PCOS. Late 30s. Is pregnancy possible

[Kosmickris]

we've been trying for years. I thought it would never happen I'm 37 and we just got a bfp. We were over the moon but it was short lived . After a few hours I had a chemical pregnancy :( we were devastated and mentally I'm still beaten. I'm just wondering has anyone been in this position and conceived late 30s with pcos? It's the second chemical ive had. I'm on 500mg metformin. Talking pregnacare. Folic acid and d like suggested. We've been lucky to get pregnant twice in 11 year . I'm feeling like it's never going to happen. Does anyone had any advice . Is there any thing you've been told to improve the odds? I've read pcos is 3 x as likely to miscarry .

I got pregnant at 40 with Pcos. I'd lost quite a lot of weight and became a lot more active in the year before it happened.

Snap with @Thedaysthatremain except I was 38 when conceived. I had gone from around 13.10 to 11.10 so around 2stone lost. I took up couch to 5k and used myoinositol powder a type of b vitamin meant to help blood sugars metabolism etc. Obv check with the doctor before adding any further stuff. But definitely possible I wish you very best luck x

A good friend has it and she just had a baby at 43! I have no idea how common this is and she did have to get medical advice, but it worked out for her. Good luck.

Have you tried clomid, tamoxifen or letrazole to help ovulation/release more eggs? Are your cycles regular? Does your metformin dose need to be increased (I'm on 3G, which is very extreme but I'm under a miscarriage clinic for that). Do you have a healthy BMI? You could take inofolic (I take this, recommended by my miscarriage clinic) or myoinosital to help regulate cycles. Is there a reason you haven't considered ivf seeing as it's been so long?

I'm 40 and have pco and within the last year 3 (brief) pregnancies (2 natural and 1
Ivf) so it's definitely possible.

I rarely have a regular cycle 3 -4 a year. Every thing just seemed to come together this month. I did have day 21 blood tests done in august which they said I'm not ovulating.. although clearly this cycle I did. I hadn't had a period in 3 months when I did that blood test. For the cycle which i got my bfp I took provera and had a hsg dye and that same cycle is when we conceived but then on NY day I had the chemical. Started bleeding the same day and have since tested and my lines over the next few days indeed kept getting fainter. My fertility doctor just prescribed clomid actually. I'm due to take it next cycle but I'm unsure if I should still take it now if I do clearly sometimes ovulate.
I do need to lose a little weight. I'm 12.9lbs. We've been waiting for ivf but still haven't been called.

I ovulate every month I think but was still prescribed clomid, tamoxifen and letrazole. I'm currently taking letrazole and the aim is to have 2-3 follicles ready to go to increase my odds. I think if I were younger they wouldn't want 3 as there'd be too much of a risk of multiples, but at 40 the likelihood is at least half wouldn't be 'good'. If your cycles are irregular I would recommend starting inofolic and also asking if you can have your Metformin dose increased. Is your bmi below the ivf cut off? I think most trusts want below 30, but check for your local area rules.

I conceived my DD at 35 and i have PCOS, but if you dont mind me asking, why are you jumping to IVF first? There are a few less invasive options for PCOS. I did several months of metformin (2000mg a day - your 500mg seems low to me?) and then 3 x cycles of letrozole (a more effective version of clomid) - first cycle was no ovulation, second cycle had ovulation but no conception and third cycle was ovulation. It was monitored with scans and all done on the NHS (Guys & St Thomas). If your dr has prescribed clomid then you should def give it a try!

@YorkshireTeaCup hi , I take 500mg because I was unable to tolerate the 1500mg originally prescribed. Even after months the awful side effects never went away and I was really ill so I was moved back down on 500mg and advised to work my way back up gradually whenever I feel I can tolerate moving up. Which I haven't so far. I struggle with even the 500mg tbh. We are being referred because we have male factor issue playing in aswell and we were told would likely take us longer because of my pcos / his results so its better to get the ball rolling. My consultant prescribed us clomid while we wait for ivf /icsi or whatever it shall be.
Clearly we had no issue getting pregnant this month , but like last time the issue seems to be keeping the pregnancy as I've lost both very early

You absolutely should take the clomid. You don't ovulate regularly so you need clomid. I wouldn't even consider IVF until you've had at least a couple of cycles of Clomid. When I took Clomid, I had to wait until I finally had a period (and therefore, one assumes, had ovulated) and then take it during that cycle. I then returned at day 10 I think to check that I hadn't popped out too many eggs that it would be dangerous. I hadn't. First cycle nothing happened but I got a period after 30 days (never happened before) then I got pregnant on second Clomid cycle.

Re miscarriage, my consultant explained to me that PCOS is not, in itself, a risk factor for miscarriage. The problem is that most women with PCOS are attempting to conceive when slightly older and overall, age is a major risk factor for miscarriage. So a woman with PCOS who gets pregnant at 22 is no more likely to miscarry than another woman at the same age. But overall, PCOS women miscarriage more often because they are skewed towards being older.

Also, IF you ovulate, your chances of getting pregnant are the same as any other woman your age who ovulates. The issue with PCOS is that you ovulate so seldom, and can't predict it. That's why Clomid is such a great drug.

Ah ok, that makes sense. Re the metformin, have you tried the slow release version? Much gentler on the stomach than the normal version. Ive recently switched onto these and can recommend.

Hi @Kosmickris I'm sorry to hear this. I haven't started trying yet but I'm getting prepared. I have pcos and have pretty much reversed all my symptoms in the last couple of years. The complications that pcos brings to pregnancy really are all around insulin. Meds can help you get pregnant but unless you're taking action to reverse your pcos, you wont have addressed the real problem. I listened to a podcast on this a few days ago, which might be helpful. open.spotify.com/episode/447IlOQx4bVBtP6XXAfNvF?si=ZC_S4LGNTZ-gc52NNjjiaQ

About the metformin dose. Are you on the slow release one? That is much better than the standard. Also, if you struggle to go up a dose do it gently - buy a pill splitter and build up over a week or so. I'm on 3000g dose. Whenever I've had to increase or stop and start I've found I have two weeks of upset stomach and headaches then my body gets used to it.