PCOS and ttc!

[KylieP]

Someone just suggested setting up a PCOS and ttc thread - I'm on the June ttc thread but would love to hear from other PCOS'ers too!

[LittleMissSnowShine]

Mooley - don't want to be the AGnus castus cheerleader but i was taking it last time round, just to get my cycles on track, not really ttc as yet, and i got shorter cycles and, as a result, i got pg with DS. my mum also took it when she was ttc me and my sis. so i don't know whether it's all that and a bag of potato chips, but it's certainly got my vote!

[HettyTurner]

Littlemiss I was told not to take agnus castus by consultant, I can't remember why exactly but it increases a hormone that is high already if you have PCOS, or maybe that was just me, maybe it's FSH - then it would stimulate folicle production which would give you more cysts. I think I have high FSH... Sorry not much help, but maybe look into it? I was taking it for a while until told not to.

Bikes sounds great RIBS, I'm getting a bike in the summer holidays when we're selling both cars and getting one bigger one. I only agreed if I could get a nice bike to take DD out on it. OH is the opposite of sporty, so I doubt I could persuade him to come with us. He likes walking, but it's so hard with DD because she won't sit in the carrier for very long.

[LittleMissSnowShine]

Hetty - Maybe it does depend on your FSH levels. i certainly mentioned I was taking it before I got pg with DS to consultant and he never batted an eyelid, in fact I seem to recall he said that lots of PCOS ladies swore by it.... strange!!! Good luck with the bike, I need to get DS a new seat for mine because he's gotten a bit big for the one that fits on the front and he uses the little foot rests as stirrups to try and stand up all the time, clonking me in the chin with his helmet!!! So he's moving onto the back asap!

Went to the GP this morning and I've got another hospital referral. She wants me to send DS in for a chat about getting his semen tested, tho - last time I got referred to hospital they only wanted to see me, with my pcos, dodgy cycles etc. that made sense to me. Not sure why this GP (a diff one than I had before) wants to see DH too - has this happened to any of you??

[MooleyWooleyShamaLamaDingDong]

During my investigations they wanted DH to be investigated too so they could rule out it not being both of us with problems. Turns out he's fine, plenty of swimmers to catch that egg when I get the drugs to release them

I suppose they just need to make sure the problem is not with both because tackling your issue is fine, but if DH has an issue too and no-one knows about, pregnancy still won't happen.

[LittleMissSnowShine]

PS) Here's some stuff on agnus castus and PCOS for anyone wondering what we're all talking about lol:
www.marilynglenville.com/general/polycystic.htm
www.pcosmatters.com/pcos-natural-treatment/agnus-castus-and-pcos
www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-4241/Colettes-story-gives-hope-fellow-sufferers.html

Colette Harris and Marilyn Glenville are big advocates of using agnus castus if you've got pcos and i'm convinced the Colette Harris book helped me get pg with DS so (alas!) I will be following what she suggests like gospel once again

[LittleMissSnowShine]

Sorry Mooley cross-posted! Thanks for letting me know, now I can tell DH he's not being picked on, the other Mumsnet husbands had to go jizz in a cup too!!

[MooleyWooleyShamaLamaDingDong]

My DH had to jizz in a cup twice too

[Jodidi]

Dp had to jizz in a cup too. Turns out he has a low sperm count as well as me having pcos. BUT we've managed to get pg naturally twice now (one of those was even accidental), so he may only have 2 swimmers but they're in the Olympic team

I'm rereading my pcos book now so I can go back to doing everything I'm supposed to be doing. Haven't actually started any of it yet though, I'm still comfort eating and refusing to move from the sofa

[queenofthefairies]

The CBFM said this morning I'm beginning a FSH surge... So should ovulate in the next few days.... Been strict with the GI diet and had no caffeine... So wish me luck!

Here goes!

[Jodidi]

Good luck queen

[LittleMissSnowShine]

Yay queen...fx for u!!

[HettyTurner]

Yay! FX for a good O. Did you get the little eggy symbol?

I reread about the agnus castus in my PCOS book and it seems like it's highly recommended. It was probably just my consultant, they all say and do different things don't they. She was probably one of those ones that say vitamins and suppliments are all a waste of time or something.

Still not completely convinced I just O'd. Normally get a really low cervis, and it went low for 2 days and gone to medium now.... Boobs are a bit tender, and CM has dried up and of course had the eggy symbol on CBFM so it probably did.

[RIBS]

Morning ladies. Iv just been checking out the info on the agnus castus. It looks the business. I wish I'd heard of this ages ago. I didn't actually think u could take anything a help with the pcos.
Just got diagnosed and sent off. Do u think I would b ok 2 take it with Clomid?

All this ovulation is looking good girls, good luck. X

[MooleyWooleyShamaLamaDingDong]

Hello everyone. Ribs sorry to hear you too have PCOS. I have been reading mixed reviews on Agnus Castus and i think it depends on what hormones are out of balance. I have high levels of LH and tend to not ovulate very regularly and it is not recommended for this (as per my PCOS book by Colette Harris). I would speak to either your GP or a herbal expert before trying it. As for taking it with Clomid, I am not sure what the outcome would be, but if it was me, i would not be taking it just in case it causes more problems.

Fx Queen for ov!!!

2nd month after HSG........another egg laid, but sadly AF got me this morning. Despite feeling sad that we missed our chance again, I am going to fight this PCOS head on, and this is a fresh month. Off to get some PCOS fighting foods and some B vitamins, drinking plenty of water, cutting out caffeine, alcohol and fizzy drinks and giving it everything i have got.

Hope everyone has a lovely weekend :)

[LittleMissSnowShine]

RIBS - I've never taken Clomid before tho when I get my appt from the fertility clinic in might be on the cards for me. I don't know whether you can take Agnus Castus and Clomid at the same time - tbh I prob wouldn't since the Clomid is attempting to override your natural hormone system in order to get you to OV, while Agnus Castus is trying to stimulate those hormones to get the same result. So they might cancel each other out or something? Still, worth having a google

CD7 yesterday and we're back to DTD post-AF, which was a long and crampy and heavy one so def not likely to put you 'in the mood' iykwim! GP hammered home that any lady with fertility issues who is ttc should be dtd every 2-3 days the whole way through your cycle, in case you are OV v early or v late, and that since opks don't always work for pcos ladies it is especially the case for us, if you can't accurately predict if or when you are OV best to dtd as much as possible throughout your whole cycle..

Ho hum... better get in the mood then! DS has had a mega vomiting bug for last few days tho, nothing more of a mood killer than changing encrusted sheets and horrid nappies!!

[Jodidi]

That sounds like a LOT of dtd LittleMiss. Not for me I think. I'm ttc, but dp is trying to avoid it, so I need to be circumspect and persuade him that me wanting to dtd is just my natural libido and his handsome studliness (hahahahahaha). I just need to time it right. We timed it right for my last pg, even though we only dtd once in 2 months and I hadn't been temping or anything, it was just lucky, or unlucky as it ended in mc anyway.

ribs I don't think I would be taking it at the same time as Clomid, but I haven't ever had to take either. Sorry you were just diagnosed and sent off, that's what happened with me too. I wish I'd been given more advice by the gp as everything I've tried has just been from info on the internet/books and I have no way of knowing what's reliable and what's nonsense.

Mooley Sorry you got AF, but at least you had an egg this month. You are right that this is a new month with a new chance. You sound like you are doing everything right with regards to eating properly. Have you considered any alternative therapies like reflexology or acupuncture? I had reflexology when ttc dd2 but I'm not sure if it helped as I was doing everything else at the same time so it's difficult to know what helped and what didn't. I also swapped my toiletries to the Dr Organic ones from Holland and Barratt as I read something about SLS being bad for pcos sfferers and it's in every brand of shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, etc. Again not sure if it helped but it gave me something to be in control of.

[LittleMissSnowShine]

yes that's what i thought too jodidi, every other day? indefinitely? flip! but apparently those are the NICE guidelines www.nice.org.uk/CG011

it's probably a good reminder for a lot of us since i know we all build ourselves up to watch out for any signs of OV, dtd like crazy around when we think OV is happening and then just sit back, wait, watch out for symptoms, drive ourselves crazy and then feel depressed and fed up when we get BFNs / AF arrives. NHS recommends we all get jiggy 3 times a week for however long it takes to get preg. Interesting, anyway...

Good tip re: shampoos and stuff. I never use chemical-y deoderants since i read something about there being a poss breast cancer link so i always use the holland & barratt ones or Toms of Maine...hadn't thought about shampoo tho!

[LittleMissSnowShine]

an example from the NHS fertility guidelines patients booklet:

"Fertility problems affect one in seven couples in the UK. Most couples (about 84 out of every 100) who have regular sexual intercourse (that is, every 2 to 3 days) and who do not use contraception will get pregnant within a year. About 92 out of 100 couples who are trying to get pregnant do so within 2 years."

Every 2 - 3 days. Wow!

[Jodidi]

For the past 3 years (since I got pg with dd2) we've averaged about every 2-3 weeks (sometimes it seems more like months) :( So I definitely need to up my game, I'm not quite sure I'm up to it.

[LittleMissSnowShine]

Aw, jodidi, we're all in it together! All we can do is give it a go...
Keep Calm and...Carrying on Shagging

[HettyTurner]

LOL!!

[MooleyWooleyShamaLamaDingDong]

Ladies, it's not AF. It's weird. Have no idea what's going on. This morning it was very very light pink, nothing on my panty liner and now it's stringy and dark brown. WTF!?! Anyone had this before?

My cycles when I don't ovulate are anywhere between 56 and 77 days long. This is so far the same length as last months. Last month AF arrived in full force with medium to heavy flow. I don't tend to spot in my anovultory cycles (only when cycle has come to an end). and the cramping is not as bad as it normally is!!!

[Jodidi]

Could it be implantation bleeding Mooley? I would probably give it a couple of days to see if af turned up properly and if not then I would poas. My gp told me I needed to be poas every couple of weeks when I wasn't having periods but was ttc (we managed every 2-3 days for about 3 months then ).

[MooleyWooleyShamaLamaDingDong]

It had crossed my mind jodidi but I am trying to remain calm and focused! It's completely stopped now though. Like you said, I'll monitor the situation. With PCOS, it could be a hormonal thing!!

[Jodidi]

It could easily be hormonal and I agree you shouldn't get your hopes up too soon. But I'm keeping fingers crossed for you anyway.