PCOS Trying to Conceive

[Pollyhg]

Hi everyone.

Looking to get some advice from those with PCOS. I'm 32 and me and my husband are ready and looking to start a family.

I'm in the UK but I'm really not sure where to start the journey. Isit simply booking GP appointment? I will say that my periods have always been very irregular and given I haven't used contraception in a year, I'm thinking the journey will need some assistance!

Is anyone happy to share how they started their journey and anything you changed in your life personally? I don't even know how to track ovulation if I don't have a period and perhaps first step is trying to get that back to normal.

Would love to hear your story and how long it took you to conceive (or if you're still trying)! There are so many vitamins, blood tests and all sorts online I don't know where to start.

Thanks!

You don’t consult a GP when you start trying OP, you just start. Once you have been trying for 12 months if you have not fallen pregnant then you can go to your GP for help x

I would say if you haven’t been using contraception for a year and haven’t fallen pregnant, you should make a GP appointment and discuss it with them. I was referred after a year in the same position and am now in the process of fertility testing.

Hi there @Pollyhg

I am 33 from the UK and also have pcos. Me and my husband have been trying for 4 years. I will try explain my journey so far quickly.

In 2020 I came off the pill & periods were pretty much non existent and for 2 years we said if it happens then great.

come 2022 nothing, so I started using ovulation predictor kits (just easy at home ones from Amazon) I had lost little bit weight which helped.
my dr referred us to the fertility clinic in aug 2022

from the July 2022- may 2023 I had had 5 ovulations by myself with some weightloss.

we were seen at the fertility clinic in June 2023 I was given letrozole.

i got pregnant on my second round of letrozole but unfortunately miscarried at 6 weeks in sept last year.

I had a further lot of monthly letrozole until may of this year which made me ovulate but didn’t fall again.

in June and July of this year I tried the gonatropin injections 2 months worth and again made me ovulated but nothing.

Now we are having a little break away from treatments and are on the ivf waiting list.

sorry for the looong story. I will say I think I have just ovulated yesterday all by myself as I felt the pressure pains I usually get and I got a very positive ovulation test.

i have lost a considerable amount of weight to help with my fertility and for my ivf referral my bmi had to be right down and am the lightest I have been in years which I think has helped me ovulate without assistance.

Vitamin i also take folate in a metholated b12 vitamin. Methofolate is much better absorbed by our body’s than folic acid.
and I take coq10 and vitamin D3 & K2.
And I have cut out caffeine, everything is decafe lol even my Pepsi I buy the caffeine free one lol.

There is so much information out there and it can be overwhelming. If there’s anything you want to ask about anything I’ve said feel free☺️

I think there is no harm going to your gp and getting the ball rolling with a possible fertility referral. It takes a while so getting it started sooner the better.

I hope this has been a little helpful. I am happy to share anything I feel could possibly help from experiences I’ve had.
Definitely have a research yourself on methofolate, coq10 and vitamin D3 & K2.

wish you all the best x

This is generally true.

BUT when someone has a condition like PCOS that impacts fertility it is worth seeing your GP sooner, because they may repeat testing or refer you fir PCOS management which can help improve chances.

The guidelines for referral to fertility serviced suggest that GPs do not need to wait if there is a clearly identified issue. And very irregular cycles would count.

No harm in talking to their GP.

Do you have a formal diagnosis, OP? I didn't have to wait 12months to be referred when we were ttc at age 33/34 because the GP said they were happy to get the ball rolling for me due to the pcos diagnosis. So potentially a discussion with the GP might be helpful.

If you have a high BMI, the best thing to do is to start to get the weight off. Our trust had a max of 30 to start treatment. It will make ttc with pcos much easier. Pcos affects insulin much like diabetes so following a diabetic friendly diet can help. There are lots of good pcos diet insta accounts you can follow. For me, low carb and low sugar gives the best results. Your DH should also take supplements and cut down alcohol / stop smoking etc

For DD1, I was taking 2000mg of metformin per day. This gave me regular periods but I still wasn't ovulating. Fertility clinic required lots of bloods, DH to have a semen analysis and me some internal ultrasounds and then I did 3 x rounds of letrozole to conceive DD1.

For DD2 I was 36. I went back onto the metformin, and whilst going back through the fertility clinic, I did the Fast 800 diet and lost 12kg. I conceived naturally whilst waiting for the tests to be repeated.

You can track ovulation with pcos if you want to, but be aware that pcos can cause a double surge in the hormone that ovulation kits look for. So they can be very inaccurate. Lots of women find taking inositol can have the same impact as metformin, and you can get this online or from Holland and Barrett. Make sure you are also taking vitamin d and folic acid.

I would get refered to fertility asap as the waitlist for me in London was 7 months. I called daily and managed to get a cancellation so only waited 5 months.

with PCOS I’d get the ball rolling x