[Empress]

Greetings everyone, I'm new here and would greatly appreciate some advice.

I'm 24 years old and have been TTC(Trying To Conceive) for nearly a year now without any luck. I've been diagnosed with prolactine and given Dostnix for two weeks as medication to treat that. My 'then' doctor said it was nothing and she'd get me pregnant in no time, this was back in October 2009. She later diagnosed my with PCOS as 4 1.7mm cysts were found in my ovaries. This came as a shock as I have never been overweight and I have always hovered between under/normal weight. I have no PCOS symptoms no facial hair no weight gain, nothing save for those cysts. I do have occasional pain during sex which I know is because of those cysts. The doctor wanted to medicate me to treat them but I refused and pulled my file from the hospital as I found her very old-fashioned, refused to give me any kind of information on my condition and told me to do what she says and not ask too much questions, plus I was very stressed and uncomfortable and she only made it worse. I have since then tried to naturally cure my cysts using acupuncture, cupping and chinese herbs (started in Januray 20th 2010). I get really depressed every time I get my period I actually break down in tears and lock myself in the bathroom when I get it. I feel very frustrated and I'm now considering IVF.

I'd greatly appreciate you're thoughts and/or input on the matter.
Thanx.


UPDATE
On May 5th 2010 I found out I have finally conceived, I started sobbing as I saw the two lines on the test stick while I was still on the loo. I didn't believe it so I took another test, sure enough two lines appeared again. The next day I took another two tests just to be sure, they were both positive.
I didn't undergo any kind of treatment, just my twice a week acupuncture sessions with my Chinese doctor plus taking some natural chinese herbs.

I'd like to thank all you ladies for you're valuable information and support throughout my plight. you've been enormous help, Thank you. =)

This post has been edited by Empress: 07 May 2010 - 12:16 PM

[videovixen]

I don't have a lot of knowledge to give you, but just feel for you.

2 things: has your husband's fertility been checked? You might be 'beating yourself' up when your fertility is actually OK. Depending on your husband, this might be a difficult subject to broach with him but if you could find a supportive doctor (and good for you for deciding that you weren't going back to the one you were uncomfortable with)and suggest that the doctor wants to do thorough checks for both of you. At least it would give you an answer either way as to whether his fertility is OK.

Second: and I know this is really really hard and please don't take the wrong way, but you are young, have heaps of childbearing years left and getting so stressed and preoccupied will not be helping your body conceive. Could you try to give yourself a timeframe, say 3 months and tell yourself that you are not going to worry about whether you get pregnant or not, not even go to doctors etc and really try to not make it a focus and see what happens? I know that sounds really Pollyanna ish, but it could help.

All the very best to you and hoping that you get the happiness you are seeking.

[paps]

I second the opinion of videovixen.. you are still young and do not worry. I was given a baby when i was 3 years older than you and one of my friends had been married 5 years before given a baby. This is a means of you enjoying your time with your husband. I may say since we had our baby we had less time together and I missed that. There are a lot of sacrifices of being a mom and maybe this is a way that you're just getting ready for your number one job - to be a mom. And I advice, take it slow. Do not pressure yourself too much. That also affects conceiving.

Also, if you really want to conceive, it is also correct to have your husband sperm checked and there may be a problem with his count or whatever medical term it may be. The Corniche hospital also offers fertility advices and it's one of their specialties. Al Noor Hospital in Airport Road also has a fertility center. see this link: Abu Dhabi Fertility

Hoping I'm helpful...

[Ciara]

Hi Empress,
Agree with the above posters, you're lucky to have age on your side. That said, you obviously would love to start a family and trying for the last year must be frustrating. Do get your husband's sperm count and motility checked out before rushing into IVF. He mightn't like it but possible issues on his side should be ruled out.
It took well over a year TTC before I became pregnant with my son (now 2) and to my great surprise it took very little time to become pregnant with number 2 - I think I was more relaxed when it came to trying for 2nd baby. I had also gone down the acupunture, Chinese herbs, cupping route the fisrt time. Not sure they did much for me only relax me and leave marks on my back, but it can't have hurt! More recently I discovered the Clearblue Fertility Monitor which I think also helped in conceiving 2nd. Have a look at their website, see if it could help you. I found it quite accurate at pinpointing ovulation/peak fertility in cycle.
Don't give up hope, you'll get there eventually. Look at Posh Spice, she has 3 kids and also suffers from PCOS!

Best of luck.

[helicoptermum]

I found this website very helpful when we were trying to have children....http://www.fertilityfriends.co.uk/forum/

All the best

[Karma]

I know it's easier said than done but sometimes your stress of ttc is what may be in part causing the delay. Enjoy trying and it'll happen.

[zma]

Hi Empress. Since I've been there I can understand your stress. I too was diagnosed with PCOS , had trigger happy doc pump me full of hormones for 3 months etc. I got to the stage where I thought ok fine, I am not meant to be a mother so get over it and get on with life. ironically when we stopped trying we got pregnant the first time we had sex! Stress really puts your hormones out of sync. Give the doc'tors a bit of a wide berth and just relax yourself, and go with the flow for a bit.

[Mahat]

I agree with all the above:

Get your husband tested..
Fertilityfriend.com is an amazing site.. You can also look into ivillage.com and check out their forums and communities for TTC.. they are quite helpful.
Also get hold of the book "Taking charge of your fertility" its quite famous for couples trying to TTC:
http://www.tcoyf.com/
I learned a lot from there..

We tried for 4 years before we had our first. I didnot have PCOS or anythign else for that matter.. Just irregular periods so that I wouldnt and sometimes still do not ovulae everycycle. No reason for that!

I was in canada at the time and here are certain things which helped me :

First and foremost.. even if everything is A OK it can stll take couples upto one whole year before they conceive!!.. Some FErtility specialists do not even start your checkups before you ve tried for 1 year atleast!!!

SEcondly.. stress really does make a difference. I knew EXACTLY when I ovulate and would time intercourse .. we tried taht way for 2 years but conceived when i fianlly accepted it wasnt meant to be and stopped thinking about it completley!!! just like in zma's case :)
I know its hard to relax.. almost impossible... take a vacation or something..anything so that your mind is busy somewhere else.

Thirdly.. before you get yourself tested and probed. get your DH tested as well. Sometimes its a minor fertility on the hubsnad's side which can be fixed easily with mild medications.. so its better to get both of urselves tested at the same time..
Good luck and hope to hear good news soon!!

[Empress]

Thank you all for all your support its greatly appreciated! =D I did get my husband checked doc said he was fine nothing wrong with his sperm count or sperm life and mobility. I must admit I think you all have a point I am over stressing it, I think I'll try to take it easy for a while and see how it goes. Thanx again for all your advice I'm soo glad to hear various advice and experiences from women who have been through this before.

Thank you. =)

[piper]

Empress, As someone who has been through the ttc mill, why not treat yourselves to some alternative therapies. I have had great results with reiki, reflexology and acupuncture, even if all they do is give you some quality relaxation time, maybe that alone might help in your endeavours.
Should you need medical assistance make sure you find an expert gynae that you feel comfortable with. You should also check that all tests are carried out before embarking on expensive and harrowing treatments. eg lap and dye, blood tests (correctly timed). I can highly recommend the book 'Taking Charge of your fertility'
Good luck in your journey, I remember well the frustration and sheer desperation.
I have since been blessed and have 3 beautiful little angels that were worth ever thing it took to get them :)

[valoc]

Lots of great advice has been given here but I wanted to add to try and find a Dr who knows something about PCOS. Not all Drs know lots of info on this. I have PCOS and do not have the symptoms but did have difficulty getting pregnant. I don't know of anyone here but can recommend someone in Dubai if you are interested. Trying not to worry over it is the hardest thing to do though.

[brunilda]

I second and third fertilityfriends. Are you ladies still one there? I am a lifetime member on preg.fertilityfriend.com Thats the pregnancy side of things). I started off on the TTC side 5 years ago.

And I second tcoyf as well I had that book and its basically the info that the FF site works on too. I got pregnant a month after I started charting.

Good luck!

[Precious Grl]

zma, on 03 March 2010 - 10:18 PM, said:

Hi Empress. Since I've been there I can understand your stress. I too was diagnosed with PCOS , had trigger happy doc pump me full of hormones for 3 months etc. I got to the stage where I thought ok fine, I am not meant to be a mother so get over it and get on with life. ironically when we stopped trying we got pregnant the first time we had sex! Stress really puts your hormones out of sync. Give the doc'tors a bit of a wide berth and just relax yourself, and go with the flow for a bit.

Same to same for me! When i was relaxed and stop worrying it came and even went without me knowing anything, thought was period but turned out i was losing my 1st pregnancy. then 1 month later i was preg again! my boy wil b 18mth end of march and am holding his little finger right now, he wants to type too! Empress, inshalah someday u will be holding your child's finger and make him/her type for us here!
Just relxand forget, it wil come at it's own pace and time,ok. http://www.abudhabiwoman.com/public/style_emoticons/default/thumbs_up.gif

[Mahat]

Brunilda.. I still keep track on FF and now the pregnancy website. But I am no longer an active board member at their forums though. I also do not chart anymore. I charted for like 2 years.. and we timed intercourse for about a year with ovulation.. but even then it happened when we werent actually trying and i had given up!.. Thats why i am such a strong believer of "it iwll happen when its meant to" cuz i spent a year with clomid and ovulation every cycle and absoultely timed intercourse..
I did so much of all that that i can tell exactly when i ovulate without temping.. lol..so i just chart my signs and mark when i ve ovulated :)

[ASHY]

Hi Empress,

I agree with previous posts, you are still young and have better chances, but that being said, i would highly recommend you see a specialist after 2 years of trying naturally as i myself have been through this roller coaster ride and still feel i should have started taking it seriously earlier (got married when 26yrs, didnt try for first two years, but then actually did try after 2 yrs and since then have been trying...it has been 3 years of trying since then and now i am 29yr)

Also i was diagnosed with PCOS back in 2006, it shocked me as i was underweight (still is) and had no issues except that i got severe acne an year later. To sort PCOS i took homeopathy for nearly 1 year(also avoided meat during this time) and i must say when i re-did my scan an year later....the docs ruled it out completely. Now my IF issued are not due to PCOS but Endometriosis that is diagnosed only recently.

My suggestion, take it easy for at least some time, relax but make sure you know your ovulation dates (confirm it by OPKS & 21 day cycle blood test) as PCOS can hinder the ovulation & if no ovulation then obviously no pregnancy...so once you are sure of your ovulation, just keep up with regular exercises and proper diet, as it is known to help people with PCOS.

Take care & All the best!

[miriam]

Empress, on 03 March 2010 - 03:07 PM, said:

Greetings everyone, I'm new here and would greatly appreciate some advice.

I'm 24 years old and have been TTC(Trying To Conceive) for nearly a year now without any luck. I've been diagnosed with prolactine and given Dostnix for two weeks as medication to treat that. My 'then' doctor said it was nothing and she'd get me pregnant in no time, this was back in October 2009. She later diagnosed my with PCOS as 4 1.7mm cysts were found in my ovaries. This came as a shock as I have never been overweight and I have always hovered between under/normal weight. I have no PCOS symptoms no facial hair no weight gain, nothing save for those cysts. I do have occasional pain during sex which I know is because of those cysts. The doctor wanted to medicate me to treat them but I refused and pulled my file from the hospital as I found her very old-fashioned, refused to give me any kind of information on my condition and told me to do what she says and not ask too much questions, plus I was very stressed and uncomfortable and she only made it worse. I have since then tried to naturally cure my cysts using acupuncture, cupping and chinese herbs (started in Januray 20th 2010). I get really depressed every time I get my period I actually break down in tears and lock myself in the bathroom when I get it. I feel very frustrated and I'm now considering IVF.

I'd greatly appreciate you're thoughts and/or input on the matter.
Thanx.


UPDATE
On May 5th 2010 I found out I have finally conceived, I started sobbing as I saw the two lines on the test stick while I was still on the loo. I didn't believe it so I took another test, sure enough two lines appeared again. The next day I took another two tests just to be sure, they were both positive.
I didn't undergo any kind of treatment, just my twice a week acupuncture sessions with my Chinese doctor plus taking some natural chinese herbs.

I'd like to thank all you ladies for you're valuable information and support throughout my plight. you've been enormous help, Thank you. =)

Hi Empress...

a congratulations =)) i have pcos also and were trying to conceive for 3 years now... am really really depressed cause the doctors are just giving prescriptions without explaining what will happened... and now i gain weight..... its like am 4 mos. pregnant (how i wish i'am =( ) i don't want to undergo yet with IVF cause natural conceiving still the best =) but am thinking i still have 2 more years to work hard though am already 27 this year....

anyway, i've read about this acupuncture session thing, i want to try it maybe this will work for me too.... if you dont mind can you pm me your doctor and from which hospital cause i've been searching around here in abu dhabi but most of my friends don't have idea..... (mbdayrit1226@gmail.com)

really appreciate your response and CONGRATS again!!


miriam

[chiara]

Empress, congratulations!! Great news.