PCOS, Periods, Provera & Pals. Plus All The Bits In between.

[AmyC86]

Welcome to our third thread on PCOS. What we don't know isn't really worth knowing. We're a friendly bunch of women who have a few things in common. We all have either PCOS or unexplained infertility and we're all on a mission for a BFP!!!!

For new members, and old alike here are the links to our 1st and 2nd threads:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/conception/2481523-when-to-expect-period-provera

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/conception/2685865-pcos-periods-or-lack-of-and-a-lovely-bunch-of-ladies?pg=1&order=

Now without further ado, let's continue on our journey.......

Morning ladies,

Elly, seems surprising that they've just thrown ivf at you without trying anything else. Glad you can go back and see if there's something you can try before that.

Fluffy, don't go ahead if you can't be arsed. It's hard work and will take its toll on you and I'm sure you'd rather be sure before starting that journey.

Barson, sounds like everything is progressing well, fingers crossed for you this cycle.

I start my last round of clomid tonight. Also got another counselling session tonight. Hopefully it'll put me in a better frame of mind.

Can any of you lovely ladies tell me it Provera can be given by a normal GP? I understand clomid and metamorphin is usually dealt with by the gynaecologist but is it worth me taking provera while I wait? My doctor just said, oh just wait until you see the gyn they will sort it out: I'm sick of my doctor and I'm going to change. I'm getting sick of the referral system they lost my referral and now I've been put back another month just for my first consultation. I'm considering going privately and giving up all of my holidays to do this :( At my first consultation do you know if it's possible to get a prescription for clomid? I'm wonder if it is then I will suck it up and just pay the £200 consult fee just to start on medication that will help me get back my period or better yet ovulate. Then I guess go back to NHS. All so confusing and expensive. This is so hard to be happy and in a good mood I really get in a rut from all of this :(

elizabeth, GPs can give Metformin. I think they can give Provera (if not, there are other tablets to kick start AF, anything that gives you a withdrawal bleed really). What they cannot prescribe is Clomid. You have to get that from a specialist because they will need to monitor you with regular ultrasounds in case your ovaries get overstimulated and you produce way too many eggs.

Hi all. I've not been about much lately so just getting up to date with the thread and everyone's progress.

elizabeth yes GPs can give provera to bring on AF. Even if you are not ttc you can ask for provera if any cycle goes on longer than 90 days. They can also give metformin but like satsooma says they cant do Clomid. You can also choose to change your GP at any time - you dont need to get an appointment with the same one each time.

To all of you with private questions I have done consult and certain tests privately so have an idea of costs and waiting times etc. You wont get clomid at first apointment though i know that - you need to have the tests and go through the same sort of hoops you do with NHS, its just much more efficient and fast moving. Slady / elizabeth shout if you want to know anything else re. private.

fluffy - sounds like you need a break hun, and also speak to someone. I had counselling booked in but thought I didnt need it. Thankfully I gave it a go and it has helped me (im only 2 weeks in but so far so good). boggle glad yours is going ok too - how are you finding your counsellor?

elly - interested to hear what they say as I've been thinking of the gap between clomid and IVF too recently. part of me is already coming round to the idea of ivf, but what worries me is all the stuff that you have to do first which pushes the actual treatment further and further into the future. part of me would almost be up to doing ivf sooner if that was a more assured way of actually getting a result - but that is just my opinion and I know that a lot of people think differently to that.

Not much to report here. Waiting on the NHS referral at the end of this month but panicking that things are just going to go stagnant now, also our clinic is over an hour away so its hard sorting the logistics of each appointment - not to mention trying to keep it all a bloody secret.

I also had a birthday last week, and so am now 32. I cant believe I am 32 without being a mum. It makes me cry just thinking about it. My god have I left this too late????

The process of counselling is hard work but I like the lady I see. Just have found the last couple of weeks quite hard so feel like I've taken a step back again.

And no summer, you've not left it too late. happy birthday x

Thank you. I really feel old at the moment :(

Glad its going well, but I know what you mean about the feeling of going backwards. It took me a while to get used to my lady's 'no nonsense' approach as I initially thought her to be really rude, but now can see she is forcing me to make decisions and give my thoughts on things rather than dancing around the houses all the time to make a decision.

Did you start your clomid in the end?

I keep having melt downs about being 30 in November so I feel your pain about feeling old.

Yeah she's defo making me see I'm hard on myself and that my self esteem is very low. Something I'm trying to work on. I'm going to start my last round of clomid tonight and my scan is Friday 24th. Luckily DH and I have a long weekend away booked then so I don't need to take any time off work this time and DH can come too. Hopefully we'll conceive on a nice relaxing mini break in Wales!

I really wouldn't worry about your ages. I am 34 in a couple of weeks and am starting to worry as I reach 35!

No, I've been told it's silly and irrational and your fertility doesn't just stop the day you turn 30. Just wasn't expecting to still be waiting for my first baby 👶🏼

Sounds like you are pretty sure that you don't want to go ahead with the IVF right now Fluffly. Sometimes I wish I could stop all this TTC stuff and just get on with enjoying life. I really don't think I am capable of letting it go though. Not yet anyway.

Well done for pushing back on the straight-to-ivf plan Elly. It is so easy to get railroaded into treatment you are not ready for when they make it so difficult to actually get an appointment to discuss things.

summer and boggle, I have a question about counselling. Do you get to talk to someone who actually knows somethign about fertility, what PCOS and clomid are, or are you just talking to a generalised counsellor?

never, I would basically test once a week from CD28. That way you would know to within a week when you conceived.

Happy birthday Summer. I'm 32 in a few months too, no way is it too late for us .

As for me, I have started OPKs this week. Two very very faint lines so far. Not expecting to ovulate until late in the week though.

No, my counsellor doesn't know about pcos specifically though her list of things she specialises in includes infertility.

Hi Satsooma, mine isnt a specialist either. I had some anxiety problems before ttc that went through the roof when all this started, so it was recommended as something for me to do on a general level to make me a bit better prepared for the ttc part.

The lady I see covers fertility stress and also bereavement of miscarriage and failed IVF etc as part of what she does as (sadly) they are common reasons for people to seek help.

I know that the private clinic I went to offer specific counselling which I think they recommend if you have full on IVF. I dont feel that I need specifics at this point though - any help for my head generally is welcome :)

.....and thanks for your comments re. age. My head knows that its not too late - crikes my friend who has just fallen pregnant with #1 is 35 - but my heart always thought I'd be a Mum right now, plus my family and friends all had kids young so relatively speaking I feel so much older when around them.

Happy Birthday for last week Summer :) have you been going privately whilst waiting for your nhs referral to be processed? That's what I'm hoping to do too so that when I get my nhs appt I'm ready to roll straight away!! I think I have to choose which road to go down before I start treatment though...nhs or private...you can't dabble in both, is that the case with you?

Hi all, can I join please? So sorry you're all experiencing issues due to PCOS and I really hope you'll get your happy endings soon. I'm 31, had a natural miscarriage at 10 weeks in January (first pregnancy). A few years ago I was told I might have PCOS (normal weight, but very irregular cycles, excess hair etc.) but it hasn't been confirmed yet. The weird part is that I got pregnant the first month of trying, so must have been a miracle taking into consideration my cycle history (at some point I didn't get my period for nearly 6 months). I've decided to properly look into it so I can get an actual diagnosis - had my first appointment at UCH, London (Reproductive Medicine clinic) and I am waiting for a scan and blood tests to be done. First AF after miscarriage arrived exactly 28 days after the actual miscarriage started (my cycles can be up to 70 days long), but I'm now on CD43 with only minor AF signs (cramping and spotting), so finding it really difficult to keep waiting for AF. The consultant's advice was to do the scan, blood tests etc. and just start TTC again. If nothing happens in 6 months, she'll see me again. I'm desperate to be pregnant, but at the same time I understand where she's coming from. She recommended Metformin and it's my decision if I should take it or not. I was expecting her to make a recommendation based on my blood tests results, not just let me decide before even seeing what my hormone levels are like! Has anyone tried it? Has it led to more regular cycles? Also, are OPKs working for any of you or should I just give up using them? Sorry for so many questions, finding everything really overwhelming and confusing

Hi hope. So sorry to hear about your miscarriage.

It is good that you are getting the blood tests and scan. How long do you have to wait?

If she is a specialist (not GP) and recommended Metformin, then I would take it. I think it works better for those of us who are overweight, but sometimes gets prescribed to everyone by GPs. It has worked well for a few people on this thread (although not me). The side effects can be pretty rough - mostly nausea.

I do use OPKs. I found that they weren't much use when I was not ovulating, as I would get constant almost-positives. Now that I am on clomid and ovulating, I get really clear positives, which are a huge help and reassurance.

Hi satsooma, thank you for replying so quickly. It's been a whirlwind since the MC, but I'm a bit better now (still very much sad, but gradually learning how to cope with it all). I can have a scan next week - that is if my AF finally decides to show up. She implied that it needs to be done shortly after AF. The same with bloods, hence the waiting game. Thanks for the Metformin and OPK info. I assume she is a consultant as I got referred by my GP after begging him for an endocrinologist referral. I might give it a go, though the side effects really worry me. I'll start using OPKs again just so I can figure out if they detect any surge or not (haven't had much success in the past, incl. before I got pregnant). Best of luck with Clomid, fingers crossed it works for you! (sorry, haven't managed to read the entire thread but I'll catch up)

Thanks @satsoooma and @summerhopin (and happy birthday :))

Good luck to you @boggle on your trip have a nice relaxing time

@summerhopin I also had/have really bad anxiety and depression so am on a waiting list for counselling too it was for other problems I am dealing with depression but all of this TTC really went through the roof with my emotions.. @satsoooma if it's something you are considering doing just get your GP to get you on that waiting list it's 4/5 months to be seen on the NHS I've been on the list since December nothing yet as to when it will be. Cancel if you don't need it anymore but get on that waiting list!

Welcome @looking4hope I'm sorry to hear about your news. It is all so confusing isn't it! I'm taking your ladies advise and switching doctors. I'm going to ask for metamorphin or provera. Xx

hmm, that is a really good point about waiting lists elizabeth. I have a fertility clinic appointment next week, so I will ask if they offer anything there. Their waiting lists for stuff are always so short (once you are in the door), and they do seem to offer counselling, although not sure if it is just for IVF. If the clinic don't offer anything, then I will talk with my GP.

Thanks SLady :)
Yes exactly that. When I first went to GP I had bloods and ultrasound to diagnose PCOS pretty quickly, but in order to get NHS fertility referral there were lots of other tests to do that you had to wait for, and only then was your completed referral even sent off.
I wasnt coping with the news (am not only anxious but super impatient!) so we decided that we would pay the money to go see someone privately to discuss what this all meant.
We are not made of money, but had the savings and I decided that for us this was more important than any trips / treats we had planned, so we did it. I had my AMH, DH had his SA and we had a consult with the top doctor all for £350. I had been put on metformin by the GP so am on that via NHS, but again, decided to have the hycosy privately because I knew that if that found tube blockages or large masses etc no amount of clomid was going to help us. Everyone is different but our opinion was that it was best to get the anatomical bits sorted first. The scan was £400.
It sounds like a lot of money (and it is, to be fair), but now that our NHS referral has come through we have to basically start at the beginning again with another nurse appointment to go through history and see what tests need to be done.
Our comfort here is that we know before we start that all tests have been completed, so although we have to go through the motions of another first appointment (cant get round it i've already tried!), we will then go straight onto the next consultant appointment to (hopefully) get the clomid going.
Its definitely a postcode lottery in terms of waiting times, how quickly you get referred etc, which I think is awful. As my DH says though - you have to just get in there and play the game.
What are you thinking of doing privately?

Hi Ladies,

Sorry I've not been on here for what feels like months. I've been so busy with work & I was taking a back seat in wait of my next AF, which was due in December.

It finally shown it's face on the 18th February. I took 150mg clomid. Had my folicale tracking at cycle day 13. Had 2 folicales, one at 20mm and another at 14mm. Got a positive digital opk on cycle day 18. Had my 21 day blood test on cycle day 24 (6 days post OV) and that's come back as 27.7.

The Secretary said that it was borderline, I'm assuming it's because they want it to be above 30? But my argument for that is that I tested a day early?? What are your thoughts?

Today, Cycle day 26 (10dpo) and I have woken up feeling nauseous, generally don't feel myself. I did have a bit of wine last night (currently on holiday in the lakes) so I don't know if it's the wine or everything else!!!

I also totally agree on getting your name down for counselling satsooma. Its right that you can cancel it if you dont need it, but I decided to actually go even though I didnt think I needed it......and it turned out I did! Definitely recommend it.

Thanks summer that's really helpful. I have had most of my tests done on the nhs (still waiting for AF for my 2-5 bloods) and haven't had a hycosy. I am thinking of seeing the consultant earlier (it's 3 month wait for nhs) and speaking to him about everything. It's going to be the same consultant I see on the nhs (eventually) so am hoping that if I've seen him once when I see him again we can get right to it! I just want to speak to someone about all the results I've had so far, I've got so many questions the GP can't answer and also ask whether there is anything i can do in the meantime while I wait (eg the hycosy, if so I'll pay for that while I wait for my appt)

Hi amy its sounding promising. Fingers crossed for you. Are you waiting until after the weekend to test?

Wow Amy, that all sounds really positive! For my CD21 test I got a measly 18 and was told that was absolutely fine and they wouldn't even bother testing me on future cycles. I was told that they are hoping for a result in the 16-30 range. I was kinf of sceptical about hte result, but it must have been ok, as I got my chemical pregnancy that month. Really hope this is your month. x