TTC with PCOS

MIssSally25 · December 2014

Hello all! I'm new here, and figured I would ask a few questions! My DH and I have been TTC for about three months with no luck. I really thought this was the month! My cycle is late and I've all kinds of crazy symptoms, but two negative tests later... No luck. I recently found out that I have PCOS (polycycstic ovarian syndrome) and my doctor said it could be difficult for us. Does anyone else have this? Do you have any advice or any ways to help? Thanks in advance!

coaster102516 · December 2014

Hi, I have PCOS so maybe I can help although everyone is different. You should start tracking your Bbasal body temperature every day to see if you are even ovulate. You could be ovulating way late in your cycle causing you to have longer cycles than the average woman.

You should begin testing and treatments with a specialist known as a RE. A RE will run a series of tests to determine if you need additional help. Blood work to check your hormone levels, baseline & mid-cycle ultrasound to check follicles, SA for your partner and a tubal patency test to make sure your tubes are open. They should then come up with a treatment plan according to your results.

How do you know you are late? Unless you were already tracking your cycle through BBT, you don't know. When we first started TTC we were started on meds right away because I don't ovulate at all and never got my period without it being induced. I was never late, just screwed up cycles.

LindseyM2012 · December 2014

Hello there! Another PCOSer here. Just a couple questions for clarification so we may be able to point you in the right direction:

How did you find out that you have PCOS (did you doc do bloodwork testing?)? And what is this diagnosis based on? It seems that if you have an irregular cycle, doctors like to use PCOS as a catch-all diagnosis when it is in fact a syndrome for which you need to meet 3 of 5 specific criteria.

Are you temping to see if you ovulate? Ladies with PCOS tend to have irregular ovulation (hence the irregular cycles) or annovulation (absence of ovulation). This can only be confirmed by charting your temperatures. Doctors can infer annovulation or irregular ovulation by testing your AMH level, but it is best to chart for several cycles to know for sure.

MIssSally25 · December 2014

Thanks for the responses. I'm obviously totally new at this! I haven't done basal body temperature yet. I've been charting my periods with a tracker, and some months they're around 38 day cycle, and then there are times where I won't have one for three months at a time. It's really all over the place and has been since high school. My doctor did a ton of blood tests, and that is how she determined the PCOS. Along with other symptoms I've had forever (crazy insomnia, weight gain, inability to lose weight, and horrible Pms breast tenderness etc...). I know three months isn't even a long time to have been TTC, but it's already so frustrating seeing friends get pregnant on the first try. I'm still learning a lot, but I wanted to get in here and talk to some other people who could know what's going on! I appreciate it.

LindseyM2012 · December 2014

MIssSally25 said:

Thanks for the responses. I'm obviously totally new at this! I haven't done basal body temperature yet. I've been charting my periods with a tracker, and some months they're around 38 day cycle, and then there are times where I won't have one for three months at a time. It's really all over the place and has been since high school. My doctor did a ton of blood tests, and that is how she determined the PCOS. Along with other symptoms I've had forever (crazy insomnia, weight gain, inability to lose weight, and horrible Pms breast tenderness etc...). I know three months isn't even a long time to have been TTC, but it's already so frustrating seeing friends get pregnant on the first try. I'm still learning a lot, but I wanted to get in here and talk to some other people who could know what's going on! I appreciate it.

Based on the irregular cycles you may not be ovulating regularly. If you ever go beyond 60 days without a period, you should go to your doctor to get a script for Provera to induce a bleed. I think it'd be worth your time to chart a couple months of your cycles. Check out Fertility Friend and their charting tutorials. If you don't get a positive in a couple months, think about getting an appointment with a Reproductive Endocrinologist. Typically the rule of thumb is to wait 1 year of TTC with no BFP before seeing an RE if your younger than 35 years old (6 months if you're 35 or older). However, those with an identified issue, like PCOS, don't have to wait for that time to pass.

That can be a difficult pill to swallow, and I'm sorry about that. It is still possible to get pregnant on your own with PCOS, but your chances are greatly reduced since most PCOSers don't ovulate every month on their own. If you do happen to ovulate, the charting will let you know and you can try to optimize timing. If you chart and don't get a BFP, those charts will be good information for your doctor to have.

I hope that's helpful and I'm sorry you even have to be thinking about all this.

RJBrownie84 · December 2014

I have PCOS as well. My hubs and I went all out for about a year: Diet and exercise (even though it is difficult to lose weight with PCOS, the healthy habits help), charting (I used Ova Ova, which is pretty easy), plus I have a great OB/GYN. Once PCOS was diagnosed, she started me on Meformin (works for some women, even though it's actually a diabetes medication), then after a few months added Clomid. Once I was on Clomid, I had a blood check for hormone levels each month until they got the dosage right. I believe that generally, if you don't get to preganancy-promoting hormone levels after about 3 months on Clomid, that is when you can get a referral to a reproductive endocrinologist.

My advice: don't do the "wait a year" if you already know that you are having hormone issues. I wasn't ovulating at all, so it doesn't make sense to go through the emotional roller coaster for a year without taking steps to help yourself out.

Also, not a bad idea to have your man get his business checked as well. It takes two ;^).

BunnyBerry · December 2014

MIssSally25 said:

Thanks for the responses. I'm obviously totally new at this! I haven't done basal body temperature yet. I've been charting my periods with a tracker, and some months they're around 38 day cycle, and then there are times where I won't have one for three months at a time. It's really all over the place and has been since high school. My doctor did a ton of blood tests, and that is how she determined the PCOS. Along with other symptoms I've had forever (crazy insomnia, weight gain, inability to lose weight, and horrible Pms breast tenderness etc...). I know three months isn't even a long time to have been TTC, but it's already so frustrating seeing friends get pregnant on the first try. I'm still learning a lot, but I wanted to get in here and talk to some other people who could know what's going on! I appreciate it.

1. Temp for at least 2-3 cycles.

2. If you are ovulating, keep TTC until you hit 1 year (under 35) or 6 months (35+).

3. If you are not ovulating, see an RE.

4. Know that 85% of women will get a BFP in their first year of trying...and the average length of trying for them is 5 months. (Meaning there is a somewhat reduced chance of pregnancy months 6-12 if you have not been successful in months 1-5).

5. Read the newbie blog to see that all of us here fit the definition of infertility so comments about how painful it is not to be KU on your first try are just insensitive/offensive.

RJBrownie84 · December 2014

NariaDreaming said:

RJBrownie84 said:

I have PCOS as well. My hubs and I went all out for about a year: Diet and exercise (even though it is difficult to lose weight with PCOS, the healthy habits help), charting (I used Ova Ova, which is pretty easy), plus I have a great OB/GYN. Once PCOS was diagnosed, she started me on Meformin (works for some women, even though it's actually a diabetes medication), then after a few months added Clomid. Once I was on Clomid, I had a blood check for hormone levels each month until they got the dosage right. I believe that generally, if you don't get to preganancy-promoting hormone levels after about 3 months on Clomid, that is when you can get a referral to a reproductive endocrinologist.
My advice: don't do the "wait a year" if you already know that you are having hormone issues. I wasn't ovulating at all, so it doesn't make sense to go through the emotional roller coaster for a year without taking steps to help yourself out.
Also, not a bad idea to have your man get his business checked as well. It takes two ;^).

Please stop giving out bad advice. There is NO reason to take Clomid until you're working with a reproductive endocrinologist. You weren't properly monitored by the sounds of it.

Um, I think I'll stick with the advice of a licensed medical professional, thanks.

Many women are prescribed Clomid by their OB, and seeing a specialist is 3x more expensive on many insurance plans. Perhaps I could have been clearer, I was monitored, in that they started me on the minimum dosage and increased dosage based on monthly blood work.

Also, slamming the original poster for mentioning that she gets frustrated isn't really conducive to creating a supportive community.

MIssSally25 · December 2014

Thank you all for the advice. I'm going to start charting temp and see how it goes.

I'm sorry if I offended anyone by stating my frustrations. This was my first post here and I am just looking for other people and advice with similar situations.

BunnyBerry · December 2014

RJBrownie84 said:

...
Um, I think I'll stick with the advice of a licensed medical professional, thanks. Many women are prescribed Clomid by their OB, and seeing a specialist is 3x more expensive on many insurance plans. Perhaps I could have been clearer, I was monitored, in that they started me on the minimum dosage and increased dosage based on monthly blood work. Also, slamming the original poster for mentioning that she gets frustrated isn't really conducive to creating a supportive community.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and assume that last point was meant for me. Contrary to your claim, my post helps ensure a supportive community. There is no room on 3T for complaining about not being KU after 3 months of TTC. OP was asking legit questions about what steps to take when TTC with PCOS and so she got helpful, friendly answers. Now, if a 3T member is frustrated seeing/hearning about first-month BFPs, we all support and encourage her (just see any OPP thread). But if a first-time poster without IF (as Naria explained so eloquently, PCOS diagnosis is not automatically IF) complains about not being KU after 3 months, she's going to be reminded to check the newbie blog in order not to offend with those kind of insensitive comments.

Also, do you even go here?

What I wrote:

"Read the newbie blog to see that all of us here fit the definition of infertility so comments about how painful it is not to be KU on your first try are just insensitive/offensive. "

RJBrownie84 · December 2014

Apologies to those I apparently offended. OP asked what to expect with PCOS, and I shared MY experience, which is evidently much different from what others on this board have experienced. This was intended as an "it worked for me", not a universal prescription.

At no point did I say not to visit an RE. All I said was that my dr. would have referred me to an RE if my hormones weren't straightening out after 3 months. This is a true thing which happened, not medical advice.

I'm sorry that so many here had bad experiences with their OBs. I didn't. I did not include my full medical history here, but yes, I did get t/v u/s, and proper medical care while I was on Clomid. I guess that I assumed dr supervision was par for the course on any medication, and did not explicitly spell that out.

pinkdoggie · December 2014

RJBrownie84 said:

Apologies to those I apparently offended. OP asked what to expect with PCOS, and I shared MY experience, which is evidently much different from what others on this board have experienced. This was intended as an "it worked for me", not a universal prescription. At no point did I say not to visit an RE. All I said was that my dr. would have referred me to an RE if my hormones weren't straightening out after 3 months. This is a true thing which happened, not medical advice. I'm sorry that so many here had bad experiences with their OBs. I didn't. I did not include my full medical history here, but yes, I did get t/v u/s, and proper medical care while I was on Clomid. I guess that I assumed dr supervision was par for the course on any medication, and did not explicitly spell that out.

I feel like no matter what an OB does it will never be nearly as good as the care you get from an RE, no matter how amazing they may seem.

You may be a rarity of having a "good expereince" with an OB so throwing out advice to see an OB while on clomid is kind of irresponsible. Most don't moniter, therefore one should just assume they won't have the same care as an RE. Just my two cents.

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