Need Help with a PCOS Question!

C.,
I too have PCOS and was only recently diagnosed after trying to get pregnant for a year and a half, 2 yrs now. A friend of mine with PCOS recommended www.insulitelabs.com I haven't gone on it yet, but as soon as my finances are better I'm going to. Its herbal supplements and vitamins that are supposed to reverse PCOS. After she was on it, she got pregnant in one month!!!I can't wait to try it. Good luck to you as well! Maybe we'll both get prego!

I have a friend who miss carried 3 times, she was able to keep the pregnancy to full term and had a big baby boy. She was and is using nutritional food supplement. I know of others who have tried so many things and finally used the same supplement and was able to get pregnant and carry to full term. Let me know if you are interested and I will give you the details.

Best Wishes!

Hi C.,
I saw one other mama mention acupuncture. I would like to recommend a great practitioner if you choose this route: Kim McLaughlin at The Center for Healing Arts in the medical district of Fort Worth. She does great work, looking at the whole system, no just treating bits and pieces.
http://www.centerforthehealingarts.net/

Good luck!
M.
www.yogapotential.com

C.,

Here is a personal story of a local Dallas mom who healed her body with yoga:

http://www.yogadallas.com/site/page/pg3809-as68-pn_Natura...

If the "natural" route interests you, you probably need more than "vitamins". You need proper guidance from a natural health care provider, perhaps in addition to your reproductive specialist. A good local practitioner is Dr. Margaret Christensen, MD. Read about her at her website www.christensencenter.com. Her practice is closed. Ask to be put on the waiting list and you might get in pretty quickly.

You can do a lot to educate yourself in the meantime. I don't know what book you read, but some good books and websites are:

-Women's Bodies Women's Wisdom by Christiane Northrup. Dr. Northrup's former practice in Maine has a good website with lots info. www.womentowomen.com. If you search PCOS, you'll get lots of stuff such as this:
http://www.womentowomen.com/insulinresistance/pcos.aspx

-The Fertility Cure by Randine Lewis. Se also Randine's website http://www.thefertilitycure.com/

-The Whole Person Fertility Program by Niravi Payne. See also Niravi's website http://www.niravi.com/

The stress of infertility can be devastating. So many women share your feelings. Don't lose faith in your body's power to heal.

Good luck!

Good luck.

I have PCOS and fortunately I have two healthy kids. My oldest was IUI and my second was conceived with me only being on Metformin/Glucophage. Are you on Metformin/Glucophage? If not, I'd suggest discussing that with your doctor, probably your Reproductive Endocrinologist. My RE recommended I go on birth control for a month and do some additional tests, but I didn't do it. I think he wanted me on them just to keep me on schedule, but I chose to not take them. If you are having a bunch of cysts, it may help to rest your ovaries. I think there are so many different things that can help, we just have to find the one that helps us.

If you aren't seeing an RE, I'd suggest seeing one. They are much more educated with fertility issues and may be able to come up with a plan to help.

If you have any other questions, feel free to message me.

Good luck!!!

I wanted to add that with my second, I did one round of accupuncture - I think I ovulated one week after that and that's when I got pregnant - coincidence - I don't think so.

This is from my sister In Law who has gone through the same thing you are going through right now. I hope this helps.

There were a couple of things that I think made a difference for me.

In the beginning, I was not ovulating on my own at all. My OB/GYN gave me an ovarian drilling procedure 3 years ago where he drained all of my cysts. He was able to file it under insurance because I was having a lot of pain and heavy bleeding and complained about it him, so he did not file it under a fertility procedure.

I started ovulating on my own after that. When I got pregnant the first time and miscarried I started going to the RE. He found a polyp in my uterus and decided to remove it because he said it could possibly be preventing me from getting pregnant. When he got in there with the camera for the procedure, he found polyps covering my entire uteran lining. He scraped it all out (kind of an extensive D&C procedure). It did take 3 IUIs, but it finally happened. And, of course, I believe the main thing was prayer. We had a lot of people praying with us, and I believe that God performed a miracle in our life.

Hope this helps your online friend.

I don't have PCOS but have too many friends who do, I myself am now going through secondary infertility problems. I have heard many times about going on BC to help your cycle and I know it's been successful for 3 of my friends, one twice. A couple of them, have turned to surrogac as well as adoption after just not being able to try anymore. I've used Dr Kaufmann for an egg donation and we planned to see him ourselves for help this coming January. He's wonderful : ) I also did my 1st surrogacy and 2 egg donations with the Doody's in Bedford..they are also great! Someone mentioned Dr Le in Irving however he's the one who did my surgery to help FIX my lining and ended up making it a lot worse then it was to begin with. So you can imagine how I feel about him..
I wish you the best of luck! Also have you gone on Yahoo Answer in the TTC section? There are so many women on there with PCOS, you may find some helpful info there as well.

I was told to do this and I believe it was Yasmin they put me on. I did not conceive that way. Are you over weight? I knwo that is a factor with PCOS and it was a factor for me as well. I eventually tried natural based products from Mannatech. If you want I can pass on the email/phone # from the lady from Church who introduced me to Mannatech products. Honestly it was amazing! Within 1 month I had a period on MY OWN! And not long after I was ovulating without drugs..was off the progesteron and shots and then pregnant. I was never able to conceive before then...so I dont know if miscarriages would have been my issue as well. I was over weight when I got pregnant, but had lost about 20lbs in conjunction with the products. My 2nd child just happened. I lost weight afer my 1st pregnancy and my body had periods on its own and I was ovulating. I just truly believe the products from Mannatech were a blessing! I used their weight loss program as well. Best of luck to you! I know how you feel and pray one day you will have a little blessing of your own.
God Bless

PCOS is an insisdious disease. I had no normal symptoms until I turned 39 and started gaining weight. I have been on metaformin for that, but it is too late for me. I have lost a tube and the other one is blocked and am perimenopausal.

Things I wish I had done sooner:
Go to an all organic diet. Lord this is hard, but it is worth the time and expense. I eat less and have lost a few pounds.
Removed the silver fillings in my mouth. I have a mouthful and am convinced this is why I became perimenopausal before 40.

I wonder about messing with the hormones that the pill does. You don't say how old you are, but try not to let this take over your life. I am still there, but focusing ALL your energy on it, just makes life miserable.
Dr. Kaufmann is a wonderful guy(was a paitent before we decided to adopt), but a second opinion never hurts. A new dr. might see something that Dr. K hasn't.

I was always told that there are higher chances of miscarriage after being on the pill.

I don't know if any of this helps, but I will definately say a prayer for you!

Take Care and God Bless!

P.

IF you are trying everything, you should try acupuncture. Dr. Lin Zhou in Richardson specializes in fertility related issues--she helped with my hormone triggered migraines and someone I know went to her to assist with 2 successful IVF's. It's worth a shot ($60 per session). Her contact info is ###-###-#### and she's located near Arapaho and 75. Best of luck to you!

Dear C.,

I am so sorry to hear about your situation, and can totally understand. I also have PCOS, and went through almost 2 years of infertility treatments (2 miscarriages & 2 surgeries).

We did:
hsg test
surgery to remove cysts from my right ovary
1 cycle just clomid
1 cycle clomid with trigger shot, progesterone to try to support pregnancy (got pregnant but lost it)
1 cylce clomid with hcg shot and IUI
1 cycle injectables, hcg shot, and IUI, with progesterone to try and support pregnancy (got pregnant but lost it)
1 cycle injectables, hcg shot, IUI with progesterone from ovulation.

It sounds like you have been through just about everything. I have a question for you. Were you ever on Progesterone supplements (from ovulation on)during any of your cycles? That's what finally worked for me. It made sense too. PCOS is an imbalance of hormones, so why wouldn't it also effect the levels of progestrone (which are needed to sustain a pregnancy). I would recommend talking to a different RE. Pills just mask the issues created by PCOS, they don't solve them. My husband and I went to Dr. Douglas in Plano and were very happy with him and his office staff. They are professional but personal and I was very active in deciding my treatment.

Anyway, I hope things finally work out for you. The heartache and isolation created by infertility is awful and often misunderstood. My thoughts and prayers are with you.

H.

I have PCOS also and I know what your going through. We went through the same treatment and 12 miscariages before we got our son. I only have a small part of my left ovary remaining and the pregnancy that worked immediatly followed a d&c. I do think that the bc method works. Please don't give up, I can't tell you not to think about it, because I did everyday, but it's so worth it in the end. Everyone in my family told me I was crazy with each miscarriage, that it wasn't in gods plan. You should hear them now, "he's a miracle". And if they told me that I may have to go through 12 more miscarriages and 5 years of fertility treatments to have one more successful pregnancy, I would do it all over again.

I also have PCOS and endometriosis. My fertility Dr. recommended the same thing, except we went straight to IVF. It worked for us. My ovaries got a break and became stronger. It actually decreased my cysts. However, my Dr. put me on a different birth control than my body was used to prior. I don't know if that made a difference. I wish you and your husband luck.!

I am sorry that you are having trouble. Infertility is so frustrating (doubly so since insurance companies don't seem to think it's a real disease.)

I was diagnosed with slight PCOS with I was trying to conceive my child about 4 years ago. In addition, we had some issues with male factor infertility which were actually more of the reason for our trouble than the PCOS.

I used Metformin and had good results as my cycles became more regular (but I did not get pregnant). We tried an IUI with injectables with no luck. At that point, my doctor put me back on the pill for a few months to let my ovaries rest. He told me that if you are not trying to conceive, the treatment for PCOS is the pill anyway. As soon as I went off the pill, I began an IVF cycle that was sucessful.

As a side note, I also did accupuncture twice a week during my IVF cycle. There is a specific accupuncture protocol for IVF that the accupuncturist can use. I was skeptical about it at first, but I did feel more relaxed after I left each session, kind of like I had a massage.

Have you had any discussions with your doctor about what is causing the miscarriages? There may be an issue unrelated to PCOS that is causing them (like a vitamin deficiency or an inability to break down and absorb the vitamins that the baby needs.) Getting pregnant is half the battle. At least it's a step in the right direction, even if it is little consolation.

First off I will add you to my prayer list. Next, my cousin has PCOS and tried to have a child for about 10 years with no luck. She got pregnant, but the baby was born around 5 months and didn't make it. She then got pregnant again and her son was premature and stayed in the NICU for a couple of months after birth. He is now going to be 5 in December and is healthy and happy. There lives are truly fulfilled. She went on a diabetes drug as well, but it wasn't Metformin. She goes to a Dr. Mayer I believe. Would you like me to get the info for you? Let me know and I will do whatever I can to help you! Good luck and God Bless!

I have 2 friends that both had positive results from accupuncture. The lady they went to specializes in female issues, but is in practice with a man who handles the other aspects. They are in Plano. I am not a homeopathic person in general, but this helped them both after modern medicine couldn't or didn't.

DON'T GIVE UP!! I also have PCOS and i am now over 40 with 3, yes 3, beautiful kids! 17, 9, 4...yes, each took a while but they are here. I got pregnant after loosing wieght like others here have mentioned, but it was not a huge amount...only 25-30 lbs. I also know, our second was a result of the overy with a very large cyst (and pregnancy reduces them!). Relax and know it will happen at just the right time!

C.-
I completely understand what you are going through. I have PCOS and have had numerous treatments with professionals. They all came to the same conclusion that I would never have children. A friend who is a nurse whose sister went through similar problems recommended I see the Doodys at the Center for Assistive Reproduction in Bedford. THey are a husband and wife team and they now have added Dr. Anna Nackley as well to the practice. After some hesitation I went to see what dr. Kathleen Doody had to say. She was the most thorough doctor I have ever seen. She was able to detect other problems that I had the were being untreated and therefore I would never have conceieved. I scaled back on my work load to destress and went through the treatments they offered. Yes, it still was a rollercoaster but at least it was a better informed rollercoaster. I am happy to say that I now have four healthy sons all conceived with their help.

I would also like to add that a friend of mine from Portugal was having fertility problems. She is a doctor herself and when she and her husband were moving to the States she asked professionals in Portugal where she could go here for the best care. They told her that the States are huge and she might need to travel a long distance but the most well known names in the business are Dr. Kathleen and Kevin Doody. They are that good. Really they pioneer treatments. Good Luck!

My heart goes out to you. My sister is actually trying this method now as it has worked for her sister-in-law twice. She took the Pill long enough to have 3 cycles and then immediately after stopping she started clomid. She has now had to clomid cycles during both cycles has had a definite ovulation, now if they could just get there timing down :).
GOOD LUCK!

Hi C.-
No advice, but when we were TTC and going through all the treatments, I used resolve.org for lots of Q&A stuff. Might be a good source of info for you.
:)

I see that you've tried metformin with no success, but I think that combined with acupuncture is what worked for me. My husband and I had been married for 17 years and suffered 5 miscarriages before finally conceiving my daughter. She is now almost 3 years old. I started metformin and folic acid 3 months before the IVF cycle that was successful (my 7th one). I also had to take low-dose aspirin and heparin injections during my pregnanacy to prevent another miscarriage (I was found to have a mild case of MTHFR - that can cause blood clots to the placenta). Anyway, I feel that the above combo is what finally worked for me. Good luck

I was diagnosed with PCOS while TTC. I never heard that the pill would "heal" my ovaries, but it will allow you to have a normal cycle, which prevents the cysts from developing. It also helped control all of the other "fun" symptoms that come along with PCOS.

For many, Metformin is helpful. I took it prior to my IVF cycle. My system was very sensitive to stimulation, during the cycle, but my RE was able to formulate a protocol that was successul.

Like some others, I would recommend consulting with an RE. I saw Drs. Le and Haas of Advanced Reproductive Care Center. www.ivfmd.net

Good morning. I am finding that PCOS is more common than I thought. I have been dignosed as well and have conceived 3 times after my diagnosis (1 before) but lost one of them to miscarriage. I got pregnant using prevera then clomid. I felt terrible so I only took 3 of the pills, then voila.....a baby. The prevera thins the ovary walls so you can ovulate then of course the clomid is fertility. I was pregnent quickly after that. Lately, I have been having alot of medical issues brought on by the PCOS and my Dr. suggested early menopause or even pregnancy as it "fixes" it. Ultimately I will need a hysterectamy but just am not quite ready for that yet. :-( Good luck and let me know how it goes. ***K.***

Oh dear, I sympathize with you. I tried desparately for years to conceive. Years of ovulation kits and basil body temperature charts, years of various fertility treatments and procedures, wacky home remedies, diets, positions...I even visited with a "witch doctor" from Mexico, (he really wasn't a witch), who did these terrible massages to my abdominal area...oh the horror. Anyhoo, my doctor also suggested bc pills after he diagnosed me with PCOS in 1997. That is when I stopped TTC -- I just couldn't take it anymore. I didn't want to continue trying because it was making me an emotional wreck, but I didn't get on the pill either. In 2003, after a terrible divorce, I started taking bc pills to regulate my cycle. I remarried in Oct '06 and stopped taking the bc pills because of my age and I figured I couldn't get pregnant anyway. I found out that I was pregnant in Jul '07, and delivered my little bundle of perfect in Feb '08. I don't know if the pills had anything to do with it or not. I will pray for you. Good luck.

I don't have any answers, but I too have PCOS and have two daughters. I just wanted to recomend the doc I used. Kevin Doody in Bedford. I think the clinic is called THe Center for Assisted Reproduction. When I was going through all this, I researched RE's and he and his wife had the best success rates in Texas (at the time). The practice was great and I really felt taken care of. It was a long drive for appointments, but of course it was worth it! Good Luck. I know how frustrating and angry and sad and unfair this battle can be.

I did the fertilty treatments for years and it messed up my body so much! Have you thought of adoption? We finally did and I am ashamed I didn't do that earlier. Being a mom has NOTHING to do with how the child comes to you.
L.

I understand what you are going through! Please DON'T GIVE UP! I have suffered with PCOS for over 5 years and I was able to conceive naturally after losing a lot of weight (120lbs). I had lap band surgery after my weight sky rocketed and my cycles went crazy (anovulatory). I dealt with the acne, too much testosterone, etc and had about 7 or 8 female type surgeries. I even lost a tube from a ruptured tubal pregnancy. Losing the weight did the trick. If you are at all overweight, do whatever it takes to get to your goal weight. It will fix so much with the PCOS! Good luck to you!!!!!!!

I don't have advice re: your fertility treatments or the method you OB has suggested (altho doesn't sound like it could hurt unless you are over 35, and then it may take you longer to begin ovulating again when you get off the pill), but I have to ask a question. Have you & your husband considered adoption? It is a very personal decision, but had we known before our 4 miscarriages (including twins)how wonderful adopting a child is, we would have done it much sooner. I would challenge ANY parent who thinks there is any way they could love their biological child more than we love our gift from God. Just food for thought. Books that helped us: "Dear Birthmother" and "The Open Adoption Experience". Best of luck on your quest for parenthood. Have faith!

Hi C.-

I empathize with your situation and have been there myself. I have PCOS and it took me 3 years to concieve. What finally worked for me was a mix of modern medicine and accupuncture. It's worth a try...I was VERY sceptical until I conceived my son this way! I also had many misscariages. Don't loose hope it WILL happen!!! We are trying for baby #2 now and I'm going to try accupuncture again. Oh, i would also suggest seeing a reproductive endocronologist (sp?) not just your OB.

Good luck!

I was diagnosed with PCOS as well and was told it would be very difficult to conceive. After a few years of trying on our own, we were referred to a fertility specialist by my OB/GYN. After blood tests were completed, she suggested Metformin. My husband and I had been taking Geritol before I started the Metformin. Within 3 months, I was pregnant! So, I don't know if it was Geritol, Metformin or the combination of the two. My fertility specialist said she didn't expect me to get pregnant as fast I did.

I also made my mind up that year not to worry so much about having baby. It was kind of hard to do b/c I was a third grade teacher, but I knew I had to make changes. The changes paid off, we had a healthy & beautiful baby girl!

Oh, I tried the BC pills(GYN)...and I actually think it prolonged the process. My specialist, didn't agree with the BC pills since we had been TTC for sometime.

God Bless

Acupuncture and Chinese herbs are an excellent way to help get the PCOS under control as well as help with conceiving. To find a practitioner in your area go to acufinder.com. I have known many women who conceived naturally while doing acupuncture after not conceiving or having multiple miscarriages.

Wow! I would have never thought so many people would respond and have PCOS. Mine is a little different so I thought I would throw it in as well.

I was diagnosed with PCOS late in life while trying to conceive my second child. I had my first daughter 13 years ago after taking hormones to regulate my period. I never had my period but was pregnant in a month. They told me I would probably never be able to get pregnant again but could never diagnose what was wrong with me.

4 years ago my husband and I decided to try to have another baby. I found a great OB (Dr. Garrett Garner at Presby Plano), stopped taking my BC and started charting. 3 months in nothing much was going on except a bunch of weight gain so we started with weekly sonos to see what was up. As soon as he look at the screen he said I had PCOS and we were going to need to try a few other things. He put me on 1500mg of metformin but I still had no luck. Then we tried metformin with clomid (yuck!) and still nothing after weeks.

He reluctantly sent me upstairs to see a fertility specialist (Dr. Barrnett) many of my friends had used as well. He told us to take a month off but increased my metformin to 2500mg because he said Dr. G was giving me to little. The plan was to start IVF after that month but when I went back in, I was a month pregnant! The increase in metformin worked by itself. They told me not to get too excited because they considered it spontaneous ovulation but put me on progesterone anyway. I took it during my 1st tri. and our baby girl was born in may of 2006. All that took a year and I gained 35 lbs before I got pregnant and another 50 lbs. during. (yuck, yuck!)

Now, to our surprise, I am pregnant again! After 2 years of nursing I decided to stop and get back on metformin and BC since it regulates your weight and some of the "unfun" symptoms. I took Yaz and 2500mg of met for 3 months. I ended up stopping because I felt pretty sick during that time for some reason. I didn't think anything about getting pregnant but I did right after that. We are due 12/1 of this year. Crazy!!! We are so excited as we had hoped for another. So, I think there is something to the whole BC thing as well the metformin dose.

I will add that my husband and I have sex on a regular basis, at least 3-4 times a week. I will also say that you need to find a good OB and fertility doctor who have a good and extensive track record dealing with PCOS patients. Knowing about it is NOT enough! They have to have research it, treated it and had success. My OB & fertilty doctor told me I would need to take metformin for the rest of my life to regulate the effects of PCOS along with diet and exercise. It's not something you only want to deal with when you are TTC.

Good luck and don't give up!!!

I too have PCOS, and I have been trying for baby # 2 since July, I was told the same thing I would have a greater chance of getting pregnant once coming off the birth control well, I still haven't have a cycle nor am I pregnant, however, I also did research on this method when 1st being told by my doctor and a good percentage of women with PCOS get pregnant this way, I would say its worth trying, I am currently trying to lose about 15 pounds, this is how i conceived my 1st child, a little weight lost

good luck

C.-

I have complete sympathy for you. I've struggled with PCOS most of my life (although I was well into adulthood before it was "offically" diagnosed.) Docs just kept putting me on the pill to "fix" it but it doesn't really work that way I finally found out. I have to admit that I don't understand why your doc wants to put you on the pill to help things out with TTC. (They always wanted to put me on the pill just to "regulate" my periods.) The pill and PCOS work very much the same way. They both mess with your hormones and you DO NOT ovulate. The pill keeps you from ovulating. The only reason that you have a period on the pill is because you stop the medication for a week and you have "breakthrough" bleeding. It is not a "real" period where your uterine lining has built up and then sheds. It is only your body's response to the lack of the medication in the pill. My PCOS got so bad that I got to the point that I was having a period pretty much constantly for about 6 months. I got so anemic that I had to have a blood transfusion. I finally found an OB who was willing to listen to what I was saying to him about what was going on with my body. He never suggested the pill. He gave me the option of trying medications, waiting to see, or a surgical procedure called ovarian drilling. It sounds a lot more horrible than it actually was. Really, it was a pretty simple procedure and I was out the same day. It is laproscopic surgery. They make 2 tiny incisions in your abdomen & go in with a camera in one and an electrode in the other. Then they go and "pop" all of those follicles just sitting there on your ovaries messing up your hormones. I also needed to have a D&C done at the same time because I was so messed up that my uterine lining was cycling at different rates, so I would have one part growing, one part shedding (period) and one part recently shed. It was a mess. But the surgery was easy and I recovered very quickly.

Well, I was pregnant before I went back for my post surgical check up! And since then my periods have been clock-work normal (for the FIRST time in my LIFE!!!) and I've gotten pregnant a second time with no problems (could deliver any day now!). I would highly recommed it. Oh, I should mention that I used 3 rounds of Clomid to get pg with my first. That stuff was pure hell for me. I've never been so emotionally fragile in my life - not even while pregnant. Best of luck to you and feel free to e-mail if you want to talk about it.

Ok, I am a chiropractor. I have gone back to school to learn "nutrition response testing". Part of this consists of removing the metals out of the body. I have seen this do AMAZING things!!!! Normally, when a woman cannot carry to term or miscarries, we have to look at possible metals in the uterus or an immune challenge in the uterus. I have one lady right now that I am getting the metals out of. She has tried EVERYTHING for 9 years! No luck! She is going to try in 2 weeks again and this is her last time. I'll let you know how it goes. But, if the uterus is hospitable to implantation (because of metals or immune) the zygote will not stay. You need to come in and let me help you!!! Call us. ###-###-####
Dr. J.

HI, I have PCOS and My Dr gave me Clomid 150 mg and we did sex every other day from day 10-day 21 and then on the first day AFTER ovulation I used 50 mg Progestrone suppositories 2x daily until I was 13 weeks preggers. This worked for me perfectly. The key for me was the progestrone suppositories because I also suffer from a leutial phase defect. where the ovary does not work properly to maintain progestrone levels after the egg is released and fertilized thus ending in miscarriage because of too little progestrone.

My dr had said he did not think I needed this because when tested initially, my progestrone levels were perfect but with a leutial phase defect your levels can drop suddenely with no warning then the pregnancy is lost. So use progestrone suppositories for sure.

I would also seek another oppinion if you have not had success with a certain dr after a few times because a fresh brain may have other ideas for you.

Good luck
A. J

I have PCOS and a 2 1/2 year old son. We are now going throug fertility treatments TTC #2. My point is this...I got pregnant after five months of trying with my son. Apparently I have had PCOS all my life, but since I was on birth control for 15 years I never knew it. When we decided to get pregnant I stopped taking the pill and we were pregnant 5 months later. It was explained to me this way: Being on birth control forced my body into regular cycles. Whe I stopped taking the pill my body "coasted" on the regular cycles for a while. We managed to get pregnant in that period when my body was still mimicking the regular (pill induced) cycles. If it had taken any longer I would have reverted back to my abnormal cycles (that I never knew I had) and we would have had fertility issues. Now, having been off of birth control for almost four years I am going through fertility treatments. So my point is that it makes sense to me that being on the pill for a while will work for you. I have thought about trying this myself, I'm just hoping this route will be faster for us. Good luck. Also, if you don't mind my asking...who do you use for fertility. Today I was given three different names and I am seeking thoughts about them: (Dr. Henry Prost, Dr. Anil Pinto, and Dr. Kevin Doody).

I actually have heard of some folks having luck right after coming off of the pill that have PCOS.
I am so sad with you that it's been such a tough road to mommyhood. Our son is an IVF baby and we went through 3 yrs of surgeries, 6 IUIs, and all sorts of other pills, tests and such before IVF worked for us.
I can tell you though that I think the key for IVF working for us was 2 things. 1) Before going through the procedure, I got massages and was completely relaxed and I was just convinced that it was going to work. I didn't stress about the procedures or the money and just considered all of it the best investment I'd ever make.
2) We used Dr Michael Putman of Baylor Dallas and his embryologist, Lilly. I can tell you that I don't think they get any better than him. The meds did not bother me, I loved everyone in their office and it worked on the first time. You might try him. He has 4 patents for surgerical tools for women and was the president of the national board of infertility a few years ago AND he does this because he loves it not because he's money hungry. We were going to move and I couldn't bear the thought of finding another doctor to try and have another.
Good luck and God bless. It's a tough time but I can tell you that I feel so blessed to have seen my son from an embryo to the adorable 2 yr old that he is and I wouldn't change a thing!
2)

Go to www.soulcysters.net. I have been on there for years getting advice from bright women with PCOS and that is how I got my life back on track after finding out I had PCOS. (Also, Im a teacher too) Now I have one son and one on the way with no IVF.

Im sooo sad that Metformin didnt work for you!!! I wrote all this below before I read that it didnt work for you. Im sorry:

I took Metformin and it changed my life. It is very common for women with PCOS to take Met usually at 2000 mg. I had not had a period for a year and began taking Metformin and started having periods like clockwork. I was amazed. It helps you metabolize sugar better. It is for people with diabetes. I am not diabetic but it works for insulin resistance--which I think I am.

This may sound simple/but hard, also, exercising and a weight loss of only 10% can increase your fertility.

Honestly though, get on soulcysters and they will be able to give you ALL the help you need. There are so many going through the same thing you are. Find me, Im "acrowe".

*One more thing...I took Vitex religiously. Its an herb and Im not an herb kind of girl but look it up, see what you think.

C. -

I feel your pain. While we never did IVF, my husband and I did everything short of it for 3 years before finding our answer. This may sound strange, but our answer came in the form of a chiropractor. I started seeing our DC every Friday for adjustments and abdominal 'massage' (vibrational massage on my uterus and ovaries to break up the scar tissue that had built up due to the cysts). The massage was extremely painful at first, but the pain lessened significantly over about two months. He also put me on some very specific supplements, including progesterone cream. After 4-5 months of visits, my cycle was finally regular - something that had never happened in my life. Once my cycle was regular, I started seeing him every 3 weeks or so instead of weekly. We started doing some acupuncture along with the adjustments, and he worked with me on changing my diet, emphasizing fresh food and eliminating all sugars (except fresh fruit), all dairy and most grains. I started to lose some weight and was motivated to change my diet even further and my husband and I became VEGAN for about three months. During this three month period, I lost about 30 pounds and found myself pregnant at the end of it. My son was born in January 2007 and I am currently (and unexpectedly) expecting my second child any day now.

It may seem strange, but it worked for us without the fertility meds, etc. Good luck to you on your journey. Please let me know if you would like any other information regarding our journey to having children.

My sister was diagnosed with PCOS at 18 and was told she should have kids sooner rather than later. Well she wasn't married or ready for kids until her mid 30's and was on the pill for many years but conceived within 2-3 months of going off the pill - twice!
Good luck to you.