Navigating PCOS

[Lexxa]

Hello,
Back in March I was told by my OBGYN that I have PCOS. My periods are super irregular and I could go months without having a period. I’ve been ttc since February, and have no luck. I’ve read online that being gluten free and dairy could help with losing weight.
As far as ttc, what advice do you guys have if you have a similar story?

I’ve had PCOS since I was 12 (17 years) and have irregular periods and although my periods did come, I didn’t actually ovulate which meant I had no chance in hell. For some going GF etc works and others it doesn’t. There’s a few different PCOS variants so if you’re insulin resistant for example that may help. I take metformin and I used OvuSense to pinpoint when I was ovulating (aka never lol). I then went private and was prescribed Letrozole which works well in women with pcos. I’m now coming up to 7 weeks pregnant.

I have PCO, no syndrome though so not sure if my experience is helpful? I have never had a problem with my weight but have had awful cystic acne since I was 14, and am very scarred, including some keloid scars. I still suffer now in my late 40s. My periods were always very irregular and I've been going through menopause since my late 30s.

It took me about 6 months to get pregnant the first time, when I was 31, but I had a miscarriage. It took 9 months to get pregnant again. He's now 15. When he was 18 months old I fell pregnant again but that also ended in miscarriage. From start to finish I used no contraception. About 10 years ago my ovaries were so bad (11-15 cysts on each ovary) that I had them cauterised. I was sterilised at the same time due to the damage that would be done to any future eggs.

Not sure if that's any help? Bit of a sad story really but I do have a very healthy teenager who I always joke is my miracle but honesty it did/ does feel like that!

Inositol regulated my periods and made staying at optimum weight easier (I could finally eat 1700 ish calories like normal people, without gaining). I was not overweight though, and I believe getting to a healthy weight is really important for managing pcos. Difficult though I know!

When TTC I eventually realised that both the months I conceived were the only months I hadn't drunk alcohol. I didn't drink much anyway, but alcohol can cause an increase in oestrogen especially for pcos sufferers so it's possible that not drinking helped me conceive. Anecdotal evidence only though I'm afraid! Took 4 months to conceive dc1 and five months for dc2.

I went keto and intermittent fasting instead and a couple of months later (after 3 years ttc)I was pregnant. I eat a fair amount of dairy, keto is a gluten free diet.

I have PCOS and drastically reducing sugar and carbs helped so much. No fertility/cycle issues anymore, no weight issues anymore. Only thing is polycystic enlarged ovaries and hirsutism.

I have pcos and am overweight. I tried for 2 years with no success. A fertility clinic put me on metfomin and letrozole. I conceived on my first cycle (and sadly miscarried) and again on my second cycle with them. I'm now 19 weeks pregnant and all is going well. I wish I looked for the help sooner ❤

@2020mc did they say anything to you about OHSS with metformin? Because I was supposed to go on it but was told it was a risk factor

Yes the did an internal ultrasound before they thought I would ovulate (based on the dates I took the leteozole). Each time they saw one mature follicle about ovulate. If they saw 2 they said they'd still recommend we try that month but I think if its more than 2 they recommend you don't and they bring down the doses. I was on the lowest level of letrozole, I think it was 5mg or 7.5mg from memory.

Absolutely keto and inositol.

I tried for over 4 years. I'm now 11 weeks pregnant and it's absolutely down to low carb and inositol.

I started infertility investigations a month before conceiving as I wanted PCOS properly diagnosed however as diet and inositol controlled it so well, scans and blood tests were inconclusive.

I have PCOS too. Periods have been irregular since they started, but I wasn't diagnosed until fertility investigations began after TTC for over a year. I have all the classic signs. I know I ovulate rarely as I had a BFP shortly after seeing the specialist for the first time. Sadly it ended with MC.

Going as low carb as I could and Metformin definitely helped get my periods back on track. I still wasn't ovulating, so once I hit a certain BMI, I took Clomid. I finally got a BFP, and 9months later, DD.

TTC#2 now. Still early months (started mid-February), but I'm already on the Metformin. Had one period. Still waiting for the second (1week late, but many BFN), so they're not stabilised yet. Will be going low carb as of Monday, and I'm looking into inositol to help as well. Hoping to not need to go down the Clomid route again, but I'm not going to wait forever.

Research it and the podcast called PCOS diva is great. I went low carb and took inositol

Thank you everyone for the positive and helpful insight! Your comments definitely give me hope, and hopefully I can find something that works for me. I’m going try to watch my carbs and cut alcohol since my intake on those two things are usually pretty high.

Has anyone taken Ovasitol? If so, how was your experience? Did you have to clear it with your OB first?

Isn't Ovasitol just a brand name for inositol? If it doesn't have anything else in it, I would just get any inositol - cheaper! Inositol is also called myo-inositol 😊

Which brand of Inositol did you use, or would recommend? I’ve seen a couple that are on the pricer side.

I have pcos too , was diagnosed a year ago but been suffering symptoms for years . been TTC since last year august , had fertility checks done which included HSG and a hysteroscopy. Been on metformin , dieting( currently only 72kg and 172cm) , supplements , herbal teas and Still haven’t been able to conceive. Just started Proceive Max Women, which has all the vital vitamins (inositol,CoQ10etc) and is specifically made for over 35s or those TTC for more than a year. Seen some good reviews and success stories. Hopefully will help in some way , But I guess next step will be clomid.

I don’t think you have to buy ovasitol. Any should do! I think I just got one from a health store

Yeah, any brand will be fine I'm sure. I've used three different ones I think. Got them all off Amazon

Hello,
I have PCOS, i was diagnosed at 22 and just had my first baby in January at 32. I was off the pill for over a year, just to see what would happen, but I only had 3 periods in 12 months. I took metformin but not entirely sure if that helped as I still did not have periods.
I was/ am a healthy weight, and diet did nothing to impact my ovulation / situation. However I did already eat a healthy diet with low sugar etc. My issues were all to do with hormone imbalances.
I was only able to conceive by taking medication to bring on a period, then taking clomid (fertility medication) and having a hormone trigger shot to release the egg. I became pregnant on the second cycle and did not miscarry :). I continued to take metformin until 16 weeks to avoid miscarriage (I think metformin helps maintain progesterone levels?!).

I stopped having regular periods when I was early twenties, despite them being very heavy when I was a teenager. I have a lot of small cysts covering both ovaries and a hormone imbalance. I went to see a private fertility cobsultant (bipassed the GP as i didnt need a referral and treatment on the NHS would have taken forever). Did not cost much to go private, and if needing IVF they can refer you back to NHS.

I would go back to your GP and ask to discuss clomid. If you have diagnoses PCOS they shouldn't make you wait too long to see a specialist. Or alternatively go private if you can afford to. X