Has anyone conceived naturally with PCOS?

[CoralCats]

Hello,

I recently asked my gynecologist what my chances would be of conceiving naturally and he said 'I won't say zero but very low' which made me think all this time has been wasted with charting my cycles and hoping for pregnancy month after month.

When I tell family members I have PCOS they brush it off and say it shouldn't impact my ability to fall pregnant... this annoys me that it's downplayed as clearly it's stopped me falling pregnant for all this time!!

Has anyone with PCOS conceived naturally (without ovulation induction medication, IVF etc.) and how long did it take?

Thanks!

[MissSaoPaulo]

My cousin with PCOS was on the waiting list for IVF when she fell pregnant naturally. Her little girl had some allergy problems and so she cut out dairy while breastfeeding, lost a load of weight and fell with her second just before the first was a year old. They had given up on conceiving naturally and it just happened. That feeling every month when you hope and hope and then your period turns up is awful, like a slap in the face every time. But one way or another, with our without treatment, it is possible to get there, so don't despair xxx

[CoralCats in reply to MissSaoPaulo]

This is good to know. Me & my partner are in our late 20s and healthy weights so it's really hard when there's nothing we can do to improve our lifestyle - it would be good to have something to aim for which could help i.e. lose weight but my GP couldn't recommend anything for us to change.

Yes, I agree - it's a slap in the face month after month.

Thank you xx

[FMA1]

Hi! I have had PCOS since I was 14. I was told my whole life that I would have difficulty conceiving… So it was a massive completely unexpected but lovely surprise when I conceived pretty much at first try 3 years ago and had my son. Sadly it has not been the same when trying for our second, and I tried Clomid for 3 months now on my first IVF cycle. The only difference if im honest is I am about 2 stone heavier and more stressed. I have found it very hard to shift the weight which is common in PCOS. My consultant told me if someone with PCOS ovulates and there are no other issues their chances are the same as everyone else in falling pregnant, but releasing an egg and a good quality one at that is the issue… We have surplus eggs but they are usually very small immature ones

Every woman with PCOS is different but I agree with Miss SaoPaulo, with or without treatment most women with PCOS do end up having a baby xxx

[CoralCats in reply to FMA1]

Hello,

I've heard that with PCOS you can fall pregnant more easily when you first come off contraceptive pills, although I'm unsure if this is true! I guess there could be less cysts?

Yes, I think our issue is low quality eggs as when I ovulate it's late in the cycle.

Thank you xx

[Tnthketnf]

Hi

I have two friends who conceived naturally with PCOS. The first one conceived her first baby at 34 after a few months trying and her second at 37 with the first month of trying. She had irregular cycles for years but was never overweight. Her cycles after her first baby were more normal but on the longer side about 35 days cycle. My other friend conceived at 31 after 3-4 months of trying. She has been following a reduced sugar diet to regulate her cycle and it works for her.

Good luck!

[joey81]

Hello... i have endo and people with lack knowledge downplay it including ivf docs. Anyway i wanted to tell you my friend has pcos she is now 38/39. She just gave birth to her 5th child. Docs are always shocked has her scans that she conceives naturally without ivf etc. She is rare case but it can happen xx

[CoralCats in reply to joey81]

Hello,

Thank you!

Yes, I find female infertility is downplayed and everyone assumes you can just have IVF and it'll work so there's nothing to worry about - not realizing what IVF entails, that it's the last resort and has low success rates!

When I tell family members I'm infertile their response is 'I didn't think PCOS caused infertility' or 'are you going to do IVF' which are both equally unhelpful.

Thanks xx

[Hidden]

Some couple on fb who were losing weight together so they could get ivf they got to under 30 bmi did 1 round which didn’t work but months later they conceived twins she has pcos also my friend tried for years then adopted 4 kids then conceived naturally so she has 5 kids now.

[CoralCats in reply to Hidden]

Thank you, this is good to know.

With how late I ovulate I just can't see it happening naturally - I know you only need 1 good cycle for it to happen but in 18 months I haven't had a 'normal' cycle :( xx