Has any conceived in late 30s with pcos

[Kris123499]

Hi ladies , I find myself turning to this forum in hope of some support.
My anxiety most nights is so bad I find myself having panic attacks during the night.
Im 36 ..halfway on my way to 37.
I was basically told at my first consultation to prepare myself because I'm too old to be able to get pregnant, even with help and that my egg reserve would likely be really low at my age.
This has left me feeling in a really bad place.
Have any of you ladies conceived later in life with pcos ?
I'm hating myself for not pushing harder with drs.
I've been trying to conceive since 2006. Ive had irregular periods my whole life, in my 20s drs never took me serious (my Dr was male) your young give it time blah blah . It was only when my periods completely stopped at 32 for over a year I went back to a different Dr, told her I've not had a period in over a year and I was having really bad pain around ovary area. she tried to pawn me off on pill and I refused because I told her I've been trying for a long time. She did blood tests and ultrasound and was diagnosed with pcos. It took me years to get this diagnosis and a further 3 more years now to get a referral to gynae.
Had my first gynae few weeks ago , she said my androgens were extremely high 4. Something . I do have excessive hair. She told me we can try anyway but to be prepared that we may have left it too late as its really difficult for women in general at that age nevermind with pcos. I have another ultrasound on Wed, was supposed to have an appointment with gynae next week aswell but they cancelled, gave to wait another month now. She requested bloods on day 2 for full hormone profile.. which I haven't been able to get as I don't have a flow . ( I have been spotting for over 7 weeks now and nothing. I'm getting concerned about that it could be something serious since I was left with no period for so long building up my lining)
Do you need a full flow for those bloods?
I've been put on metformin . I'm on it now a week 3 x 500mg. Horrible drug , I've had nothing but diarrhea haha
I've love to hear some honest answers if any ladies have been through something similar. I see alot of women commenting how they got preg with pcos but nobody ever mentions how old they are

Hi, I’m sorry it too so long for you to be taken seriously and get a diagnosis. I have had pcos since my 20s. I have type 2 diabetes as well so have been on metformin for about 11 years . I conceived my one and only beautiful daughter at 40 after about 8 months ttc. So by no means impossible. I’m not sure on the flow front sorry I was put on the pill which regulated my periods and when I came off ttc they remained regular and have ever since (dd is now 7) . Oh if you are on 3x500g daily that was too much for me and I went down to 2 as the side effects you describe are not funny ! However it should settle down after a few weeks fingers crossed . Did they build you up gradually as 1500 daily straight off its no wonder your system is protesting ! Best of luck with your journey

I fell pregnant using IVF at 36 and again naturally at 38. I got into the shape of my life for it though. No drinking, no smoking, lots of running and eating well. Unfortunately, I also experienced three miscarriages during this period too. Please don't feel demoralised. Be assertive and good luck.

I was almost 35 had been told I wouldn't get pregnant without intervention etc, come off the pill let everything settle down, we'll talk about fertility clinic referrals in six months. One period later I fell pregnant with DS. I was diagnosed at eighteen and basically told come back if you want to have a baby, I have significant symptoms but doctors just dismiss them. I found low carb and high cardio were the only things that helped me drop weight significantly, and I know that gave me a better chance.

Also, wanted to add that Metformin definitely gets easier on your body. The side effects will hopefully settle down soon. Hang in there! I was put on thyroid meds too as mine was slightly underactive. Might be another thing to ask about?

Lastly, I have quite severe PCOS too. I get maybe three periods a year. And it still worked. So, I know the importance of moderating your expectations, but I definitely wouldn't write yourself off.

One last thing I thought of, is that I found the process of going through IVF left me feeling a little alienated from my body. I felt like it was a thing that was being poked, prodded and measured constantly. Running really helped me feel connected to my body in a positive way while I went through it all..it also helped manage stress. I'd really recommend finding something physical to do that can help you keep a healthy relationship with your body as you embark on your IVF journey. Just a though!

Yes I did. Pcos since teens . I did use natural remedies (twice) as my doctor at the time wasn't really listening.

I do recall reading you find women with pcos generally getting pregnant after 30s with a little more ease, as the body makes slow changes, the shift in hormones makes it easier to get pregnant (for a lot of pcos sufferers). Also, we tend to have more eggs waiting around, especially if you've experienced lack of periods or bleeds without ovulation (hope that makes sense). This is information I recall from my researching many years ago

yes- was diagnosed with PCOS really early- teens i think and told i could never get pregnant naturally - but when i went to the doctors as I wanted to get pregnant they made me go through all the tests again- kept losing the results - took a couple of years before they finally agreed to give me clomid. And then i fell pregnant naturally- DC born when i was 38

Took me 18 months to conceive. It certainly isn't impossible, but I found doctors to be next to useless. I had big success with acupuncture, exercise, and nutritional therapy, which had the added bonus of making me feel better in general too.
It also made me feel so much more in control of my own life/health.

I was told I wouldn't be able to conceive naturally when I was 24, and it was a load of old codswallop.

Jesus, I am so upset at your medical care for you OP. Never mind the fertility implications, less than 3 periods a year raises your risk of endometrial cancer so they should have acted on that alone!

I am 33 but a similar boat - ovulation disorder, now on letrozole.

Maybe ask for a provera prescription /progesterone challenge to induce a period? Then id expect them to either offer letrozole/clomid or ivf

Pcos suggested but waiting to be diagnosed... started taking fertility plus ovulation support supplements(lots of information about why it helps pcos). Less than 2 months later I am pregnant. Mid 30s. Xxx

I have pcos, irregular periods since my 20s, got pregnant in 6 months in my early 30s. To be honest I think a main challenge was we were timing TTC incorrectly, it's common when you have pcos and I think it was conceived after I thought I had ovulated.

My friend with pcos who is overweight, smoking, drinking got pregnant at 40. The only change she had made in her life was lots of exercise and she credits her miracle baby with the exercise bike 🙂

Hi ladies, thank you very much for your replies. It's honestly helped ease my mind slightly knowing that it's still possible.
Apologies for a late update, I temporarily lost access to my gmail account after an attempted unauthorised access. Had to go through an indenity process to gain control back. I couldn't remember my password here either so had been unable to reset it. Im not sure if any of you are still following this thread, if you are let me know I'll give you an update

Hey, OP! I had DD last year at 35. Had been on metformin then 3 cycles of letrozole. Planning now for DD2 next year at 37. Sorry you've had such shitty care. I would push right now for referral to Assisted Conception Unit and get cracking with the letrozole. PCOS is so common and yet the care is so lacking. Good luck! It can definitely be done and you have not left it too late.

Hi, I should add that funnily enough I got pregnant when I stopped worrying about it and just focused not on getting pregnant itself but on the tasks around it. This sounds odd but I focused on yoga, reducing caffeine, eat healthily, take vitamins, techniques to remain calm and sex (of course). Even if they don't work, they're great distractions.

I also told myself that I would be ok if I didn't have a baby. This sounds odd but I think I was getting worked up. I told myself if it didn't work out I would have spare time to dedicate to my dreams, or adopt. I know another friend went the other way, she convinced herself it would happen, she chose to believe.

I think it's good to work out what narrative helps calm you down and find techniques to relax.