PCOS & 35+

[Mockingbird2008]

Hello mums,

This might be a weird one, so I’ll try to keep it brief

• I have PCOS
• I am 35
• I have a 12 year old (c section) conceived naturally before PCOS diagnosis
• I tried and failed once since my dd’s birth to get pregnant, could be due to PCOS, not confirmed
• I have been on Levast (birth control mainly for managing period) for 3 years
• I would like to have a second baby
• Due to personal circumstances I can’t TTC until 2024, I will be 38
• I am a normal weight
• I have no other underlying health issues

I want to make the most of the 3 years I have to prepare my body for a potential pregnancy. My dd will be 15 by then and I want to try to save as much time as possible, also considering my age.

What are the things you wish you had known in order to increase your chances of conceiving and to speed up the process. I greatly appreciate any advice or help, I thought I had to give up dreaming of having another child, and after all these years, I find I have hope again. Thanks in advance

For me personally, I wish I had lost weight and sorted my diet out a bit more but it seems you have that covered.

I also have PCOS and never really took note of my cycle and when I ovulated. AF came when it felt like it and that suited me fine at the time. With DC1 I just happened to ovulate the day we started trying by pure fluke. Now I am temping and doing OPK with the view to conceive but thought it might have been interesting to see when I ovulated and how long my cycles actually are without the pressure of TTC.

OPK sticks are fairly cheap online so maybe you would want to do that a few months before you are ready to TTC so you know your cycle (if you don't already) and the best time to DTD if you want to get pregnant quickly although this might not work if you are on BC.

On a practical level I wish I had more time to sort the house out. I can't put of TTC much longer and there's so much that needs sorting in the house but nothing that can't wait until (hopefully) DC2.

Good luck!

@lightenin thanks for your input.

Really good points I hadn’t considered, so thanks :) I want to come off BC at the right time, even if that means earlier than I’d like. I will add that to my question, hopefully someone will offer advice on how many months prior to come off.

Thanks again :)

@lightenin also good luck to you :)

Hey @Mockingbird2008

If you have irregular cycles, try starting Myo-Inositol supplements a couple of months before you start TTC. I have really long cycles and after a couple of months of taking it they seem to have settled down to quite regular 30 - 31 cycles. I wish I'd known about it earlier, it makes timing things much easier!

Alternatively if you get a referral from your GP a doctor might prescribe you Metformin to try and regulate cycles or Chlomid for ovulation induction.

@Mockingbird2008 thank you :-)

I've never been on hormonal BC so I can't help with the timing. You could always search this topic as I'm sure someone must have asked this before.

@Patienceisnotmyvirtue

Thanks for your input. Yes good point about cycle, I would need to come off BC in advance to really understand it better, then see what needs doing. So is it one of those two options you mentioned? What’s the difference between them?

@Mockingbird2008 - So, here comes the science lesson (I went on a mega deep dive when I was trying to regulate my cycles!)

Metformin is actually a drug used for diabetes, but is often prescribed for PCOS too as it helps with insulin resistance, which for some people is the underlying cause of their PCOS. It can help regulate cycles and restore ovulation. As it's officially a drug for insulin however, most GPs won't prescribe it for PCOS. If you get a referral to a specialist they would prescribe it if they thought it might help you.

Myo-Inositol works in a similar way, but as it's a naturally occurring substance in the body you can buy it without a prescription. My doctor recommended it and as I mentioned it's worked for me, since taking it my cycles have been 30 - 31 days as opposed to 60!

Chlomid and Letrazole are drugs that can be used in conjunction with Metformin/Myo-Inositol if those alone aren't restoring ovulation. They both work in different ways but aim to produce the same result, which is to cause your body to ovulate. They're both I think taken as tablets in the early part of the cycle.

I didn't actually know I had PCOS until I came off birth control - my long cycles were the only clue, along with the gazillion eggs they found in my ovaries. So the nice thing about you being able to plan ahead is that you can come off bc, work out your cycle and get your body in the best place before ttc. Best of luck!

Definitely myo-inositol, sorted out my cycles no bother. I have PCOS (normal weight too) and conceived reasonably easily twice while taking it. 4 months DC1 then 5 months for current preg.

Don't drink much while TTC. In theory it's okay to do so, but alcohol can increase oestrogen production I believe. I conceived both times during times when I was drinking less due to other reasons, and after the second conception I put two and two together! I was charting and my charts looked much smoother the month I didn't drink much (and conceived). By 'not much' I mean I drank about three glasses of wine a week, no more than one glass per night.

Come off birth control at least three months in advance, preferably longer.

The other thing is the delay. It can take longer to conceive even with mild PCOS. It is much easier to conceive at 35 than 38, statistically. In your shoes I wouldn't wait, unless it's for medical reasons which means that a pregnancy would currently be dangerous. If it's other factors like finances, housing, family etc, I personally wouldn't risk losing three decent fertile years and the possibility of never conceiving. Obviously I don't know your circumstances, but women have babies all the time in less than ideal situations. You have to decide if the current situation is so terrible that you'd risk no baby at all three years from now. xx

Read "it starts with an egg" by Rebecca Fett. I was a bit 🧐 and overwhelmed at first, but have implemented key points and a number of supplements she suggests.

I'm doing IVF and having had my embryos genetically tested have gone from zero normals collection when I was 38 prior to me implementing anything) gradually upto 25%, then 50% normal on my latest collection (at 40 yrs).

Not saying it is definitely the book, but science and research say my stats should be going in the opposite direction.

Forgot to say I also have PCOS