New here and need some help :(

Casey1429 · 09-08-2009, 06:07 AM

I was diagnosed in March 2008 at 20yrs old.I had no period for about a year and a half.Before that my period would come and go and was always very irregular since I first got it at 12. The Dr I had did a ultrasound and found 13 cysts on my right overy and 9 on my left.Then she stopped practicing.The Dr I have now did blood work and every thing came back normal. I am not over weight I am average for my age and height.My Bf and I have been together for 10 years and want to have children, but it seems like it just wont happen Iam not on any meds for this and just want to know what to due.Questions to ask my Dr or things to tell him that I want to help get pregnant.I live in B.C.Please help as I do not know what to do.

Heather in canada · 09-08-2009, 03:41 PM

hi there and welcome to sc!
i dont want to have kids at this juncture and time so what the doctor had me do wouldnt be useful to you cuz it involves bcp. i mainly wanted to say hi and let you know to keep your chin up about it. there are alot of articles and forums specifically for when you ttc and im sure if you searched you may find some advice and support. this is a great site.
hope you figure it all out sooner then later and good luck!

writergrl · 09-08-2009, 07:42 PM

If anyone can sympathize, it's me! I had 15 years of irregular periods, seemingly unstoppable weight gain that is tough to get under control, and excess hair. I had to go through two different doctors to find one that finally diagnosed me with PCOS. It was a fertility specialist, and I have never been happier to find a doctor that FINALLY listened to me about what was going on with my body. My BF of 17 years and I started trying to have kids last December. We haven't had any luck, and now I know why. I felt broken. My advice would to be to go a doctor NOW. If you have a family practitioner or a gyno, start with them and get a referral. If you don't have either, talk to the women you know and get the names of some good doctors from them. This has been a long, difficult road for me. I just started metformin about three weeks ago, but I am hoping it will do me some good. Best wishes to you, and keep posting! Sometimes it helps just to be able to vent.

Casey1429 · 09-08-2009, 09:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by writergrl

If anyone can sympathize, it's me! I had 15 years of irregular periods, seemingly unstoppable weight gain that is tough to get under control, and excess hair. I had to go through two different doctors to find one that finally diagnosed me with PCOS. It was a fertility specialist, and I have never been happier to find a doctor that FINALLY listened to me about what was going on with my body. My BF of 17 years and I started trying to have kids last December. We haven't had any luck, and now I know why. I felt broken. My advice would to be to go a doctor NOW. If you have a family practitioner or a gyno, start with them and get a referral. If you don't have either, talk to the women you know and get the names of some good doctors from them. This has been a long, difficult road for me. I just started metformin about three weeks ago, but I am hoping it will do me some good. Best wishes to you, and keep posting! Sometimes it helps just to be able to vent.

Thanks I am glad I found this site it is hard to find a family dr taking new people after mine retired

laurarunner82 · 09-09-2009, 12:56 AM

Well-yes, you definitely need to find a good doctor and try and see if you can find someone who specializes in PCOS.

I know for me, I'm also at a healthy weight and when I had my blood work done by my OB (b/c I had irregular periods and acne after being off birth control), she told me that my blood work looked 'awesome' then she did a progesterone lab on day 21 of my cycle and said that I didn't ovulate. So, she put me on Clomid, you take it for 5 days either on CD 3-7 ro 5-9 depending and it supposed to make you ovulate. You use ovulation predictor kits to determine when you will ovulate so you can time everything right

(for me, ovulation predictor kits didn't work...you may try tracking your temperature or checking your cervical mucous).

So....then the doc said that I should start taking a progesterone supplement starting after I ovulate so it will support the cycle or somethign? So, I did 4 months of Clomid and each time they would increase the dosage. I didn't end up pregnant. On the last month, I went to a Endocrinologist, they looked at the exact same blood work and said that I had PCOS....b/c the balance between my LH and FSH (supposed to be 1:1) was 5:1...guess that's a sign of PCOS and my OB was too stupid to know that. He also did an ultrasound and found that my uterine lining was thin (a side effect for Clomid)

So....he switched me to a different drug called Femara or Letrozole, the first month they did 2.5 mg and it didn't work, so they are increasnig it for next month...I guess that is common.

For me-Clomid made me really emotional...cried easily. And if they give you Provera or somethign to induce a period-that also made me emotional-fyi.

Femara-so far has been great...much less side effects.

Anyways-it's all so overwhelming...so just keep researching and reading about different people's experiences. Ask your doctor if he is familiar with PCOS...and I'd go to a specialist so you don't end up with an OB that doesn't know anything about infertility and just gives you clomid b/c that's their go-to drug! I wish I had.

Casey1429 · 09-11-2009, 01:54 AM

Thank you laurarunner82
The Dr that I found has now refered me to a Gyno not sure when my app will be I will keep posting and updating. This site is very helpful and it should be given out by Dr to ladies that have just got diagnosed

Casey1429 · 09-29-2009, 01:30 AM

Still no call no app with the gyno yet can any one tell me what to do to speed up the prosses thanks

laurarunner82 · 09-30-2009, 07:44 PM

Why no appt? I'd just keep following up with them or find someone else to go to! i don't know what blood tests or other tests they have done, but they usually like to rule out some issues before they get you started on any meds (depends on doc)

I had to have Day 3 blood test, Day 21 blood test (see if I ovul'd) HSG usually on Day 7-11 (see if fallopian tubes are blocked) and hubby had to get his boys checked out. So....if you have to have those blood tests...you need your period to start. You should request Provera or something to make you have your period, you just take it for like 10 days and then afte ryou stop, your period should come within 2 more weeks.

It's a lot of waiting!

Casey1429 · 10-01-2009, 03:49 AM

Thankx i will ask about provera. I called the dr office today and they said they had not herd from the gyno yet but would let me know when they do
so i hope it will be soon the blood work that the dr has done is glucose,thyroid,white/red blood cell count i think thats all they have done so far

Quote:

Originally Posted by laurarunner82

Why no appt? I'd just keep following up with them or find someone else to go to! i don't know what blood tests or other tests they have done, but they usually like to rule out some issues before they get you started on any meds (depends on doc)

I had to have Day 3 blood test, Day 21 blood test (see if I ovul'd) HSG usually on Day 7-11 (see if fallopian tubes are blocked) and hubby had to get his boys checked out. So....if you have to have those blood tests...you need your period to start. You should request Provera or something to make you have your period, you just take it for like 10 days and then afte ryou stop, your period should come within 2 more weeks.

It's a lot of waiting!

laurarunner82 · 10-02-2009, 03:10 PM

K...little confused. You mean, you called like the Speicalist office and they haven't heard from the gyno in order to get you in? If that's the case (that happened to me), you have to call the Gyno directly and be like 'hey, send over my info so I can get going with the specialist....' make them give you a date they will do.

If you mean your family doc hasn't heard from the gyno to make an appt? Then I'm confused-can't you just call the Gyno directly to make an appt?

The Day 3 blood test will measure your FSH/LH, Insulin Resistance...some other stuff too. I think it basically tells you what kind of egg reserve you have and will tell you if you have PCOS. Then Day 21 progesterone test tells you if you ovulated. Although-my specialist doesn't believe in those...b/c you would have to ovulate on day 14 in order for that to work-and many women ovulate on different days.

When you go to a specialist, they may want to do an ultrasound and take a look at your uterine lining and see if you have any follicles growing. Ultrasounds-although more expensive probably (insurance coverage for you?) tell you what is actually going on in your body.

I'd think your regular doc could give you the Provera (you may even be offered a Progesterone shot...think it works faster than the Provera pill in making your period come on).....but you want to have a treatment plan figured out once you start your period, so you can get going!

good luck-keep me posted

Casey1429 · 10-03-2009, 04:22 AM

Oh sorry laurarunner82 Yes i ment my family dr they set up an appt/refer you to the gyno.If you called yourself it might take a year or two.I didnt know that after the gyno they send you off to a Speicalist? i thought the gyno was the Speicalist in that department

laurarunner82 · 10-04-2009, 01:19 PM

Casey....oh, must just be different where you live then or something. b/c I could get into a gyno without a problem by calling myself, but then the Specialist, I had to get a referral...and he is an Endocrinologist so they are more familiar with PCOS and infertility treatments.

My gyno is the one who mis-diagnosed me and told me that I didn't have PCOS.

You'll have to ask your gyno when you get an appt with them how much they work with PCOS. I think some people have really good gynos who know a lot about fertility and PCOS, etc....and they will definitely be more knowledgeable than your family doc!