Fertility treatment questions for those of us who ovulate?

Elizabella85

Hello,

I'm a newbie to the boards, but I thought I might get some advice from the ladies who've already been down this road, or are currently on the journey too.

I have Hashimoto's Hypothyroidism, and pre-diabete's, although my TSH has been kept at a good level for the past year. My Endo thinks the pre-diabete's is might be caused by PCOS, since I do have slightly irregular periods, have hair covering all the places a lady shouldn't have hair, and my DH and I have been TTC for over a year. I've never had blood sugar issues before this summer.

I finally have an appointment scheduled with an RE in mid-February (finally), I had to wait several weeks to get in. It will be a consult and T.V. ultrasound. My question is this: what treatment methods are typically given to women who ovulate? I use OPK's and track BBT. I'm fairly certain I didn't ovulate in December (I don't think it's the first time), and I definitely DID ovulate this month. Is it normal for someone with a fertility issue, such as PCOS, to ovulate some months and not others? Do they skip drugs and go straight to procedures if you can ovulate on your own? Or does it depend?

I know I'm probably asking things that only the RE can answer, but I've been waiting so long for this appointment and 3 weeks to go. So frustrating!!

LindseyM2012

Hello and welcome to 3T. I'm so sorry you find yourself here. The waiting that comes with getting the proper treatment can be just as or even more difficult than the treatment itself!!

 

To address your questions: PCOS can take so many different forms. Some women ovulate regularly with PCOS, some only sporatically, and some not at all. It sounds like you're one of the lucky ones who ovulate at least semi-regularly. Good job taking charge and doing BBT. Do you find that the OPKs correlate accurately to what the BBT shows? I only ask because OPKs are notorious for false positive OPKs. Something to look back at if you can.

 

If you're able to pinpoint ovulation, treatment can be confusing. I'm going to say all this stuff based on reading others' experiences here and what I've dug up on PCOS in general (I'm one of those PCOSers who never ovulate...ever). And this is all going to hinge on the results from the testing the RE will do (REs do accept testing from other medical professionals, but tend to have additional or repeat tests run to check things that change). Has your husband had an SA/do you know if there are any male factor infertility things to address? There are some ladies here who have done unmedicated IUIs. There are some ladies who do ovulate on their own but have taken Clomid or Letrozole just to ensure ovulation and good timing. It seems that a standard first level of treatment for PCOS is Clomid or Letrozole/trigger shot/TI or IUI (TI if SA is good, IUI if the SA isn't ideal).

 

I know that doesn't directly answer your questions, but the RE is going to wait to determine which route to take after the testing is complete anyway. Hang in there! 3 weeks will pass before you know it!

Elizabella85

Thanks so much! That does make it a little clearer. My OPK's do generally correlate with my BBT, I've only had one false positive, and that was a weird month where I had EWCM 3 times that month, so I think my body may have been trying to ovulate and just couldn't? Not sure.

My husband has never had an SA, the ob/gyn said she wouldn't make him do one since the two RE's that her practice works with would just make him do it again. She's leaning toward me being the "culprit" since I have health issues and DH does not. I figured some people would have gone different treatments routes, but I know that PCOS can be a very tricky thing, since women respond differently. Thanks for some guidance, I want to go into my appointment at least somewhat knowledgeable.

I'm sorry that you have PCOS, terrible terrible thing - I think having answers helps a bit. Baby Dust on Cycle 3 of TI!!