds like you conceived the first time with irregular cycles so maybe that's not true? Were you temping by the way?

I've been told that if you ttc for a while (a year) with no luck then you get referred and they will look into it and do tests to find out if you are ovulating, and then if not they may try clomid/treatment. As far as I know they just help you ovulate, nothing to do with mc though.

Really sorry about your chemical pg :( and loads of luck, it's really hard - I had a panic on the tube home today thinking that I've left this all too late and I'll never ovulate or my egg reserve is low, nearly cried, but I'm really trying not to stress as I think that can make PCOS symptoms worse. Is there anything you did to manage your PCOS when you did conceive? PCOS is such a bitch isn't it! :)

Hi Kylie

Yeah, hang in there, I conceived DS naturally even with v irregular cycles and I was only taking agnus castus. So it really can happen and I hope it does for you too, 30 is very young still! I didn't really do a lot to manage the symptoms, I just try to keep my weight in the healthy BMI zone since I would have a tendency to be just above it if I didn't keep an eye on how much I eat or make sure to get some exercise, but nothing major.

This time round I'm taking a lot of supplements as well as the agnus castus. I know other ladies who have had some success with acupuncture / reflexology too but as you said, it's all about finding ways to keep you relaxed so whatever works for you.

I'm wondering about metformin, which is a drug they sometimes give pcos women to help us lose weight. I don't really need it for that reason, since it's usually only for ladies who really find it difficult to lose any or keep it off etc, but it's also supposed to possibly be good for making beans 'stick'. I don't know anyone who has taken it tho, so just wondering if anyone on here has and what they know about it???

Kylie - also just noticed we're on the same ttc BFP june thread, woo hoo us!

There's a couple of books I found really helpful for pcos and ttc, tho i never got round to using the ttc one when I got pg with DS since we were planning on doing the detox in Jan 2010 and I got pg in Dec 2009 so it was a bit late. Going to give it a go this month tho!

www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0007213255/
www.amazon.co.uk/Zita-Wests-Guide-Getting-Pregnant/dp/0007173717/

Kylie - I have PCOS and was under hospital after having many tests and was about to start Clomid when I got pregnant with DS. I was 30 at this time so don't panic! We are now TTC DC2 and typically my cycles seem to be going haywire again!!!

Hi everyone

I have PCOS and trying to conceive too.

I found a really good book called "The ultimate PCOS Handbook" by Collette Harris. It's very in depth and know some of the more medical terms I had to google but I'm very much clued up on exactly what's going on in my body and how to mulipulate it into a state that's more conducive to conceiving babies...

I say that but I've actually been very silly...

I followed the guidance and diet (will tell you about the diet in a moment) for a month felt great, had more energy, felt happier and for the first time EVER had a menstral cycle that resembled a normal 28 day cycle! Was also monitoring my ovulation and according to my monitor I ovulated on day 15!

My appointment finally came through for the nhs fertility specialist, who explained that due to my PCOS I was ovulating erratically and probably releasing an that wasnt mature or good quality, so was prescribed CLOMID.

1st Cycle of clomid- had lots of pregnancy symptoms but period came on day 32. My wonderful book is on the shelf and was my eating whatever I like. Letting the clomid do all the work.

2nd Cycle of clomid- I had a positive pregnancy test!! However my joy only lasted 48hours as I woke up last Wednesday morning with heavy bleeding. Devestated!

I'm kicking myself because during my 2nd cycle I felt very different and weird in a good way. I knew even though it was too early to do a test I was pregnant. However my so say wonderful book was in the shelf, the information I had read in it filed away in the back of my mind. I was also doing what every women does when she suspects shes prego, was eating for 2! And eating whatever i fancied, fizzy drinks, white bread...

Why what I was eating is relevant is that us ladies with PCOS have 2 issues that hinder us from getting pregnant: Our deranged Hormones cause us ovulate all over the place, we have irregular cycles and when we do ovulate, our eggs more often then not are not mature due to our bodies having not excreted the hormone to make them mature.

However alot of us Ladies with PCOS also have issues with insulin resistance ( which means that we make insulin and the sugar/food is in our blood ready to go into our body cells but our cells are not recognising that its there and waiting to enter. Which causes us to feel hungry and crave sugary foods even though we already have enough sugar/food inside our bloodstream to feed our cells.

This insulin resistance can also lead to infertility, lead to miscarriage in the first few weeks, even as early as a few days after a period is missed ie a chemical pregnancy. Metformin is used to treat this but it can also be controlled by diet.

The diet in a nutshell is:
Eat little and often- to keep blood sugar level steady and so you don't get to the "I'm staving stage"

Cut out caffeine- as it stimulates the body into producing insulin as the body misinterprets it as adrenalin and thinks its under attack.

No alcohol- as this causes insulin resistance in everyone. It's why men feel the need to have a kebab after a few pints!

Minimise sugary foods/drinks- you body needs food that it takes time to break down ie a low GI diet. So wholemeal/seedy bread is better then white bread. Infact you can have as many carbs as you needs providing its Wholemeal. High Protein, Fat is fine as long as its good fat.

And a little regular exercise-hopefully BINGO!

Like I said the diet gave me a normal cycle but was silly and forgot all about it once I had a the clomid.

Round 3 of clomid and on the diet so wish me luck!

Sorry huge long post but wanted to share my experiences in case any of it can help you.

Good luck to you all! and good to know I'm not the only one in this situation.

babyjames - exactly same situation as me, GP wanted to send me to fertility clinic even just to do proper blood work, see whether clomid / metformin might be good options for me etc, and i got pg in Dec and got the letter through for the appt 2 weeks later lol Now I'm ttc #2 also and my cycles have also decided after months of being fairly regular to just go haywire on me again so I'm off to GP on Fri and I guess I'll get referred to clinic again and hopefully same trick will happen again and I'll get pg before appt turns up!

queenofthefairies - That's the same book i recommended! Think Collette Harris is brill I'm starting a slightly scary Zita West-approved diet this week of no caffeine, sugar, white bread, processed food etc. Prob won't completely cut out the booze this month cos have DH's 30th bday coming up but that'll be my only exception. My dad is a diabetic and has been since his teens and has to inject himself with insulin 4 times a day, and i've always wondered whether there's some link between that and my PCOS since there's the insulin resistance aspect of it all and metformin is used to treat women with PCOS and diabetics...

I'm also going to cut way back on dairy - I did that before I got pg with DS cos I read somewhere about all the hormones that lactating cows produce and how this isn't great for ladies with hormone imbalances. Don't know if there was a link between me cutting back on dairy and getting pg but in case there was i want to keep all my bases covered!

We should start our own mumsnet PCOS ttc thread!! It's hard being on the normal month to month ttc threads on here when everyone else has some idea of their cycles, even if they are long at least they are long every month, whereas i'd say most pcos ladies have diff length cycles every month so the 2ww doesn't really apply to us in the same way. Sigh.....

Littlemisssnow- it's good to know there is someone out there in a similar position...
I too have diabetes in the family so that's interesting that you do too....

Have you discussed clomid with your Gynaecologist/GP? Could that help you?

I would also recommend the Colette Harris book and a low GI diet. I used to get all "head spinny" when hungry (sign of insulin resistance) but now I don't. I'm still not pregnant though!

The main problem with PCOS is that it makes some women not ovulate. I'm not one of them and I would bet due to your regular cycles you are not either, although you should get that checked out. The other issue can be egg quality, and the low GI diet can help with that as it can be affected by high levels of insulin, apparently.

Good luck!

Great advice - is the diet advice the same for women with lean PCOS? I am quite slim so think I have that. I do have a pretty good diet, loads of veg, fish, wholemeal rice/bread/pasta. I have cut out coffee, but I haven't cut out alcohol and I do drink around 4 nights a week plus have three hols in the next two months with boozy people and DH so it's going to be really hard to try and cut down on that. I think I'm one of those who don't ovulate, but am really not sure. I wonder if anyone else on here isn't ovulating and how rare that is? I'll set up a PCOS ttc thread now as that's a great idea...

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/conception/1471978-PCOS-and-ttc

I also have pcos, but may not be the right person to offer brilliant advice!
I was taking metformin, which gave me a cycle of anything between 5-9 weeks. I didn't follow a particular diet, or take any other medication. I also drank alcohol, didn't exercise and have a stressful job. Plus I have a very high bmi.
My dp and I thought we'd give it a go trying to concieve. I was fortunate enough to become pregnant after 4-5 months I'd trying. The result is currently fast asleep in her Moses basket at 6 weeks old. I was 39 when I conceived, and 40 when she was born.
I understand how incredibly lucky I am, and count my blessings every day. We have decided not to have a 2nd. But that's more related to my age than a pcos factor.
I would like to wish you all the very best of luck with ttc

Rugbychick were you ovulating beforehand (before the metformin) - do you know? I don't think that this drug is good for slim PCOS sufferers from what I've been told on here. Lovely story :) x

Just burst out into absolute tears as I'm on CD38 tomorrow and I just have some yucky brown barely there discharge. My cycles are so long and irregular, i can't possibly be ovulating. Also have been on google again reading about PCOS and infertility :( DH gave me a hug!

queen that's very interesting.

I have PCOS and finally got a BFP in March after 11 cycles trying (and one suspected chem pg). I also have hypothyroid and I did think that what mainly led to the BFP was getting put on medication for that in January. However when I think about it, I had also started to do all the things you mention (except the exercise ) in January. And my cycles did get shorter - I ov'd on day 17 in the cycle I got my BFP, compared with a usual of day 20-21.

queens - yeah, I think I'm going to ask about Clomid when I see dr on friday - she'll prob refer me back to clinic at hospital so might be a month or two before i see consultant and can get started, but that gives me a bit of time to see if it's going to happen naturally. it worked before after all!!

kyliep - a lot of women with PCOS don't OV every cycle but that doesn't necessarily mean that you never OV. it's frustrating because it can be only as much as one cycle in three, and then if you OV too late in the cycle or your body doesn't produce enough of one kind of hormone, the egg might not be the best quality so that can increase the risk of chemical preg / failure to implant / early mc. but us pcos ladies can get preg, and all the tips above really do help a lot in getting your cycles to regulate. i hav to say tho i found cutting way back on one of the best ways to get things on track for me so even tho there's a lot of drinky occasions coming up in June, i think even if i;m not pg in July that i'll be having a fairly sober one!!

right, off to join your other thread

Hi KylieP
I'm not sure if I was ovulating before starting the metformin. I was taking the pill beforehand. I was diagnosed in 2002 in the UK. But whilst living and working in Sydney, Australia I sought the advice of a gynaecologist who specialised in disorders of the menstrual cycle for want of a better phrase. Like pcos, endometrios etc etc. So we tried the metformin, hence the cycles. I'm not living there now, but it was very helpful. If anyone is interested he has written books and articles on pcos that are easy to get hold of (try amazon for the books). He's professor John Eden.
Sorry I can't be more helpful. It just worked for me

Hey peeps. I am in the same boat as some of you. Me and DH decided TTC 4 years ago so went to my GP. They referred me to a gynae that is when they discovered i have pcos, the only sysmptons i had was the acne and the drastic weight gain. While under their care I had a laparoscopy and they done other tests thats when we also discovered DH has also got low sperm count. I did ask them for medication that could help me conceive like the clomid but the gynae refused. I finally got them too prescribe me metformin to help with the weight loss, then they discharged me back to my GP. I have been on metformin now for 2 months but have not notice any change. It has now got to the point were I think I am fighting a loosing battle and I am giving up hope very quickly. I am 30 and feel like my age isnt really helping but I have been TTc for 4 years. If I knew it was going to take this long I would have tried when I was a lot younger lol it's great to hear success stories becoz it gives you hope but everyone's bodies are different. I also have tried herbal mess like agnus casts and maca also the wellwoman/man but nothing seems to be working. I have to admit I got my hopes up with metformin and that isn't working. I have thought about going private but it's very expensive for the consultations let alone the treatment. The gynae did say to me I can have ivf if I loose weight, loosing the weight doesn't seem to be happening though lol even if I do it's a yrs waiting list. I think clomid is my only hope but that's if the drs give it to me due to the additional weight gain that the clomid will cause.