TTC with PCOS (Thread #3)

[RoseBud2015]

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 our second thread >>>>>>>>> HERE

You can find the stats >>>>>HERE

oh mistletoe I have no words. Can only imagine how devastated you must be. Please be kind to yourself and know that we’re all here for you xx

Mistletoe
Look after yourself xxx

I'm so so sorry Mistletoe that is truly shit. Please take care of yourself. We are all thinking of you xxx

Banana Yes I have been having tracking scans and my lining is fine. Its a defo BFN for me but I am doing what I can do not let it ruin our week away so just having a little private sob upstairs while I write this message.

I think the Mild IVF that the Create clinic offer is what some of you ladies have refereed to as short protocol? Are any of you having this? Its cheaper and the cycles are quicker and it says it is suitable for PCOS people... but whats the catch?

Am so sorry mistletoe. Hope dh is looking after you x

Freddie Mild IVF is very very gentle stims. Very low dose so can be very good for PCOS as you'll be less at risk of hyperstimulation. Reduces the cost because of drugs. I was on very high stims and my drugs bill alone was £2k. Short protocol means no down regulating first - which is usually used for both PCOS and poor responders. Mild IVF goes for fewer eggs but better quality. I think the mild IVF protocol might even use Clomid, but I'm not sure on that one, so might well be wrong. The catch is that Mild IVF is normally bought in 3 cycle packages as the chance of success for an individual cycle is low - I think it's about 3 cycles of IVF equivalent to 1 normal cycle in terms of success rates. So an individual cycle is cheaper but the average cos per baby is roughly similar I think. Although that's an average, so you never know....it could work first time!

Mild IVF isn't any quicker than standard short protocol BTW. I was 14 days from start to egg collection.

mistletoe I'm so very sorry I really hope you are okay and getting lots of love and support from everyone around you. I will be thinking of you.

I'm about to get referred for a completely different reason - breast pain. In just the one breast. No lump or anything, but I'm wondering if it's related to the PCOS. It's not agony or anything, just there throughout the cycle, a stabbing pain a few times a day. Very annoying!

Freddie Congratulations on your wedding! Where did you go for your honeymoon? Did you have a good time? Sorry for the BFN and the quiet sobbing The disappointment is too much to bear sometimes, isn't it

Ponty That does sound odd! Could it be hormone related? I had funny feeling boobs in the 2ww last month with a sort of tingling feeling, but stabbing pains sounds painful.

FF confirmed ov today- but it confirmed it for the day before my pos opk, on CD9. I'm struggling to believe that- I think I ov'ed on CD10 or 11 as my ovary pain has now turned into cramping and my boobs are really sore (exactly the same as my last 2 cycles after ov!) so I'm convinced FF will change the date when I have added a couple of extra temps. I will just keep doing SMEP until I am sure FF has it right! DH thinks I'm a sex crazied lunatic- if only he knew the truth

Mistletoe, just nipping on quickly to say how sorry I am for your loss. I can't imagine what you're going through. We are all here for you.
I have been awol on the board, sorry- I've just been going stir crazy with the wait for my consultant appointment to find out if ivf really is the next step and if so, how quickly we will be asked to get going. No sign of ovulation this 'cycle' (tracking temps, CM and OPKs! After more than a year of having nothing to track) so I am guessing that the one last month was just a one-off caused by the operation and my ovaries are settling back down into their seemingly inert state. Bring on my appointment (Tuesday) so we can get things moving again!

mistletoe so sorry to hear your news will be thinking of you. Take care of yourself x

Many congrats on your wedding Freddie sorry about the BFN. Enjoy the rest of your honeymoon!

Mistletoe I'm so sorry to hear your news.

Freddie congrats! Hope you had an amazing day.

I'm throwing myself a pity party, anyone else want to join in? I'm on my first round of Clomid 50, just got my day 21 results and my progesterone level is 1. 1! The GP receptionist told me in the hushed tones usually reserved for terminally ill and said I needed specialist attention; the NHS fertility clinic that prescribed the Clomid cheerily said 'Well, you haven't ovulated, keep dtd and hope it happens soon'. How low is 1 - should I be worried?

A year today marks my last 'period' (a pill withdrawal bleed), and I'm not even ovulating - I'm not only not in the race, I'm not even near the starting blocks!

Aw sorry oranges that's rubbish but I think many people don't respond to 50mg are they going to up your dosage to 100 or 150mg clomid? Or are they referring you to the hospital?

Thanks Freddie, DH has just been saying the same thing to me. I've got another month of 50mg, then two months at 100 mg then two at 150mg. I only get day 21 and 28 blood tests, no scans or other monitoring. Sorry to moan. It was just such a shock!

oranges oh well that's good that there is a plan to up dosage in the next few months but seems a bit silly to give you 50 again if it didn't have the desired affect. But I am
Sure there is a reason. It's ridiculous how much variance there is across the country really isn't it. We all have such differing experiences.

oranges big hugs, echoing the other ladies, hope you can push them to explain why they won’t up the dose sooner given the bloods. Can imagine how desperately frustrating that must be. No need to apologise for pity party- that’s what we’re all here for!

Ponty good luck for your referral. I’m sure the breast pain is nothing to worry about, but absolutely best to get it checked out. Hope you’re not too uncomfortable!

Rosebud wahey ovaries! That is fantastic news. Yay second spontaneous ov!!

FeeFee good luck for your appointment!

AFM, well I had a crap birthday yesterday, following scan on Thurs which showed that although I had a 18mm dominant follicle and was gearing up to ovulate, my lining was a shockingly bad 4.7mm, and pretty much no way short of a miracle it would grow enough before ovulation. Aspirin, viagra, vitamin E, l’arginine - haven’t made a blind bit of difference. So this cycle is a bust. And unless when I see the Dr, he says it’s possible to give me some proper medication that will thicken up my lining within a natural cycle, then there’s pretty much little to no chance I will be able to conceive naturally, even though I now seem to be ovulating every month. It’s like buying food from the supermarket when the shelves are running really low, and then chucking it out without eating it - and running the risk of going back to the shop to find it’s closed! Urgh.

Bananafish that sucks, I'm so sorry. What's the next step for you?

Thanks ladies. Because it is NHS, they have a 'you get what you're getting' attitude round here; I tried asking for scans and got a flat no. I spoke to them today and they said when the reproductive system has been 'asleep' as long as mine has, that often 50mg doesn't work on round 1 but can work on round 2. They basically said keep dtd and be patient. I'll do that, but I'll also try adding vitamin b6 to my cocktail of supplements, as that is supposed to help with progesterone levels if taken throughout the month. DH suggested that if I'm still getting crap levels after round 3, then we could pay for a private scan then to see what my lining is like. He's much more balanced and patient than me.

oranges moan away, that's what we're here for. It's so disappointing and frustrating and such an anti-climax when clomid doesn't work. I will have my fingers crossed that 50mg works for you next time. I am trying 100mg again even though it didn't work for me last cycle. I suppose we just have to try and be patient and trust the doctors but it's hard!

fee hope the appointment goes well. Keep us posted!

Fab that you've ovulated naturally again rose

bananafish sorry you're having such a tough time and you had a crappy birthday When are you seeing the doctor?

banana I'm sorry it wasn't better news for you at your scan. I really hope your Dr can help.

Did AF get going at all stealth? Good luck with the clomid!

Sorry about your first cycle oranges, I hope the next is more successful. I'm interested in how you get on with clomid on the nhs as I'm prob going down that route. The lack of monitoring scans worries me a little.

ponty odd about the breast pain being one sided. Maybe just glandular tissue?

My opks got darker around cd20/21 so hoping I ov'd. Had some cm for the first time ever also! Got clinic appointment next week so just waiting to see what they say. Can I ask how honest you all are with your consultants regarding supplements you take/try?

Sunday reading other people's experiences, it really changes county to county. I seem to be having the bare minimum NHS support - blood tests only at days 21 and 28, then I phone in the results. Unless anything goes wrong, I won't see anyone til after 6 months of clomid. But I've heard other NHS people on here get scanned two or three times a month and see a doc every month. Fingers crossed you're in a supportive NHS area!

Banana So sorry to hear that your scan result was so disappointing. I definitely think you should push for some meds to help with your lining- they are going to need to do this in the run up to your IVF transfer, so hopefully they can out it in place sooner rather than later

Oranges So sorry to hear that your first round of clomid failed- I know all too well how upsetting that news is, but try to feel reassured by the reality that most people do respond to either 100mg or 150mg after a failure at 50mg. So keep going with it! It's annoying that they are making you do another cycle of 50mg but if possible you do want to avoid the higher doses because they are so disruptive to your body.

Was wondering this morning how some of our other ladies are doing that we haven't heard from in a while- Isit, Cobbles, Shell, and Popcorn .... if you're out there- any news? x

Sunday I know of people on other threads that were honest about taking Soy and were then told by their consultant that this may be stopping/affecting ov and to come back in X months when they had tried without soy! I cant see that other supplements would be an issue, but to be honest my consultant only ever asked me if I was taking folic acid! I wouldn't bring it up unless you are asked directly personally.

Hello ladies!

banana sorry to hear about your scan. You will get there! What the others said about meds x

sunday no AF never turned up - just had 5 days of spotting and then nothing. So started taking the clomid on Thursday night. So far so good - have been feeling a bit dizzy and ill and have vomited once but tbh I've had a huge client lunch on Friday and went for corporate hospitality at the rugby yesterday so have been having huge amounts of rich food and a bit of vino...so really the nausea could be normal metformin side effects. Have also had some twinging in abdomen but again given my weird AF I'm not reading anything into that. So will take clomid til Monday, first scan Friday. Will start dtd for the month in earnest on Thursday...fingers crossed! I'm a little worried about my lining too but I guess at least I'll know when I have the scan.

oranges sorry 50mg didn't work for you. Fx for next time round.

And ponty am sure there's a good reason for breast lump. I had one a few years ago and it was nothing serious at all. Fx!

In other news my acupuncturist told me she doesn't think argc is the right place for me if I'm not doing IVF. Gah! She says I should be doing clomid just with a gynae - I pointed out that my gynae didn't want to do it and had referred me on! So now am thinking maybe I should go to the lister or Chelsea west for now. What do you guys think?

Oh and on fertility supplements I have always been honest but my gynae hasn't been v focused on it eg she didn't tell me to stop Agnus castus on clomid - I did the research into it myself.

I can't imagine they really care about anything but soy. Everything else is pretty benign.

Hi PCOS'ers

I decided to have a good catch up on the thread.

Firstly thank you to you all for your kind words.
Is it ok if I talk about it? If not I will get HQ to remove my post....So BFP ten days before, had a small bleed two days before and on the Sunday I lost completely. As usual the hospital were beyond useless and was basically just put in a room to get one with it. I have now made a complaint about how the hospital dealt with me.(the nurses were horrible)
On the day of my loss my hcg was 9 so it became clear very quickly that I had actually miscarried a few days previously but my body decided to keep hold of it.

DP and I have done lots of crying and soul searching over the last week although we've had to carry on as normal as possible for DD. Problem is I now can't bare to be without DD so that'll be interesting when she goes back to school tomorrow!
So the doctor now advises one natural period before trying again so that's going to be the 12th of never, although after I had DD I had 4 natural periods (5 years ago) so I guess there's a chance of that happening so I've brought some opk's and will be peeing on them daily! We have a consultants appointment in a few weeks and will see what he says. We're both back on our vitamins and have got the preseed out ready.
We decided we have to move on, it was a horrible experience and something I wouldn't want to do again but we both still have such a strong desire for a baby and that isn't going to go away.

DD has just declares it's dinner time so ill be back later