PCOS support thread

[satsoooma]

Welcome to our fourth PCOS support thread. We are a welcoming bunch, all trying to conceive with PCOS, or suspected PCOS.

Here are the links to our old threads:
When To Expect Period - Provera
PCOS, Periods (or lack of!) and a lovely bunch of ladies
PCOS, Periods, Provera, Pals. Plus All The Bits In Between.

Hi ladies, sorry you're all feeling crappy tonight. Cheers and hugs to you all and hugs to you amy I'm sorry this wasn't your round.

I'm okay thanks summer just lurking until I can join the clomid train. No signs of AF yet. I'm predicting end of next month if my last cycles are anything to go by ~eyeroll~ but I'm looking out for the signs. I'm feeling really positive for you summer I have a strange feeling it's going to work out v.soon for you. FX for your CD21 test.

I'm feeling really down about my skin at the moment. Been putting off going to the doctors as they must be sick of the sight of me atm but wondering if they can prescribe me something. I miss the pill, my clear skin and my regular periods :(

P.s tricky I have gone part private and it hasn't affected my nhs referral. I would really recommend doing that, if you can afford it, as it helped me so much. The cost of Clomid is just under £15 per month

slady I was only thinking about how much I missed the pill myself the other day. I used to use (digestoral) Cerazette. As it was the mini pill I never had bleeds or if I did it wasn't very often. I didn't have any of the PCOS symptoms, no excess hair, bad skin, hair loss. Above all, I could loose weight and loose it quick!!!!

I have put on 5kg in the last week and have been eating pretty healthily/not unreasonable quantities. I wish my body was less weird

Same amy :( I always thought I wouldn't use contraception again. It's obviously extremely unlikely I will get pregnant naturally so I thought I'd just stay off it now as if it ever did happen in the future it'd be a miracle anyway. But now I just can't wait to be back on it again asap. I'm really hoping a pregnancy will kick start my hormones and get them back into check. How you feeling today?

Well brown discharge has increased and has some fresh in with it so I'm guessing I'm out with a capital O :(

Oh dear holly xx what are your next steps?

slady I'm full of a head cold. I've practically lost my voice & I'm feeling very sorry for myself.
I do plan to go back to the pill, I read that being on the pill helps to keep all the symptoms of PCOS under control. It's just a shame that you can't get pregnant whilst taking it!!!
In other news, I'd also like to say that now that this clomid has worked for the last two months, but I just haven't been lucky to get pregnant, it's making me feel brilliant, no rediculosly heavy periods. No awful cramps etc.

I'll probably die quietly in the corner for a few days...
I've got gp on Monday so am pushing for referral and metformin and go from there really.
Will get my blood results on Monday too - from my day 2 and 21 tests xx

Yes I really think it does Amy - When I first came off the pill I had very regular periods at 33-34 days but the longer I've been off the pill the longer my cycles have become and the worse my symptoms have got. That's good clomid is agreeing with you and it's working which is the main thing - just a probabilities game now it'll stick eventually I know it

Hugs holly xx

@allthecheese and @trickymiss14 we seem at the exact same point. 9th month ttc. I am currently waiting for my DH SA to come back from the hospital so I can get referred on to a fertility clinic (NHS). I had a scan that confirmed "PCO" does anyone know how they confirm PCOS? I thought I had PCOS but it just days PCO on my ultrasound. I have a consult with a private clinic may 11th just to see what my option are cuz I can't stand the thought of waiting 3 months just for a consult. Got all the blood tests I need done through my doctor that the private fertility clinic is requesting, didn't tell my GP that it was for private just said I needed them. So that will save me some money!

Hi @ElizabethCatherine, PCO is just the doctor having seen (presumably on an internal ultrasound) that your ovaries are polycystic in appearance. I think that on it's own is very common, and not too much cause for concern. PCOS is where (I think) that causes a hormone imbalance, leading to anovulatory cycles, weight gain, excess hair etc.

So at the moment my ovaries look polycystic, I don't have weight gain or excess hair luckily, but as my periods are all over the place I have blood tests booked next week to see whether I have a hormone imbalance. Having said all that, there are loads of conflicting reports on the internet, and I'm not a doctor, so that may not be accurate.

Massively jealous you got your DH to do a SA. Mine is v relaxed about the whole thing, and hasn't booked it yet. Grr.

Morning ladies.
Does anyone know if there is a thread for all the husbands and partners dealing with infertility? I think it might do DH good to speak to people who can relate. I know this thread has been a god send to me xx

summer not sure of a thread for Dads. Unless you have a mooch on Dadsnet (which is in the topics)

Elizabeth PCOS is diagnosed using the Rotterdam criteria. There are three parts to the criteria.

1, cysts on ovaries
2, annovulation (less than adverage menstrual cycles in a year)
3, Hyperandrogenism (high levels of testosterone in the body which will develop excess hair, male patterned baldness etc)

To get a PCOS diagnosis you need to have two out of the three criterias. PCO is usually when there are still 2 parts of the criteria but your not over weight or other one of the symptoms is mild.

Ok thanks Amy, just wondered that's all.

How are you doing today?

I had a bad night last night. Didn't sleep, kept getting really upset as was over tired and was anxious about meeting a friend and his little boy today. Few tears this morning but spent the day with them and had a lovely time. Had a lovely rapport with the little one and it was so special-I just keep swinging from feelings of 'this WILL be me one day I know it' and 'why oh why is this not me right now'. I dread to think how many times this whole thing floods my mind on a daily basis

I'm exactly the same summer its absolutely wank!!! Took fur babies for a walk today & seen loads of lovely young families in the park. It really tugged at my heartstrings.

The frustrating thing is that the clomid works, we just haven't got lucky with either the insemination or the sticking part

I know that sucks for you, but there is a small silver lining there in that you are ovulating. My worry is that I can't ovulate and so even ivf wouldn't be an option without a donor. Not sure how i feel about that.

Do you know you ovulate when you do? Can you spot signs? Xx

Right beautiful ladies, have my go appointment in the morning. Going to ask for referral and metformin.
Any advice on what to say and what to ask for?
Absolutely anything that will help xx

Oh and my bleed seems to have stopped?!

Good luck with your appointment this morning Holly let us know how it goes.

Summer I don't think you actually need to ovulate to go through IVF, as long as your AMH level is suitable then they should be able to collect enough eggs. Try not to worry and just take one step at a time. That's my new motto. When do you get your CD21 results back? Xx

Good luck today Holly.

Thanks Slady, I didnt actually know that about IVF so thank you. My results should be in Wednesday onwards so I will call the clinic then. I try with the 'one step at a time' motto but sometimes I get into a bit of a panic - mainly about my age. I'm 32 now and sometimes that really scares me :(

How are you? No more signs of AF then? Do you have a rough date to maybe expect one or is it too irregular? x

Oh good I'm glad.
I know it's so hard. I'm feeling pretty positive most of the time and then I get waves of panic if i start to think about things too much, it's mostly the what ifs... what if Clomid doesn't work... what if it takes another few years from now...what if it doesn't happen all. That's why I'm trying to take it one step at a time then I feel more calm. I try and tell myself that the stress and worry won't change anything.

No sign yet :( and yes they're so irregular i have no idea when it'll arrive. The only pattern is that my AF is ALWAYS longer than the last one, usually by 2-3days. That's why I don't expect it to be here for another 6 weeks or so. If it gets to that stage and still hasn't arrived I think I'll ask for Provera and by June my NHS referral will be through too.

How you finding your first clomid 2ww?

Haven't ovulated for four years roughly according to bloods done last month and those previously
He's booked oh to have sa done and then go from there.
X

Wow, how do they know you haven't ovulated for 4 years? Thats good news re the test, progress at least. Did he mention anything about Metformin?

Good to get these things ticked off the list Holly as you'll need them all done before any referral gets signed off. I would say do anything they offer to you in case you need it in the future :)

I agree with Slady though how did they know you've not ovulated that long?

I dont really feel like I'm in a 2ww to be honest. Because my days were a little off I dont really know where I am!: I had my dom follicle at cd16 and not 11 so would have ovulated approx cd18-23 if at all i think? cd21 bloods were taken on cd 26, so today I'm cd29 but I would expect my cycle to at least be 35 days even on clomid.

For that reason I'm not counting as such, I'm just waiting for my bloods and then I'll wait for AF. There is no date by which I think I should get AF, but I will rethink after the BH weekend if still nothing.
I'll speak to the nurse about things Wednesday when I get my results.

I dont really feel any different though. I have the odd sensation in my boobs but i think thats the meds more than anything else. If I'm proven wrong and its a first time miracle then happy days, but I'm not going to get my hopes up so soon. Its too painful.

Rooting for all of you girls! it's shite really