TTC with suspected PCOS

[NLO94x]

Hey! 💛
I'm in UK and been TTC for over a year, it is hell!!! I've had doctors appointments, scans and blood tests and everything seems to be coming back to PCOS, I have most of the symptoms so it wasn't a surprise! I'm currently on the waiting list for a gynaecologist but have no idea how long I'm going to be waiting, is anyone in a similar position and if so how long did you have to wait? 💛

@NLO94x I've been taking it for 10 days now and have been having headaches too!

@cdn298 mine have eased a little now! I've felt a little nauseous the last couple of days but I don't know if I'm just over thinking!! How are you getting on with you OPK? Mine are still showing high a week on!

My boyfriend has hit appointment tomorrow so fingers crossed everything is okay with him! Anyone who's partners have had to do these tests did they just have to give a sample once or multiple times? We've had a stressful morning with doctors giving us incorrect information!! 💛

Mine are still low. I don't know if I am getting AF though. I've had some spotting this morning and back ache x

@cdn298 hopefully that is a good sign!! Fingers crossed for you 💛

@NLO94x hope all goes well for his test tomorrow! 🙏🏻 My husband had his earlier this week and it was just once. Apparently it takes 90 days for sperm to change (in response to any lifestyle changes) so he shouldn’t need to do more than one! Let us know how it goes

I had spotting 2 weeks ago and nothing followed. Felt really tired this week and boobs feel a little tender today.
decided to test this afternoon on the off chance and got this!!!

@cdn298 I definitely see a line there! Congratulations ✨

I'm on CD 42 with no sign of AF, many tests later they are all a BFN, so my cycle is messed up again! My boyfriend got his results this week, sperm count it very low, 2 million, it was a huge shock and I still haven't got my head around it I'm in honest, it's been a very emotional week for me, I feel like I'm now trapped in the unknown 😢 has anyone else's partner had similar results? What is the best advice 💛

Done another IC today and negative 😢

@cdn298 oh no I'm sorry to hear that! Have you tried a clear blue early detection test? That might be more accurate 🤞🏼💛

Husband has gone to get one. I'll update once I have done it x

@NLO94x so sorry to hear about your boyfriends semen results. What did the Dr advise after sharing the results? My husband’s came back ok, but room for improvement and he was told by our Dr to take conception supplements and wear loose fitting boxers. My friend going through male factor IVF’s husband was told the same thing and his spent count increased massively after he took that advice. Anything is worth a try!

I still haven’t had AF for 5 months now, despite taking all the supplements, diet change etc. Hopefully my Ovarian Drilling operation will help 🤞🏼

@cdn298 oh wow exciting! Keep us posted

@sl7uk to be honest I'm a little disappointed with our doctor, he only mentioned the count, nothing about mobility and other factors. He said "just carry on doing what your doing" no advice on how to improve, or at least try to improve.

What supplements did they recommend? I've done my research and everyone seems to say different things!

Because it has come to such a shock to us both he's shut off a little bit, he doesn't really want to talk about things 💛

@NLO94x my husband was recommended Proxeed Plus, so defo buy your boyfriend some of that.

I’m sorry your Dr hasn’t been very proactive. Would you be in a position to go private? I would still be on the NHS waiting list to even see a fertility specialist and would have been waiting 8 months had I not have booked a private appointment. Also, if you’ve had all the preliminary tests like semen analysis, you can take those results with you and won’t have to pay, so your private process would be cheaper.

@NLO94x yes , in the same boat here. His results were bad, low count and poor morphology.. very high abnormal count . Advice from andrology was to refer to fertility clinic. Consultant at hospital told us its not completely impossible to get pregnant even with those results ( it only takes one) but would take longer so we were put on fertility clinic waiting list in October as weve been trying for an extremely long time . Pcos has wrecked havoc with my cycles (1 to 2 a year) and one my first back to back period in december I got pregnant ( ended in a loss ) . But yes, clearly it's very much possible . I put him on supplements but they made absolutely no difference at his 3 month repeat test

@sl7uk thank you I've read that so I'll buy some. Going private is definitely an option for us, financially it would be difficult but we could manage. On my NHS app it says if I've not heard about an appointment by early June I can ring and chase it up, that's for the gynaecologist though so I have no idea time wise after that we'd be looking at ☹️

@MK85 I'm sorry for your loss, have you had a referral for a gynaecologist or straight to a fertility clinic? My head feels mashed by it all 💛

Negative on a clear blue ultra early and on another IC 😢
Absolutely gutted x

@NLO94x what is your weight/diet like?

I have PCOS, insulin resistant too and had very irregular periods, it took 3 years to conceive and we had reached the point where we had accepted it wasn't going to happen.

The only thing that regulated my periods and led me to ovulate was losing weight and going low carb. As soon as I lost 10% of my body weight my periods started to come regularly every 28-30 days. If I put weight on they go again. The low carb is important, I just cannot lose weight by calories alone, I also find myself starving hungry, but if I can make it through the first week of a diet with no refined sugar, no bread or pasta, just carbs from green veg and berries then the hunger disappears and the weight starts to come off.

Do you get periods OP? If you don't / v irregular I would be asking if your GP will prescribe clomid whilst you wait for Consultant (they may not want to as not many do, I was lucky and had one that did).

When you see your consultant expect more tests and then a delay until you get those results and next appointment before course of action is decided - just warning you as this could still go on for months after first appointment.

I fell pregnant on my 3rd round of clomid and the day 21 test showed I would not have got pregnant without it. Nb my clomid was from the GP still and the consultant was of the view I should wait longer before going on it (it had been 3 years! I had done 2 rounds and decided to use my last round on a whim a few months later).

I also used to eat a lot of oestrogen rich foods eg houmous. No idea if it helped but made me feel
Like I was doing something. Good luck!

@cdn298 so sorry!! :( keep testing and fingers crossed for you!!

@FatAgainItsLettuceTime I'm not over weight but I don't have the best diet, I don't like veg which isn't ideal but I do eat alot of fruit, meat, fish, some months seem to be fine but others seem to longer, there is no pattern!

@Pearfacebananapoop They are hit and miss, I presumed I could only have clomid prescribed from a fertility specialist but I will definitely ask the question!!

💛

@NLO94x I was originally referred to gynaecology and they requested the semen analysis. Gynae originally wanted me to complete a 6 month OI induction since I have pcos before being referred however we saw a different doctor who put us straight through to fertility clinic due to several factors really. His results aside, we'd waited 4 years on a waiting list to see a gynaecologist and when we did get referred we spent an entire year getting messed around by gynae. They essentially just threw drugs at me without any proper testing or instructions and refused to see me when i requested clarity. I had to go all the way back to my gp and complain about the inappropriate care I'd been receiving. Around that time we saw another doctor and given all these factors, Including how long we've been trying (18 years) and my age now since I'm late 30s, he felt referring us to the fertility clinic was the best option. That had taken us ANOTHER 9 months waiting on first consultation and we're due out review in June. 4 months after the first to decide the appropriate treatment, which we were told would be ivf and that's another 12 months waiting list. 😴
If its any help , everyone seems less concerned about his results. Unless he's shooting blanks then it's not impossible. You just need one sperm . All of the conversations between doctors seem to really be focused around the female.
Gynaecologist referred us to another doctor, and while I was initially very pleased ,he finally gave me an ultrasound and hsg, something no one else thought about , which is was so frustrated with since I was having lots of random bleeding which should have been checked out to rule out the C word . He told us go ahead with OI induction while we're waiting for next fertility clinic appointment . I've just completed my first cycle of clomid . It was a bit of a disaster to be honest. They called us in way too early for the scan, and now we can't get bloods so its has been an entirely unmonitored cycle, which I'm not happy with at all. Now that docs refusing to see me also. I've contacted his secretary and complained and everything. Nhs are arseholes, thats the conclusion I've came to

@MK85 oh my gosh I'm sorry it's been so hard work for you!! I can't even imagine how frustrated you are!! What are you based? 💛

@NLO94x I'm in Northern Ireland .Things move at a snails pace

@MK85 that is rubbish 😩

I've had a nightmare couple of days! I decided to contact the hospital I have been referred to to ask if they had a cancellation list to find out that my referral was only send 2 weeks ago!! I had my doctors appointment in January and was told the referral was being done then, my doctors filed my notes away without doing the referral and it only came to light when I rang to check everything a couple of weeks ago, even though at that point they confirmed it had been done! Very frustrating!! They have called me this morning to try change it to an urgent referral so hopefully it's worked in my favour and I'll be seen sooner!

How's everyone else doing 💛

NLO94x so sorry to hear that, what a mess, thank god you checked in with the hospital! Really hope this fast tracks things for you. Remind me, are you getting periods at the moment? I really hope my Ovarian Drilling operation in 3 weeks helps me ovulate, feels like a waiting game not being able to do anything at the moment.

Also, does anyone have any other PCOS symptoms? I have lean PCOS so I’m in the minority and therefore my symptoms and treatment might be a bit different to others, but my acne had flared up massively, so any tips on that would be much appreciated!

@sl7uk such a nightmare just glad it's sorted and I didn't do the full wait (10 month waiting list) before contacting them! They are all over the place, I have some months where I have a normal 4 week cycle, give or take a few days, then some cycles (like my current one) can be so much longer, I'm currently on CD45 and no signs of AF yet, 10 tests later all BFN! I hope the next 3 weeks go fast for you and wishing you all the luck for your operation 💛