TTC with PCOS (Lucky Thread 5)

[Shellbell0403]

Hey everyone,
If you would to chat, rant or discuss TTC with PCOS with a lovely group of people going through the same thing and with some wonderful knowledge and experience then please join us ☺

Will post the links for stats etc shortly ☺

Lyla

CBFM is a clear blue fertility monitor. Supposedly simplifies things by tracking everything, telling you when to test different things, and generally bossing you around. If AF shows up this month, think I might give it a go... Though supposedly PCOS can make them less reliable.

For anyone who is thinking about ovusense I just wanted to show you my cycle this month, very clear ovulation so I am finding it brill it's totally taking the guess work out of the whole thing. Also you get a free consultation with their fertility nurse and she was fab as telling me what supplements etc are good. Totally worth it imo and no dearer than using a box of clearblue ov sticks every month like j was doing previously lol

Daisy that sounds sensible, fingers crossed for you!

Nurse ugh that's frustrating... Do you have no family elsewhere in the UK who's address you could use and stay with for your surgery? Or is that a pretty typical wait anywhere?

Welcome Snow so sorry to hear what you've been going through Fingers crossed for you!!

Sorry I've not been around, had my young cousins for the weekend and am currently the only adult at one of their birthday parties!
DH's sperm results weren't fantastic - 16% progressive when should be 32% and count was under the normal level but concentration quite a bit higher than the normal figure. But the thing is I was reading depending on the person sperm survives between 30 min & 4 hours outside the body and we got it there 1 hour & 15 mins after and not sure if they tested it instantly so that may have played a factor. But anyway, not great but could have been worse I guess.

Dani, sorry to hear about your husband's sperm analysis. Has he been doing anything to help it along? And/or will he start now? Did they recommend anything?

I'd love my husband to cut back a bit on what he drinks, but asking him to do that is the surest way to get him fed up with this process! He's not one to listen to facts when they don't fit with his how he'd like the world to be! He hasn't has sperm analysis, so I don't know that there's anything wrong, I'm just impatient, so I want us to do everything we can. I've got him taking zinc though, and we both have a v healthy diet, so hopefully that will offset the slightly too frequent boozing!

Xx

Thanks Daisy, he does have some weight to lose. He's been quite sedentary for a long while as he broke his foot and damaged the nail bed then the minor surgery went wrong so, yeah... he's not had much luck bless him! But thankfully it seems to be getting better now and he's working hard at losing weight and getting fitter. I've also started giving him some fertility vitamins and herbal supplements. We didn't get more than general advice at the GP (checked he didn't smoke / excessively drink etc), we have to take the results with us to the next fertility appt on 23rd Aug.
How long have you been trying for did you say Daisy? My DH normally drinks 2 bottles of wine over a weekend but in light of the results he said he'll change it to one bottle over a weekend. He very rarely ever drinks through the week.

Dani
That sounds positive - it's almost a good thing that there are things he can do to help - if he were already super fit, and on all the supplements etc, it would be hard to know how to improve it.

We're only on C2 TTC - I'm testing probably early next week - my cycles are not 100% predictable, so AF due any time from Friday to early next week, so will try not to jump the gun...

As I said before, I've got no reason to suspect any problems with my husband's sperm, but being borderline PCOS, I'm keen to improve our odds in other ways wherever possible. He's sporty and healthy - his sins are a few too many drinks, and too much time spent on his bike - I cringe thinking about the pressure on crucial areas! But I can't complain as it keeps him fit.

Anyway, I need to chill out and give nature a fair bit more time before I start meddling... But I'm IMPATIENT!

Xx

That's great you are having regular cycles Daisy even if they aren't always 'uniform'. A protein-heavy rather than a carb-heavy diet has been shown to be very beneficial to PCOS (along with the usual restrict refined sugar, eat lots of veggies etc.) if you're anything like me an impatient control freak adopting things like that help you feel like you're doing something other than just waiting - which drives me insane haha

Dani Totally agree, I am a control freak! Never had anything before that I couldn't study/work/talk my way out of!

I try to stick to low carb (well, at least low GI) diet with loads of veg, but giving up chocolate has been unbelievably hard! All in a good cause though...

daisy - Have you seen the padded cycling short thingys in Decathalon? I bought some for spin class that were padded round the bum - so comfy! But I believe you can get them for men with padding more around the err crucial bits so might be worth looking into if your DH loves to cycle?

dani a good friend of mine is in same boat and is also v worried about her DH's lifestyle. It's a tricky issue! God knows we all bend over backwards and give up even chocolate to try and get a BFP but ask them to cut back on the Carlsberg and it's a whole other story!!

We are doing paleo diet at the minute - my DH is ridiculously skinny and fit but he is actually doing it to try and bulk out and help with his training, and I am obviously trying to lose some weight. To give us a kick start we are doing a month of meal deliveries - breakfast / lunch / dinner and we started yesterday. Feeling surprisingly ok without sugar but already missing the carbs!!! I was volunteering at a football camp with my DSs this morning and it was a great run around but I think I pulled something in my back and I'm so stiff now This getting in shape is tough work! Finish my provera on Friday so can hopefully resume ttc in about a fortnight...

Hi snowshine

Yes, my DH loves those padded shorts- most evenings I am treated to the sight of him arriving home with a padded lycra bum, red-faced and sweaty having cycled home from work at 80mph! Lucky me... Hopefully they are taking the worst of the pressure off the crucial area!

Sounds like you are being v disciplined with the diet - well done! I'm sure it will pay off.

I am coming up to AF (I assume), and I that's when I get serious cravings for sweet stuff, so I am desperately trying to keep away from the freezer - posh ice cream left over from a dinner party last week. It's calling to me!

Daisy sounds like you're doing so well with your clean eating, way to go!! Have you tried raw organic chocolate? I like the occasional bar of Conscious Also - Snowconut ice cream!

Same to you Snow! How much do you want to lose? That's great your DH is jumping in with you. Mine has been eating really well and exercising the past few days so I hope it sticks, he's had no fizzy/sugary drinks at all either which I'm v. pleased about, scared to speak about it tooo much with him though incase like a rabbit slowly venturing out of a burrow he darts back in again lol.

Progesterone tests are back- they are discussing with me tomorrow. Cripes! What can that mean? Seeing my GP Tuesday for an appointment.

How's everyone else getting on?

Hey Macca, been wondering how you've been getting on. Be sure to let us know what they say tomorrow!
All good here (apart from I've come down with a cold grrr), just finished my first period since March which arrived naturally!

Maca, try not to fret - I recently spent 24 hrs in a cold sweat because my doctor wanted to 'discuss' results with me rather than just let the receptionist tell me like usual, and that turned out to be absolutely fine. I think it's often that they often want to discuss next steps, rather than anything else.

Just been told from my blood tests I could have polycystic overlies need to go back for more tests in couple of weeks. TTC# 1 since April. Been having spotting every two weeks last few months !

Good luck today Maca

Welcome Lal. Sorry to hear things are so all over the place for you. Hopefully you get some answers soon - at least when a problem is identified you can start to work on it!

Well I'm feeling like I'm beginning to get the rewards of my strict super healthiness. Decided to temp again after a period showed up (1st time since March); my temps have always varied by up to 0.8 a day and have never had any consistency at all giving rocky mountain charts - well today my chart looks like this (no mountains) which I'm super excited about. Got everything crossed that against all the odds I may actually ovulate on my own... A girl can hope!!

Well the news has arrived! Tests show I'm not ovulating and with everything else they've diagnosed me with PCOS.

I've been prescribed metformin starting today, and 6 months to conceive or it's to the fertility clinic.

Anyone else on metformin? What should I expect? TIA

Macca sorry to hear that. I've not had metformin so couldn't advise, I only know it treats insulin resistance which is believed to be one of the causes of PCOS. Eating a low GI diabetic-style diet would also help.

What do you ladies think about merging this thread over with this one www.mumsnet.com/Talk/conception/2685865-pcos-periods-or-lack-of-and-a-lovely-bunch-of-ladies?pg=7 it's the same talk and the more of us together in one place to support and advise the better imo!!

Hi Dani,

I'm not opposed to merging with the other thread.

DH got both barrels last night because he just seems to think that the metformin is the magical answer. He handed me a blog post to read last night from a friend who has just had a baby. She was saying how lovely he
is etc etc. Well, that was adding fuel to the fire to say the least. He genuinely failed to see that no ovulation= infertility, and that's what I'm being treated for. Probably good overall because I've been putting a brave face on. Everyone seems to be having their second babies who I know and I'm so so jealous. I feel so selfish because we have DS who is a lovely boy and so I know others who long for their first. Jealousy is not a good character trait but there we are!

This is hard work.

Macca I feel you, I'm surrounded by a lot of second babying friends too, and whilst I'm thrilled for them I really really wish I was pg too!! I've been slowly slowly (with the aim of not scaring or overwhelming) teaching my DH all there is to know about the female reproductive system, bless him!! Want him to properly understand what all the hormone levels etc. mean so I have a second pair of ears at my Aug appointment.

If there are no objections - I'm going to hop over here www.mumsnet.com/Talk/conception/a2685865-pcos-periods-or-lack-of-and-a-lovely-bunch-of-ladies - stronger all together Hope to see you all over there xx