Can I post here? *UPDATE* in post 11 :)

Hi girlie1125,

Welcome! I was just diagnosed with pcos recently, and we're also dealing with some male factors. It is incredibly frustrating to hear people talking about ttc the "regular" way when we have to jump through so many hoops!

I know how crushed you are about not having any follicles. That happened to me in Dec., and I was just despondent. To be soooo hopeful, to do everything right, and have NOTHING there. Well, I had a zillion little follicles (cysts), but those only make things worse! I just kept sobbing, and my poor ds(4.5) decided that the only way to cheer me up was to tell me he didn't need any brothers/sisters, that I could just have him. Which was really really sweet, but just made cry harder.

Some of the ways I try pass the time is to focus on eating a low-grain/low-sugar diet and trying to keep an exercise routine going. I thought about taking other supplements (I'm already taking extra folic acid and b6), but I'm too nervous about them interfering. I have also tried so many things on my own over the past several years, that I'm just waiting this out, too.

What kind of light noise is in your bedroom? The things I've read recommend sleeping in cave-like darkness either the entire month, or on cd13-17 leave a dim light on in the bathroom/hall/closet to simulate moonlight. If there is too much light where you sleep, it can disrupt your body's natural rhythms. This is supposedly supposed to help your body ovulate around cd14/15.

Best wishes to you. I hope your stay here isn't long!

Kristen

Have you spoken with the doc about Metformin or something similar? It supposedly helps regulate the hormones that are so out of whack with PCOS, and usually is one of the first things recommended from everything I've read. I was on it for 3 months before conceiving (and through the first 12 weeks). I know the wait is hard, and then every month waiting to see if it took or if you have to go through it again next month. I was lucky enough to get follicle growth at Clomid 50 (thankfully, since it turned me into a raving *****), but unfortunately, my ovaries wouldn't release them.

I will second the recommendation on diet. My doc wanted me on a "no white stuff" (sugar, flour, potato, rice, etc.) diet as well as the Metformin. I have no idea whether either the diet or the Metformin had any effect on it, but I'm not going to argue with the outcome, ya know?

Best of luck.

My ob-gyn had put me on the metaformin for PCOS. However, when I went to my RE, he told me to get off of it. So, I've been off of it.

I have never really had much of an IR problem, glucose tests are always in the normal range, etc.

Of course, now that I've gone through a cycle and the 50s didn't work, I'm second guessing everything and wondering if it would have been different if I'd still been on the met. I don't know if it'd be good to start it all over again now (against RE's wishes) or what. Bout to start a new cycle, and I guarantee if this one doesn't work, I'll be asking RE some hard questions about the Met.

Also, as a bit of an update (I've posted bits of this in other threads, but it seems like new threads have lots of trouble generating responses, so I'll add it here).

As I've said, my cycles before all of this are typically pretty long (40 days or so) and I am pretty sure that I usually O very late in my cycle, if at all.

Last cycle, AF started spotty for the first 3 days before finally going full force on the fourth day. RE said I should count the last day of spotting as CD1, and take my clomid 50s on CD 5 - 9. Of course, at u/s, RE said no good follies. I've finished my Provera, and RE put me on clomid 100s for CD 5-9 again this cycle.

I know at the u/s last cycle, one follie (at least) was 10 mm. I think they typically look for at least 14mm (help me out here, is that right?). At around 14mm, they'll keep an eye on it, come back for another u/s a few days later. The "goal" is about 20mm or more to have a good follie, do a trigger, and IUI. (right?)

Now, I kinda feel like if I'd just had a few more days last cycle, that follie would have looked much more promising. I've seen LOTS of women ttc that were on Clomid or Femara and O'd on CD 20 or 26 and get a BFP. I feel like that strict CD 14 u/s might be a bit too short for my body.

I plan to deviate from RE's directions this cycle. I'm almost positive AF will start off spotty for at least a day or two (if not three) before showing full force. I'm going to count the first day (even if spotty) as MY CD1. When AF shows full force (prolly about 3 days later) I will make my u/s appt for 14 days after that.

So that alone gives me up to three extra days before the u/s for follies to grow.

I also plan to take my clomid on CD 3- 7 instead of 5-9. I'm debating, though, whether to start on MY CD3 or RE's CD3 (probably 3 days difference between the two.

I've never really heard the real, medical, reason behind RE's giving clomid on CD 3- 7 or 5 - 9 (as mentioned in the other thread), so its entirely possible that this is a huge mistake, but I'm not aware of it. If anyone can enlighten me, please do so.

Also, if I take the clomid on MY CD 3 (spotty or not), then its actually me taking the clomid about 14 days before the u/s. (stay with me here)

If I start the clomid on RE's CD 3, I'm taking the clomid 11 days before the u/s.

If I stuck with RE's original instructions, I'd be taking the clomid on RE's CD 5, and thus taking it 9 days before u/s.

So, I'm trying to figure out what day to start it on. MY CD3?, RE's CD3? I really feel like I don't want to take it on RE's CD5, but if anyone has any arguments to present as far as pros or cons of this, I'd be grateful to hear it.

So, what do y'all think? Good plan? Crazy hare-brained scheme? Asking for trouble, or increasing my chances?

Dea please let me know how it went today! It does sound like our bodies are similarly fubar'd .

Hmm...I guess that makes sense that they could just disappear like that. It just seems to me that to do one u/s as early as day 14, find a 10 mm follie and dismiss it is too...rash? I can't imagine how big that follie might have gotten by day 20, if it hadn't disappeared.

I do think that I will start the clomid on the 'official' CD 3 this time. (3 days after full flow AF starts). That seems like a safe compromise to me. I still get a few more days, and I'm only altering the doc's plan by 2 days. I will also demand to be told exactly how big any follies are, and if they seem like they might have a fighting chance, will request a follow-up u/s a few days later. If the follies are still puny, or have disappeared by a few days later, then at least I know for sure that the meds didn't work for me that cycle, and NOT that doc was just to impatient for my slow follies .