Re: Conceiving with PCOS
anonymous

Question:
 

Hi!

I recently found out I have PCOS and have been trying to conceive for the past couple of months. I hadn't had my period in over 3 months, so my OB/GYN gave me a prescription

to help me get it.

I finally got my period and hopefully when It's over, I'll ovulate.

I was just wondering if anybody else has this and if so, have you been able to conceive? Any tips or help anyone could offer would be greatly appreciated.

FYI: I do have a 6 year old daughter whom I was able to conceive perfectly fine, but that was before I developed the PCOS.

My Advice:

 

I have a very severe case of PCOS, and one child who will be 6 next month. In my case, I needed IVF to have a child, and wasn't able to fall pregnant to have a second. You can read about it in more detail in my entry in the Minti IVF Support Group. I have also joined Minti's PCOS Group.

There is a medication called clomiphene which may be all you need to get you ovulating and then hopefully you'll fall pregnant (I'm guessing that this might be what you've been prescribed). After that, the options get more invasive and undignified, ranging from injections that lead to timed intercourse, to surgery on your ovaries, to IVF, Let's hope you don't need to go to those lengths.

My recommendation isn't just about conceiving, but about being someone with PCOS. Do as much research as you can - read about PCOS on the net, and if you can get hold of it, I highly recommend a book called "A Patient’s Guide to the Polycystic Ovary" by Gabor Kovacs and Jane Smith. I found out so much about PCOS that nobody had told me, not even doctors I trusted. In my experience, doctors tend to tell you only what they think you need to know at the time (so if you're there for fertility treatment, they probably won't mention your increased chance of developing diabetes). If you want to manage your condition the best way possible, remember that knowledge is power. You need to know what questions to ask and when to push medical people in a particular direction. You'll have a better chance of falling pregnant and of managing the condition for the rest of your life.