PCOS: what helped you when nothing seemed to work?

[Worriedmum97]

TTC for 17 months now. Tried:

1. plenty of sex all that time with husband who has “plenty of sperm” according to doctor
2. metformin 1500/day for all that time
3. ovasitol last 6 months
4. 7 seas trying for a baby vitamins + omega3
5. have been going to gym 3 times a week for the past 9 months.
6. had ovarian drilling in March (all fine, holes drilled in both ovaries, minor ending (stage 1 probably) removed, ovulated in April but BFN.
7. my BMI is 19, so loosing weight is not an option
8. trying to avoid clomid as have high risks of breast/ovarian cancer.
9. eating healthy (has always been, but now also got rid of cakes, pasta, white bread, etc, trying to limit carbs as much as I can generally). My latest insulin reading was actually below lowest end of norm.
10. tracking ovulation with sticks and pre OD I was ovulating every 6 weeks although on CD28 or so. And my ovulation hurts a lot so no chance of missing it.
11. thyroid function is under control with 50mg of levothyroxine per day. I have 2 kids from the same partner which were conceived naturally but each took 9-11 months of trying.

What else have you tried that you think has helped?

If you are that certain about when you ovulate, then you just have to keep trying at ovulation time. The thing with PCOS is not the quality of the egg, it's the irregularity with which you have an egg that is primed and ready to go.

With PCOS I conceived on Clomid for DC1. DC2 was conceived naturally but with no specific effort on our part and it was a COMPLETE surprise as clearly my periods were irregular. We were in the "have unprotected sex for 6 month before seeing a specialist" phase and were just lucky. By dates (ie last period) I was 5 weeks ahead of DD's actual dates (which did cause minor panic as hospital rushed to get initial scans thinking I was already at 13 weeks...)

Youve done everything i tried but it took me 3 years and relaxing to make it work.

I was overweight so lost weight, went in a low Gi diet to cut carbs and that helped establish a regular cycle.

I got pregnant the month i gave up, went away for the weekend with DH and got drunk!

Yeh, in point 6 I meant endo: they found a bit of it during laparoscopy. I got pregnant in January this year but that was chemical with HCG only reaching 80 at peak.

@worriedmum97

Sounds like you doing all you can. I really hope you get your BFP soon. Can I ask how old you are and are your periods regular? I gather you are ovulating due to the pain but have you had tests come back to say you are ovulating? You are are good weight and managing your pcos well.

Clomid. Sorry! Conceived in cycle 2

Clomid didn't work for me and my experience of it was awful. I actually stopped taking it after 5 months and "gave up". For me it was just time and chance. Took 9 years but we got there eventually. Might not be what you want to hear but sometimes we can try every potion and "trick" and...nothing... and some of them I genuinely believe are more placebo.

We just kept at it and focused on our child free time to make sure it didn't control our lives too much and let nature decide for us.

Bit the bullet and pay for L1/L2 testing. Clotting disorders and PCOS often go hand in hand. So does hypothyroid and antibodies. So it might not be the pcos impacting your ability to get pregnant (just the quality of the eggs).

IVF for us, I’m afraid to say. Will have to go back next year to try again for a sibling.

However, if you’ve conceived already then you’re already doing better than me!

Thanks, @Ashford10
I’ve turned 33 in March. My kids are 7 and 3. My periods are weird. Before my second my periods would be 22-45day with anovulatory and ovulatory cycles alternating. After second I went one 3months with no period and GP gave me metfotmin. On metformin I was ovulating around CD28, making my periods 42 days long. Lucky me, never had issues with weight, 52-54kg since I was 14.

Good point on pain not meaning actual ovulation. I had an internal scan a year ago on the day I had this pain and all doctor say was a large (5cm) cyst on my ovary. But my leuteral phase is 2 weeks bang on (precise to the hours I have this pain) and my periods are very heavy, so I take it as indication of ovulation, but you’re right better to check.

@worriedmum97

If it helps, I'm 34 and having trouble conceiving my 2nd. I've only just found out i could possibly have pcos so going for a scan next week to check for cysts as My blood tests showed high testesterone. I also have bad ovulation pains that last 3 days (from sat to mon) but when I track my temperature it didnt rise after ovulation so I wonder if I'm ovulating or whether I'm trying to ovulate and the cysts are causing the pain?! I'm going to go to do day 21 blood test tomorrow to see if I have ovulated. Have you tried tracking your temperature?

P.s I’ve always had regular periods 28-29 days and also slim and have the pain mid way through cycle. No signs of pcos i.e no facial hair apart from the blood test showing the higher levels of testesterone in my blood so come as a shock. I can let you know how I get on as I assumed regular periods means ovulate but doesn’t necessary mean so

@Teddybear45 when I mentioned clots disorder to endocrinologist he said that as I’ve already carried 2 kids to term that shouldn’t be the issue. Or wasn’t he quite right?

Clotting disorders don’t always make sense. For example my aunt carried 5 kids with a Level 1 clotting disorder (the worst of the worst) and was only diagnosed when she started getting DVTs.