TTC with PCOS-what next?

CCKitten

Hi there. I'm new to the boards but I have an upcoming appointment with my OB and was wondering what ovulating medications have worked and haven't worked for fellow women with PCOS? I realize I won't get pregnant instantly, and I've only been TTC for 3 months, but I don't want to be trying for years. I want to be aggressive about it. We tried to conceive naturally (despite the fact that my OB had lightly given me a head's up that it might not happen) but have mostly accepted the fact that we'll need intervention.

A lack of patience comes with my controlling/dominant personality and I'm trying to not be stressed out or have unrealistic expectations but I have friends who are "accidentally" conceiving or NTNP having success and I think that's amazing...but also frustrating that it's not so easy for me.

Any tips out there as far as medications or any old wives' tales that actually worked? TIA

BWhitta

Hey girl, welcome!  Hope you're not here long!  I have PCOS, and have had good results with Letrozole (Clomid got me to ovulate twice but not until CD17-18, Letrozole got me to ovulate on CD14 last month) then used Ovidrel to trigger ovulation.  If you want to be proactive, I'd find an RE!  I love mine and being so closely monitored is such a relief.  Has your husband been tested yet?  That was also a big relief for us to know that wasn't something else we needed to worry about.  FX for you!!!!!!!!

CCKitten

@BWhitta
Thanks for the H tip, I honestly haven't even thought of that, I always figured it was just me that had a problem. Is it true that you shouldn't even consider Ovidrel or Clomid without an RE? I read somewhere that OBs aren't really qualified to monitor you close enough or something like that?

Bababatty

@CCKitten Welcome! I can't speak to the PCOS, but as for the Clomid, I know there are issues with taking in from an OB--but my understanding is the larger issue is that most OBs want to prescribe without monitoring. Clomid can cause enthusiastic (as I like to say) follicle growth, which can increase your chances of high order multiples (my RE stops TI and IUI at 5 follicles, others stop at 4, I think it depends on the doctor). It can also thin your lining and cause cysts. All of which is why it's important to have baseline u/s at the beginning of each cycle and at least one monitoring u/s after you complete the Clomid. There's also a lifetime limited use for Clomid. If your OB can monitor you, it might not be as big a deal. I'm not sure if there are issues with ovidrel.

BWhitta

Yes, honestly, my first instinct was to just use my OB bc I was scared to admit I needed an RE.  So I just used Clomid for 2 months without any monitoring.  It ended up being fine, I had some mild side effects that weren't too terrible and it did get my cycle going, but I didn't get pregnant.  I love being monitored by the RE, you don't have to guess about ovulation, etc.  But it can be very expensive, which is also why we decided to just do Clomid with our OB at first!  So obviously it's a very personal decision

clt2pwm11

Hi! I did three rounds of Clomid unmonitored and was a raging lunatic. Never ovulated. I started working with a RE and did two cycles of Letrozole. The first time the dosage wasn't high enough, so I didn't O. The second time I made a follicle but it happened later than 14 days. Luckily, the RE was monitoring me closely and did an additional ultrasound and we found the follicle was big enough to proceed. I used Ovidrel and then did an IUI and we are now expecting our little miracle. My experience makes me want to strongly encourage you to see a RE. If I had been working with a regular OB, they probably could have prescribed Letrozole but they wouldn't have caught my late follicle. I hope you have a quick journey to fertility. It took me 2 years, but that's a relatively short time for many in this game of conception. Besides finding a RE, find some good ways to care for yourself. This is such an emotional experience of ups and downs, and your mental health is going to be crucial! I took up hiking, and it helped me immensely, but everybody has their own thing.

CCKitten

Thanks ladies! I will take all this to the H and see how which route he wants to go towards. I knew I wasn't the only one dealing with the mental ups and downs from all the Negatives I've been seeing.