Conceiving Question

If you have been diagnosed with PCOS, you should seek the assistance of a fertility specialist, particularly one who deals with reproductive endocrinology.

PCOS works kind of like this: each month about 12-20 'primary follicles' in the ovary are 'selected' to potentially become an egg. While one of the follicles is lavished with fluids and hormones, it never gets the opportunity to be released from the ovary because the pituitary gland does not secrete enough hormone to allow it to 'emerge'. If you've seen an ultrasound of your ovaries, no doubt you've seen the 'pearl necklace' so many doctors describe as PCOS: lots of little black dots on the ovaries indicating follicles that never made it out of the ovary. Poor little girls are trapped inside the ovary and never get to join the party!

I have pretty bad PCOS, and rarely had periods from puberty on. In high school, college, and beyond I was on birth control pills simply to have a period each month (it is best for the lining of the uterus - endometrium - to be shed at least 4 times per year). When I informed my doctor of my desire to bear children, because I had PCOS I did not have to wait the usual year it takes of 'trying to conceive but no results'. Simply put, my brain (the pituitary gland) doesn't play nicely with my female reproductive system and never really sent the adequate amount of hormones to 'feed' a follicle to make it a viable egg...and on top of that, the pituitary gland never sent enough hormone to allow me to ovulate.

All the charting in the world, all the temperature taking, and all the mucus checking would not have made a bit of difference. (this is not the case with every woman, but was with me)

I started out with Clomid, did two cycles of that at a low dose and nothing. Then three cycles of Clomid at a higher dose and still nothing. Next was a few rounds of injections of Follistim at a low dose and while I began producing viable ova (eggs), they weren't being released. My doctor then added HCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) to stimulate the release of the eggs. I did two cycles of that, got pregnant on the second cycle but miscarried at 7 weeks.

Oddly enough, after two years of trying, I managed to conceive naturally without drugs (I was just giving my body a break from the drugs). My doctor believes (and I firmly believe as well), that even though I was not on the drugs at the time, they really helped to 'synchronize' my system (think using paddles to restart the heart) and get things into a 'rhythm'.

This could be a long process. For me, it meant a strict drug regimen and visits to the doctor 3 times a week during the 'medication' phase. I should have bought stock in home pregnancy tests! Just remember to be patient and that things happen for a reason and the way that they are suppose to happen.

Feel free to send me a PM if you want to talk more.

I had PCOS and now have two boys 4 and 1. The doctor who I went to put me on some meds to help me get pregnant. (We just moved here from Indianapolis-His name was Dr. Foley) It was called glucophage. It regulates your suger/insulin levels so that you are able to ovulate. They also suggested that I eat a low carb diet. Not atkins, more like the south beach. You should check out the web site www.lifetimewellness.com. It is the website my doctor has on PCOS. Hope this helps. Let me know if you have any more questions.

Hi M.,
I have dealt with PCOS for 17 years. I started having symptoms in highschool (weight gain, hair loss). I had always had to be on the pill to regulate my periods. I took Yasmin for over 2 years and it was a mild pill that helped regulate my periods. I believe it was this that made it so I got pregnant after only trying 3 mos. I think the pill helped regulate my system so I still ovulated when I went off it.
My sister also has PCOS and has been trying for 10 years to get pregnant. It is hard to say one way or the other how the disease shows itself.
Don't be discouraged immediately. You are still young. If you still haven't gotten pregnant after trying 6 mos, then you might want to look into a fertility specialist and drugs.

I don't have PCOS, but my situation is similar to yours. We got pregnant with our first son while using condoms. So he definitely wasn't planned. When we decided we wanted to try to get pregnant (son was 2 1/2), it took us 2 1/2 years to get there! My periods were all over the place. They even completely disappeared for 5 months, to the point that I had to go on Provera, to get them to reappear. It was a long, bumpy road. Every time another friend popped up pregnant, I was devastated. So since you do have PCOS, I'd start "trying" now. Because it may take several years for it to happen. I don't mean to sound discouraging, but I want you to know the truth of it.
I would recommend that you make an account with Fertilityfriend.com (it's free). They give you lessons on how to chart your cycles, how to check for ovulation, and you can track your cycles, when you ovulate, and you'll have a better sense of how your body is. For a long time, I thought my periods were very eratic, because I wasn't on a 28 day cycle. But through fertility friend, I began to see that my cycles are naturally longer than the 28 days. Mine typically are about 35-40 days long.
You can also learn how to check for cervical mucus (a sign of ovulation), and learn how to do temperature charting (buy a basal body thermometer, take your temp every morning BEFORE you even get out of bed to pee, and track it on fertility friend).
I wish you much luck, and please feel free to email me with any questions.

Not unlike one of the other women who responded here, I also took Provera to get my periods started again. Then when the Provera started my periods, I took several cycles of Clomid before I finally conceived. Just a warning, if you take either of these meds, they can be a little bit unkind. You may experience MANY of the same symptoms of pregnancy because they are hormone-based. I remember initially feeling like I was positive I was pregnant and then figuring out after a couple cycles that it was just the hormones in the meds. Good luck to you. I know when you want to conceive you want it to happen right now! Keep the faith. I have two beautiful children ages 4 and 19 months both conceived using Provera and Clomid. :-)

Have you tried to maintain the PCOS in any way? By restricting your diet or using medications? I have suffered with pcos and I havent had it inter with my period... just curious if there is any other medical issues that are preventing you from having a period.