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When's the best time to get pregnant? Use our interactive ovulation calculator to work out when you're most fertile and most likely to conceive.

TTC with PCOS (Thread #2)

999 replies

RoseBud2015 · 12/06/2015 10:56

If you have been diagnosed with PCOS and would like a small group of very friendly ladies in the same position as you to talk to, then this is the thread for you!

You can find our first thread >>>>>>>>> HERE

You can find the stats >>>>> HERE

Smile
OP posts:
Thread gallery
13
Zinnher · 02/07/2015 11:45

Congratulations AbFab

Baby is just adorable! I love the ultrasound pics.

Pontygirl my weight loss is also painfully slow. Coupled with the fact I am still breastfeeding my fertility must be very low. The only consolation I have is that I am having regular periods after almost well for the first time actually so am hoping things are happening inside

PontyGirl · 02/07/2015 16:03

zinnher regular periods are promising! I had regular periods after DD for about 2-3 months, and then I put on weight fast and they stopped. it's so hard to lose it but after seeing that I did ovulate and having a reasonably short cycle of 46 days, I'm so determined. I'm giving myself until Xmas to get pregnant without intervention... fingers crossed!

RoseBud2015 · 02/07/2015 16:09

Hi ladies. Sorry for the prolonged silence.... it's been a difficult wait for my scan that I had today!

Firstly welcome Freddiesmother Like you I didn't respond to 50mg or 100mg clomid so I have had my dose upped to 150mg for my next cycle. But also like you, my consultant thinks it is likely that I am clomid resistant because my body didn't respond at all to 100mg- no enlarged follicle at all..... nothing!!! How about you? How old are you and have long have you been ttc?

Welcome Zinnher Could you give me your stats so that I can add you to our list please?

Dollface Another skinny PCOSer here that is pushing for metformin even though I don't look like someone who would traditionally need it. I have read so much that indicates that taking it together with clomid increases its success! Clinic wont give it to me though Sad

Isit Hello lovely! I'm yet to start 150mg clomid. I've decided to wait until after our holiday now and have a little break. I've been getting VERY upset about everything (as I know you will appreciate) and I think a break from pill popping and temp taking will do me some good. Back on it once we are back in August though! How are you doing? Smile

Ab Congrats on your scan! Lovely to see things progressing well for you!

As for me...... my thermometer broke so I have taken it as a sign to chill out! I am not going to temp again until I start 150mg clomid in August. It's my Birthday this weekend and then DH and I are off on a holiday of a lifetime so we have decided to give ttc a break for July! Don't worry I still plan to jump him at every given opportunity Wink Just going to try and forget about my broken body!!!

Am I the ONLY person on this thread who is still not ov'ing!? My body is so f*ing screwed!! Angry

I had my extra dildocam scan today after an abnormality was picked up at my follicle tracking scan last week. The scan showed that the fluid in my uterus has reduced and although the clinic want to continue to keep an eye on it , they do not seem too bothered about it right now. So that's great. I was beginning to imagine it being a whole load of nasty things!

OP posts:
Shellbell0403 · 02/07/2015 16:13

Nice to hear from you rosebud... Don't think I'm ovulating... I'm abit confused right now xx

RoseBud2015 · 02/07/2015 16:17

Shell We can be miserable failures together if you like! Wink
Whats confusing you? Anything we can help with? x

OP posts:
battenberg123 · 02/07/2015 16:35

Good to hear that the scan was nothing too problematic Rosebud and glad they are keeping an eye on things for you! Jealous of your holiday of a lifetime, I'm picturing you on a safari or something exotic! Can't believe your thermometer broke, must be this heat!

I don't know if I'm ovulating either, I don't want to temp or do opk's just yet until I have my appointment at the gynae clinic and they tell me what's going on!

RoseBud2015 · 02/07/2015 16:42

We are travelling South America for 4 weeks Battenberg! So bloody excited!!!

I think you are very sensible to avoid the temping and opks if you can, because they do send you a little crazy... especially if they don't show you ov'ing!

OP posts:
Shellbell0403 · 02/07/2015 16:45

Wow!! South America would be amazing!!! Once in a lifetime!! Relax and enjoy every moment of it... And you never know what could happen when you ain't thinking about it!!

Awch day 18 today and I have spotting and lower back pain! Never had it before and freaked myself a wee bit xx

RoseBud2015 · 02/07/2015 16:55

Shellbell Strangely I have had spotting recently too (which I never usually get mid 'cycle') and quite severe cramping. I was beginning to wonder whether I was ov'ing late, but at my scan today the sonographer confirmed that my ovaries are still doing nothing so I've just put it down to hormone fluctuations.

It may indicate ov for you though so I would make sure you dtd a few times in the next few days just in case! Smile

OP posts:
ShortyK · 02/07/2015 17:13

Amazing scan photo AbFab! How exciting to see your baby!

I'll check all the other posts later but I'm in the car on the way back from hospital and want to ask for some advice/share what's happened today...

Dh and I went to our follow up appointment which went really well! The only thing I was a bit concerned about is my egg reserves. The consultant said on my cd2-5 blood tests that my fsh level was 10 so I needed to have an amh test to check my how many eggs I have. Has anyone else had this done? Is fsh 10 really abnormal? Had the blood test there and then because we were right by the blood test bit.

The consultant was really lovely. He prescribed me metformin and three months of clomid on the spot! He also said he would write to my gp to refer me to a dietician to help with weight loss. Literally every question I had, I didn't need to ask because he suggested it! Dh's swimmers still have lowish motility but levels are moving in the right direction.

I do have a question about taking the clomid though. I'm on cd 5 today so the consultant said I could start taking it tomorrow though usually they would suggest from cd2. Do you think it would be a good idea to start taking it tonight so I miss the side effects?

Also, the guidance says 'as there is a risk of producing too many eggs you should not have unprotected sexual intercourse on your first treatment cycle prior to the 12 day scan'. Can we still have lots of dtd time afterwards to make the most of ovulation (providing it works of course!)? Sorry if that seems a silly question but I've just taken in so much information I'm just trying to process it all while writing this.

Hope everyone is well. Flowers for all. Will read through previous posts later! I can't believe I finally have clomid! Maybe month 20 of ttc is the one for meSmile

Shorty

ShortyK · 02/07/2015 19:25

Chandelier fingers crossed for next week!

Isit Glad you've had a change of heart. It's good to have a break sometimes, especially if you've been ttc for a while but try to keep taking your metformin as it will help keep everything all balanced (or whatever it's meant to do!). Chandelier had a good idea with writing things down. I'm might have to pinch that one!

Dollface I'm afraid I can't help but maybe other people have more insight...

Mistletoe Congratulations on the positive opk. Hope the tww goes quickly for you.

PontyGirl Well done you! Small victories can sometimes turn into big victories.

Shellbell Maybe implantation bleed? Keep positive that you did ovulate.

Rosebud Why won't they give you merformin. I thought it wasn't a weight loss drug, just that weight loss could be a side effect??? What are their reasons for not giving it to you? South America sounds amazing!!! Grin It'll also be the perfect opportunity to forget about temping, oving and all that jazz and just get down to dtd! It's also great the abnormality seems to be something minor. That must be a relief.

Hugs to everyone else.

bananafish81 · 02/07/2015 19:53

shorty I was told the same thing about avoiding DTD/ use condoms before the scan on the first cycle of any new dosage - and if I were to over-respond then the cycle would be cancelled, and would have to either avoid DTD or use condoms. The irony of being told to use condoms for the first time in 12 years, since we first got together, when we're TTC is quite something!! Sounds the wrong way around doesn't it?!

Rosebud your trip sounds amazing! So glad you're having such a brilliant trip, you totally deserve it. The stuff about Metformin is interesting, as the NICE guidance says that there's no evidence for Metformin increasing the efficacy of Clomid, or as a treatment for ovulation induction by itself, whereas in the US it seems to be prescribed as a first line treatment even amongst skinny cysters. So who knows?!!!

My consultant said it def wouldn't be applicable in my case because as an underweight PCOS woman, it was v unlikely I was insulin resistant (although could well be insulin sensitive hence why he recommended eating low GL to manage blood sugar), and both he and the idiot fertility doctor I saw at the MOT last week both said it would be definitely not recommended for someone of low BMI in case of losing any more weight. That's just my doctors though, and in my own case - yours may well say different. Just sharing my tuppence for what it's worth Smile

I'm twiddling my thumbs until I see my consultant on Wednesday with my scary fertility MOT results - shitting it as to whether he'll say (as rufus found) that the results are misleading given I came off the pill so recently, and to disregard them, OR if I really have dried up and all my eggs have died off in the last 5 years and my fertility has indeed fallen off a massive cliff as the scan appeared to indicate. I'm an atheist so don't pray, but if I were the praying time, I'd be praying that it's the former and my ovaries aren't on some accelerated ageing process...

CD18 and CBFM still says 'low', and no EWCM yet. Idiot Dr last week said cos my lining was so thin she thought this would be a longer cycle, she guessed about 40 days (which would be short for me, I think, given I waited 9 months for a period last time I came off the pill!). She said I should test OPKs from CD20 onwards, as no way of telling if the dominant follicle we saw on the scan would indeed develop into a mature follicle, and whether I'd actually lay an egg.

I'm not expecting anything, tbh don't know if I have ever ovulated! Only started learning about CM, temping, and peeing on OPKs when starting TTC so no idea whatsoever if I've ever had an ovulatory cycle when not on the pill in my life!

bananafish81 · 02/07/2015 19:56

shorty forgot to say, I found this quite a helpful article when I was trying to understand day 3 FSH results.

www.advancedfertility.com/day3fsh.htm

Although when I had all my tests done to get diagnosed with PCOS, FSH wasn't considered a marker of ovarian reserve, the AMH was the indicator for that - but I believe FSH is an indicator of how likely one is to respond to ovarian stimulation, so it's used as a gauge for IVF, as far as I'm aware.

Don't know if this helps in any way?!!

xxx

bananafish81 · 02/07/2015 20:09

Quick q about temping. How important is it that you do it at the same time every day? I often wake up well before my alarm busting for the loo, usually about 5am...but not every day. Given the whole 'only temp after 3h / 4h of sleep' and 'take your temp as soon as you wake up before you move at all / get up', I basically have to take my temp whenever I wake up for my early morning loo run (at which point I also have to do the CBFM as that requires first morning urine. Instructions said I could pee in a cup and do the testing later on - otherwise I'd be fannying around in the bathroom at some ungodly hour when all I want to do is get back to bed and get another couple of hours shut eye before the alarm goes!) - and that time varies.

My temp chart looks like the Rocky mountains, and various articles suggest that this can be down to a number of things

  1. cycles just after coming off the pill (tick)
  2. PCOS (tick)
  3. taking temp after getting up (nope)
  4. taking temp at different times each day (tick)

Anyone know anything about temp taking and time of day?

Only my first cycle temping so not sure how much is my body and how much is me not doing it 'properly'....

Rufus200 · 02/07/2015 20:20

Shorty my 1st round of clomid started on day 5 as that was the day I saw the consultant and was told to only take 3 days otherwise it could stop me ovulating! Apparently if you take Clomid too late in the cycle it stops the follicles developing! I would take it tonight! Also every fertilised egg has 25% chance so if you had 4 follicles then it doesn't mean you will end up with 4 implantations! I had 4 follicles but 3 regressed and only 1 matured. I refused to miss that cycle but it didn't matter in the end, the Dr said if multiples did develop then some could be pinched out but you obviously have to be OK with that. What matters more to you, getting pregnant but possibly having multiples or having to skip a cycle after taking drugs? I personally wouldn't miss an opportunity and would make sure that there were sperm in your tubes to meet egg!

ShortyK · 03/07/2015 00:00

Thanks. I took the clomid! I've talked to dh because I'm quite happy to start dtd now but he's not so keen on the idea of multiples! I'm going to try and convince him over the next day or two. Like you said Rufus, I don't want a single opportunity to pass us by.

Thanks for the article Banana. I'm going to read through it properly tomorrow. Although I bought a thermometer, I never got round to using it because I was just too unorganised so I'm afraid I have no advice for you. There are loads of people who chart their temps so I'm sure someone has some advice.

bananafish81 · 03/07/2015 08:28

PCOS ladies, I need your wisdom!

So the Clearblue fertility monitor has been giving me 'Low' readings every day. No EWCM yet either - so oestrogen doesn't appear to have got going.

This morning, testing my first morning urine, the CBFM jumps straight to 'Peak' with a massive smiley face, having not had any 'Highs' at all. I know the cheap strips aren't supposed to be used first thing, supposed to use them later in the day, but obv I'm going a bit OMG inside, so I try one of those, and doesn't look like quite like a positive YET....but every time I've tried one of these for comparison till now (didn't do in the last few days, as I'd had no EWCM and the low readings) there's been NO line at all.

Line below - your thoughts?

It's been too bloody hot to DTD , and as my body wasn't showing any signs of gearing up to lay an egg, thought no point making 'unreasonable demands' of DH.

Obviously just in case, he will be summoned for duty today, but am thinking this MUST be a false positive from PCOS?

Or if I have naturally low oestrogen (which I do anyway, and in theory the Soy Isoflavones, like Clomid, are supposed to be a mild oestrogen blocker, to stimulate FSH production to get the ovaries to kick into gear!), could it be the CBFM wouldn't pick that up, and only the LH rise, and so it could be a true LH peak? Either way I will be harassing DH just in case, but would be v v grateful for your thoughts. Trying not to get overexcited about the smiley face....

TTC with PCOS (Thread #2)
PontyGirl · 03/07/2015 09:40

bananafish sorry no idea about the cbfm but fx it's ovulation!

with regards to temping, taking it AF roughly the same time is ideal. I have a 1yo who loves to get up at 3am/4am everyday, and then up properly from 6, so this tends to be when I take my temp. some days its 7am, so i'm getting 2-3 hours more sleep and this seems to be fine for me. when her sleeping was a little more erratic, my chart was unreadable. try and get it at the same time where possible, but I believe there is some sort of adjustment rule for temps when this isn't possible... I'll have a google

PontyGirl · 03/07/2015 09:43

www.whenmybaby.com/basalbodytemperature.php

PontyGirl · 03/07/2015 09:43

that's a link to a temp adjuster, might be worth a try to see if that helps Smile

PontyGirl · 03/07/2015 09:45

and also - I wouldn't temp on the bathroom run. do you get up after this at roughly the same time everyday? it might be a better bet

Dollface136 · 03/07/2015 11:57

I've officially lost the plot.
A really attractive new girl just started at my office, and I mean like supermodel attractive and what did I think? Oh I'm so jealous of her nice skin/hair/figure? NO! I thought "I bet she doesn't have a problem ovulating"!
I mean seriously, ttc has made me insane.

Envy

bananafish I have trouble with temping at a regular time but still see a pattern. I have to get up at say 3am-ish for the loo most nights and then get up/temp at 6am. I think the temp adjusting sites are helpful in these instances too, but you can always discard the off weird temp (and make a note of why) and still see a pattern. Fx for you, that ov strip looks promising!

Ginfizz90 · 03/07/2015 12:19

Hahaha doll face I catch myself going bet she doesn't have pcos! To strangers in the street!!!!!

Dollface136 · 03/07/2015 12:46

PHew Ginfixx glad we can all be mad together haha. {cake} for everyone!

PontyGirl · 03/07/2015 16:02

dollface that is hilarious... and all too relatable Blush we're allowed to be slightly crazy!

my favourite moment of this week was my friend moaning that it was taking too long to get pregnant (trying for 2 months) and then the other day she found out she's pregnant! what can you do other than laugh and consume your body weight in food