Hi Freckles,
Wow, I am glad to hear that this information might help you figure things out.
I was only on clomid for one cycle (50mg), and I did not ovulate. I haven't ovulated since going off the pill, and I am pretty sure I haven't ever, or it has been very infrequent. I've only been off the pill for about 2-3 years of my menstruating life, and my periods have never come at regular intervals.
Goodness, we sound similar. I did the exact same thing with my diet, but it didn't help much. My diet was pretty good before I cut down on carbs, but at the same time, I feel much better now that I've cut all pasta/bread out. I am starting to realize that my moodiness and periods of intense exhaustion are in fact blood sugar related.
I asked my doctor about diet, and he gave the typical recommendation of making sure I have lots of lean protein, healthy fat and fiber in my diet. He suggested I speak with the dietician in their clinic who specializes in PCOS -- I'll let you know if I hear anything from that person. I did not specifically ask him whether I should gain weight in order to ovulate. I'm 5'4" 118lb, so i am light but not super skinny. I am going to wager a guess that my hypothalamic issues stem from stress, although I bet the lack of body fat compounds them. More body fat = more estrogen, and I don't have much estrogen.
My doctor strongly cautioned me to regulate my weight in the future. He said the fact that the only reason I don't have full blown IR is only because I have both kept my weight at a good level, and he thought if I ever gained weight I would be likely to see these symptoms increase exponentially. Whether that means "don't gain any weight ever, even if it's 5lbs", or "don't gain 20lbs in a month", I'm not sure.
From what I understand of HA, it results from chronic energy deficit. I think this is what makes the PCOS/HA combination so hard to treat. You turn off one and the other flips on.
Also, are you sure you ovulated? I get + or near + on OPKs every 5-10 days, though once I started tracking my BBT, I realized I wasn't ovulating.
I couldn't say whether it would be a waste or not. My doctor thought it would be a waste with me, but then again, I didn't/don't ovulate. The IUI makes sense with your low estrogen (get past the pesky cervix!), so perhaps since you are ovulating, it would be the best shot for you. The injectables come with very high rate of multiples (25%!!), so I think if I had my choice I'd want to do things with clomid.
Best wishes and I hope that the IUI works |