TTC WITH PCOS

[swirls3468]

Hi everyone!
Just thought I'd make a thread for anyone TTC with pcos. I have not formally been diagnosed with the condition but pretty sure I am due to my irregular periods and the way my ovaries look on a scan.
I came off the pill August last year and had regular periods and then they just completely stopped in January. I had to have a tablet to induce a period in the end.
Anyway it's been a while now and hard to try and conceive when you know you probably aren't even ovulating.
Any body in a similar position?
Also anyone has any tips/ supplements that might help?

Thanks 😁

@Croselle they were mostly dull aches but I’d have some twinges every now and again and some that made me gasp out loud but those weren’t that often. I never had the prickly pulling behind the belly button sensation that I’ve read about. I do remember having a what I think period cramps feel like for a few around days the positive result, I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about, it could be the egg implanting and/or the womb starting to expand depending on your dates. Have you called the doctors today?

@Kg87 not yet, she said it'd be today so just keeping my phone attached to me! Yeah, I am probably overthinking it all!

@Croselle ahh okay have they said what they’ll need from you when they call? I think it seems to vary depending on the specialist and your location, the gynaecologist that I saw at the fertility department prescribed me with progesterone pessaries straight away and said to wait and see how things go and booked me in for a scan 2 weeks after I got my positive result, she said there’s not much else they can do until they see the scan but I think they probably could have done blood tests to check my HCG was increasing but she didn’t seem concerned at the time!

@Kg87 So she called and basically just said to her mind I'm pregnant and that I should self-refer to antenatal care to get things moving and get my first appointments. She doesn't seem concerned at all and told me not to worry about the chemical pregnancy, it's always possible but I should have no reason to believe it is or will happen. :)

@Croselle ahh that’s amazing, it’s so reassuring when you speak to staff like her that are so positive! Fingers crossed you’ll hear back quite quickly after you self refer!

@Kg87 thank you! :D

Congrats @Croselle :)

@Newbie0818ew thank you! I still almost don't believe it's real. How are you doing? X

@Croselle I hope it progresses perfectly for you :)
I put a message in below just outlining the issues, but we have our first fertility consultation tomorrow morning. Hoping we can start getting some luck now 🤞🏼

@Newbie0818 Keeping everything crossed for you! I am sure you'll get a good start to your journey, I have found the consultants to be so great this year.

I have booked an early scan via a private hospital for 13 days from now, so hopeful it's all good news!

Hi everyone ☺️

I'm new on this thread. Just wanted to see if anyone had similar experience as me or could offer some insight:

I came off the pill in July. Was 37 days between WB and first period, then 57 day cycle and currently on CD42 of this cycle. Had appt with fertility specialist yesterday to get looking into stuff and will have having pelvic ultrasound and HSG in Jan and DP will have sperm study.

I thought I had ovulated each cycle. First one - got spotting on CD27. Second one got elevated sustained temp (wasn't tracking this first cycle) from CD48. This would suggest LP of 10 days, so not great. This cycle, had almost 2 weeks of EWCM, (closest I've ever had to) a peak OPK (wasn't using these really other cycles) and then 3 days after the peak OPK, temp spiked and has stayed up. The specialist did a quick ultrasound and confirmed definitely no ovulation - no corpus luteum. I asked him about the BBT going up and staying up and he just said "it's not a reliable way of tracking for some people"

I am so confused. I though the BBT shift was the ONE surefire way of knowing you'd ovulated 🤯 So I guess I'm asking has anyone had thermal shift but had it confirmed they did not ovulate?

@Croselle thanks :) let us know how your scan goes x

@CardioQueen unfortunately temping isn't so reliable :/ it seems that is is more often accurate than not, however scans etc are definitely more informative. I still temp but I go by the symptoms I have instead, after 16 months ttc I'm so in tune with my body lol. I'm also just about to start going through the fertility process so it will be interesting to see if I am actually ovulating or not as I get a temp shift too.
Will they recommend treatments for you?

@Newbie0818 thanks so much for your reply.

I am honestly mind blown, I def thought that was the thing I could rely on! Really interested to hear if you have been ovulated if you feel like sharing your journey.

The specialist did not seem bothered I wasn't ovulating, he basically said "that's the easy part to fix!". Once we both have our test results in Jan then we will start on a) ovulation stimulation meds, b) meds plus intrauterine insemination or c) IVF.

If I do the ovulation stimulating meds I wonder how I will ever know if they're actually working? Just go for a scan I guess?

Wishing you lots of your luck on your fertility process 🍀

So we've just had the apt and it's looking positive. Basically, the GP didn't tell the full truth the first time around when explaining DH's SA results, and it turns out he has NO normally shaped sperm, so a pregnancy wouldn't happen.

He's been out on some supplements, and if no change in 3 months they will refer us straight to IVF.

Surprisingly my pcos didn't cause much concern as she said there's no point me going on any meds etc if the sperm is an issue. So if his sperm comes back ok, I'll be put on Clomid, and if that doesn't work after 3-6 months, they'll pop us through for ivf.

Ivf seems to be our route, and it was what I wanted so I'm happy. But here's hoping I get lucky before then anyway 🤞🏼✨👶🏽

@CardioQueen hey!! I was due to start ovulation induction medication and the doctor told me the way they track it is to have weekly scans to check the size of the follicles and a blood test to confirm 7 days after the suspected ovulation date. I used to think a blood test would be a absolute way of confirming however I was told my blood test showed that my progesterone was really low so although it looked like ovulated in October it wasn’t likely to result in a pregnancy, then 10 days later I got a BFP so it’s all very baffling!

@Newbie0818 oh that is exciting - you've got a plan now! Here's hoping it gets you that BFP one way or another 🤞🏼

@Kg87 i am finding it more baffling as the weeks go on. Quite frankly I think it's a miracle anyone ends up pregnant at all?! But thank you for that, I'm guessing that is what would happen here too then - it does make sense that they would use those accurate methods of tracking it. That is amazing you got your BFP after they had said that too!

"I asked him about the BBT going up and staying up and he just said "it's not a reliable way of tracking for some people". I am so confused. I though the BBT shift was the ONE surefire way of knowing you'd ovulated"

I'm afraid not. Temp charting can be misleading and with PCOS you can also end up with a chart similar to the Rocky Mountains which is nigh on impossible to determine with any degree of accuracy. You can get a rise in temp in the second half of the cycle when an egg has not been shed so charting anyway is not infallable.

I also found that weekly scans and blood tests through my time at the subfertility unit gave a far more accurate picture of both my hormone levels and non ovulation.

What @AttilaTheMeerkat says is definitely true. I get the Rocky Mountain chart, although there is a clear shift to be seen I don't place too much faith in it. Pic from a previous chart.

Thank you @AttilaTheMeerkat and @Newbie0818 - hopefully I will be monitored with regular scans and bloods if ovulation stimulating meds are the first port of call after our test results are back. I don't like the idea of taking those but not knowing for sure if I've ovulated.

So @Newbie0818 this is an example of an anovulatory chart of yours? This looks quite similar to mine. I'm certainly in the Rockys as well...

@CardioQueen oh I don't think it's anovulatory but I suppose I'll never really know x

Hello! Just looking for some advice..

I started my first round of clomid during my current cycle - period started on 22/11. I went for scans on CD 10 and 13 but the fertility centre said I had one dominant follicle but it wasn't as big as they would like so it didn't look like I would ovulate.

On 08/12 I got a positive ovulation test

I've been feeling rubbish for the last few days so thought it best to do a test just to check - with Xmas coming up and drinking etc. This is my pregnant test - I think I can see something but not sure? I'm only 10DPO

@Tillyisabelle2018 I can definitely see something, have you got any FRERs? I would test again each day 🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼✨ xx

Oh btw I changed my name as "newbie" didn't seem so apt anymore...

@Justanothercyster I'm going to buy some this afternoon and test again in the morning! I'm trying not to get too excited but I've done 3 of these cheap ones now and there's a faint line on all of them so probably not an indent..

@Tillyisabelle2018 eek! Let us know how you get on 😁😁😁