Fertility Consultant app

[losyloo]

First went to the doctors 1 year ago and after having scans, blood tests, hcg and semen tests we are FINALLY having our appointment.

I have PCOS, he has a low sperm count.

Has anybody been through this? What treatment was offered. I am worried they will say they can't help us.

I did get pregnant in 2011 naturally which sadly ended in miscarriage at 10 weeks.

We have been trying again for about a year but no luck yet.

Losyloo... All is not lost!! I have PCOS and DH has slightly low motility, and am having some good treatment, feeling pretty positive!! You will probably need some medical assistance by the sounds of it but hopefully not tons!

Do you have regular cycles? Do you have a normal BMI?

When is your appointment?

What medication (if any) or other things (fertility lube?) have you tried?

Hi Chandlers thanks for responding.

What treatment are you having?

My cycles are between 19-42 days but averaging 27 according to my period tracker. But spotting in between.

My BMI is normal.

My appointment is tomorrow morning.

I have tried some natural things such as agnus cactus (which made me go off sex). Could you tell me more about fertility lube? I thought it was a gimmick!!

Lol not a gimmick - quite a few success stories using it. Preseed or concieve plus - the latter apparently actually helps the swimmers to move and get where they need to be, the former is more to create a less hostile environment if you aren't producing EWCM yourself. Which a lot of PCOS ladies don't. Both are great for less than motile sperm. To be honest I've read success stories from both types so not sure there's really a big difference in practice.

You should go onto the Soul Cysters website and have a read of the sticky threads in the forums (I know - awful name, it's American!!). There is so much useful info on PCOS in there, I've found it a really good place to educate myself on everything.

Do you know whether you're ovulating or not? That would be the first thing to work out. Taking your temperature daily with a basal body thermometer would be the only way to really know. If you are ovulating then things will be a bit easier - you might just need lube to help the swimmers get to the egg?

You should get tested for insulin resistance if you haven't already been - going onto metformin if you are will help with your fertility. Read up on that on that forum too.

I'm doing stimulated cycles - I take an ovary stimulant CD3-7 and then have an ultrasound scan on CD12 to see if I've grown a follicle myself to ovulate. Have been ovulating and DTD naturally with DH but I think we probably will move on to IUI soon as it will be easier for his swimmers to get to the egg! My Dr thinks that will work quickly for us as we are both still young (31 & 32), slim and healthy.

Tons of women on the PCOS forums have got pregnant so don't worry too much - it will happen for you!!

Good luck!

How did your appointment go today?.

You are really past the stage of using such things like OPKs and temp charting if you are now finally under the care of the hospital. Also such things are pretty much useless to use when it comes to PCOS in any event and they won't take much if any notice of such things.

If you are given clomid you should be closely monitored whilst on it.

Another problem with PCOS is that not all women with this are infact insulin resistant; it is a very individualistic disorder that affects each woman with it generally.

The spotting too should be checked out further to establish the cause - it may well be due to a lack of progesterone.

www.verity-pcos.org.uk is a UK based website on all things PCOS which you may find useful.

Sperms are quite complicated things and there is much about them that is not understood. Do not go wasting cash on things like vitamins and other pills as they won't really help if it was determined that morphology was a definite issue. What he needs are repeated and regular semen analyses to properly determine his count along with how the sperms move and look.

Thank you both for taking the time to write that down. Very helpful and informative.

The hospital are referring us straight for IVF. She said she could have put me on clomid but as dp has a low sperm count she can just send us to the IVF clinic.

I am quite upset and worried. I feel that it will be our last chance. DP is happy and says that it will be more likely we will be successful as it will be the best thing??

It's understandable that you're worried - I was terrified when we were told we should go down the IVF route. DH was really happy - he was pleased that we were moving forward, and that we seemed to have a solution on offer (his positivity dropped somewhat once he discovered it was a bit more complicated than he had thought!).

But you should reassure yourself that it's really probably not as bad as you think. I don't have PCOS but plenty of ladies on here will be able to share their experience. Many people are glad to get a quick referral to a fertility clinic, as they are probably able to do more tests and find the right treatment for you. And as the IVF process can be slow and frustrated, it's good to get in the queue quickly while you explore other options.

I don't think you should rule out the various treatments that might be available to help you along the natural route (again, advice will no doubt be forthcoming from those who know more than me). This might mean a lot of reading and research yourself, but there seems to be lots of info out there if you can take the time to wade through it.

The baby-making journey is no doubt proving much longer and more complicated than you expected (everyone on this board understands that!), but just give yourself a break. You're allowed to feel upset today, have a big cake, a run, or whatever helps put a smile on your face. And tomorrow, or the next day maybe, you'll be able to take on board the information you have and start to re-take control of the process.

Look after yourself. Sending you hugs at this tough time.

Thank you so much for your kind words. You have given me lots of food for thought.

I think with being referred straight to IVF it makes you think that if that doesn't work then there is nowhere to go.

I will research more into natural supplements etc and see how that goes.

Thanks again :)

Losy - why was IUI ruled out? Xx

Chandler I have no idea? The consultant said that she would put me on clomid but as the sperm count was low she would recommend IVF. I thought she would offer clomid or metformin. Then if that didn't work then iui, then if that didn't work IVF. I feel like if the IVF doesn't work now then thats it.

I would ask why IUI isn't an option. As atilla says it might be because of the semenanalysis result. Do you know what the figures were for count, motility and morphology?

They have discharged us from the hospital now. I should have asked. I feel worse now. The figures were around 2 million. They tested twice.