TTC with PCOS

[lakejupiter]

Hi all

Is anyone TTC with PCOS? I'm hoping to get some advice. I'm 36 and recently diagnosed. My GP couldn't really explain my blood test results to me or how they affect my fertility and I guess I'm a bit confused because I can't seem to find any information about why exactly PCOS affects your fertility. I understand that it can cause irregular periods and anovulatory cycles but for people with regular cycles who are ovulating (according to OPK tests, bbt and progesterone) is fertility still affected? Are the actual eggs being released not mature enough? Any insight welcome!

(PS I have been referred to an endocrinologist but there's a very long waiting list)

If only my doctor knew anything about PCOS @IsabelHerna 😂 thank you though x

@IsabelHerna that’s so true, it can be so different for everyone.

I’m not trying to conceive yet but I’m trying to regulate (read: have any!) my periods in anticipation of TTC next year. I’ve been tracking BBT and taking myoinositol (MyOva brand). I’ve been doing some ovulation tests as well but not reliably. And they’re all over the place which fits with my PCOS. I’ve only had a handful of real periods in my life and yet to come on since having my coil out end of November so I’m on cycle day 62. It’s emotional for me without the TTC aspect so can only imagine what it’s like with that added pressure. Would love to keep in touch and see how you get on- not many people understand!

It affects everyone differently but generally for most Pcos sufferers it interferes with the ability to release an egg, although it's not just as straightforward as simply releasing an egg or not. Yes, it affects the maturation process of the egg and since you need a mature , healthy egg , most eggs don't get released being immature. Even if a woman does ovulate on her own every month, that dosent always mean she's releasing a mature egg that's ready to be fertilised. Most commonly we don't ovulate at all but some women with pcos do ovulate every on their own.
Some women aren't even aware they might have pcos until they start trying to get pennant. Others have absolutely no issue. There really is no one fits all when it comes to pcos .
The other concern is the eggs that do be released are often poor quality so therefore don't fertilise anyway. I've also read some where it's more difficult for sperm to penetrate a pcos egg. Even if all is successful, we still bear the worry that miscarriage statistics in pcos women are much higher , aswell as health problems with baby so it's important to try and manage pcos symptoms before achieving pregnancy.
Pcos is usually associated with excess androgens and insulin sensitivity which play their part in ovulation and egg quality aswell .
Of course many women with pcos do have successful, healthy pregnancies but the condition can make conceiving and staying pregnancy more difficult for some women with pcos.
Symptoms really vary from woman to woman and there's no cure sadly , so the best thing is just to try and manage any symptoms your having to increase your chances.
There's medication for women who don't ovulate like clomid , although there's no guarantee success with it.
For symptoms that are caused by insulin sensitivity there's metformin which can help restore some womens cycles and help them lose weight. ( I personally have not had much success )

I understand your frustration when it comes to gps. I'm 36 now due to turn 37 this year and It took me years to get a diagnosis of pcos. I wasnt diagnosed until I was 33, although Ive struggled since my teenage years with my irregular cycles. Gps solution was to stick me on the pill but after we got engaged , the pill wasn't an option for us anymore as we both wanted a family and began our ttc journey .I've been struggling with my cycles on my own ever since. we've been trying to conceive since around 2005 / 2006 and sought help after 5 years ttc but gps were really reluctant to refer or give me a diagnosis since we were still young in our 20s. Fast forward til 30s and it was really a different story because "time is starting to tick on " I finally got diagnosed with pcos and got referred to a gynaecologist in March 22. ( I was waiting on a list since 2019)
Gps aren't really knowledgeable in my experience and opks aren't always a reliable measure for alot of women with pcos since a common symptom is a constant higher surge of LH in the body which makes it tricky to know if you've accurately ovulated or not .
I've seen 3 difficult specialists now this year and to be honest none of them were that knowledgeable with pcos. They all share the same basic information. Ive scoured these forums for months and it seems to be a common complaint. Not many take a keen interest .
Most of the information I found was from websites or forums on my own.
It really is a lonely process . I'd be lost without these forums

@MK85 you need to be asked to be referred to endocrinology as PCOS is treated as an endocrine disorder. They will be more knowledgeable than in gynae. I was diagnosed at 29 and endo consultant has been brilliant. When we were reading to TTC, referred me to ACU to get the ball rolling. Clomid is no longer the preferred drug for ovulation induction - letrozole is more effective with fewer side effects. We conceived on 3rd letrozole cycle (treatment delayed due to covid lockdowns pausing the ACU clinics) and shortly going for #2 (i was 35 when DD was born).

Just wanted to check in here and say that I ovulated soon after I wrote this - 90 day cycle, and in the time since have had my cycle reduce down to 34 this month - considered normal. I’m incredulous at the improvement . I’ve focused on vitamins and I did a 3 month added sugar ban which I think helped too. Just wanted to say things can get better and I hope you’ve had the progress you want.

Hi i have pcos and have been trying to conceive its been 4 months on this journey to get pregnant again i have had some really faint positives i had seen a video of someone who had a not pregnant on digital clearblue and opened it and had positives like the image i uploaded below the rest are faint positives i dont know what to believe as i had miscarriage 2 months ago x is this meant to mean im pregnant or not ...

@Affy25 not an expert but that definitely looks like you're pregnant to me...

@lakejupiter hi, me too! PCOS is a fun one, isn't it? No telling to what extent it will affect each woman until we start TTC. I actually got pregnant on my first try and we were completely blown away - I thought maybe my PCOS wasn't as bad as thought. Fast forward 4 years and I'm having no success in TTC #2. I was 27 then and just turned 32 now, but the decline in fertility shouldn't be particularly noticeable between those two ages, so I can only think we had a very lucky fluke!

I'm currently a week out from my expected period and I feel like it's no luck again this month, though I have a sample size of 1 successful pregnancy and I can only compare to that 😅