PCOS ladies - pop in!

[ChandlersFarang]

Hello! I just got diagnosed with PCOS today... Am cautiously optimistic as I think I'm going to be getting some good treatment. DH and I are ttc, and I was wondering if any of you Mumsnetters are in the same boat as us!! Thought it might be nice to share war stories and treatment progress etc somewhere, as there hasn't been an active PCOS thread in a while on here... Share your stories with me!!

A bit more on me - I'm 31, came off the pill in December, and am now on my third cycle. First one was 98 days, second 40 days, and am on CD29 now of what will be another long one as I haven't ovulated.

I live in Thailand and went to the doctors this morning expecting to discuss why my cycles hadn't returned to anything remotely resembling normal, when they sent me straight for an ultrasound and showed me all the little sac follicle things on the screen on both ovaries. I was pretty shocked as I wasn't expecting to be diagnosed with anything on a first visit!!

They then recommended an FSH injection, as one of my ovaries was 17mm which apparently means it was trying to ovulate, so I had it (150ml). I'm going back tomorrow for another ultrasound to see if the injection helped grow the egg to be released. If it worked, they will give me a 'trigger' shot of HCG and a date for me and DH to DTD.

Was pretty teary in there as it was the last thing I was expecting, and then when they injected the FSH into my stomach I was a bit bowled over by how fast it was all happening, but now I'm home and have read up on it I'm pretty sure I've had some pretty amazing treatment, pretty quickly! Compared to what I would have got if i'd been back at home in the UK anyway.

I'm cautiously optimistic that this won't have too much impact on ttc... I haven't had any symptoms of PCOS otherwise, I'm not hairy and I'm not overweight (although I eat very healthily and exercise a lot, and have done for a few years, because I've always struggled not to put on weight!! This could explain that).

Thanks for reading this far - please share your stories as being all the way over here and new to the diagnosis I am feeling very alone right now!! DH has been great but could do with hearing from others. Thanks ladies

Hello there
I am 29 & got diagnosed with Pcos just over 3 years ago. I have been on Metformin for around 18 months to try & regulate my cycles & help me Ovulate.

My last cycles have ranged between 34-45days but my last one was 56 days! (Convinced i was pregnant) ...but no just another looong cycle

Altho it would have been a shock for it all to happen in a day, at least they have acted on it quickly.
Iv only ever had 1 scan & some blood work done...i unfortunatley have increased body hair!
I didnt have any cysts show on the scan...i was diagnosed from blood results & symptoms.

Anyhow...i dont know if i Ov??? I get all the signs sore tender boobs/nipples, dreadful pains & cramps & dc...but negative opk's.
Im on day 28 of my cycle & all pains cramps have gone now.

I dont really have any good news from me to share hun. But didnt want to read your post & run, coz i know how you must feel. Xxx

Wow! What a day! I am impressed I was diagnosed 18 months ago on my first appointment but the dr did have info from my gp from previous blood tests. I had clomid for 3 months which didnt work. Doc told me to carrying on ttc naturally as it regulated my periods to 33 days. I got my bfp Monday! I also speak to another lady on here that had the shots you had and it worked on her 2nd go!

I had norethisterone to start periods in august as I didnt have them. I had clomid sept, oct and November and had periods every 33 days since. I had a weird 18 day cycle in march though but consultant said he didnt care and a period was a period! Im just hoping I have a sticky bean!

Hi all,

Not TTC just yet but hoping to start trying later this year so keeping an interested eye on this thread! I was diagnosed with PCOS and underwent an Ovarian Drilling, since then my cycles have been pretty regular ranging between 30-35 days.

chandlers sounds like you've had some fantastic treatment and quickly too which is fantastic

woodwaj congrats on your BFP

Wow woodwaj congrats on your BFP. I remember seeing you on previous PCOS/TTC stuff.

OP there is hope. I came off the pill & experienced the looooong cycles where you convince yourself you must be pregnant. I kept records for a year then visited the dr. I got a referral, took Clomid & fell on the 3rd cycle so about 18m of TTC in total.

DS is 4.
Good luck.

Thank you both! Congrats on your ds tigress! A success story is still welcome when im still in the very early stages!

1moretime thanks for stopping by and I'm sorry to hear you haven't had any success yet. It's great to hear from Natasha, Tigress and woodwaj on the successful pregnancies and BFPs though!! There totally is hope!!!

Tigress - really pleased to hear you know of someone who got preg so quickly through the type of treatment I'm having. It's a whole new world to me - 24 hours into it now!! - but from everything I've read it does sound good. Argh fingers crossed! Will be cool to be in a REAL TWW from the weekend though, none of the cycles when I thought I was on a TWW had been ovulatory so a total waste of time and fake symptom spotting!! Ha ha.

Notadaffodil - how come you opted for the drilling? Sounds like it's been a success, was it difficult to go through? Xx

Chandlers - Ovarian Drilling was the only option offered,
I struggled with frequent heavy and painful periods that lasted for weeks on end, it took nearly two years to get diagnosed and have something done. Perhaps it's because of my symptoms and at the time I wasn't yet thinking of TTC that I went the drilling route? I'm not really sure why, no other options were discussed!

Despite the frankly terrifying name the procedure was absolutely fine! It was laparoscopic surgery so just a day case and no overnight stay, they found I had Endo while they were operating which they treated at the same time.

I was sore for a couple of weeks afterwards and my cycles were all over the place for a few months but they have now settled and I can't believe how regular they are. I've been using OPKS the past few months and have had positive results so I'm really pleased with the outcome of the op, it definitely seems to have been a success!

From the other stories in this thread there's definitely hope, excited and keeping my fingers crossed for you! X

It seems like it takes a while for most pcosers! My pregnancy symptoms were very similar to AF as well I was convinced AF was on the way!

Wow, that does seem to have been a success! I'm really reminding myself that it's not all soon and gloom today, and your stories are massively helping. Thank you.

So I had my appointment today! The enlarged follicle that they saw on the scan yesterday has responded well to the FSH shot and grown from 17mm to 18mm overnight. They asked me to come back tomorrow for the trigger HCG shot. They said my endometrial lining was looking a bit thin, so have given me Progynova tablets to start taking from tomorrow too.

Super excited about my first real TWW!! None of my previous cycles have been ovulatory so all those 'symptoms' I was spotting really were a fantasy.

If I'm not preggo this cycle (which might be a bit of a miracle frankly!) then they said I should have a blood test on CD2 of my next cycle. I guess this is to check hormones and insulin levels? What have your blood tests shown? And what type of complications have you guys had? I've been scaring myself with the stats on increased heart attack and diabetes risks... But I hope the fact I'm living healthily will bring those risks back down again!!

Can I join in here? Been TTC with OH for 3 years now. I currently have regular-ish cycles of around 33-36 days but have had 56 day cycles in the past. I am overweight and working really hard to bring that down.

I really think I may have PCOS but I'm quite scared about going to the GP. Will they just send me away to lose weight (I've lost 3 stone in a year but still have at least 5 stone to go) before they will test/diagnose/treat me.

Does anyone have any pointers of what to expect from a GP appt or what to ask? Really want to get the ball rolling and give myself a kick up the arse.

TIA

Hi everyone,

I havent been diagnosed yet but my doctor did ask if ive been checked for pcos when i was in there last.

Im currently waiting for my gynae app to go to the next step.

Ive been ttc for 15 months with no joy, blood tests say im not ovulating.

Ive never thought I had pcos because my cycle is always regular at 28 days apart from one 34 day last month, i do get a bit of excess hair and I am over weight but figured it was genetic.

At least i will find out soon, but it does look like they will put me on clomid.

Good luck everyone!!

Hi Blueberry

It seems as though we are in similar boats. I've got a GP appt next week so hopefully I will be referred for blood tests/scan (I'm not really sure what to expect at all).

PCOS has only recently popped up on my radar as like you, my periods are regular (well mostly). I don't suffer from excess hair but I am overweight and have family history of diabetes on both paternal and maternal sides which I've read can contribute towards it.

I hope everything goes well for you.

Good luck both of you. It's not great having PCOS, but at least now I've been diagnosed, I understand where I stand, there's a plan of action and I feel less in the dark/totally confused than I did!! A few things do start to make a bit more sense. That clarity is helpful. Keep us posted! X x

Good luck Chandlers your treatment sounds so quick its brilliant!!

Slice - Defo get to GPs they might tell you to lose more weight depending on your BMI but they might be able to help with that too if you need it- congrats on your weight loss so far

Thanks for your replies. Do you think if OH comes to the GP with me, will they refer him for a sperm test or will they weight for me to lose weight?

I've read online that GPs sometimes prescribe Metformin and that can help sometimes with weightloss.

Thanks for the congrats - it's been rather difficult but I'm getting married late September and hoping to lose another 2/3 stone before then.

Sounds like you have got the ball rolling chandler
Best of luck hun xx
I dont see my consultant until Sept! Only see her every 6 months for check up's xx

Slice my OH came with me and he was given things to put his sample in and was told to take it to hospital on a certain morning. Results came back quick and they should do it for you!

Thanks wood/1more! Off for my HCG trigger shot now, then it's DTD time all weekend before my first ever TWW!! Yikes.

Can I ask you all something? What happens with your CM? I used to chart mine but was pretty random, along with my last pre-diagnosis cycles. But should I expect EWCM this weekend now I know in definitely going to ovulate, thanks to the ultrasound/jabs? Feels a bit like I will be ovulating artificially if you know what I mean, so not sure if I'll get the usual ov symptoms?!

How does it work for you ladies when you ovulate on account of PCOS medication? X x

Personally when I had clomid it made me as dry as a bone but natural cycles it was normal ewcm. Im not sure if the trigger would be the same.

Thanks woodwaj... No sign of any for me since the FSH jab, so not relying on any appearing.

I did read earlier that us PCOS birds will get little surges of various hormones throughout our cycles at random times so CM can appear and disappear at random. That definitely seems to have been what happened to me, from the charting I was doing...