New to the board.

JuneDream

Hello everyone. I'm new to the board. Just a quick intro- I was part of the bump back in 2010 while pregnant with my first child, a daughter. Since then I've been diagnosed with PCOS (June of 2013). Pretty much since my daughter's birth I have not been ovulating at all that majority of the time. I've had a total of 6 periods on my own since her birth. She will be 3 in a few weeks. I'm having a very hard time with the realization that so long as I'm not ovulating, I'm basically falling into the infertility category. I wasn't ready to be done with having kids. So I'm exploring my options at this point. I don't know if I'm in the right place, but I felt like I needed an outlet that didn't involve my husband or my family as I don't want to worry them anymore than I already have with my struggles to accept what is going on (or not going on) with my body. Thanks. 

purtz

Welcome! Have you been seeing an RE? What is your plan of action?

freakyfast

Hi there! Welcome and sorry you have to be here.  Lots of supportive ladies on this board.  

JalepenoPepper

I'm finding this board to be wonderful, I hope you do as well! It sucks to accept that your body is "broken"...at least that's how I feel about this whole IF struggle. I hope you find your answers and good luck! 

JuneDream

JalepenoPepper said:

I'm finding this board to be wonderful, I hope you do as well! It sucks to accept that your body is "broken"...at least that's how I feel about this whole IF struggle. I hope you find your answers and good luck! 

 That is exactly how I've been feeling. That my body is "broken". It knew what to do before, why all the issues now??

I have not seen an RE yet. It took me nine years to get diagnosed with PCOS and when I was trying to see an RE back in May no one would see me without a diagnosis. I knew something was wrong since my early 20s, but they couldn't find it. Then this past June BOOM! there it was plain as day. 

I don't know what my plan of action is yet, and that is where a lot of this feeling like i'm just treading water comes from. I'm such a planner and I don't know what is going to happen or even what all of my options are. I've tried to do research but I get overwhelmed trying to figure it all out. 

As of the last 5 or so months I've been trying to handle things naturally. When my blood panels came back and showed things were messed up I started back tot he gym and changed my eating habits. Even with 4 days a week in the gym and a new diet I'm only down 11 lbs since March. Its VERY frustrating. And while I managed to have two sporadic periods, I haven't had anything since the last week of June. So here we are again. 

I was given a provera prescription that I haven't taken yet. My gyno talked briefly during my appointment with her about the use of clomid when I wanted to concieve but I have a lot of fears with using meds simply because twins are already running in my family. I'm very petite and my first pregnancy was full of complications. So I'm very worried about what would happen if I ended up with twins *assuming I could even get pregnant* . 

I think I need to make another appointment to talk to my gyno and see about getting an RE referral so that I can get an actual plan in place because not knowing how to get to the next goal is what is just driving me crazy. I'm doing everything I can on my end and my body is not responding. 

I have silly/or what feels like stupid questions. Can I ask those things here without get snarked at? I know its up to me to do research as well, but like i said I get overwhelmed if I look into it too much and then my whole mood is effected which isn't fair to my girl. 

In addition to my fertility issues, they are also thinking there might be something auto-immune happening with me and I'm supposed to be getting tested for that as well. I know that only further complications my situation and my options. 

SO, its a mess. I just really need some support, some help, some guidance. What is the typical process for something like this? I have no idea what i'm doing or where to go next. 

JalepenoPepper

ASK! I probably won't have any answers but god only knows I probably asked the dumbest questions over the past few months with this IF debacle. 

And as hard as it is, curb the googling. With my diagnosis, I've read that I'm barren and that I should be lucky that I have one kid. YAY positivity!  

freakyfast

JalepenoPepper & JuneDream : I apologized to my husband a couple hours ago for being 'broken' because I just charged over $6,000 for my IVF meds.  I said I didn't mean to get broken. 

And yes ask away... I know I won't snark.  Also JuneDream I have auto-immune issues, so you can ask me about that too, once you find out.  I was diagnosed with PCOS 4 years ago, but now my RE says he is certain I do not have PCOS. He took me off metformin.  

It is a mess, and everything seems so far away, expensive, and quite frankly unfair. I am all kinds of emotions that I have never thought one could feel at one time.  

KC1212

Hi JuneDream! I'm sorry you have to be here but, just wanted to say every one has been super friendly on here to me and I understand how overwhelming it can be to try to "research" answers for yourself.

I hope you can get in touch with a nice RE and he or she will help you get things straightened out with your cycles and such.

Best of luck to you

AlmostWright

Welcome! I hope you can find some support here. While I wish no one had to deal with 2IF, it is nice know you are not alone in what you are going through or feeling.

I am also a huge planner (spreadsheets and lists for everything!) and although my OB is great and tried to help, I have found it much easier to do everything through the RE. They know exactly what to do and when, and can time things to get the initial testing and everything going as soon as possible. And with your concern for multiples, it would be good to be monitored on any meds. That way if you respond too well, you know in advance and have the option to sit out that cycle.

Good luck! I hope you get some answers soon.

JuneDream

Well one of the questions I have is about the medications themselves. How will provera and clomid help me conceive? If my hormones are preventing my body from producing and releasing a mature egg, how will they help with that? I know some women have to do injections and things as part of trying to get pregnant. What is that? Why do they have to do that? I'm used to hearing people talk about "triggering". How would doctors be able to know when to test when I have no real cycle to speak of at this point. I don't know what cycle day 14 etc is, because my ovulation is so infrequent at this point. 

I can't take BCP because I take medication for anxiety and  taking the two together made my blood pressure high. Once I got off of BCP it went back to normal. I'm looking at trying to get off of my anxiety meds and trying to do BCP to get my hormones back in line, but of course my fear there is if I will do ok managing my stress of all the fertility stuff. Its a catch 22 for sure. 

I know that I have PCOS, but what are some of the issues that other ladies have that would cause this? 

Sorry I know these are really general and/or complicated questions. I just feel like there is so much I don't know. 

KC1212

I would probably be able to better answer this if I wasn't typing on my phone...

I have zero experience with Injectables. I've done 5 rounds of Clomid and it basically just induces ovulation and although there is risk of multiples - doctors can crunch numbers with you and give you a risk break down and like someone said, you will have the option of benching that cycle if you don't want to risk it.

I'm not well versed on provera either (I'm sure some of the other ladies can help you out where I am ignorant)

I would talk to your dr more about your anxiety medicine. I wouldn't come off that cold turkey and stress won't do your cycles any favors.

My cycles run as regular as a Russian train schedule so I don't know how the doctors will get yours up and running but I'm sure they CAN

I just re-read my answer to you and I realize I am zero help here. My husband has male factor infertility, so I'm probably not the best person to try to educate you on female issues. Sorry

MJC1116

*Siggy Warning*

Hi there JuneDream. I did two cycles with injectibles (Follistim and Ovidrel). I don't have PCOS, but I have a good friend who does and did the same thing. We both did IUI's with injectibles. My diagnosis is unexplained, although for a while, I had a high FSH level (over 10) and a small Antral Follicle Count (only 11, and I was 27 at the time. I should have had 20). Anyways, I'm not sure how much you already know, so I apologize for being too detailed...

Every month when your period starts (day 1 of your cycle), your ovaries bring forth a  number of follicles. These follicles receive hormones like FSH to grow, and one will become the dominant follicle. Each follicle has an immature egg, but only the dominant follicle will push out the mature egg when you ovulate. Injectibles like Follistim contain FSH so that more than one follicle produces a mature egg. With more than one mature egg, your chances of conceiving (especially with an IUI where sperm is washed) is increased. 

Since you have PCOS, your ovaries are producing a lot of follicles, but they are not maturing, and that's why you are not ovulating each month. Your cycles are probably very long. (I only know this because of my friend, the one I mentioned earlier). Birth control will (from what I can remember), start your period and get you to a cycle day 1 so that you can start other medications to produce one or more mature eggs.

When girls talk about triggering, it's referring to the trigger shot that is used to induce ovulation. It will increase the surge of LH (Lutenizing Hormone - which is what pushes the mature egg out of the follicle) so that the mature egg or eggs is ready in time for the IUI.

In my case, DH and I decided to go forward with injectible IUI cycles. Clomid was only going to raise my chance of conceiving from 2-4% to 8%, where as injectibles would bring me up to a level comparable to others my age (20%). I called RE's office on Day 1 to schedule an ultrasound on Day 3. At that ultrasound, my RE counted the number of follicles and determined the dosage of Follistim. I started Follistim on day 3 and continued until my second ultrasound on day 8. RE measured my follicles, adjusted my dose if needed (but never did) and then continued with Follistim until day 10, when I went in for my 3rd ultrasound. My follicles were getting to be 18mm (or already were) and RE told me to trigger 2 days later. 36 hours after the trigger we did an IUI. RE knew when to tell me to trigger because the follicles had reached a certain size and if you wait too long, your body will ovulate on its own, thus increasing the chance that timing will be off for the IUI. 

I hope that helps answer your questions a little bit. Like you, I had a million and a half questions and I felt uncomfortable at first for asking them. My advice would be to find an RE who really takes the time to answer any and every question you have so that you understand as much as you want to know. 

In the mean time, best of luck to you! And for the record, my friend who has PCOS conceived her son on her first injectible IUI cycle! So don't feel badly. There is hope!

JuneDream

Here is the things that's very interesting, prior to my pregnancy with my daughter I had a VERY regular 24-27 cycle. I could NOT skip a period even taking birth control back to back. I tried. lol. So when I first missed a period I knew I was pg with her. Fast forward past a very complicated pregnancy that had early onset Pre-E and resulted in a premature birth for DD. Suddenly, my period dissapears. I knew that it could be a little wonky after so no worries. 4 months go by. Get one. Then another 4 months. Then nothing. They put me on BCP for a year. The second I stopped, period stopped. Went 9 months without one by the time I was finally diagnosed with PCOS using blood panels and an internal ultrasound of my ovaries. My weight is up because of my PCOS so I know its probably not helping things, but I also know that there are women who weigh far more than I do and have regular cycles. So... there's that. 

I guess what it ultimately boils down to at this point is I need to get back in with my gyno. See about a referral to an RE and see what my options are to actively try to conceive and get my body back on track.  

My testosterone is double what it should be right now, so that's part of the problem. I don't know how to go about getting that fixed. : /  and no one really takes the time to sit down with you and say "Ok this is what we're going to do" and make sure you understand. SO I really appreciate you taking the time to break down the IUI stuff for me. Very informative! 

I really appreciate everyone who has taken the time to respond to me! I can kinda feel weight lifting off my shoulders because its like, you all get it! My hubby, wonderful as he is, doesn't know what this is, let alone how to give me advice on it. It helps just knowing I have people I can ask a question who will take the time to give me info. 

So thank you to everyone! 

KC1212

Thank you MJC!

MrsMegan922

I don't have a ton of time to respond, but just wanted to let you know you are not alone. This stuff is complicated and VERY overwhelming. I also didn't appear to have any issues before my daughter (I did have one m/c) - but since her it has gotten pretty hairy. So I can relate about how that feels.

My only other piece of advice is make sure you get a doctor that you can trust and you feel comfortable with. This makes a world of difference.

T&P for you!