Trying to get pregnant with PCOS

[Anniexox]

can anyone help, I was told I have PCOS after an ultrasound in Nov 23, since then I have been on 1500mg of metformin which hasn’t been bringing on my period every month, only 1 month of ovulation in march.
we have been regularly trying for a baby
we have gone to a fertility clinic privately who advised I have a fighting chance and to try letrozole or clomid to take with IUI or IVF
not sure what’s the best path to go down…
can anyone offer any advice or what they took/did to get pregnant thank you :)

Hey op, currently have my 4yo chlomid child sleeping next to me.

I wasn't ovulating on my own due to pcos hence chlomid. So my advice would be ovulation blood tests.

Good luck oh and chlomid can make you a little loopy but you get over it x

As a side note there is a risk of multiple pregnancies with chlomid. My friend had lovely and healthy twins x

Hey
i was diagnosed with PCOS over 15 years ago and only because I was having irregular periods (didn’t think about kids then). I didn’t do much at that time and went along with what the doctors gave me (pill/metformin etc) however when I wanted kids, I changed a lot in my diet, went to gym regularly and just made sure my body was healthy. I did not take any medication for PCOS and went on to have 2 healthy kids 2 years apart with no help from the clinics.

I ate things like avocados, eggs, kale etc. removed sugary stuff, butter, margarine etc. and gym 3 times a week. I felt a lot better and it helped to regulate my periods too.

One other thing I did take at the same time was Evening Primrose Oil (EPO) which you can buy from Holland and Barrett. Both times I fell pregnant I was taking EPO in that month and I’m certain that helped me get pregnant. I say that because when I got pregnant with my second child, I took EPO only in that month (my first child was only 1 year and 2 months at that time so wasn’t planning another baby) as I was having irregular periods so thought to try EPO. I tested positive that month and knew it had to be because I’d taken EPO :)

good luck.

I have PCOS, and had no cycles at all. I conceived once using letrozole although the pregnancy was ectopic. I ended up trying infolic alpha from fertility family (it's a supplement so you can buy online). It's a bit of a faff as you need to take it twice a day for at least 3 months, but I started getting my proof naturally, and ovulating and I conceived in month 4 so I'd recommend - it's a lot cheaper and less invasive than fertility treatment.

What's your BMI like? I have PCOS and gain weight very easily, the only thing that triggered my cycles was losing a lot, getting down to the bottom quarter of healthy BMI. It wasn't fun, low carb, no more than 1200 calories a day for a good year or more, gym four times a week, intensive cardio. I now have a five year old, put on a lot of weight in pregnancy that it's taken a few years to lose and I'm not as light as I was then. I also had gestational diabetes which my midwife told me PCOS made more likely

I was diagnosed with PCOS over 10yrs ago now.

Dd1 - 2yrs ttc then 2000mg of metformin for six months (it takes time to start working), started letrozole and conceived her on the third cycle. This was done through the NHS with internal scans to help determine when ovulation was due to take place.

My doctor's advice was that letrozole is more effective than clomid with lower chance of multiples and fewer side effects (i had very little). Its especially more effective if you have a higher BMI.

Dc2 (currently 38w pregnant 🥴) - 2000mg metformin plus a very low carb / low calorie diet (Fast 800) alongside intermittent fasting. Dropped over 10% of my body weight and had a natural conception whilst waiting for another letrozole prescription.

I have PCOS. I have always known I had it. I tried metformin but frankly, it did nothing to really help me so my doctor gave me climid and I was pregnant by the second month.

For DC2, I conceived naturally. Most likely because having my first DC kickstarted more frequent ovulation. Still very erratic and not regular, with absolutely no way to predict or measure it. But before DC1 my doctor estimated I ovulated no more than twice a year. DC2 was conceived naturally but we had no idea when (due to irregular periods) and I was nearly 9 weeks by the time we realised.

I was diagnosed with PCOS over 15 years ago. What helped me with ovulating/ conceiving was metformin, inositol, proceive conception max supplement, eating a low gi diet and doing strength type exercises at the gym. Doing this when coming off the pill I started ovulating about every 6 weeks and conceived on my third cycle trying. Also made sure to track ovulation so knew when to time dtd.

Reduce carb ntake, higher protein, regular movement. Cut alcohol completely. Work on dealing with stress (exacerbates it) whether that be through yoga, meditation, counselling. Start taking proceive.

I have PCOS and conceived twice on letrozole (first time on the third month, second time on the first month). An absolute wonder drug in my book. Had basically no side effects and restored normal ovulation for me (and fertility).

I have PCOS. It was only diagnosed after 2 years trying unsuccessfully, though it was pretty obvious I had had it since puberty. I had a period every other year (at best), hirsutism, and put on weight if I so much as looked at sugar.

I was on Metformin (can't remember the dosage) which regulated my periods to every 32 days. I was also on low dose Thyroxine as my "normal" TSH levels were above what the fertility clinic said was optimal for conception.

I did conceive naturally, but it ended not long after in miscarriage. A year later I managed to lower my BMI enough to get Clomid, on which I conceived on the very first dose. As a PP said, multiples are a risk. At the ultrasound to see if the Clomid had worked there were two mature follicles present. Luckily, only one was fertilised, and she turns 5 in September.

Once we decided to try for our second, I went straight back on the Metformin. TSH bloods showed I didn't need TSH this time. I also took Inositol, as I had heard good things about it. Apparently it works the same way as Metformin, but you can get it as a supplement (I was taking myo-inositol from Holland & Barrett). I was fully expecting to need Clomid a second time, when wonder upon wonder I conceived naturally after a mere 5 months. The initial line was as faint as faint can be, so I was anticipating another miscarriage, but it stubbornly clung on. As of 12 days ago, he's now the world's most bull headed 2 year old.

So my advice? Take Inositol. I genuinely credit DC2's conception to it. If offered Clomid, take it. If you haven't had TSH bloods done, ask for them to be done.

Best of luck.

Low carb op. Try and get jnto ketosis. I had no problem concieving at various weights between 20 and 26 bmi. I have 5 children. I think low carb is more important than actual weight.

I was diagnosed with PCOS 13 years ago when trying to start a family. Like others, with hindsight it was obvious - didn’t start periods till 15, very erratic cycles, lots of excess hair, etc.

Clomid didn’t work for me - it didn’t even get my cycle going despite 6 months of taking it - so I was put on Ovulation Induction (OI). I don’t hear it talked about very often so not sure if it is offered everywhere. It’s similar to IVF in that you inject daily for the first part of your cycle whilst being monitored with regular ultrasound scans, but the drug dosage is much lower. Once you’ve put up a decent sized follicle you are given an injection to trigger ovulation and told to have lots of sex for the next 48-72 hours.

It took 3 cycles of OI to conceive DD (now 10) and another 3 for DS (now 7).

It's worth asking about as it’s less invasive than full-blown IVF and should be covered under NHS treatment.

This is the clinic I was treated at (on NHS, though they do private work too) and their explanation of the treatment: https://www.cambridge-ivf.org.uk/your-journey/treatments/ovulation-induction-oi/#:~:text=Ovulation%20is%20induced%20using%20one,your%20follicles%20and%20egg%20growth.

@Helplessandheartbroke
thank you for sharing your experience with using clomid it really helps
May I ask how many cycles of clomid did to try before being successful?

@graceinc22 Hiya thanks for sharing your experience so happy the tablets worked for you!
Currently I would have to pay for the tablets privately due to the long wait under the NHS to be referred
just not sure if it’s worth the leap or to go straight to IVF scared of the possible heartbreak as there doesn’t seem to be a high rate of success based on %

it’s great to see though that people have had success using these tablets! 🩷

I personally don’t have experience of IVF but my sister in law conceived 1 child on IVF and then subsequently paid to get it done for a second baby around 4-5 times privately, each time it failed. So yes there’s a high chance of a heartbreak so maybe stay clear for now.

@GingerIsBest thank you for sharing your experience!
may I ask how long you was taking metformin for and the dosage amount before you decided to try clomid?

I have been taking metformin for 4 months now with only 1 sign of a period in Dec 23 then nothing in jan or feb and then a sign of possible ovulation in March.
i went from 1000mg December - February and now 1500mg I think I possibly ovulated this month due to the higher dosage just worried it will go back next month to nothing again :/

I don't remember what dose I was on. I tried for about 6 months or so and frankly, neither my weight nor my periods changed. I was on it for years afterwards at 1000mg twice a day I think - but it never really worked for me except that it did stop me from gaining MORE weight. (In the 6 weeks post birth with DC2 when I wasn't allowed to be on metformin as I'd had gestational diabetes I gained something stupid like 12kg.)

My tests and consultant was paid for by my private medical cover (as part of my PCOS management and, as it turns out, to deal with some polyps requiring a hysteroctopy) but I had to pay for the Clomid.... it's a generic now so I think my 2 months' worth cost £5. Pre DC 2, we had budgeted £3000 for the meeting with the same doc, basic tests etc on the basis that we weren't expecting anything to be materially different except hopefully no polyps. But we didn't have private cover any more hence budgeting for ourselves. But were thrilled we didn't have to spend it at all in the end.

Personally, I'd go with the Clomid and get on with it. We didn't even do UI or anything - just had the clomid and some enthusiastic sex. .

I'd try the letrazole / clomid options first. I've done both ivf and letrazole (baby asleep on me now!) and clomid rounds. It will be so much cheaper and less intrusive than ivf and might be all you need.

As you’ve only just upped your metformin dose I’d stick with that for another couple of cycles and see if there’s any improvement. I conceived twice on 1500mg metformin, within 3 months of taking it, but on the lower dose nothing.

@Anniexox there are so many advantages of letrozole, can work quickly, gives you a natural conception (which as in understand, leads to less monitoring / medication etc when you’re pregnant) and minimal side effects. I also saw the discouraging stats but as I understand it, the population of women who undergo letrozole includes people who are a bit older / have complex fertility problems and so if you’re a bit more straightforward, your personal success rate will be higher. I can only know for me that letrozole was very effective!

I would give the higher dose Metformin a chance for a month or two first. I can't remember how long it took for my periods to regulate to 32 days, but it wasn't immediate. The dosage was upped at least once as well.

After that, if you've been trying for over a year, and/or age is an issue, then I would get Clomid/Letrozole privately prescribed.

I wonder now if the combo of inositol + metformin worked out as a higher dose to result in DC2. As I definitely still wasn't ovulating on whatever dose I was on before DC1. I was also larger and on the same dose when I conceived DC2.

@Anniexox did letrozole work for you?

@BusyJadeBiscuit

I’m currently on my 4th round of letrozole 2.5mg
my first round I fell pregnant which was back in June 2024 but sadly ended in a miscarriage at 9 weeks :(
every time I have used letrozole I have ovulated and had a good endo thickness
Are you thinking about trying letrozole or are?

Keto completely got rid of mine - I lost 10” off my waist in about three months - only three stone. So I went from classic pcos apple to hourglass literally without breaking a sweat (zero exercise)

keto sorted out my endometriosis and Pre-diabetes because it basically sorted out my insulin resistance according to my consultant.

Had been told I couldn’t have children so didn’t bother with contraception. Ever.

as soon as my shape changed and periods were normal etc, I got pregnant accidentally …3 times 💪