Help... I Need Clarity!

[shoegirl36]

Hey all. Thanks for reading my post. So it's a strange one for me as it's my first cycle on Metformin and Letrozole. I got a peak LH on 25th March so will assume I ovulated on 26th. I then was having gastro issues and cramping mainly until 8dpo where I started to bleed. That bleeding stopped as quick as it started. Then again bled on 11dpo same thing, stopped as quick as it started. I assumed it could be implantation bleeding. I am now 14dpo and have tested HCG which came back negative this morning. So no period and no positive pregnancy test. I need to know what to expect so that I can start my next round of meds. Is 14dpo still early for a positive test? Are the symptoms normal for being on Letrozole? How many cycles did it take you to conceive? All advise, help and experiences are welcome. #ttc

Hey @shoegirl36 I just saw you on another post. I can't comment directly on letrozole as I've never taken it but I have heard some spotting or light bleeding can happen some women Is there any way you can contact the doctor who prescribed it to ask?
I am 13dpo and today I am negative . I'm not expecting a miracle for it to suddenly change but I'm going to keep my 🤞and test in few days. From what I read When you get your peak it's just an indication but you can ovulate as much as 3 days after your peak. Implantation time also varies between women so taking that all into consideration it'd possible it could take a few days more.
I had a chemical pregnancy in december and it took a full 14 days to show a faint positive. Thats the only thing that's giving me hope over these next few days. I had light bleeeing at 14dpo then and a week later heavy bleeding and my loss occured. I just remember I had alot of deep cramping starting about a week before i tested positive and I was having alot of bowel problems which felt like pain in my bowels or intestines or something. I had alot of cramping this cycle aswell which started 2 days after peak which had gave me hope it would happen this cycle again. Past 2 days I've been slightly nauseous after eating dinner but I'm guessing it's all in my imagination. I think sometimes when your putting so much pressure on yourself to get pregnant you notice every little symptom and wonder . It's so fustrating. To think getting pregnant is so difficult yet some people find it so easy

@MK85 hi, I did reply on the other post too but definitely get where you're coming from, I am on other apps and women are so lucky because they fall pregnant so easily. I wish that was me all the time. I find it harder and harder each month as I want a baby so desperately. Even last night I dreamed about taking a pregnancy test and it immediately showed two lines, woke up to realise I'm 15dpo, a negative pregnancy test this morning, my LH is raised today, no sign of period and I'm confused as to whether to induce a period so that I can start my next cycle of Letrozole. Any advise you have would be great x

@shoegirl36 are you getting periods at all without the need for Norethisterone? I would definitely wait a few more days just to rule out late implantation before you take that as I was warned by my consultant it can cause serious birth defects if taken while pregnant. I would hold off until the weekend. I did some searching on google and some women can implantation as late as day 18. Its really hard to wait and I know your impatient to get the next cycle started but it's definitely better to be safe than sorry.
I think the positive for you is that you have plenty of time of your side to explore options that will work for you so dont stress yourself too much.

@MK85 this is my first cycle on Letrozole so would be my first period since starting it so no idea when period is due. Before Metformin and Letrozole my cycle was varied because of the PCOS, it ranged anywhere up to 96 days at points. Usually I'd average around 65 days for my cycle. So hard because as many meds I take and scans I can go for it still all seems out of my control and I'm a self confessed control freak lol.. I'm still learning about how my body is working on these meds and ideally wouldn't want to induce a period as and as silly as it sounds I'd like to remain as natural as possible even though I'm using Metformin and Letrozole to control ovulation. I take other supplements too but didn't really see much change in my body with those alone. I've used to apps to get other women's experiences too but it's so varied or I feel like I've missed what the majority result was. So hard to feel 'normal' while on this journey. The little voice goes you're not out until a period shows but then the 'sensible' part of me goes I'd just wish my period would hurry so I can start again. Just driving myself crazy as well as my partner most of the time.

@shoegirl36 I'm 37 so I feel like every month it doesn't happen I keep hearing the clock ticking louder. I started this whole process with my gp 4 years ago! Heard nothing for 3 years and the past year I've seen 7 different gynaes and made absolutely no progress either. It kinda angers me sometimes that they've completely taken a year from my life. It was only when I sought out another doctor that things have started moving. He sent us for the relevant tests and we've been moved forward for ivf although that's another waiting list. We're due a callback for our second appointment to discuss the plan in a months time hopefully. Things just move so slowly. In my 20s I'd say I had a period every 2 or 3 months but once I hit 30 my periods completely stopped for over 2 years and gp offered no help. It took until I was 33 until I officially got diagnosed with pcos. My periods came back and since that it's been 1 to 2 year. We were due to start clomid to induce ovulation whenever I randomly started ovulating on my own and then discovered i was pregnant at the new year. I question if it'll ever happen again or if it was just a fluke. I've had 2 periods since that and LH tests have peaked but I suppose I don't know if I've really ovulated or not so I feel like giving the clomid a go this month to see what happens.
I've been on metformin now for a year and its made zero difference .I also took myo inositol and it didn't help but the only things that were different on the cycle before I feel pregnant were

1. I had a dye test which can increase your chances by 30% and stimulate your ovaries

1. I took a provera tablet
2. I changed my brand of myo inositol so I don't really know which of these have helped but something has definitely helped.

My ovulation is getting later and later On the cycle I got pregnant it was day 20. Last cycle was day 33 and this cycle I didn't ovulate til 43. I'm going to try simplify things a bit and try taking exactly the same supplements I was taking throughout Nov and Dec to see if that helps as I've been reading some people say some vitamins are lengthening their ovulation

@shoegirl36 hiya I did 4 rounds of letrozole then moved in to injectables as it didn’t work for my body. Are you being monitored by your fertility clinic? I was closely monitored through the cycles then when they could see it was/wasn’t working they would tell me what to expect or when to take provera to start a new cycle and start taking it again

@Alexis7890 @MK85 hey both of you. I feel so sorry for us ladies who get stuck on this journey when so many make it look so easy. I've been under gps and gynae specialists but I'll be honest none of them were any used and every single one brushed me off. I then took matters into my own hands and that's why im so dependent so other ladies on the apps and forums to guide and support me in the right way. Please no judgement I felt like I had no choice. I take all the supplements I've been advised, taken every piece of advice I've been given and nothing. Today is cycle day 32 of my first cycle on Letrozole. No period yet and no positive pregnancy test either. Cd15 I had a peak and 8&11 dpo had light bleeding which is very new for me as it's never happened before but nothing else changed really other than some gastro problems early after ovulation. As women say every month that goes past im like another one I'm out. I think I'm going to use Ito lan to induce my period and start cycle 2 on Letrozole

@MK85 @Alexis7890 sorry word correct jumped in but it's meant to say utovlan at the end of that message lol

@shoegirl36 have you had your day 21 progesterone test to confirm ovulation?

I have had that test in the past but not since being on Letrozole. Before when my cycle was irregular they sent me on day 21 and it was 1n/mol but at the time I hadn't got a peak or anything to confirm ovulation as this is when I was being investigated for PCOS

@MK85 sorry forgot to tag you. Answer is above :)

@shoegirl36 you should have been having the progesterone test and a scan to check your responding to the dosage or if it needs increased ect. What dosage did they start you on ? I think most start on 2.5mg. I'd be asking for a check since just because an lh is positive dosent mean you'll release an egg, especially true to those of us with pcos. Do you record your temperature?

@MK85 I'm on 2.5 at the moment and have just started tracking BBT this cycle too.

@shoegirl36 did it rise after you think you ovulated?

I really wish I'd been charting my bbt In december when we actually did conceive to know what to look for but I only started last month. Mine did rise this month but has since fallen. Past 3 days I'm now below my baseline and it took a big dip this morning so I'm fully expecting period to come in the next day or two if going bu last months chart

@MK85 I've attached all the data I've collected so far, it sounds mad but I got a new Apple Watch and let that do my bbt for me otherwise I'd be completely all over the place trying to track bbt by thermometer as I don't have much of a routine. I have just emailed my doctors and requested advise and a set of bloods for my next cycle already.

@shoegirl36 im not very good with keeping a routine with my bbt either but have still been able to somewhat identify a pattern.

I read a study regarding bbt vs thermo watch and theres pros and cons but ive considered getting one as a double up to use with my bbt to help me identify the shifts better.
well my period just showed up this morning

@MK85 tbh I saw an ad for the newest apple watch being able to track for ovulation so I bought one of those and just preset a time every morning for it to take a temperature before I wake for some kind of pattern at least that way there's something to chart.. still no positive test or sign of period so started meds to induce a period.. just hope that works, also think I need to go from 2.5 to 5mg next cycle on the Letrozole. See if that makes a difference

@shoegirl36 a doctor should be able to tell you what dose to try next? I did one 2.5 (no response) then 5 (cycle cancelled as random bleed happened) then a cycle of changing between 2.5 and 5 on specific days (ovulated but quite late) then one final cycle at 5 (started to over respond then they all shrank and no ovulation happened) then moved on to injectables

@Alexis7890 I'm so sorry to hear Letrozole wasn't the way to go for you.. I did get a peak as well was some other signs of ovulation but I'm not sure I actually did so definitely wanting to give 5mg Letrozole a go myself

@shoegirl36 thank you, injectables worked for me to ovulate. Letrozole works for a lot of people so hopefully it’ll work for you too! My doctor did tell me not to rely on OPKs because of my PCOS but then they were monitoring me really closely and it doesn’t sound like you’re having that

@Alexis7890 no not being monitored too closely and with all the scans and bloods I've had before they're not overly concerned that it won't happen for me. I don't really rely on the LH strip tests but I use them more as a guide to see for patterns etc.

@shoegirl36 definitely don't be upping it to the 5mg until you get the go ahead. Get them to arrange a scan during this next cycle and they'll be able to tell you if your responding to the 2.5mg or not

@MK85 thank you for the advice :)