New to 3T

ireland82

Hello ladies! I'm new here! I guess I'll just jump right in…

I was diagnosed with PCOS when I was 19. My cycles and hormones were all over the place, so my gyno sent me to an endocrinologist to try and straighten things out. She put me on Metformin and BCP, and almost like magic everything evened out and things were great for several years. However, I always knew deep down then when the time came, more than likely I would have TTTC.

Fast forward to November 2013. My hubby and I decided we were ready to start trying. As I suspected, as soon as I went off BCP, my cycles became extremely erratic. I had four full cycles in the first seven months (the longest being 89 days). At my follow up appointment in June, my gyno suggested I start temping and taking OPKs to see if I was even ovulating. Three months and only one fully completed cycles later, I had no indications of O. 

At our next follow up in late August, my gyno suggested I go back on BCP for three months to even out my hormones again, after which she will start me on Clomid. In the meantime, though, she ordered an HSG for me and recommended my DH to get an SA just to rule out any underlying problems. 

As luck would have it, AF arrived a week after my follow up, and again no O for that cycle. So I went ahead with the HSG this past Thursday. The report indicates everything is normal. Yay! That's one hurdle down. DH has an appointment in October for his SA.

After a long, emotional discussion, we decided to try one more natural cycle before I went back on BCP. So here I am on CD 16 of Cycle 7 just waiting, fingers crossed, for a positive OPK someday soon.

I'm not yet ready to tell anyone we are TTC, so I don't have anyone to turn to with my questions, concerns or fears. My cousin has been TTC for 5+ years and I see how my family constantly asks for updates or has secret discussions about her situation when she's not around, and I'm just not ready to deal with all that. I've been silently reading through this message board for the past few months, and it seems like you ladies are an extremely supportive and compassionate group of girls. I'm glad I found a place where I can open up and discuss our struggles. I look forward to getting to know all of you!

xoxo

lebradford

Welcome!!

I'd like to suggest that you see a reproductive endocrinologist. You will get much better care and probably save yourself some time.

I'm not a doctor, but it seems unlikely that the BCPs will fix your cycles. But, again, a RE could really help you decide that. I'd just hate to see you waste 3 months on BCPs for no reason (unless you just want a break, which I could completely understand).

Regardless of what you decide, good luck. :-)

ritacita

Welcome! I hope something works for you soon! I too have been trying (badly) to keep most of my family in the dark about all of this. It's not easy! Hugs to you

DSculley1824

Hello! Welcome I'm newer to this board too. Just had my HSG and my husband just had his SA. So glad you found this group...even though I wish no one was in this group. The girls are all awesome here!

Hollowvic

Welcome, good luck!

ireland82

Thanks for all the instant support and suggestions! Definitely some more food for thought and things to research as we move forward.

My OB and I didn't discuss specifics yet about Clomid. She first wants to make sure our HSG and SA were a-ok before even entertaining the idea of moving forward with it. She didn't want me to start treatments only to possibly find out down the line that we were back at square one because of some other underlying issue(s). She also mentioned it would be good to get those tests out of the way now so if/when we start with an RE we would be ahead of the game. However, I've already started to do my own research regarding monitored vs. unmonitored Clomid so I'm more prepared to discuss when the time comes.

Going back on BCP has been a big debate. DH wants to keep going full steam ahead and let nature take it's course, but I feel like we are almost past the point of "let's just see what happens," especially if I'm not even ovulating. My OB did say I might think it sounds like a crazy idea to use BCP to help me conceive, but since I have PCOS, the longer I go with unregulated hormone levels, the more out of sync they will become. However, she said the decision was completely up to me. I'm still trying to figure out what to do, though. I have some business travel in the next few months, and with my unpredictable cycles, it might just give me more peace of mind to go back on BCP instead of stressing about possibly missing a positive OPK while I'm away from DH.

I actually have an appointment tomorrow with my regular endo. She's been monitoring all my hormone levels (LH, FSH, T4, TSH, testosterone, DHEA, etc.) for years. However, tomorrow is only my second appointment since I went off BCP. I'm interested to see how my labs turn out. I'm going to talk to her about what she thinks I should do about going back on BCP and/or if she can recommend an RE. I'll also ask about testing AMH and CD 3 blood work. Thanks for the tip!

>:D<

kristyn831

Welcome and good luck!

dancerspose

Welcome and good luck!

theholmanherd

Welcome! You've been given wonderful advice already, so there's not really anything to add on that front. On a separate, but related note, I suggest finding a hobby or something to occupy the time while you wait. I write, other people knit or whatever. It really helps to have something that takes your mind off things when it gets tough to keep waiting. I also suggest you find a close friend or relative you can confide in, if possible. We aren't "out" about our IF, but my best friends have been instrumental in keeping me sane, as has my aunt, who also used to suffer from IF. This board helps a lot, too! I love the ladies on here

Sorry you have to be here, but I'm glad you have stumbled onto a wonderful board.

Pintobean39

Welcome and Good luck!

BunnyBerry

8 months on this board, and I have never heard of an RE recommending PCOS patients take BC again to re-regulate their cycle before starting treatment. I have, however, heard at least a couple OBGYNs taking this route.

You have waited so long already working with this OBGYN. I'd venture to guess that an RE wouldn't have had you wait another 3 months to see if you happened to O - with such erratic and long previous cycles, even if you were O'ing at some point it would be too late to have healthiest implantation chances, and I'm sure you would be prescribed Clomid or similar regardless. (Most of us who O regularly are still put on Clomid or Letrozole/Femara when we are diagnosed with IF because it is shown to increase pregnancy rates for all.)

I recommend getting an RE appointment so that once YH gets his SA, and you two are ready for treatment, you will be in the hands of someone with more extensive training and experience in the relationships between and among hormones, and how that relates to TTC. And with an RE, you should be guaranteed to get the monitoring that can save your health, prevent dangerous higher-order multiples, and give you the best chances each cycle.

Whatever you choose, I want to say that I am sorry you have to deal with this diagnosis. I hope your journey is quick and smooth from here on out. And some nice news - with a PCOS diagnosis, ovarian stimulation drugs like Clomid + IUI provide the most increased chances of any diagnosis.

BeckyM613

Welcome! I know how hard it is to keep things quiet while wanting to talk about everything at the same time. The women here are very helpful.
Best of luck to you!