Our Journey

Hi everyone,

This is my first day here, just found out I have PCOS, and will be starting on metformin in the next couple of days. So where to start? My partner and I are getting married in February 2010, and would like to start a family asap after that, his biological clock is ticking! He had a brain tumour when he was 17, and we found out 3 months ago that he was not producing sperm, so we have been doing HCG injections for the last 12 weeks, and will find out next week whether that has been successful or not.

So I thought something was wrong when i put on 30kg+ in about 12 months, and then my AF stopped a few months ago. My doctor was useless, so I found a new one, and she is very understanding of how important this all is to us. So went to the endo today, and he has confirmed the PCOS, and suggested that weight loss would help. I had a head start on him, I have been working on the weight for a month now, and have lost 3.5kg so far. I work in a call centre, so need to watch what I eat very closely!

I am keeping positive, it seems that a lot of women that have PCOS manage to fall pregnant eventually, and I am really hoping that AF will be back soon so that I know things are on track (seems backwards, I know, but once I have a cycle back, we can work out if I am ovulating or not)

Fingers crossed ! :pray:

dear frog
i also had pocd and have conceived....
my story goes like this----i had an ectopic pergnancy 2 years ago and my left tube was removed. after 6 months we started trying again but unfortunatly it didnt happen.

later i went to repromed and they found out that i had pcod.
thy also said that since coz i had pcod and my left tube was removed i had jus 70% chance of conceieving compared to other ladies..
she put me on clomid for 2 cycles and here i am ..finally pregnant..
so there is hope...
good luck dear..dont get tensed!..be happy and stress free

Hi Frog,

I have PCOS and from last month I'm on clomid. I hadn't have AF more than 3 months and I was so frustrated as we want to conceive ASAP too.:(

I didn't ovulate last cycle so this cycle I'm on 100mg.

It's not easy to keep positive but if we are negative our body also react nagative way. I start to go meditation class and it works pretty good for me.

As for diet, I stopped eating processed food, processed meat, refined grains and high-fat dairy products and thanks to that my insuline level dropped dramatically.

All the best for your Journey! :D

Well, I had my next appointment with the endocrinologist on Monday. I was pretty nervous about it to see what my next round of test results would bring. No change, the testosterone levels (which are the main concern right now) were around the same. Funny thing is that I am showing all symptoms of PCOS, but do not show any cysts on ultrasound. My endo is a bit confused, and has asked me to sit tight for 2 months now and see if the metformin works to bring things back under control... I have only had issues since I have been overweight, so the focus is now on losing weight. Given that I have just had my wisdom teeth out, and am in pain, and my metformin makes me feel nauseous and have no appetite, that shouldn't be too hard! I am now on 1000mg met per day, and even though it is extended release and taken with food, it is really upsetting my stomach! We should also find out this week whether my partner has had any luck with his treatment, he was a bit slack getting his tests in, so we are just waiting for the call now! Fingers crossed for this week, trying not to stress now, with Christmas coming and our wedding in 74 days! :pray:

Got my partners semen test result today over the phone, there are germ cells (the start of sperm production) present, but we need to see the doctor tomorrow to find out exactly what that all means, and see if there were any sperm present, what our chances are now etc. It is a bit exciting, now we know that something is working, and hopefully he is all fixed, now there is just me to deal with! With any luck it will all be sorted out by the wedding and we can start trying! The metformin is making me feel so sick, I have been on so many different things this week, pain killers for the wisdom teeth, antibiotics for a throat infection that started after I had the teeth out, the metformin as well... Plus I have hardly been able to eat... Good for the weight loss that the endocrinologist recommends! It sounds so backwards, but come back AF! Once that starts, we can work on ovulation! :dance:

Hi Frog,

I have PCOS, and like you only had issues when over weight. I was an over weight teenager and probably only had AF about 6 times from 15 to 19 years old. I was diagnosed with PCOS when I was 17.

I then lost about 45kgs when I was 19-20, and AF came back and was regular. I had an implanon implant for about 4 years, and slowly put the weight back on till I reached my highest ever weight at 24. I was off the pill for a good 12 months and got AF once and clearly didn't fall pregnant.

I then got a lapband put in at the start of February this year and lost 28kgs. I went off the pill again, not expecting to fall pregnant but low and behold 3 months after going off the pill, I got a positive test and am now 18 weeks along.

Don't lose hope! We sound very similar in our PCOS stories being influenced by our weight. All the best with the weight loss. I still have plenty to go once the baby comes!

Frog

How are those wedding plans coming along? Are you feeling any better? You had a load of things to deal with there . How is the sperm health going?

I have been diagnosed with PCOS for 10 years now. Cysts evident on ultrasound on both ovaries, high androgens, wacky ratio of LH and FSH, hirsuite ( on my stomach and back of my legs), acne and rapid weight gain and initially loss of menstruation. Insulin levels seem ok, but going for another test soon. I have had no treatment for the PCOS yet.

I gradually lost the weight through exercise and diet. It's still a work in progress but a lot better than it was.

I have had very little difficulty conceiving, but I have trouble maintaining the pregnancies. Still having investigations, but so far not looking like its liked to PCOS.

You will get there. Be strong and hold on to your belief that you can do it.

Hi Frog!

I too have PCOS but I didn't have a problem with being overweight although I did need to lose a few kgs. I was taking metformin for 8 months when I conceived. My DH had LSC (not non-existent just low) so my dr said we would never conceive naturally and to go straight to IVF/ICSI. Luckily we didn't need to.

I read a book on PCOS & diet that may or may not have been helpful. My GP recommended the Low GI diet for my PCOS and I had gradually been changing my diet to be more low GI then when I read this book I incorporated some of its suggestions as well. If you want, PM me & I will let you know the details. I could send you the book if you like. I don't know if it really works as I didn't follow it strictly but it seemed to work for me together with the metformin.

Good luck with your wedding next month.

Well, it has been a while since I have checked in here! I have had a really busy couple of months. I have now lost just over 6kgs. Great news is that AF is back! With a vengeance this time, but my Dr said that is because I have built up months and months of lining that needs the be shed now. So fingers crossed that this means I will go back to a regular cycle... Still no news on the sperm front, my partner seems a bit reluctant to go and get tested again, I am trying to understand how he feels, I guess he can only take the bad news so many times before he starts to question himself. I feel bad for him, because it is out of his control now, and he still goes through me giving him injections every week, and all the appoinments. Not much that we can do over the next few weeks, it is just under 3 weeks til we get married! Can't wait!

The low GI diet seems to be working, I am losing weight, so I can't complain! :dance:

Hi Frog,

Congrats on your weight loss! Thats awesome!!

I too have PCOS (had bloodwork done today for futher testing) I was diagnosed Dec last year.

I wish you all the best of luck :smile:

Thanks naenae! I was diagnosed at the end of November, being on Metformin has made a big difference for me in the weight loss department, and I was so lazy before too, but I am very quickly learning to love exercise.... Every time I see someone that is pregnant, or has a baby, I use that as motivation. I used to get angry and jealous, especially after the ectopic. You are doing well too, 2.8kg in a month! Thats a good healthy loss, and I know how hard it can be with PCOS to shift it. Nice work!

Hey Frog - Thanks, I started a running program, but I've only done 1 session from it :lol: bit of laziness, not enought time for exercising and now for the last week my back has been killing me I havent done anything (other than a 30 min walk yesterday) DP and i are hoping the doc prescribes metformin for me as well to help lose the weight (have heard alot about weight loss and metformin)

Thats good you use it as motivation and not get down and negative about it, even though for us each month we hope for a BFP but AF shows :rolleyes: DP gets down about it more than me i think, I'd like to be down to at leaast 75 before conceiving, but we are just taking each month as it comes :p

I don't mind running, but I prefer mountain biking! I am doing boot camp, which I love, it is a good social thing too. Have you tried C25K (couch to 5k)? It is awesome, eases you into the running, and in no time you are running 5km non stop.... I try to do this on my off days from boot camp. I have been a bit lazy too, I am getting married in 2 weeks, so that has me a bit busy at the moment!

BFN's are hard to deal with, when I was TTC when I had the ectopic, I remember that feeling all too well. I think your body knows when it is ready too, but you never realise how important timing is till it comes to this! Makes you wonder how people manage to fall preg by accident! I guess in the end we just try to remember that at some point we will get that BFP, and it will make the wait worthwhile... Until then though, there are plenty of shoulders here! Keep me posted on how your journey goes!

C25k is the program i started :lol: I am planning on seeing a chiro for my back so hopefully they can help with my aches and pains.

Sorry to hear about your ETP :( I hope 2010 is your BFP year :smile:

Keep me posted too on how you go! If ya need anyone to talk to PM me :smile: I could use a buddy to keep me motivated! :lol: