PCOS - Trying to conceive

[ElizabethCatherine]

Welcome to our 5th thread :)

A lovely bunch of ladies all here to help each other along the way with any questions or concerns we all have when TTC with PCOS

Thanks SLady!

The ovarian drilling was really straightforward, just a quick laparoscopic operation. I didn’t have Clomid last time as I hadn’t had a period since coming off the pill 2 years before so they needed to do something drastic!

This is actually the first time in my whole life I’ve had trackable periods (although 8 weeks apart!)

Hope everyone’s having a good Friday!

Had my day 5 scan this morning and it looks like I’m at high risk of hyper stimulation :( Because of having PCOS I have a very high ovarian reserve.. So she counted 42 follicles and the norm is to have 15-21 during ivf meds. So they are monitoring me very closely now. I’m already very achey in my back/ovaries and all I wanna do is lay down and rest, feeling a bit tired which I hear is expected. Had to take the 2nd injection this morning which stung quite a bit after doing it. So I will continue to inject 2 every morning. She said the norm is 12 days for injections but all depends how everyone responds. I hope I don’t have any problems with hyper stimulation :( she was explaining the complications and it doesn’t sound nice. I just want a nice smooth procedure but don’t we all! Nothing with fertility is easy.

I think it probably sounds scarier than it is confusion, so it obviously worked for you, how long do you think it was until the effects wore off?

Oh no sorry to hear that Elizabethcatherine can they adjust the strength or can you stop taking the injections sooner? Fingers crossed you have no issues with overstimmulating. At least your body is reacting to the meds and hopefully means there will be lots of good eggs for the transfer! That's the one good thing about us pcos ladies is we have lots of eggs in our reserve, it's just getting them to pop out and make an appearance which is the tricky part make sure you rest up and take it easy this weekend

@SLady thanks love.. ya they will check me on Monday to see how things are going - I am hoping for a shorter cycle! Just going to take it easy this weekend, I’m a gym bunny so it’s hard staying away from working out by my body needs rest. I am ordering pizza and playing video games tonight instead haha

Haha sounds amazing Elizabethcatherine enjoy!

Dear PCOS experts,

I think I am only just accepting that I have PCOS, a while ago I did have unexplained uterine bleeding for several weeks and I had gone without a period for 7 months.

I made some changes and now manage to get my period approximately once a month, longest cycle about 39 days. I have been TTC since Dec/Jan.

August I bought a CB fertility monitor, I know it's not recommended for PCOS.

Anyhow it told me I ovulated in August and I thought great! Despite DTD in the right window no BFP! This month though we've been DTD everyday/other day no LH surge on the monitor and it's CD 25. I am disheartened and tired.

How can I get my LH up?

GP has given me 1tablet a day metformin, had that for the last couple of months and thought it had settled me into 32 day cycles but now I think all bets are off.

My GP also had a chat with a OBGYN mate of hers who said I should take inofolic. She told me in August but you have to buy it on the internet so I've just bitten the bullet and done that.

Any advice?

@peachesarenom Stick with the Metformin for a few cyles and see how you get on. I have PCOS too and was getting a positive on OPKS around CD21,only to find out when I was referred to a fertility specialist my OPK's were showing positive but my progesterone levels weren't high enough so in fact i wasn't actually ovulating!! It's worth pushing your GP for a referral to the fertility specialist as they will investigate alot more than your GP.

@SLady, just catching up this morning. I take my clomid in the evening just before bed. I read it could help with the side effects. I've woken up with a sore throat and temperature and generally feel like crap!! 7dpo and desperately trying not to think too much of it.

@ElizabethCatherine No wonder you mentioned you have achey ovaries...42 wow! Deffo take it easy this weekend. Did they say about the quality of the eggs or is it too son for that?

Cobblestones
How are you finding inofolic? I'm pleased to hear it has helped. How long are your cycles now? Have you any idea about whether it has helped ovulation?

Amy do you think I should ask her to up my metformin dose?

@peachesarenom get your doc to send a referral clinic to the fertility center as soon as you can to get the ball rolling. They are the only ones who will be able to put you in clomid if you need it and carry out other examinations. Your other half will have to get a seven analysis done as well so if I were you I’d start doing the ground work for the referral now the waiting lists are so long to get in like 2-3 months and you need to be trying about a year so just make sure you say since dec so you can get in there asap. I was also taking metformin 1 tablet 500mg a day for 2 months and had no symptoms apart from the 2 week adjustment period but am now on 1000mg 2 tablets twice a day. They start you off on a low dose to start but working up to 2 a day is best they say. Some ladies take 3.

@AmyL88 I know I really hope it goes ok - I’ve got my next scan Monday morning to see how things are coming along. Too early to see the eggs yet but the follows are just starting! Resting up this weekend for sure. I’m starting to get very sleepy from these injections which is norm I hear.

ElizabethCatherine I think you're right, it's time to bite the bullet and get a referral.

Thank you everyone for being so helpful and friendly x

Not doing good ladies :( I was fine until about 4pm yesterday I just started to feel absolutely horrendous. So much pressure in my ovaries and extremely tired and so ill feeling.. I was out in Chelsea and then had to get an Uber home but drive 3 mins and he had to come to a hault I got of the car and spewed SO much all over the wheel of some brand new Mercedes in Chelsea, so classy. I then had to take baby steps and keep sitting down until I made it to the tube and had to take the tube with puke all over my pants and shoes. What a nightmare! I had hot/cold flashes all night and was feeling so ill I had to go into hospital this morning for bloods and scan, I’m waiting on my call about what to do with my fsh dose. I am not hyper stimulated (yet) but needs to be monitored so closely now. I really didn’t think I would feel this ill. I’m on a board with girls going for ivf in sept/Oct and no one had symptoms like mine :( I just hope I can stick this out because it’s so demanding on my body and I can’t even go to work.

I'm so sorry ElizabethCatherine that sounds awful.

Oh god ElizabethCatherine, that sounds awful. I'm sorry, why is everything such a bloody challenge! Did they keep you in hospital? Make sure you rest for the next few days!

Welcome peachesarenom, I agree start the process now for a referral as it can take months to get an appt and at least the GP can start to arrange some of the blood tests and your partners Semen Analysis.

How's everyone else doing? I've just finished taking my Clomid for this cycle so now just hoping it does its thing!

@ElizabethCatherine Oh my...That sounds awful!! I have known a couple of women to go through IVF and never heard of those kind of reactions to the medication. What did the hosp say surly that's not a normal reaction?

@Sunny I am on CD 24 and feeling really run down. I am on antibiotics for a throat infection so I am not feeling too hopeful for this cycle. What Clomid dose are you on?

Elizabethcatherine that sounds just miserable, I hope you’re at least feeling a bit better now, what a horrible experience for you.

Hope everyone’s having a nice Sunday, I’m Day 4 of my Clomid. Feeling tired but no different as yet.

ElizabethCatherine that sounds rotten. Hope you start feeling better soon.

Thanks ladies x

@Sunny1984 they didn’t keep me in hospital I just had to wait 2 hours to be seen which sucked but I had bloods and a scan and they said I’m not hyper stimulated yet but have to keep a close eye on my dose now.
Fingers crossed for you for this dose! When do you find out if it worked? X

@AmyL88 Sorry you arnt feeling well this cycle either, it’s just the worst when our bodies won’t function normal and healthy the whole time, it’s so demanding on our systems. The doc said it’s normal to have these reactions and didn’t seem too alarmed enough to stop medication or anything. In looking at the symptoms list my is just the more severe end of things on the list. I just didn’t expect it to be this bad. Feeling much better today then yesterday though but def still not good. Bed rest for 2 days for sure.

So I’ve just finished my last day of Clomid on my first round. What should I be looking for and around what days?

I’ve got a scan a week today so hopefully will know more then, just wondered what everyone else’s symptoms are?

When's the earliest possible day of testing?
I feel strange, my lower abdo is aching a lot which I don't have ever
I've got 7 days until af is due

Just catching up with the thread. Poor you Elizabethcatherine that sounds awful. I hope you feel better soon. That's good you haven't overstimulated but sucks that your symptoms are so bad!! Not what you need! Big hugs xx

So that's three of us just finishing our Clomid tablets (my last lot is tomorrow) Sunny confusion
It's always good to look out for EWCM or twinges to signal ovulation confusion but we've sort of decided on this thread the symptoms are misleading. Just got to relax and DTD haha

Good luck holly I usually wait until CD28 to test but you can prob start testing tomorrow with a FRER if you can't wait

Hi everyone,

Hope you don't mind if I join this thread! I'm 31 and have been TTC for just under a year and a half now. I was diagnosed with PCOS in May and am currently taking 3 500mg Metformin tablets a day which has helped me to lose over a stone and seems to have improved how often I have periods (as in I've had a couple since I started taking it whereas I hadn't had one for 10 months prior to that).

I have lots of questions, but my main one at the moment is for those people who've been on Metformin how long did it take to get to a regular cycle? My last cycle was about 10 weeks and I've been waiting 8 weeks since my last period and no sign of anything. Prior to being on the pill (which I came off last year) I used to have fairly regular 5-6 week cycles but I'm still a way off those!

It's really good to have people to chat to about this so thank you in advance. It can feel like a lonely journey!

Wish there was less waiting involved

Need to talk facial hair - does metformin stop this from growing? I'm getting more and more and it's really getting me down

Welcome clared I've only been on Metformin a couple of months but my last cycle was definitely shorter than my usual cycles. I've just been reading a journal article about Metformin and PCOS and from what it said about what it can do to the ovaries it would seem to me it was quite a lot and therefore would take a while to have the complete effect.

Holly I don't know about the facial hair question. I get my upper lip and eyebrows waxed every 3 weeks. So far I haven't noticed a difference but it's early days. I'm pretty sure my facial hair is inherited from my Dad's side of the family though and I had a tash as a child sadly so mine might not be PCOS related. I will however hope that it'll slow down the growth.

ElizabethCatherine how are you feeling now?

Hi clared welcome to the thread!

Oh my facial hair has got so much worse since coming off the pill holly I think I'm going to look into laser hair removal. I'm not bothered about top lip as it's like baby hair but my chin on the other hand!

I watched a tv programme last night where they scientifically look into all these foods which have big health claims. One of them was Baobab. They did an experiment eating white bread with and without drinking a Baobab smoothie and the Baobab regulated the sugar spike and kept the blood sugar more level. Quite interesting. Off to Holland and Barrett I go to stock up!!

Hi ladies - still not doing well over here. Sunday’s scan showed 42 follicles and today’s has now shown 50. So I have been called in again tomorrow for another scan on even closer watch now. I think tomorrow morning will be the day when I find out if we go for egg collection on either Friday or Monday. They arnt open on weekends which is bloody awful because Friday might be too soon but Monday might be too long (what I’m thinking in my head)... I don’t think I can go another weekend like this. I could only go to work for 4 hours and had to leave and was crying when I left, the whole office knows what’s going on I just feel like it’s not something I wanted to share with everyone there I like to keep my work and personal life separate but I have no choice I’ve had to take so much time off. Crying at work uhg damn hormones I just feel crazy :( not everyone at work is understanding that I need time off one person sees it as it’s an inconvenience for her and it’s not like I broke my leg or something. Like it’s a medical reason it’s not like I’m going off somewhere having fun. Uhg sorry rant over