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

PS yes it will be my first round of IVF.

Fee can only offer my tuppence worth about the scratch and DET

My Dr said he didn’t recommend additional interventions like the scratch for a first cycle, he’d only consider it in selected cases after failed implantation of a good quality embryo, he didn’t advocate for disrupting the endometrium without any known good cause - he said more interventions weren’t always better

Re: DET, I am surprised - the HFEA mandates all clinics send out the eSET guidance about reducing the incidence of multiple births

www.oneatatime.org.uk/

The biggest health risk of IVF is multiple births - I know so many couples with twins who’ve all had them spend weeks in the NICU, and very sadly know two couples who were pregnant with two babies, but only brought one home from the hospital.

I would URGE you to read the website above about the morbities associated with multiple births - that’s not to say twins can’t be born healthy, but the risks are significant to mother and babies.

Clinics used to push DET to try and improve their success rates, however they were only judged on ‘live birth’ rates - premature live births, births with health conditions don’t get considered. So the HFEA introduced targets for clinics to achieve at least 75% singleton live births.

It also very much depends on whether you’re talking about day 3 embryos or day 5 blastocysts. The likelihood of twins is much less with a day 3 transfer (although still possible), so although my consultant was absolutely adamant that twins should be avoided if at all possible, we still agreed that we would transfer two embryos at day 3 if we didn’t have enough good quality embryos to go to blast

However, when it comes to day 5 blastocysts, it’s a very different story. The likelihood of pregnancy doesn’t go up by more than a couple of percent (counterintuitively) if you transfer two blasts, but if you do get pregnant, the risk of twins goes up to 1 in 2.

If we had wanted to transfer two blasts, as I am under 37, it was my first transfer, and we had good quality embryos, they would have done the transfer, but I would have had to sign a waiver to say that I was aware of the risks of double blastocyst transfer, and that I was doing so against medical advice

Sorry, the HFEA target is actually 90% singleton live births. So it's in the ACU's interests to encourage eSET if at all possible....

Bananafish, thanks for that. The things you say in favour of SET are exactly what I had got the impression of (but not as clearly) and why the doctor's appointment threw me. I guess a lot must come down to whether it's a day 2, 3 or 5 transfer, as you say. I will have a proper browse later of the website you linked to. I'm sorry to hear about the couples you know who only came home with one twin- so sad.
Thanks also for your consultant's views on having a scratch in these circumstances. I'm still in two minds and need to do more research about possible risks. I think there's quite a lot of possibility for thinking 'what if?' whatever I decide, unless everything goes well on the first cycle.

Hi ladies,
I'm sorry I don't post very often but I am in awe at how much you all know about PCOS and TTC and am learning so much from reading your posts. I find you all very inspirational and I am sorry I can't help you as much as reading the posts help me. I am thinking of you all and sending lots of positive thoughts.

Banana I have been hooked following your story! It's been great hearing your awesome news and will keep everything crossed for the transfer

Village and Nurse I am sorry to hear about your awful GP experiences... It is appalling that they can get away with it. This is one positive to me being out of the UK this year!!

AFM... I had my first appointment at a Belgian hospital with their gynae specialist. It was scary not speaking their language and was very nervous by myself but I must say, the quality of care was second to none! I have never in my life had such a thorough consultation and he made me feel very positive about the outcome. (They do not have chaperones and it's a lot more undignified than British appointments!!!) in Belgium they are reluctant to diagnose PCOS as here it does not change their treatment of infertility but have booked me in for 4 blood tests and an ultrasound during my next cycle to establish for sure that I am not ovulating. I'm just relieved something is happening

Meanwhile, I have taken advice and am now taking myo-inositol. I have been doing OPK everyday since CD5 this cycle (now on CD17 with no LH surge) so not sure if this is achieving anything?!

Anyway, enough about me!!
Hope you all have a wonderful week

Morning ladies, so pleased to see quite a few of you finally getting somewhere. Fingers crossed for loads of BFP's soon.

Looks like i'm out this month, clear blue advanced is not picking up on an LH surge, so haven't ov'd. A pattern is definitely forming as this is what the last 4 months have looked like since using the machine -

October - Peak (means it detected LH surge)
November - No peak detected
December - Peak
January - No peak

So, if I am only ovulating every other month, what are my options? If you were me would you go for clomid? Is their anything else I can do/take to bring ovulation on? I'm going to be on my 18th month of TTC in Feb.

Oh & you may need to update my stats as i'll be 31 very soon

Just quickly popping on to say GOOD LUCK rosebud! Fx it goes really well xx

Good luck rose and stealth with your scans! Xx

Hey all, I'm pretty sure that it isn't good news from me I'm waiting for Reprofit to confirm but at my CD7 scan today I had tonnes of follicles (duh! PCOS) but very few that look promising.

Left = 9,7,5,5,5,5mm are the 6 biggest
Right = 8,8,7,7,7,6,5mm are the 7 biggest

Those number don't look high enough to me! And my lining is 4mm! So defo not good!

I wont know for sure what happens next until I hear back from the clinic but it's safe to say I'm pretty gutted. Didn't go back into work- cant face it

hugs rosebud. There are sometimes (pretty much all the time) that PCOS really sucks. Hard. Thinking about you x

Oh no rose! Sounds like they need to up your dose/give you gonal f. All is not lost, the timing might be a little different. Glad you've sacked off work - have a nice long bath and a wallow for the rest of the afternoon xx

I had v similar results to you, although they are in line with what the doctor expected. 25+ follies on each ovary, lots between 8-10mm but no obvious lead follie yet. Lining at 4.2mm but already triple stripe. (Once again I had a doctor complimenting the look of my lining...and then measuring it and going "oh".) So v consistent with past cycles.

Doctor doesn't want to up my dosage just yet - he thinks everything is developing nicely. HOWEVER, we did talk about what happens if a lead follie doesn't emerge. He would like to convert the cycle to IVF rather than wait for another round. So I'm going back on Friday for another scan and if 1 or 2 follies have got big, we will keep going with IUI, otherwise we'll probs convert to IVF and he'll up my gonal f and add the other one starting w C that I forget the name of.

So bit of a ho hum update - but all fine. I don't really mind if we go to IVF; whatever is going to have the best chance of success without me turning into octomum works for me!

Now back at my desk eating a chipotle burrito - to hell with the PCOS diet!

Clinic have extended me taking my stimms until CD10 minus the clomid (No more night sweats! Woop!) And I have another scan booked in for Thursday. We fly on Friday morning so regardless of the scan result on Thursday, we are going to fly out there, even if just for the weekend.

Feeling marginally more positive now........ marginally!

Oh Rosebud, I'm sorry you didn't get the news you wanted at the scan. It sounds like you are very much still in this cycle though. It's early days still! Have got everything crossed for you for Thursday's scan.
Stealth, well done on your triple stripe and I'm wishing you good luck that the thickness and follies catch up by Friday. Exciting that your consultant has a back up plan for you . Did you talk to your doctor about possibly not injecting all the meds for the first few days?
Roxy, it's great that you are getting booked in for tests straight away. Part of the frustration with all of this stuff is the huge waits in between taking the next diagnostic our treatment step.
Village, I'm afraid I haven't got any advice/ insight about your ovulation pattern but I'm sure it's with talking to your doctor about.

Oh rosebud pleased you've dropped the clomid - sounds like it wasn't doing anything good for you! Will keep my fingers crossed the few extra days of stims do the trick.

Village - no idea but I guess it's possible that one ovary is more awake than the other? Defo talk to your doc. Maybe you only need to take clomid every other cycle?!

roxy welcome!

fee fee what the other banana said (much more eloquently) re double embryo transfer. I really wouldn't be going down that road lightly - and would be asking the clinic why they are recommending it.

Yes I did talk to the doctor about starting late and he was relaxed about it - as suspected, the good part about not having a natural cycle is that you don't have such a tight window to get these things right! So will be back in on Friday evening.

hi all,

my first post on this thread. Just come back from an ultrasound appointment to find that my ovaries are coated in cyst. Total blow to the system. really upset. looking for some comfort.

Morning, will post personal updates at lunch time. Just wanted to say Hi to AmyC, I have taken great comfort in this thread, I stalked it for ages, seeing how strong these ladies are has helped me........I know how you feel, my GP gave me a diagnosis of PCOS following some blood tests, to date though my consultant has yet to mention PCOS (even after an ultra-sound) so I am still not clear what is going on. I do remember crying my eyes out when I left the GP surgery....but this thread has shown me that PCOS does not mean NO baby, plenty have gone on to get BFP's it just means we have to work harder to hard sometimes to get there. Start researching, I would recommend reading this tread from the beginning, the ladies on here offer great advice on how to help yourself...........try not to panic easier said than done i know

What is the next planned step for you, are you going to see someone about the results?

Thanks for the welcome elle I've got a follow up appointment with the consultant on the 29th February, so fingers crossed.

Hi all, back for a proper catch up now I've got over my poor first scan results!

Village I think you should take clomid to see if it sorts your lazy ovary out...... I don't think there is any harm in trying!

Stealth Glad your scan went ok and you're feeling as relaxing and reassured by the plan as your consultant is. I'm back for another scan on Thursday so a day ahead of you this time.

Fee Thanks for the reassurance I really appreciate it! You're right; it is still early days and my fingers are tightly crossed that things improve by CD10.

Amy Welcome! Sorry that you have been newly diagnosed- it's an awful shock when you first get told, but honestly the more knowledge you can acquire on this thread and the rest of MN the better equipped you will be for the inevitable bumps in the road that will be put in your way by your GP, fertility specialist and just about any other bugger that dares to tell you to "relax and it will happen".
Knowledge really is power with PCOS and infertility! I agree with Elle and would suggest you read the thread from the beginning to pick up on lots of easy hints and tips to get you started- Ask if you don't understand anything xxx What are your stats and I'll add you to our stats sheet?! Age? TTC1? When did you start TTC?

AFM, another email from my IVF coordinator this morning telling me the consultant has changed his mind and wants me to double my dose of Menopur until we arrive in Czech! 150iu now! Woop! I feel like that improves my chances.... relieved!

rose

Also, thank you for your warmessage welcome. I've got a day off on Friday & planning on reading all the threads.

My stats are 29, TTC#1, TTC 5 years. First lot of tests 2 years ago where clear & offered clomid, put it on hold due to finishing uni & finances. Re-referred to gynecology in December last year, had ultrasound yesterday & found cysts on both overvies. Hope this is enough info.

Just checking in quickly to say a couple of things:

1. WOOOOOO HOOOO to banana... PUPO!!!!!! You little legend! Your body only went and flipping did it this time! I literally have everything crossed for you that what's left of your 2ww passes quickly and that there is an awesome result awaiting you

1. Rosebud Thinking of you. Hoping your increased dose does the trick. I can only imagine the disappointment you must've felt at the scan. Keep the faith my lovely one

Rosebud that's great news they've increased your dose. Am sure that will do the trick!

Welcome Amy. Sorry you have to be here, but welcome all the same.

Chandelier! How are you feeling? What week are you up to? Hope you're well.

Nothing to report here. All my social media (YouTube, Facebook) has taken to pushing me highly annoying clearblue ads. Ffs! As if I need to see anymore pics of cute babies and/or be told that I need opks to help me conceive

Grumble away stealth! After my mc, everyone seemed to be pg, literally everywhere I went. It's one thing thinking the world is against you but a whole other thing if you'd social media is winding you up too. Keep smiling.

Thank you for asking after me. I don't like to post about me too often as I'm never sure how peeps might feel about seeing it. Well, I'm on anti-emetics after the sickness got too much and I'd kept nothing down in over 24 hours! The tabs are helping but not taken it all away. It's pretty hideous and I wouldn't wish it on any of you, although I know you'd rather suffer this than not be pg. Got my 1st mw appt tom and cons next week. Just keep praying this one sticks...

Love to all

9 weeks on Fri btw...

Aw so glad to hear your news chandelier. Fellow PCOS-ers preggo updates are definitely exceptions to the general grumble about pregnancy related stuff! Sorry to hear you've been so unwell, & fx the bean sticks. (I think heavy morning sickness is meant to be a good sign ).

Sounds like clearblue are doing a mass targeting of women 30-45. either that or my obsessive googling of fertility related stuff is finally coming back to haunt me. Might do that on private setting on my phone from now on. They're fuckers, either way.

Aww glad things seem to be going well Chandelier- As awful as I'm sure the sickness is, I'm sure it's kind of reassuring too! Take care if yourself!

I am a nervous wreck.... CD10 scan tomorrow and I'm so worried that my follies will not have grown. The 150iu is definitely making my abdomen feel more 'full' but what if it's all in my head!? Arghhh it's such a headf**k!!!

Anyhow we have checked in for our flight (fly early Friday morning), bought airport parking and bought an IVF abroad travel insurance policy. We've done everything we can to prepare both practically and physically- here's hoping it's enough!