Ultrasounds <sob>

[Spuddle]

I posted not long ago about abdo stretchy pains and booked an appointment with the doctor. Just had my ultrasound done this morning. I got a bit of a shock as I hadn't heard of a transvaginal ultrasound before and my doctor didn't prepare me for it! I've never had a male gyno or male doctor for these things and I came out feeling somewhat horrified!

Anyway, I had both the pelvic ultrasound and I gritted my teeth and had the transvaginal one (whoever said that was painless was a moron - it was rather uncomfortable) and he thinks I have Polycystic ovaries :'( My bloods are coming back hopefully by tomorrow which will probably confirm it.

Any advice?

I looked on the PCOS and Endo section of the general conception page, but it's mostly about endo. The Sonographer said "it's fixible with hormone treatment" but he was German and had all the bedside manner of a cold fish. Am feeling some what violated and invaded and scared to death... we want a baby... will it ever happen?

[Tracey]

had the transvaginal one (whoever said that was painless was a moron -

I have had to have a few during my TTC days & none have ever been painful at all... A tad embarassing & not like I enjoy them at all, but not painful...
Maybe it's due to your possible endo/pcos etc?

I'd not class myself as a moron though?

[Beaksie]

Hi Miss Spuddle, how are you chick?? Welldone for being "a big girl" and getting checked out. I've had quite a few of those icky U/S too, and though Ive never found it painful, it is bloody embarassing. Also quite a shock when you're not expecting it eh?
Sorry about the poss PCOS diagnosis. Good news though is that if you know what's wrong, you can treat it. Small consulation I know, but it can always be worse. ANd if you look on BB you'll find HEAPS of girls who've conceived and delivered a healthy bub with PCOS. Anyway, hope you're doing OK. Take care

[megs11]

Hi,
I have PCOS, it is really scary when you first get diagnosed, and can be quite devastating, you feel like a bit of a failure as a woman.

I have two children, but they were born before I was diagnosed and before I had all the problems with AF, hair, pimples etc etc etc. What are your other symptoms? In saying that I had two children pre PCOS, I fell pregnant last year with twins which turned out for one to be ectopic and one uterine and lost both of them, so yes you can still fall pregnant (not a bad effort considering, no AF for months at a time), unfortunately mine did not have a happy ending, but I was told it was not to do with the PCOS.

There are plenty of women who go on to have happy healthy bubs with or without reproductive treatment. They may try a variety of things and treatments, medications, not to insult you I do believe, if you need to, by losing a few kilos can kick your cycle into drive (I certainly need to) as if you have PCOS it makes it hard to loose weight, some women do have fertility treatment ie clomid, etc, some women also try alternative therapy. Be guided by what your doctor says.

The best thing is now you have a diagnosis you can start to treat it, and start on the road to having a baby.

There is a great thread on the forum called "PCOS - what's your story" in the Endo and PCOS section, the girls here are great and a huge support, ask any questions or vent.

Good luck

Meagan

[megs11]

Oh I forgot to agree whole heartedly:

Those transvaginal ultrasounds are uncomfortable, I had one when I lost the babies, not pleasant.

Meagan

[{sarah}]

Nope never painful here either & I had them every second day for two weeks through my IVF cycle. Possibly it was due to you being stressed & embarrassed about it?

Have you checked out the article on the main BB site about PCOS - Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)

Also if you post in the PCOS / Endo section there are lots of ladies that will be able to talk you through it all. You will have a baby, it is still possible with medication & you'll find that lots of women fall pregnant without needing any assistance.

[Spuddle]

Thank you so much for all of your support! Tracey I'm so sorry darl - I didn't mean to say that anyone who didn't find it painfull was a moron. The Sonographer just pulled out this curling iron looking thing, slopped some lubricant on it, told me it wouldn't hurt a bit and thrust it inside. Then told me to relax my muscles!! It was incredibly uncomfortable and I was nearly in tears over it all anyway because I wasn't prepared for it in any way - didn't even know that such a thing existed. The only man to see me naked 'down there' is my fiance and now this wally. I was a bit emotional over it. I'm on CD22, have been feeling off colour with headaches and sore bbs for the last couple of days and I had the sharp stretchy pains again yesterday which is out of sync with the O pain thing because that was about 7 days earlier I think unless i'm doing it twice or the pain is totally unrelated. I will get my blood work back this afternoon hopefully, so will know for sure then, but he said my ovaries definitely looked polycystic and my doctor will be in touch with me soon.

Thank you Sarah for the link, I will definitely check it out. You've all made me feel a lot better about this... thank you so much xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

[StrawberryMumma]

When I had a TV ultrasound, I felt some discomfort too, so maybe it's the person doing it that has an influence on how it feels.

Big :hugs: spuddle, glad you are feeling a bit better..

[megs11]

How are you going?

Did you get your blood test results? What did the Doctor have to say?

Fingers crossed

Meagan

[Spuddle]

Guys, I just got back from the doctor -> the doc said my bloods could be in the normal range (I know - so terribly helpful), but the sonographer said that my ovaries looked like they were polycystic? Is it posible to have polycystic ovaries without a hormonal imbalance? Does this mean it's not "fixable"???????? would the vitex I've been taking be causing a problem here? could it help the hormonal problem and not help the polycycstic ovary issue? I'm starting to panic again :'(

And yes I could lose a couple of kilos - I'm thinking of taking the advice of the PCOS sites and go on a low GI diet. I've started going to the gym every day, but haven't been this past three weeks because I've been so sick. I'm starting again on Monday.

[megs11]

No, i had some odd hormones at one stage (low estrogen) but at diagnosis, my hormones were all normal, it is a syndrome, if you have so many of the symptoms then you are considered to have it ie cysts on the ovaries, weird hormones, irreg periods, facial/body hair etc, my ovaries looked okay when I lost the babies and they still say I have it due to all the other symptoms.

Sweetie, don't panic. Are you on fertility treatment? Could this account for funny ovaries? Sorry, not an expert at this stuff. I would try and post on the thread that I told you about before, there are girls who have been thru all this stuff and are going thru it as we speak, I am a little scared to want more children at the moment, as I will be like you, need to follow it up more carefully and look at my options, the girls on that thread will be able to help you.

I have heard that even if you lose 5kg this can start your cycle.

Don't panic it will be fine

Meagan

[CeCe]

Hi Spuddle,

I've been on IVF and had numerous vaginal ultrasounds. At first I found it totally daunting and felt rather embarrassed. It's just something I've had to accept to achieve what I want which is a baby. I've had mixed experiences with discomfort with them and found the closer I was to ovulation etc the more 'tender' it all felt during the ultrasound.

Good luck with it all.

[{sarah}]

It is possible to have poly cystic ovaries, but not actual PCOS which is a syndrome with other symptoms. My sister has a few cysts on her ovaries & insulin resistance which are characteristic of PCOS, but she has no other symptoms & doesn't have the syndrome. Does that make sense?

[anney]

Spuddles,
Sarah is correct that you can have polycystic ovaries but not have the syndrome that can go with it. I think they say as many as 1 in 4 women may have polycystic ovaries and most will never know. i only found out I had them when I was 44 when I started IVF and my sister found out she had them when she was 38. We both have always had regular periods and no other sign of the syndrome.
When I was diagnosed my fertility specialist said to make sure I don't put on any weight as when you have polycystic ovaries weight gain can bring on the full blown syndrome symptoms so the low GI diet might help you out. Also maybe Vitex is not a great idea as it influences your hormone levels so you don't want too many things messing with them
good luck spuddles and I hope you don't have to have another TV u/s again soon but I guess this time you will be prepared. I have had lots and some ultrasonographers are rougher than others. it would have been a shock to have one with no warning.

[Spuddle]

well there's no point worrying about that which you can't change hey. I'll wait for the ultrasound report and then talk to my doctor about the next step. I've decided to tackle to weight issue regardless, so who knows that might help anyway. Will keep you guys posted and thank you so so much for listening to me panic and supporting me!
I'm sure I'll get used to the TV U/S - I'll just try to avoid this sonographer. I would have felt so much more comfortable with a female one (in fact I wouldn't have been emotional over at all I don't think had the sonographer been a woman - I know I know, I'm a big sook and I'll get over that soon enough on my TTC journey!!) Thank you all again and stay tuned to the ongoing saga of Spuddles haha

[ticklish]

Hey Spuddle,

PCOS is very common and affects us all differently - there is such a wide scale of symptoms and it varies in from individual to individual. 25% of women have the appearance of PCO on ultrasound - so it is actually thought to be something quite normal as not all these women have problems or even other symptoms. There are actually some very interesting theories on why it is normal for some women and some interesting examples of where it has been found to occur naturally in human and animals populations. Keeping within a healthy weight range and being otherwise healthy is important and I have always found this to be of benefit.

Me - yes, well I am UTD again with PCOS and haven't ever needed any medical assistance so it can happen. Have faith.

Just post if you have any questions.

All the best.
TICKLISH

[Indadhanu]

Spuddle... I hear you on the vaginal ultraounds, I have them at least 5 times a month *bleh* I find them more embarrassing (especially since I have had to get some when I had AF....) than anything else, though I have PCOS and sometimes the pressure they apply does get a bit uncomfortable.

When I found out in April, I burst into tears as soon as we walked out of the FS' door, so I know where youa re coming from. I wondered if being pregnant and becoming mummys would even happen for us.

Luckily, my dr is 100% sure we will get pregnant. He really isn't even factoring the PCOS in, except to make sure I ovulate, so I am on Clomid. I had a cyst in my last cycle, and he wasn't even worried about it. I would take that on board, and if you have a FS who feels as though the PCOS is a massive barrier to getting pregnant, even with AC, I would probably get a different one. Thats what I always heard from friends. Just find someone who has seen that, with the right treatment, PCOS won't cause a problem.

Also, you can have poly cystic ovaries without having PCOS. The syndrome just includes other symtoms like hormone levels, insulin resistance, acne, excess hair in places woman don't want it!, and sometimes weight problems. I have funny hormone levels and acne... but nothing else.

I ws on the pill for four months (April - July) and that seemed to control the PCOS, but the cycle after I came off it, the cysts were back, so its not a long-term thing. But like I said, I had a cyst last cycle. Actually, last Friday I had a vaginal scan and it showed up a cyst, and then 2 days ago I had another one, and it was gone! He said it must have dissolved.

SO it doesn't mean the end of TTC or the parenthood dream.

Oh, I have heard vitex is no good for people with PCOS, because of the hormones, but unsure about PCO because the hormone irregularities aren't there... I'd check with your naturopath.

[ticklish]

Yes Leasha, vitex needs to be used with caution with PCO because it can increase LH levels to stimulate O. LH can be elevated in women who have PCO/S anway and more LH is definitely not needed because it can make things worse.

I have the book Women's Trouble by Ruth Tickey and Kaz Cooke which makes alternative recommendations for herbs better suited for PCOS.

Always important not to self-prescribe and get professional advice - then on the other hand - I went to a naturopath who totally stuffed up my cycles - made them disappear for 5 months with her stupid formula containing vitex amongst other things so not all so-called naturopaths are competent.

TICKLISH