Let me give you a bit of my history as far as fertility medications go. In 2009, after years of trying after my first miscarriage in 2006, I started my first round of Clomid. I didn't get pregnant that round but I did on the 3rd round. I ended up miscarrying at 9 weeks. I then decided not to try for a while because I took it way too hard. During that break my doctor did find out that my insulin was way high, like almost 3 times the normal limit, and he couldn't believe I was even functioning so he put me on Metformin. He still didn't think I had PCOS. I continued to take my Metformin hoping that it would help me get pregnant. In 2011 I decided to go to a fertility specialist to get more answers because obviously 5 years of trying and 2 miscarriages later, there had to be a bigger problem.
I remember walking into the fertility specialist’s office and him going over his first appointment questionnaire. Within 15 minutes of talking to him he said “well it’s obvious that you have PCOS. I can tell just by looking at you.” Ouch. The words hurt but at the same time I was so happy to have a reason! He did an ultrasound of my ovaries and on the left side I had a “string of pearls” with 13 small cysts. He confirmed PCOS right then. I had so many of the symptoms acne, weight gain, thyroid issues, hirsutism, but I did have periods every month. I still wonder why my other doctor didn’t take time to look into it more. I’ll never know his reasoning because I have never been back to him! At my first appointment with the specialist, he prescribed me a “cocktail” of medications. I never took them. About a month after my appointment, my first marriage started getting really bad. I had a gut feeling that I shouldn't waste my time or my health on this quite yet. 3 months later I filed for divorce. If I have learned anything from that first marriage it is that woman’s intuition is a very powerful thing and to always listen! Fast forward 4 years and I’m back at the specialists’ office. The first thing he noticed was my weight loss which surprised me since I haven't seen him in so long. We talked about things and I updated him on my life. He did blood work and prescribed me medications to help ovulation. Within a few days later the results came back and my thyroid was slightly elevated so I started taking Synthroid. Once my cycle started I had my baseline ultrasound to make sure my ovaries were free of cysts, which they were! I took Femara, which basically tells your body and hormones to produce eggs that are strong enough for ovulation. I then went back on cycle day 12 to check the size of my follicles. I had 2 follicles that were both mature enough for ovulation so he told me to give myself the trigger shot that night. I was so scared to give myself the shot. It literally took me 15 minutes to build the courage to do it. Nate refused to do it because he’s a baby when it comes to those types of things! The shot didn't hurt at all. I really didn't feel it even go in my skin. The next day after the shot I could feel strong ovulation pains on each side so I knew that the shot was working. For those who don’t know what the shot is it’s a shot full of HCG that makes your body ovulate within 24-48 hours after the shot is administered. The HCG hormones mimics the LH surge that your body naturally should have to tell your body it’s ready to release the eggs. A lot of PCOS patients never have an LH surge because the LH in our system is elevated already so our body doesn't get the spike that signals the egg release. After ovulation I started on Progesterone suppositories. It's very common for PCOS patients to have low progesterone. Without high enough progesterone counts your body has a hard time sustaining the pregnancy. That could be the reasoning behind my miscarriages! Long story short, I didn’t get pregnant on this round. The doctor was very happy with the way my body reacted to the medicine so I’ll start another round once my cycle starts next month. I took this month off to have a HSG (hysterosalpingogram) done. The HSG was clear so I have no blockages in either tube. We also needed to save money for the next round. The treatments are not cheap and my insurance doesn't cover any of it. Boo. But I know the outcome will be worth every single penny spent :)
3 Comments
Jaclyn Chabot
10/2/2014 04:24:05 am
I have a very similar story, with the Clomid and Femara. I do have two beautiful children thanks to Femara. I didn't get pregnant on my first round of Femara either, but I did on the second. I've done 3 rounds of Femera in total. My husband and I thought we were done having children but didn't take any "serious" steps to not have any more kids. I had a breast reduction two years ago and it changed everything. My body started cycling normally and all my blood work came back within normal ranges. And to our surprise we conceived naturally last winter! We were both shocked! Unfortunately, I lost the pregnancy and we are much more careful now! Good luck and stick with it. I know miscarrying is hard and I"m sorry to say it never get easier but the reward is oh so worth the pain!
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Whitney Benson
10/2/2014 10:07:47 am
Jaclyn thank you so much for your comment! I love hearing success stories. I've heard great things about femera so I'm feeling extremely optimistic. I definitely like the way my body responds to it way better than with Clomid.
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AuthorHi my name is Whitney and I'm a mom to 2 adorable boys and the wife to a sports loving, handsome man. I'm outnumbered but wouldn't have it any other way. I'm navigating motherhood one fart joke at a time. Welcome to my crazy life! Archives
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