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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

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Original poster

Any pcos success stories?

26 replies

yellowflowers · 11/01/2009 22:50

I have pcos and symptoms like excess hair and overweight, but also have monthly periods and do ovulate. Just wondered if anyone has any pcos success stories to share with me to give some hope - have been ttc for 18 months

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surprisenumber3 · 11/01/2009 22:56

Hi
I have PCOS and have periods but not monthly - between 6 and 14 weeks usually.

I was told I didn't need contraception 5 years ago as I wouldn't be able to conceive without help and I got pregnant the first month!

Since then have had lots of 'accidents' (but I was secretly happy about them ) and finally got pregnant this summer and am now 26 weeks.

There is hope...good luck to you.

Oh and being on Metformin makes you much more fertile - are you on it?

HolidaysQueen · 11/01/2009 22:59

I sound pretty much similar to you in terms of symptoms but was lucky to get pregnant relatively easily. Don't know if it was a fluke as not yet tried for a second. But it is possible! Wishing you lots of luck x

MamaMaiasaura · 11/01/2009 22:59

Yes. I have PCOS and only had cycles 2-3 times a year. I concieved ds1 (8) naturally and without ttc. Ds2 (1) was concieved after clomid 50mg. Was also on metformin to help with symptoms of pcos.

Am hoping to tc again soon and at hospital with month. Weight down really helps chances and metformin can help with that too.

Have you been referred?

HolidaysQueen · 11/01/2009 23:18

as awen says, weight could something to focus on - it might have been a deciding factor for me as i had been losing weight to fit into my wedding dress and got pregnant shortly after the wedding.

cupcakeandtea · 12/01/2009 12:22

Hi Yellowflowers

I have had PCOS for donkeys years. Was terrified I wouldn't be able to have kids mostly due to lots of misinformation in the press and the fact I am now in my thirties.

Started on 500mg of Met early last year which regulated my periods, started trying for a baby in August 2008 and got pregnant on the first attempt and I'm 36. I'm now 25 weeks pregnant and apart from a slight bleed at 7 weeks, I've had a trouble-free pregnancy so far although I am being closely monitored by my obstetrician for gestational diabetes.

I know lots of women with PCOS and they've all got pregnant eventually. Some with help, some without.

Like Suprise, I would totally endorse Metformin. Yes, it makes you a bit sick initially but it's worth it in the end.

Good luck!

scubagroover · 12/01/2009 12:43

Hi Yellowflowers

I was diagnosed with PCOS about 5 or 6 years ago now. I had a really irregular cycle (especially if I put on a few pounds)and could have quite bad skin. Other than having a low GI diet which I found helped regulate periods I didn't take any special medication.

I wasn't trying to get pregnant and my exp had testicular cancer diagnosed a year ago, one of his "boys" removed just before Christmas and a round of chemo in Jan. I am now 35 weeks pregnant so there is hope for absolutely everyone out there.

Good luck!

LoveActually · 12/01/2009 13:01

Hi YellowFlowers,
I was diagnosed with PCOS when I was 20, I did make a really effort to stay fit, eat really healthily and when I finally did get round to trying at 36 it took three months.
Did not have any weight problems as I used to exercise like a demon and eat like a saint but it shows it can be done.

FruitynNutty · 12/01/2009 13:36

I have PCOS plus all the awful symptoms that come with it
I managed to conceive after serious TTC for 11 months. Cycles anywhere up to and over 100 days. I ovulated twice in 11 months and am now 30 weeks pregnant with number 2.
DS was conceived after not using anything (not trying either) for 2.5 years.

Best of luck!
There's a lovely thread going on the conception topic (which I started ) - Have a look! "PCOS - anyone in the same boat?"

Idrankthechristmasspirits · 12/01/2009 13:39

Hi,

i have pcos and conceived dd naturally. Like others i was told i would never conceive so she was a huge surprise. I had been with my partner for over three yrs and we had not used contraception for 2 1/2 yrs when i discovered i was pregnant. (the doctor told me, i just thought i had a cyst.....)

georgimama · 12/01/2009 13:44

Another vote for Metformin here, even if you are ovulating. I was but due to various PCOS related issues the luteal phase of my cycle wasn't long enough (or was it too long? Something was wrong with it anyway) and - TMI alert - cervical mucus was either too thick (yuk!) or too thin (yuk!) and the Metformin helped with both of these issues.

Conceived in 3rd month on the Metformin, having already been trying for 18 months.

georgimama · 12/01/2009 13:46

The other thing that I think helped was that we abandoned ovulation charts, temperature taking and all that malarky and just had sex every other day without fail for three months (except when AF was visiting). That may be usual to some people but we are just not that highly sexed! My consultant did say some people just don't have sex often enough!!

GYoIsReallyHavingABaby · 12/01/2009 15:27

Lots of success stories out there

dont lose heart Yellow flowers. My story is a mirror of cupoftea's.

Started metformin before I knew I wanted to TTC as i was told so many times PCOS would make it impossible. Took Met 1700mg a day for two years, got regular cycles where i was 90% sure I was ovulating. Really useful to know the signs..

Had coil (non-hormonal) removed and was pregnant 20days later.. Was a bit shocked that it was so easy but thrilled. I am now 31wks!

Good luck x

notcitrus · 12/01/2009 16:34

no periods for 8 months after stopping pill, gynae diagnosed pcos, prescribed metformin plus progesterone to jump-start my periods. then clomid plus prog, and had 3 nice periods but never managed to predict when i might ovulate to get bloods done to prove if i was. then none, repeated, again periods stopped after 3 of them. after 8 months of none, finally got another appt - and of course I was 4 months pregnant...

had the most average pregnancy ever and A is 4 months. hope to get a sibling for him sometime...

pinkypanther · 12/01/2009 18:36

Hi yellow flowers. I had three periods in the whole of 2008 whilst TTC (one of those was a withdrawal bleed from the pill) and my GP kept saying I was too slim to be PCOS even though had acne and was hairy. I then had a scan which showed both my ovaries covered in cysts.

I started taking Metformin, took it for four weeks and am now 7 weeks pregnant!

I am still taking things day by day, but if I can get pregnant, you can too.

Good luck x

GossipMonger · 12/01/2009 18:39

Yep- got PCOS and 2 boys

Keep trying and keep having sex!!

Mercedes · 12/01/2009 19:01

I got diagnosed with pcos and was told I would never conceive naturally when i was 30. At the same appointment with dr (when I was told all this) I said i hadn't had a period for 3 months and was feeling sick. yup I was pregnant.

i did try to conceive again and was on clomid and tried IVF over the years to no avail. So we gave up and started adoption proceedings. 2 weeks later i was pregnant again.

It can be done - weight's important as is relaxing (which i know is hard to do)

Good luck and enjoy yourself trying

llareggub · 12/01/2009 19:23

I have PCOS and took 2 years to conceive DS1, and had fertility treatment. I did get pregnant straight away when we tried to have another baby, and sadly had 2 miscarriages before staying pregnant...now 23 weeks so!

I've been on metformin for years and years. A lot of women only take it when trying to conceive but it is important to take it anyway as a way of regulating blood sugar. PCOS is starting to be seen as an indicator of a higher risk of diabetes in later life, so metformin, a low GI diet and losing weight is all a good idea.

I saw a wonderful, wonderful consultant called Dr Shirine Boardman, and she was passionate about treating PCOS as a long-term condition to prevent us turning up in her diabetes clinic in the future.

I took metformin during my first pregnancy and will continue through this one, although unfortunately I haven't avoided gestational diabetes this time around.

magnummum · 12/01/2009 19:28

My symptoms were no periods (well one a year) and slight excess hair but weight not an issue. Conceived DD1 on 3rd cycle of 50mg Clomid. Second time around was under a different trust where Dr kept increasing dose of Clomid (seems no rhyme or reason to this as far as I can see) had ovarian drilling etc and am now 19 weeks pregnant with twins . So much of the treatment (or lack thereof) seems to be a postcode lottery. Good luck to you.

llareggub · 12/01/2009 19:30

I had ovarian drilling too, and got pregnant directly after....

hazeyjane · 12/01/2009 19:39

i have pcos, and struggled to conceive (hugely irregular, and sometimes non existant periods). I was put on Clomid, and had a laparopscopy. I had 2 miscarriages, one was a molar pregnancy, which meant that I was unable to try to conceive for 2 years. All in all dh and I were trying for 7 years. After I had the all clear to start trying again after the molar pregnancy I didn't want to start down the road of fertility treatment again. But was scared, as I was 36 by this time. I fell pregnant with dd1 pretty soon after being given the all clear. One of the reasons the consultant thought it might have happened was because, I lost weight as a result of the molar pregnancy, and in turn my periods regulated. Although I wasn't ever very overweight, he said that even losing a bit of weight csn hugely improve your chances.

BTW, 6 months after having dd1, I found out I was pregnant with dd2 - I guess I must have hit my fertile phase!

Good luck

Summerisle · 12/01/2009 20:50

Ive had PCOS since puberty. Was told I would never conceive naturally. Ive been on metformin for about 7 years, which has been the only way I can regulate my weight,although no effect on the hair growth, which is awful!

Anyway, 23 months of TTC, was about to start clomid, but thought I would just go down the road of really going for it with exercise and diet. Got a personal trainer, did 4 intense workouts per week, ate only 800 calories a day (meal replacement shakes and low fat meals, lost 1.5 stone in 6 months (not enough compared with what I was doing to get the weight off!) and hey presto, Im now 10 weeks pregnant! Terrified of miscarriage, still taking the metformin, but secretly very proud that Ive managed it and done what I always thought was never going to happen for me

georgimama · 13/01/2009 05:55

Can you continue to take Metformin during pregnancy? I was advised to stop taking it once I had conceived...

I totally agree with llaregub about PCOS being a long term condition, especially with the risk of diabetes. I'm going to go back to my GP and ask for Metformin long term - it gets rid of the acne and hairiness and I find it easier to keep my weight down when taking it (I ust don't crave sugary crap when taking Met).

llareggub · 13/01/2009 07:54

Yes, you can definitely continue to take metformin during pregnancy. In fact, there are several benefits in doing so for women with PCOS. It reduces the risk of miscarriage, developing gestational diabetes and also reduces the amount of weight put on.

When I took it in 2006 it wasn't licensed for pregnancy but after reading the research and talking to my consultant I took it, under close supervision. This time no one blinked an eyelid when I said I was taking it!

georgimama · 13/01/2009 09:00

Ah, that explains it. I was prescribed Met in March 2006.

Original poster

yellowflowers · 13/01/2009 11:27

Thanks so much everyone - I saw the ttc pcos thread but there are too many messages (hundreds) to read to get up to speed so this is great. I was on metformin a few years ago when single and let it slide but just renewed my prescription and have started it again this week so am hoping it'll happen in next couple of months. thanks for giving me hope. x

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