TTC with PCOS

YogaGal2468

Hi everyone,

I am new to this forum and new to TTC, but am posting here because I have a diagnosed fertility issue and am hoping to get some support and learn from all of you. I was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome as a young teenager but only recently started to realize what this meant for me. My husband and I decided to start trying to conceive and at my first appointment with my OB I left in tears. She told me that it was highly unlikely that I will be able to ovulate on my own and that I am likely going to need Clomid to jumpstart ovulation. My plan right now is to wait about 3 months (I just stopped taking the pill) to see if I ovulate on my own, and if I don't to see my OBGYN to talk about next steps.

I feel so overwhelmed and alone. I am also overweight, probably the result of PCOS and a thyroid problem, and have tried desperately to lose weight but have failed. My OBGYN made me feel like it's my fault that I have PCOS and am going to have trouble getting pregnant. I feel really scared and ashamed and I'm hoping that others out here can relate to me. 

BunnyBerry

I'm so sorry that your doctor treated you so poorly. You didn't deserve her blaming you for a medical condition, nor her poor advice.

The reality is that it can take healthy women 6 months or more for their bodies to re-regulate after birth control. If you go without a period for about 45 days (I think - hopefully others will chime in on this), you can (and should) get bloodwork to make sure that you haven't ovulated recently, and if not then a prescription that can help jumpstart a period to give you a fresh lining and another chance at a healthy cycle.

PCOS is not a fertility death sentence. Plenty of women get pregnant naturally with PCOS, although it might take a little longer than average if they don't have healthy cycles every time. However, if you are over 6 months out from birth control and your cycles are not regular or indicate anovulation, it would be a good idea to get help from an expert (that's an RE, not an OB - OB's keep you pregnant, they don't help get you pregnant). It would also be a great proactive idea to help make sure your thyroid issue is well controlled at this time, and check that your blood sugar is in a healthy range - meds like Metformin could help to regulate it if things are out of whack.

Since you just got off BC pills, a good plan would be to go ahead and chart your cycles, get a prescription if you go too long without a period, see your GP to make sure your general health is good especially things that can be affected by PCOS, and hopefully experience some great cycles with a good chance of pregnancy (regular - meaning 2-3x/week - intercourse in the days leading up to ovulation as confirmed by a sustained basal body temperature shift). If your temps are more all over the place and it looks like you're not ovulating, give it a few months to get on track after the BC. Then the next step would be to see an RE if it turns out you are suffering from infertility, but I hope you don't have to get there! At that point it would be important to do a full testing panel on both you and your partner before moving forward with any treatment.

And I hope you find a new OBGYN ASAP. Medical professionals who beat you up about your health instead of teaming up with you to help you reach your health goals deserve to be kicked to the curb.

At this point, I believe (correct me if I'm wrong!) that you do not meet criteria for infertility, so I want to wish you the best of luck as you begin your TTC journey, and I hope you meet with success without going through the crappy road of infertility!!

bookworm40

I will agree with @BunnyBerry‌ when she said find a new OBGYN ASAP. No patient should ever feel like that upon leaving an appointment especially when no real testing has been done yet. I am overweight, have type II diabetes and controlled PCOS and have always been told by my OB that where there is a will there is a way. There is medication besides clomid you can go on to regulate PCOS (metformin) and please whatever you do, see a RE before starting clomid so you can be monitored throughout your cycle. Good luck on your journey you are in good company here, everyone is caring and helpful.

LindseyM2012

I'm so sorry you find yourself in this position. And I'm even sorrier you had such a bad experience with your ob/gyn. Weight loss is so difficult for most women with PCOS and the fact that you have PCOS is NOT your fault!

@BunnyBerry is right that PCOS is definitely not a death sentence, but it could warrant a consult with a reproductive endocrinologist before the 1 year period that marks infertility if you don't ovulate. Some PCOS-ers actually ovulate regularly, some ovulate sporadically, but some (like @rainbowbridge14 and myself) don't ovulate at all. I'd suggest taking a little time to temp and chart (skip the OPKs because those don't work with PCOS - lots of false positives!) to see if you are one of the lucky PCOS-ers who ovulate on their own. There are also some dietary changes you can make that may have a positive effect on the PCOS (some ladies here have done the keto diet and there's a book called The PCOS Diet Plan you could look into). Whatever you do, DO NOT TAKE CLOMID FROM YOUR OB/GYN!!! If you take ANY fertility medications, they NEED to be prescribed by and monitored by a Reproductive Endocrinologist. If you are one of the PCOS-ers who don't ovulate, you'll likely have a high ovarian reserve and may overspend to ovulation inducing meds.

Best of luck to you!!!

deelopi9

I have PCOS IR & Inflammation along with hypothryoidism. My RE indicated as long my hypothryoidism was regulated it would not be cause to delays treatments (clomid/femara/inseminations). I agree with the ladies, I would find another OB, one who is an advocate for you. Good luck on your journey.

Shauntee

The PP's have given great advice. I am a PCOS'er also and remember how upset I was when I was first diagnosed. It is not your fault at all and I would definitely run to another OB/GYN if they are not treating you correctly. I have found that the OB/GYN's or their nurses that I saw didn't have a lot of experience dealing with women with fertility issues.
I am on Metformin and it has done wonders to regulate my cycle. It took a long while and increased doses to get there, but I am extremely happy with the result. I wish you luck with all of this.

YogaGal2468

I am so grateful to all of you for the thoughtful responses. I feel much less alone now. I am currently on thyroid medication so at least that is under control. I am going to talk to my endocrinologist when I see him next week about possibly trying Metformin (I just had some blood work done and don't have the results yet). I am also looking into some low carb food plan options.... I have read that it might help with weight loss and also with regulating my cycle.

It's good to know that the ovulation predictor kits don't work with PCOS! I had no idea. I will look into temp charting.

I hope that it is OK for me to post here even though I haven't been diagnosed with infertility. I read the new member guidelines and it seemed like it was OK to post if you have a diagnosed condition that might interfere with fertility. I don't want to offend anyone so if my understanding is incorrect please let me know.

I wish everyone well on their journeys and am so grateful for the advice.

jerseymack23

@yogagal2468 hello!

I have PCOS, and I went off BC in April '13 and haven't had a period naturally since (I've had a few brought on by Provera). 

I am also overweight (I could stand to lose 40 lbs.), but I was able to lose a couple lbs. eating gluten free. It takes longer and is harder, but it's possible. Try low carb and low dairy (sugars and hormones!). Good luck, and get a new OB. Also, if you (and I hope you don't) reach that 1 year TTC mark, go straight to an RE.

deelopi9

@yogagal2468 That's great that your thyroid is regulated. I switched to a gluten-free no dairy/low sugar meal plan (found some helpful recipes on Pinterest) and this helped me lose weight. If you haven't already had your thyroid antibodies checked, have them add it to your bloodwork. This will give an indication of where your thyroid antibody levels are at. Some RE will indicate this does not affect protocols and others have a different approach.