PCOS and Infertility
So you guys still aren’t pregnant yet? I’m guessing it’s not for lack of trying but have you been checked for PCOS? That’s short for Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. It’s a pretty complicated condition – all to do with the metabolism and hormonal imbalances and the like – but it can cause infertility. You thought you’d left all that hormonal imbalance stuff behind with your teen years but about one out of every ten women who are the right age to have kids has PCOS so it might be something to look into. So let’s talk more about PCOS and infertility.
In a nutshell, PCOS prevents you from ovulating, or releasing eggs, so there’s nowhere for those spermies to go. One of the ways you know you aren’t releasing eggs is if you aren’t having your period or if your periods are very irregular, as in once-in-a-blue-moon irregular. I’m not saying I’ve noticed anything, but if you tend to carry your weight around your middle, like an apple rather than an hourglass, or if you have particularly fuzzy facial hair and you battle to lose weight, you might have PCOS. If that sounds familiar, you should have it checked and the doc may send you for an ultrasound where they’ll check for lumps (cysts) on your ovaries. You might be one of the luckier ones and not have any obvious outward signs, so they might also test your blood for any extra male hormones. It’s sounding scarier and scarier, I know, but once you’re diagnosed then you can really get going on getting pregnant.
• Again, I’m not saying I’ve noticed anything, but it might be as simple as losing some weight to help balance out your sugar levels. It might also be a good idea to get both of you checked for any other fertility problems before you start any kind of treatment. It’s no use getting a stack of expensive medication if your hubby has sperm motility problems.
• If losing weight doesn’t help and there aren’t any other problems, your doc might get you started on some drugs to encourage your body to release some of those eggs. This is usually quite successful, sometimes too successful as there is a chance of having twins or triplets, or more. You did say you wanted to get pregnant, didn’t you?
• If those drugs don’t work then you might get an injection to help those eggs along and if the man’s sperm have problems of their own you might get some extra help getting sperm and egg to meet through artificial insemination. If the drugs didn’t help, this usually does the trick.
• If after all that rigmarole you’re still not pregnant, there are still options. You could go the test-tube route and have IVF (In-Vitro Fertilization), but only if you’re within the normal weight range for your height, else it probably won’t work.
• The other option is to have your ovaries drilled. It’s not as bad as it sounds; promise! Basically, it’s a short surgical procedure where they make holes in your ovaries. They’re not sure how it works, but apparently it does. Go figure!
With PCOS your chances of miscarriage are higher, but again there are things you can do to hang on to that baby. Exercising and managing your weight play a role (again); but some other drugs and supplements can help too.
The good news is that your PCOS symptoms are very likely to improve once you’ve had the baby. Your system is likely to sort itself out all on its own, so much so that PCOS sufferers are often encouraged to try to get pregnant sooner rather than later. You’ll be glad to know that getting pregnant the second time is much easier as well, so if you think you might have PCOS then have it checked out by your doctor.
