Advice on PCOS treatment in the UK please

[Almondmilk]

Hello all,
I have discovered that I have PCOS around two months ago. I stopped the pill in May and realised that I had no periods. Last appointment with the gynaecologist was around one month ago. She said I should wait 6 more months before I start a treatment to help me ovulate. This was in Scandinavia and I am now in the UK. I am 34 and I think it's starting to become urgent. Anyone can tell me how to proceed here to get help conceiving? I'm in South London.
Thanks!!

[peaceuiw]

Amazing. I have done updates of conception scan confirmation. 6 months pregnant and when I gave birth. I mentioned it took me 8 years to fall pregnant. Used this stuff ONCE and I found out I was pregnant. And it would of tallied up with when we used ttcherbal on facebook: oduduwa ajakaye. C0040350D

[peaceuiw]

Amazing. I have done updates of conception scan confirmation. 6 months pregnant and when I gave birth. I mentioned it took me 8 years to fall pregnant. Used this stuff ONCE and I found out I was pregnant. And it would of tallied up with when we used ttcherbal on facebook: oduduwa ajakaye. C0040350D

[icy121]

Disagree. Trying all of this stuff can be very hurtful, because it puts all the onus on the woman fixing herself, and if only she tried xyz as well as abc then she might have got pregnant, the idiot.

No one would be pressuring someone with pretty much any other illness to try to cure it themselves.

[Bellasmomma]

Well irregular to no cycles fertilaid may work for her just check out their website it never hurts to try! ❤️ m.fairhavenhealth.com I didn't have my period for years and it came on this! 💜

[icy121]

The OP doesn't have irregular cycles, she has NO cycles. I second Atilla (who gave me good advice when I was going through treatment) - see your GP and ask for a referral to gynaecologist. Get on a waiting list.

Your home country might be much cheaper - in which case go there and see a specialist. I have a few polish friends who "save up" all their medical stuff for trips home, it's that much cheaper, so makes total sense. But see a medical professional by whichever means.

Also please don't put pressure on yourself to "do everything perfectly so at least you know it's not your fault". Having PCOS isn't you fault - it's as simple as that. We live in a world where crack addicts are able to have a baby a year. There is no rhyme or reason to fertility.... and yoga every day isn't a cure. Hippy types will push you down the woo route. This is just a very quick way to feel even more shit about yourself IME.

[Borntoflyinfirst]

I had pcos when tcc with dd1. Had clomid, ovarian drilling, more clomid and eventually was lucky enough to fall pg.

Then went on to conceive ds naturally. After ds periods went off again. I was recommended Angus Cactus (Holland & Barratt) to regulate my hormones. Sure enough after a 10 week cycle first month on AC was 30 day cycle and 2nd month I was pg! I'm not saying it's a guarantee but it certainly worked for me.

[DrewOB0]

Look into Inositol, it was a game changer for me. Hard to get dosage right though. I was on 2g a day when I conceived " naturally"

[user1490586627]

Hello I have PCOS and I did have a miracle baby with no medication but it did take me 3 years of trying to get pregnant. I am trying for baby number two on dietary supplements called Fertile-aid, if you have irregular cycles you should give this medicine a try, lots of woman have conceived taking this herb.

[AgainstTheOddsNo2]

I had to all but demand metformin (and tell the gynae to advise a staggered start) but it has been a miracle pill for me. I went from 6 months of constant bleeding to having fairly regular periods and I am now 17 weeks pregnant.

It is unbelievably hard to get decent pcos support and you essentially have to research (using proper research papers not just people trying to sell you shit on the internet) everything yourself and go armed with knowledge and demands.

I am already worried about what I will do after the baby (fingers crossed it all progresses ok)

[bananafish81]

Lean PCOS tends to be about insulin sensitivity rather than insulin resistance like with classic PCOS - so metformin and eating low GL are less likely to make a difference than they are with overweight women, where losing weight can make a big difference

But nevertheless PCOS is still a metabolic disorder: I'm low BMI (18) and my consultant prescribed me metformin.

[AttilaTheMeerkat]

almondmilk

www.verity-pcos.org.uk/ is Verity's website.

Metformin is usually only prescribed by consultants and not every woman with PCOS receives this drug treatment.

I would go to the GP and ask for a referral to a gynaecologist.

I would not bother checking for ovulation if you do not have periods. Sounds like your previous gyn fobbed you off and certainly did not make much effort.

[Almondmilk]

Is metformin only for overweight women? I wonder why it has not been suggested to me when I saw a gynaecologist in my previous country. She only sent me home with provera tablets every 3 months. Bitch didn't do much effort!

[Almondmilk]

AppalazianWalzing hi, thanks. I can not find the Uk board for pcos. Could you send me the link? I would much appreciate that. I'm gonna go to a GP to start with.
Pcos is not fun, it's also hard to understand for people who don't have it. Especially partners! I don't have periods at all. I got provera to get them every 3 months...I find it odd, why not finding something for every month.
Low GL diet is a good thing to do and I am trying to follow it but not strictly.
Should I try to check if I ovulate even if I don't have periods? My feeling is that I don't ovulate at all.

[AppalazianWalzing]

Hi OP.

I was diagnosed with PCOS by the NHS some years ago, but wasn't TTC at the time.
I was told to come back when I was ready, and that the course of action was generally: metformjn, then clomid, then other options (e.g. IVF) but I presume that would depend on trust - you may or may not be aware but different trusts/NHS areas essentially have different budgets for different treatments.

Are you ovulating irregularly, or not at all? Have you been prescribed metformin?

In my case, I'm currently TTC: I found low GL diet, regular exercise (just walking to and from work) and metformin helped regulate my cycle initially. I've been temping and am satisfied at the moment my cycles aren't anovulatory. But different people respond differently, you may need different forms of treatment, and it may be worth travelling home if they aren't offered.

It would make sense to at least investigate your treatment options on your local NHS by going to a GP, providing them with your diagnosis and seeing what they recommend. Certainly I know many people have been successful with PCOS without having to go private.

There's also a UK messaging board called Verity especially for women diagnosed with PCOS that might be worth checking out. Best of luck.

[Almondmilk]

Hi all, thanks for all your replies.
I take supplements and was advised by a very good health shop. I feel so much better but my periods aren't back. So I am not going to add any more supplements. icy121 don't worry ;)
I have started yoga, at least twice a week but I wish to do it everyday. It's my goal. I believe it can help to feel healthier. I will try everything natural I can so I don't blame myself for being unhealthy and if I can not ovulate it won't be my mistake...
NHS seems to not be the key to ovulation success and people advise to go private which I can't afford. I'm thinking now that I should travel back to previous country or homeland to see doctors as it will be cheaper.

[icy121]

OP - Dealing with infertility is hard enough without being given "advice" from presumbaly well-meaning but clearly dangerously uninformed anonymous posters. People on a message board cannot diagnose you. They can support you through your situation and any treatments you need to have. Between a handful of contributors here they will probably have covered 90% + of treatment options. But whilst we can share our stories, NONE of us can offer you advice for your situation. We don't know. You need professional, medical advice: a suite a blood tests and a medical expert to review them with you and discuss the implications of what is (and isn't) found.

ANYONE advising you to buy supplements off Amazon is, frankly, being an arse. They cannot know what is going on in your body. They have their own agendas. And, to be honest, generally aren't infertile so they don't actually know what they're talking about. People who "cure" their infertility through diet & supplements and conceive within a few months aren't fucking infertile!! It's the equivalent of asking for advice for dealing with cancer or cystic fibrosis and someone saying "this is my diet, and I don't have cancer/CF, so it must work".

We can give you the names of consultants who have helped us, and once you know what's up, we can offer hand holding through whatever follows.

[bananafish81]

NHS will never prescribe natural methods because they would loose money

Who would lose money? The NHS doesn't make money from meds. It costs them. It's in their interests to recommend effective treatments that cost as little as possible

It's not in their interests to prescribe treatments that haven't been through the appropriate safety regulations

And again. Please explain how progesterone could in any way help to regulate the hormonal imbalance that causes PCOS

You're talking out of your arse and if you want to make any kind of compelling argument it would help if you actually put forward any kind of justification for what you're saying. Given that what you're suggesting completely breaks the laws of nature

[bananafish81]

Doctors here prescribe progesterone to help prevent miscarriage

It's a standard part of miscarriage treatment

That doesn't have anything to do with restoration of hormone levels for PCOS

You're completely refusing to answer the question

How does restoring natural levels of progesterone have anything whatsoever to do with ovulation?

Maintaining levels of progesterone is only an issue if you're ovulating and there's a pregnancy to sustain

The problem with PCOS is not ovulating

Progesterone does absolutely nothing to stimulate FSH and therefore absolutely nothing to regulate ovulation

I am using my brain. I'm asking you to use yours.

How does progesterone do anything at all to induce ovulation for women with PCOS

[merinl25]

Natural progesterone contributes to restoration of hormone levels, together with other supplements mentioned.NHS will never prescribe natural methods because they would loose money.There are some doctors in other countries who stop miscarriages through administering progesterone.I was lucky to meet on of them.He saved my son from being miscarried.NHS will only "help" you to finish off miscarriage instead of saving the baby.Sorry, but witnessed it.They have to follow protocols.We use our own brains.

[HereToHelp82]

Hi all, I am new to the blog. I went Leeds centre got private IVF treatment as I was hoping for the 2nd child in May. Following the failure I was told it could be because of PCOS but was never told about it before the treatment. I had period issues since 2012 and was seeking for advice from NHS. It was a mere case of negligence. I was referred to Private IVF in October 2015. My 1st pregnancy is a natural one and was gestational diabetic during 1st pregnancy.
Consultant now advised to take inofolic after the failure to treat PCOS but been using it for 6months still sanity periods only.
Good luck for you..

[bananafish81]

How exactly does natural progesterone work to restore ovulation please merin?

How does progesterone stimulate FSH production?

How does progesterone reduce elevated androgens which arrest follicle development?

How does progesterone in the luteal phase have any effect on the hypothalamic pituitary axis that regulates ovulation?

I'd love to know how progesterone cream completely reworks the intricate hormonal balance of the menstrual cycle. It sounds like magical stuff. You should be publishing this in all the journals because this is ground breaking stuff if you've managed to complete turn the HPA axis on its head

[bananafish81]

Progesterone has no mechanism for regulating ovulation

Ovulation is due to FSH production in the pituitary in the follicular phase

Progesterone is only produced after ovulation. It doesn't cause ovulation. Only FSH can cause ovulation. Progesterone cannot make any difference whatsoever to the follicular phase. All it can do is lengthen the luteal phase. If you're not ovulating there is no luteal phase

Taking progesterone cream isn't going to make a blind bit of difference to ovulation

The only thing that will work if metformin + low GL + inositol haven't been successful, is ovulation induction or laparoscopic ovarian drilling.

Oh and fertility meds don't cause cancer.

There's a reason NICE guidance recommends clomid for PCOS and fertility drugs for infertility. Because of evidence based medicine.

[icy121]

If natural supplements had any systematic proven medical efficacy (rather than anecdotal "it worked for me") then don't you think doctors/the NHS would prescribe that instead of expensive treatments?

You're very lucky your cycles regulated and you avoided miscarriage. However please bear in mind that correlation isn't causation, and your anecdote is in no way proof that the herbs you recommend work.

Further, advising people to buy herbs online and take them is really unhelpful and maybe dangerous. Herbs are notoriously unregulated, so how will anyone know where they came from, what the actual dosage is etc?

This is why I recommend seeing a medical professional. Someone who can run a full suite it blood tests, carry out scans and if required come up with a proper treatment plan. The GP and NHS can do/provide all of this, but it is a long, slow process. If you have the money and your fertility is a priority to you, I'd always recommend seeing a consultant gynaecologist in the first instance. There are women on this forum who can give recommendations in central London or further afield.

Or, rather than get a detailed overview carried out by a medical expert, just order a load of random supplements sugar pills? off Amazon on the day so of an anonymous poster, and hope for the best 🙄

[merinl25]

Yes, the natural supplements do work, especially natural progesterone. They regulated my ovulation and prevented miscarriage.That's why I strongly encourage women to go natural way that work with their bodies instead of drugging themselves with artificial hormones and chemicals that can have unknown side effects including cancer.

[icy121]

Clomid not clinic