Hi, I'm new! I'm Blair. I am married and have one little boy, 3-year-old . We live in Houston. I am a work-at-home mom and a children's portrait photographer.

After having no trouble getting PG the first time four years ago, I have now been trying two years to have another child with no luck. I have been referred to a RE who says she thinks I have PCOS. She did an ultrasound and said she saw that my ovaries were polycystic. I do have acne and am about 25 pounds overweight. But no other symptoms. Regular periods, all normal bloodwork so far (glucose fasting, testerone, and one other thing I can't reacall!). No facial hair. No skin darkening. So now I wonder if I really have the whole syndrome? But with the cysts on my ovaries, I'm guessing I do?

She's put me on glucophage even though the lab said my insulin levels were within the normal range. I started it today. I am aslo, on her advice, doing the Phase three of the South Beach Diet. I have to say I hate it! I get the worst headaches and just fee yuck (only been doing it a few days... so maybe I just need to adjust to it?)

Any advice for me?
Blair

Almost everyone who changes the amount and types of carbohydrates they eat, goes through a form of carb withdrawal. That can include headache and a 'flu" feeling.

It may be that you have developed PCOS since your successful pregnancy, especially if you have been eating high carb since then. It certainly won't hurt to follow a lower carb way of eating. Aim to cut out sugars, starches and processed foods. Eat "real food" like meats, fish, eggs, poultry, and veggies and fruit. If that's all it takes for another pregnancy, it's a pretty small price to pay. Not to mention that it will improve your health and extend your life so you can see those little ones grow up.

All the best. You are probably pretty fortunate in having a doctor who recognizes and treats the syndrome.

it's funny, up until one year before I got pregnant, I had been vegetarian for six years. loads of carbs! then I got married and things changed...

my son was big, 9 lbs 2 ounces. My RE thinks under today's criteron, I would have been diagnosed with gestational diabetes, which is why he was so big. She said 70 percent of her infertility patients have PCOS. She is highly recommened aroudn here and there are legions of stories of women I know who went to all sorts of specialists trying to get PG with no luck, but after seeing her and a diet change, got PG right away. It's scary how common it is and that my Ob/Gyn for a whole year never mentioned anything about low carb or insulin control, even though he did once say something about PCOS. He just put me on Clomid, which my new dr says probably did more harm than good.

anyway, over here waiting out the headaches and feeling a little queasy, maybe from the Glucophage?!?!?!

=)

Getting headaches is normal unfortunately - it will pass. Being on the glucophage will make you VERY fertile - so don't be surprised if you become pregnant!

Hi Blair, After my first pregnancy, I had a hard time getting pregnant. I went to a fertility doctor and was put on fertility shots and became pregnant twice. I have an 11 year old, 6 year old and 20 month old. Big difference in ages but both times I tried for almost 2 years with no success.
I'm not sure if I am going to have anymore kids but my endo. was going to put me on glucophage to lose weight but I decided not to take it but she did tell me that it would help with fertility so if I did decide to have another one it may be easier for me to get pregnant. I hope it helps you because from experience it was rough trying and not getting pregnant.
I am also from Houston. Stay at home mom of 3. I stay busy with their activities after school mainly. Football and cheerleading.

I hope you have success!!
Dolores

Hi..
I have read about PCOS in passing and I am now starting to think that I may as well have it. We have been trying to get pregnant now for almost a year with no success. I have a 10yr old (previous marriage) and she was conceived the first month we started trying...

Can you guys tell me what made your Dr's suspect you had PCOS - what were your symptoms..? I go to the Dr on Tuesday and want to get some answers or be tested so that we can find out if we can have more kiddies... I have been on Atkins now for a month and have started losing weight quickly - before that though I was so incredibly moody, had weight gain (considerable) and some breakouts...Now I am going on my 2nd month without TOM!! and I am usually so regular..?????

Any info would be greatly appreciated.

Good Luck toy you all as well trying for a Little One..

Well, my regular OB wasted a year of my time not treating/dianosing it. I figure out I wasn't ovualting every mont when we used the ovultion predictor kits. So he put me on Clomid. THen I ovualted every time, but still no pregnanacy. So after a year of that, he sent me to the specialists. She saw that I had adult acne (all my adult life), that I'd had a big baby and was not getting pregnant. The ultrasound confirmed it.

But I would think not getting PG, bad skin, weight gain, and irregular periods would be enough to warrant some blood tests and an ultrasound. My RE also asked me about family history w/diabetes (non), facial hair (ok, maybe 3-4 little whiskers but nothing major!), darkened skin around my neck/arms, skin tags.

Anyway, I'd push for some testing. The specialists told me 70percent of her patients have PCOS...

glucophage can make you feel sick, so just be awair of that, I can't use it for that reason.
I hope you can find the love and support on these boards to get you to your goal - i'm sure you will, there are some truly inspiring people on here, take a look at the galleries - they are so uplifting!
good luck!

Thanks!
I think I have feared in the back of my mind that I have diabetes as my symptoms have been coming on. Gosh, and the frustration with not having TOM! I am going to ask him to do all the testing and see what the next step is.
Have a great Sunday everyone!

My doctor told me the same thing which is why he started me on a very low dose and continued over the months to up it. I am now up to 750 mg XR a day.

"Being on the glucophage will make you VERY fertile"

I hope this is true...!

Hi everyone,

Just wanted to stop in and let you know that my test results came in today - official diagnosis...? PCOS.

So, I am here and everywhere on the web reading and trrying to absorb as much as I can. It is a light at the end of a very dark tunnel for me... I somehow already feel better knowing it was not "just me and my thoughts".

Hope everyone is doing well!!