Questions for my PCOS ladies (long)

intheplanningstage

Hi everyone. 

 My story: I started getting periods at the age of 12. From that time through age 21, they were unpredictable. I have no idea how long my average cycle was but I believe it could be up to 5 or 6 months long. I was young, not sexually active, and didn't really care that I wasn't dealing with constant periods. They were about 7 days long when they did come.

 I went on birth control pills at the age of 21, before getting married, and my cycle became clockwork. I knew to expect my period at 6am on a Monday, which was definitely a change of pace. I only bled for about 2-3 days and had virtually no associated pains, except some leg cramping during my period.

 I went off birth control pills this past March, at the age of 24, in order to start trying to conceive. I told my OB about my past experiences with irregular cycles, she told me try for a year anyway. About 6 months in, I started getting tons of pelvic pain and I was getting a lot of false positive ovulation tests-I knew something was up. I called her and she said if it hadn't been a year, I had to keep trying-especially with long cycles. UGH. I tracked ovulation and I know I DO ovulate, which is great, but my cycles can range from 34 days(which was so exciting!) to 56 days. I only bleed for a day or 2. She didn't want to hear about it.

After about 8 months ttc, I took things into my own hands. I went to an RE and just from our consultation, she suggested PCOS. I had thought about that in my head from research, but I don't have any other symptoms except the irregular ovulation. I'm 5'6", 125 pounds, no extra hair, never struggled with weight, no acne. I had to wait to CD 3 and start tests, which we did last week. My internal sonogram showed both ovaries were polycystic (she said at least 20 on the left, she didn't mention a number on the right). Then, I was told my blood work wasn't back yet but they'd call this upcoming week to confirm. The criteria in paperwork that she gave me, said that to diagnosis PCOS, you need 2 of the 3 criteria: -polycystic ovaries -irregular or absent ovulation -abnormal bloodwork (this was more specific to what would be elevated/low, but I don't have the paper in front of me) Well, I know I already have 2 of the 3 criteria, so I guess they are just waiting for the bloodwork to rule out any other issues?

Anyway, the doctor said the next step is Clomid for me, but I'm confused about it. I will obviously ask her when she calls but I'd love any experiences or opinions from you girls. -Anyone have no other symptoms except the irregular periods and cysts on ovaries? The positive in me makes me think MAYBE this means it won't be as hard to get pregnant as if I had all symptoms...but I'm only a few months away from that 'infertile' diagnosis. -I know normal infertility work up would also include doing a sperm analysis on DH, but I'm not sure if insurance will cover it at this point since it hasnt been a year. She said insurance should cover the Clomid for me because of my diagnosis of irregular ovulation, But, what's the point of doing Clomid if I'm not sure if he has any problems too? Ugh, it's all so confusing. Thanks anyone. I'm sure I'll come up with way more questions.

 P.s. How long do you think it should take to get a call about the bloodwork? It's been a week at this point, but obviously the holiday probably affected things.

 

Thank you!

Kristinfm

Hello and welcome!  I was just diagnosed with "lean PCOS".  I was very surprised by this diagnosis because like you, I don't have many of the typical symptoms.  My bloodwork was all normal.  My RE said that my irregular cycles and my polycystic ovaries are enough for a PCOS diagnosis.  She said that there is a whole diagnostic range for PCOS (it's not black and white - some people have all of the symptoms and some people barely have any symptoms).  While I was sad to be diagnosed with PCOS, I am glad to finally know what the problem is and to be taking steps to treat it.  I am on my first medicated cycle with Femara (which stimulates the ovaries, much like clomid).   

As far as the lab tests, I got my results pretty quickly.  I would call to follow up.  I would definitely move foward with the SA as soon as possible.  We had to pay OOP, but it was only $104.00.  Good luck! 

Morris811

Hello and I am sorry you have to be here and I hope your stay is short.

I was diagnosed with PCOS and was surprised as well as I don?t have any physical symptoms. I had cystic ovaries and my hormones are a little wonky (2 out of the 3).

I would NOT take Clomid or any other fertility drug until all blood work and all tests are done (you and your partner) as that is a very serious drug. My insurance covered all testing prior to a year (10 months) I would push for more testing prior to taking any meds. I don?t mean to scare you, but I have heard horror stories over the past year.

erica0323

Your experience sounds very similar to mine!  I kept thinking "this is me" while reading your post.  

It is probably a good sign that you haven't heard back about the blood work because that usually means the results are normal.  I would call if it has been over a week though.  I work in a clinic and I can tell you that blood work results are usually back within 24-48 hours, so they probably have them by now.

I would definitely get a SA before starting Clomid.  My doctor's office requires blood work, a SA, and HSG before starting fertility treatments.  It's best to have all the pieces of the puzzle before starting treatment, because if your husband's SA was abnormal or if your tubes were blocked you might need an entirely different course of treatment.  My husband and I just finished our preliminary testing and I feel like it helps to have peace of mind before starting to take Clomid.

The SA wasn't covered by my husband's insurance and it was around $110.

Hope that helps a little bit! 

intheplanningstage

Thanks for the advice everyone. I put in a call to the RE about bloodwork...I hope that one of you was right about no news being good news. But I still would like to know to move forward!