In the TWW? Got some symptoms you want to share with others in their TWW? This is the thread for you! Share your symptoms and don't forget to update the BFP thread with your result!

Read a good book lately? Pets do something cute? Do you want someone to cheer you on because you have a big presentation at work next week? Share it here in the chat thread!

Need to ask a cycle question or have a concern about your cycle? Ask away here! Make sure to include as much relevant information as possible so our users can help as much as possible!

In the TWW? Got some symptoms you want to share with others in their TWW? This is the thread for you! Share your symptoms and don't forget to update the BFP thread with your result!

Have you been trying to eat healthier, start a new work out or just thinking about doing something new to help your PCOS and TTC? Post about it here! Please let us know what's been your motivation, your desires and wants, what you've been eating, what you've been exercising to, etc. Tip, tricks, recipes, anything goes.

I am working with shady grove fertility and got my blood work back. It showed I have no immunization to rubella or varicella despite being vaccinated as a baby. I am struggling so hard to find anywhere that carries these vaccines within a 50 mile radius of me (my PCP doesn’t even have them) and my insurance does not cover them. And even if I do find them I would have to spend another $400 to get these vaccines on top of the other costs of fertility treatment. I do want the vaccines and the peace of mind but I’m just not sure if it’s … worth it? I asked my doctor how at risk I am for encountering these diseases as I do not work in health care or childcare, and I am awaiting her response but I just wanted to reach out on here and get some opinions as well.

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Get a BFP? Post about it here! In your post please include if you had regular cycles on your own, any medications you are taking, supplements, and how long you were trying. Feel free to post links to your chart, photos of sticks, etc. Please feel free to graduate on over to our sister subs and congratulations! Success stories posts are now weekly! Please click here to search for previous threads.

I’m getting signs that I might ovulate in the next couple days. I have a SIS scheduled 5 days from now. If this is a fake-out ovulation attempt, which is not uncommon, then this is a moot point, and to the SIS I go. If I get signs of legit ovulation, though, my SIS would fall a couple days after ovulation. My cycles are completely erratic (30-100+ days… a separate issue that will require intervention), so when this was scheduled 1.5 months ago, there was no way to predict where I’d be in my cycle.

Radiology report from my transvaginal US says “endometrial polyp with feeder vessel noted on doppler”. My doctor says let’s take a closer look in case it’s just a leftover blood clot, but if it is a polyp, we need to remove it since they significantly interfere with implantation. I’ve read horror stories online about them increasing miscarriage risk as well, though I don’t have anything on hand to back that up.

I want this thing out of me to better my chances… yet I’m stuck on “but WHAT IF this is finally the time it happens to work for us and the SIS ruins it??” I think it would be easier to sacrifice 1 cycle if it were just 1 out of 12 in a year. I have 4-7 periods a year lately and it feels like skipping one is skipping a significant chunk of a year, because who knows when the next opportunity will be. That said, the sooner I get this thing out of me, the sooner I could move on to ovulation inducing meds. bUt WhAt iF tHiS iS ThE oNe??? What would you do?

Hello all!

Recently joined and was moved by various comments I’ve read on other posts. What a beautiful community and hope and support here!

I recently had the fertility chat with my obgyn. I am 30,have PCOS,and hypothyroidism (controlled with meds). Unless I am on birth control pill, I do not experience periods. My obgyn was upfront with me that my chances of conception would be around 5% with Letrozole, Ovidrel, and IUI. I did manage to get pregnant 2 years ago without fertility help, which my obgyn could not explain how that happened but she told me not to get my hopes up for baby #2.

Wondering if anyone else was given a percentage likelihood and how things worked out for you. In the back of my mind I keep thinking my obgyn just wanted to give me low hopes so when it does happen she’ll be viewed as a miracle worker-but maybe that’s just me being in denial.

My husband and I discussed going through with this first round and potentially doing more of side effects aren’t awful, though I don’t know if I could emotionally handle more than 3 rounds.

I have PCOS and currently taking letrozole to help with conceiving. This is my second round of it. Last month didn’t work but when my period started, I hemorrhaged on day 3 with lot of clots. I found old posts that this was a side effect. This month after taking it I noticed something strange. I obviously have cysts on my ovaries but I also have them on my thyroid and all over my breasts. I have one that swells usually after ovulation and goes back down shortly after my period. However I noticed that is has shrunk significantly even while currently ovulating. Is this something that can be taken long term to help with this? I plan on discussing it with my obgyn but the difference is crazy.

Read a good book lately? Pets do something cute? Do you want someone to cheer you on because you have a big presentation at work next week? Share it here in the chat thread!

In the TWW? Got some symptoms you want to share with others in their TWW? This is the thread for you! Share your symptoms and don't forget to update the BFP thread with your result!

Read a good book lately? Pets do something cute? Do you want someone to cheer you on because you have a big presentation at work next week? Share it here in the chat thread!

Need to ask a cycle question or have a concern about your cycle? Ask away here! Make sure to include as much relevant information as possible so our users can help as much as possible!

In the TWW? Got some symptoms you want to share with others in their TWW? This is the thread for you! Share your symptoms and don't forget to update the BFP thread with your result!

Hoping to get some answers here since my dr won’t be in office until after the holidays (Tuesday at the earliest.) I ended up going to the ER 12 days post op D&C for SEVERE cramping. It was to the point where I couldn’t walk and was in tears. Almost worse than contraction pain. Anyway, they did an ultrasound and found my endometrium is quite thick- measuring at 26.8mm and more cystic than my previous ultrasound… Does anyone know if this is normal? I do have a history of Endometriosis and PCOS. I know consulting Dr. Google is not a smart move, but I did anyway and now I’m convinced I’m developing cancer… Any advice? Thank you in advance.

Hi everyone,

i am very confused after my last obgyn appointment. Me and my husband have been trying to concieve for a year now. Previously I had a history of pcos and was on bc for a long time, but stopped taking it since two years ago and my periods have been regular since then. my doctor says my ovaries are fine, i have slightly elevated number of ‘cysts’ and hormonal acne, but since my periods are regular she says it is fine..

I started using ovulation strips and for months now my ovulation does not happen before cd19 or 20, and my cycles are 28,29 days long (luteal phase is short). I said that to my doctor yesterday and we did pap smear and ultrasound which was ok, she saw a follicle that was growing and she said my ovulation should be today or tommorow (my clue app says different- ovulation on sunday and today i did test for LH and it is still very pale so it probably will not happen before sunday) but she kept saying that it will happen before and that luteal phase always lasts for 14 days?! like how can you say that when many women have a problem with short luteal phase and lack of progesterone which can contribute to conceiving problems? i was so confused.. (mind you this is a private clinic and this doctor has a reputation of one of the best in the area)..

should i call again and ask to check my hormones, what should be my next step?

also this cycle i started taking a natural herbal powder with alchemilla (it is a very popular plant here in my area that many women take for gyno problems). it contains phytoestrogens and for the first time my period was pain free. but two days after my period stopped i noticed a brown slimy discharge, it has been 7 days now and it is still there when i wipe and on my liner. i told my doctor about this but she did not see it as a problem. i am just so confused now, i will continue taking this powder until i get my period but then i will stop and see what my next cycle looks like.

my question after all this is have any of you had brown discharge for days during the follicular phase? i read it could be lack of estrogen and early shedding of uterus.

Read a good book lately? Pets do something cute? Do you want someone to cheer you on because you have a big presentation at work next week? Share it here in the chat thread!

In the TWW? Got some symptoms you want to share with others in their TWW? This is the thread for you! Share your symptoms and don't forget to update the BFP thread with your result!

I’m 5’8, 138 lbs, diagnosed with “lean” PCOS after coming off of hormonal birth control last summer. My period hardly returned, I only had two natural periods in the course of a year. I had extensive lab testing and the only abnormal result was my LH (high). I bought a Mira to monitor my urine metabolite of LH. I am so happy to say my LH has normalized after 8 weeks on Metformin. And I ovulated twice now with it.

I had to advocate for my doctor to start me on Metformin for PCOS. I just wanted to make this post for those feeling hopeless in their condition like I was. As for side effects, I have experienced none. I take my dose with my largest meal, with a protein, and I’m not a (carb) snacker. I am so happy I tried this medication for its “off” label use.

I just recently discovered that I have some PCOS things going on. My partner(35M) and myself (35F) have been TTC for 14 months now. We're located in California, and I have health insurance through Kaiser. My partner and I are both self employed and use Covered California to get our insurance. I have to decide soon if I want to stick with Kaiser or find other insurance. I claim 30k and pay 0 for Kaiser, it's a Silver plan. Honestly I've been very disappointed with Kaiser, it feels like the fast food chain of health care.. for example I have an appointment next week to talk to my doctor, it took a month to get this appointment and its only 15 minutes.

I started seeing a fertility acupuncturist 2 months ago and she's actually got to the root of what's going on, this week! Long story short, a couple out of pocket tests later.. I have uterine polyps, high testosterone, and low progesterone. She was referred to me, and of course insurance doesn't cover her services, but to be honest she's been the most helpful so far. This appointment to see my Kaiser doctor next week is to see if she can remove the polyps for me, since who else can I ask to do this? I have to see her in person to discuss this since I did these tests outside of Kaiser, with the hopes that she can and is willing.

Thing is, I need to figure out what insurance I want to stick with for 2025. Other plans I've looked at, gold and platinum plans, not Kaiser, PPOs, start around $500 a month and up. All this fertility shit has been out of pocket, and I don't believe insurance will cover anything outside of bloodwork anyway, so to me it feels like a complete waste right now (I went through this same thought process last year, and alas still not pregnant so I saved some $$$). BUT if we do get pregnant this year, I'm going to need some better insurance and I know it'll be worth it then to pay more monthly.

I'm having a hard time justifying +$500 a month for the same shit I'm doing at Kaiser, FOR NOW, in case we don't get pregnant. Has anyone else found themselves in the same boat? Trying to justify what kind of insurance to get?

What insurance would be best for someone in my position? Acupuncture for fertility will not be covered by insurance, but I'm keeping her since she's actually helping me. I need to get these polyps removed, and for this I need a doctor through Covered California. Would love to hear what insurance is ideal. Thank you for reading this.

I’ve been doing a fertility work up with a nurse practitioner who specializes in fertility after a MMC and CP. I did a bunch of blood work but most relevant is this information (everything else was normal):

On CD7 my FSH was 6.9 mIU/mL and my LH was 8.4 mIU/mL. I know to calculate LH/FSH ratio these should be taken on CD3, but my blood work got ordered a little late. My fasting glucose, A1C and insulin were all normal. My testosterone is also normal. I ovulate regularly (CD11-13) confirmed by bbt and have 2-3 positive LH tests each cycle with at least one “strong” or very obvious positive. The cycle this blood work was taken I got an almost positive LH test on CD10 and then peak on CD11. Ovulated around CD11-12. I’ve also gotten progesterone/estradiol draws beginning on CD11. So peak LH day, my estradiol was 167 pg/mL and progesterone was 0.8 ng/mL. Post-ovulation my progesterone was 7.9 ng/mL on 3/4DPO and then 10 ng/mL on 6/7 DPO.

Today when I had my appointment to go over blood work, she said my progesterone levels are “abysmal” and should be at least 20 ng/mL by 5 DPO. She also said that based on my LH/FSH values I have PCOS. I’m a little bit confused about these conclusions based on my own research. I’m not a medical professional, but I have done a ton of reading on normal levels. It was my understanding that LH/FSH levels should only be compared when taken around CD3, and generally are between 1:1 and 1:2 in “healthy” cycles and are much higher in the case of PCOS. I asked how she could make that conclusion based on the CD7 blood work, and she said it didn’t matter and that I didn’t need to worry about repeating it within the correct timeframe. Also, if I’m getting nearly positive LH tests on CD10, by CD7 couldn’t my LH be starting to increase anyways? Besides all that, my ratio falls between the reference of 1:1 and 2:1. Additionally, I have no indication of insulin resistance, I have never been diagnosed with cystic ovaries (I had a pelvic ultrasound in September), and have regular cycles. She said I should do a glucose tolerance test to confirm no insulin resistance. I asked what that means about the PCOS diagnosis if it comes back normal, and she told me to cross one bridge at a time.

Beyond all of that, I thought progesterone just needed to be near or above 10 ng/mL to indicate healthy ovulation by 7 DPO. She said my progesterone was way too low, recommended supplementation, and said I am having weak ovulation. I know my progesterone isn’t super high or anything, but is this really “weak” ovulation levels?

Does anyone have any input here? I don’t feel like I trust the things she was saying and just want to see if anyone else has any thoughts. I’m thinking I maybe need to find someone else to see.

Thanks!

So all my info for background: 23 yo F, TTC 14 months. I have insulin resistant PCOS and I am anovulatory. I am overweight, I'll just include that because I know it does effect everything. This is my first cycle of letrozole with planned trigger shot. I also take myo-inositol, coQ10, and a prenatal.

So I took 2.5 mg from CD 5-10 and had my mid-cycle ultrasound this morning on CD 12. I have 4 follicles, 2 in each ovary. In my right ovary I have two 9 mm follicles. In my left ovary I have 5 mm and 6 mm follicles. My lining was also 7 mm (which I read it should be between 10-16 mm). The lining kind of makes sense because I literally just stopped having a flow yesterday and I'm still spotting a little. I'm going back Saturday morning to double check if they grew at all in the next couple days but they think I'll probably need to increase to 5 mg and wait a little longer.

I know this is my first medicated cycle and my doctor told me to have realistic expectations. I just want my baby so, so bad :( And even though the whole drive to my appointment this morning I was telling myself to not get my hopes up I felt crushed when they told me that there wasn't enough growth. I feel so failed and betrayed by my own body.

I tried using the Mira app on my last cycle but after 34 days and no period I gave up (those wands are expensive!) and decided to wait for the next cycle. I had gotten covid during my alleged fertile window and thought that might be throwing things off. Prior to covid my BBT was always very stable but after it was all over the place.

After 100 days with no period and wildly inconsistent BBT I did a course of Progesterone. By CD 102 my BBT evened out consistent with my luteal phase. On the 5th day after I finished the 10 day course my temp dipped a little bit back in line with my follicular phase and I got a very light period. My BBT has been stable over the last few days.

CD 3 I had an ultrasound and my uterine lining was pretty thin. I mentioned that it wasn’t even a full period, just heavy spotty but he confirmed the lining was thin and that it’s likely a lack of estrogen keeping it from thickening. After describing my cycle and seeing a large cyst on my right ovary my doctor said he doesn’t think I ovulated last cycle. He also said he wasn’t sure he’d consider this a real cycle.

I tested with Mira on CDs 3 and 4 and felt like I got some weird results that would be more in line with my luteal phase. It’s showing pretty high estrogen levels so you’d think I’d have built up a better uterine lining. Not sure what to think. How accurate have y’all found Mira?

Results CD3:

LH: 2.6 E3G: 309.2 PdG: > 30 FSH: 1.7

Results CD4:

LH: 1 E3G: 154.5 PdG: 8.6 FSH: < 1

Sorry this is long but I just want to be thorough -- I have posted something similar weeks ago but I did get new info / have a new question, hoping someone may have an answer and I know I can't be alone here..

I am 31, diagnosed with PCOS based on ultrasound (no cysts but many small "string of pearls" follicles, 20 on one side and 25+ on the other) and DHEAs around 450/ slightly elevated testosterone /slight elevated cortisol. TTC on/ off for years now with 0 pregnancies.

I have a period like clockwork every month without fail. I had been tracking my ovulation every month for 2 years with Progesterone blood test/OPKS/ BBT (with an Oura ring) to find that I ovulate every single month but on CD18-19 of a 27-28 ish day cycle, with my LP being about 9-10 days consistently.

For the last year, I have implemented all the recommended "PCOS lifestyle changes"-- low carb/ "fertility" high protein/ high fat diet, weight training/ 10k steps a day, weight loss of 20lbs resulting in a BMI of 24.4, 1000mg Metformin/ day (since August), absolutely 0 alcohol/ smoking, daily prenatal/ 400mg CoQ10/ Vit C/ Vit D/ Fish Oil/ Spearmint tea. Heck I even stopped wearing perfume/ using any non-organic beauty products. I really ramped up the healthy habits around August of this past year.

In the past, I have also seen an RE who confirmed my follicle just before Ov day was right around 19.5 mm, which is supposed to be good. I've also been to a different RE a couple days after Ov day, and they confirmed I ovulated as well.

My Mid-luteal phase Progesterone (measured on 4DPO, instead of 7DPO, since my LP is short) is about 8.5 ng/ML at its peak, and by 7DPO, falls to like 2 since my period is on the horizon shortly after.

So fast forward, since August, my LP has gotten shorter! It's been 7-8 days each month. For example, this month, LH strips/ Oura ring confirm I ovulated Nov 18, or cycle day 19 for me. My flow started on the late evening of Nov 26th going into 27th, putting my ovulation at day 19 of a 27 day cycle.

So I have 3 questions:

I know progesterone suppositories can lengthen the LP but I just want to know WHY is this happening and does this mean the ovulation is weak? Other information I gathered said that it means I am ovulating "immature" eggs, but an RE I saw recently says she's never heard of this.

2. How do I go about naturally fixing/ figuring out why this happens? If not naturally, would Letrozole help?
3. Why would all my healthy lifestyle changes cause a change in the negative direction?? Or is it a coincidence?

TLDR: My LP went from an already short 9-10 days to 7-8 days AFTER I started implementing healthy lifestyle changes/ Metformin. Not sure what to do :(

I took letrozole 5mg from CD3 to CD7. This is my first time doing a medicated cycle after 4 years of trying. (All blood tests and hormone levels are normal for both of us (29F and M) But I have poly cystic ovary and most definitely anovulation.

I got a trigger shot on CD12 when I had two follicles at 20mm and 19mm and ET 7.8mm. I tested with OPK at home on CD13 and saw positive.

On CD14, scan confirmed follicle rupture. And I was told to do a UPT on CD28.

From CD25 to CD28 I was cramping such that it felt like I'm going to get my periods most definitely. I even felt like something is definitely going to come down my vagina soon. This would be around DPO12 to 14.

On CD28, as expected I got a negative both with at-home and lab UPT.

But now my periods are nowhere to be seen. I don't even feel like it, other than occasional cramp and being extremely emotional. I'm still negative on pregnancy test.

I assumed I'll go back to my obgyn on CD2 of next cycle again, but now I'm wondering will I need to get my periods triggered (happens sometimes for me). I assumed since everything happened as should happen in a natural cycle, periods should be starting on its own.

I am TTC and have pcos. I was put on Letrozole and did a trigger shot last week - first month doing this!

I got my blood drawn pre and post doing this and my testosterone levels went from 58 to 74. I was researching it and it said that letrozole causes testosterone levels to increase?? Is this something I should be concerned about? It worries me that 1. I won’t conceive but 2. My chances of miscarriage could increase?

I’m trying to stay positive and hope for the best. I’m just upset because I was able to naturally lower my t levels from the 90s to the 50s and I was hoping it would continue on that trend…

Thanks!

Read a good book lately? Pets do something cute? Do you want someone to cheer you on because you have a big presentation at work next week? Share it here in the chat thread!