New to TTC. Any other irregular ladies?

[Allegrogirl]

Me and dh have just decided to go for it despite lack of cash and lack of energy. Have a dd just turned 2.

My periods are irregular and light and I struggle with my weight. I'm just under a stone overweight but fit and healthy. Had bloods and vaginal US and no sign of anything wrong such as PCOS. Took 18 months to get pregnant with dd and I'm 35 now so time not on my side.

Anyone in similar situation?

I have pcos, but i use the clear blue monitor and some months i ovulate some months i dont, i have had 5 miscs all very early and only now are my cycles starting to level out alittle to 37-38 days ish. its very frustrating as its not easy getting preggers even when you have a normal cycle let alone when its all over the place,

I would recommend the monitor though it makes you more aware of your cycle big time.

Thanks. Will give it a go. GP told me I wouldn't be able to monitor ovulation with irregular periods. Shouldn't have taken his word for it.

No way...they said that to me too..he said that even though my periods had started to level that meant nothing..and we still wouldnt know....rubbish...it meant that at least i had a starting block from when to start considering i may be pregnant etc.. better than 55 days which is what it was last year every other time! i had about 7 periods in a year..horrible
the monitor shows you semi fertile days and when you ovulate, some months you may not etc etc but still its better than shooting into the wind... so to speak

Do not faff around with opk's and monitors particularly if PCOS is an issue. These can mislead badly in these circumstances.

These monitors measure LH; many women with PCOS have a higher than average level of LH to start with so the kit reads that level. They are a complete waste of time if periods are consistently irregular in nature. Sorry to sound so forceful about this but that is the case with these gadgets and irregular cycles.

If your periods are irregular then blood tests should be done to also check for thyroid imbalance as well as polycystic ovaries. Some GPs are ignorant when it comes to such issues and test results can be misintepreted. Just becuase they did not find anything at the time does not mean that either can be fully ruled out.

boodiggy - is your PCOS actually being treated?. It can certainly be a factor in miscarriage.

I have PCOS and OPKs do seem to work for me, despite having read the same advice elsewhere that they can give false positives. That said, I'm not pg and have been trying for 2 years, but this seems to be more of a male factor thing rather than failure to identify when I'm ov'ing.

Anyway, my advice for anyone who is irregular is to try taking Agnus Castus, which I think has made a big difference to my cycle (used to be up to 49 days long but varied every time: now it is always hovering around 29-31 days). I also take 100mg/day of vitamin B6 because I had a short luteal phase and it has fixed this. If this might be an issue for you then it's worth a try.

Would agree you should get other tests done to rule out other factors that could be responsible other than PCOS, such as thyroid. But at least your dd proves you can do it, so have faith.

Hi Allegrogirl - I had really irregular periods too. They have (fingers crossed) been regular for the past 3 months but before that I had a period about every 3 months or so. I have had blood tests checking PCOS and thyroid, had the vaginal US, HSG and apart from a slightly high testosterone level everything was okay. I have been taking Vitabiotics' Pregnacare Plus which I think has helped. I am 33 and also struggle with my weight. You may be interested in the book 'Taking Charge of Your Fertility' by Toni Weschler. I have only skim read it (which you are not really supposed to do but I will start reading it properly soon) but it is an education, especially prompting you to be more aware of your fertile days so that you definitely know when you are ovulating. I am not sure about you, but I was always confused about the whole being fertile on days 10 to 14 as I am on a 33 day cycle which does not compute as those fertile days (very commonly quoted) are for about a 28 day cycle. If I correctly spotted my change in CVM, I was fertile on my 17th and 18th day last month if I remember correctly. It is a big book but it is interesting.

Good luck

MMFP

High testosterone level can be indicative of PCOS. Did they thoroughly check and most importantly compare your LH and FSH levels?. There is usually a LH/FSH imbalance with PCOS.

Cerubina - are you under the care of a gyane cons currently?. Two years is a long time, has your man been tested for any possible male factor problems as well. Self medicating with AC if PCOS is an issue can actually cause more problems as it can increase LH. Am glad to read that your cycle length has come down but it may still be that you are not ovulating regularly, if at all. It is quite possible to have periods without ovulating.

Hi Attila

You're right, two years is a hell of a long time. I conceived once but sadly had a MMC at 10 weeks in Feb, and as I monitor my BBT I am getting pretty reliable evidence that I do ovulate each month. I guess more accurately you could say I have PCO rather than PCOS as the ovaries and irregular periods are really the only symptoms - I'm not fat, hairy etc.

Until the summer I was under the care of a gynae consultant but ran out of insurance cover so had to stop seeing him. Am now awaiting referral to an ACU on the NHS. My husband's had about 5 SAs in his time and all show bad parameters, most recently a new development of antisperm antibodies, which are really bad news and have developed since he had treatment for a varicocele. So we reckon IVF is the next step, irrespective of my PCOS and so on. Unfortunately it's taken a while for the referral to come through because of the postal strike but with luck we will get underway soon.

It sounds as though you are an expert on PCOS. Are you a sufferer yourself?

Hi Cerubina

I have PCOS (and endometriosis though these are not related) too and was diagnosed with this several years ago. Am now a parent after treatment (I had diathermy surgery on my ovaries).

PCOS is actually a very individualistic disorder and affects each woman with it very differently. Not all women with PCOS have hirsuitism and weight issues by any means, it is very individualistic in nature. You may find looking at Verity's website useful as that is about PCOS www.verity.pcos.org.uk

I hope you get your appt through soon, you've both had a tough time to date.

Attila

My doctor did compare my LH and FSH levels and was happy with them. My testosterone levels were slightly high but not significantly. I was sent straight to the sub fertility clinic. I have had a transvaginal ultra sound and hsg as well as the blood tests. I was lucky to have very good doctors to check for PCOS, they slipped me through for tests quickly.