OUCH!

This morning, I'm sitting drinking my coffee, checking facebook, (Sincere congratulations to my newly preggers friend!) and I have a sharp pain in my low pelvic area.  I've had these pains before, but this time is the first time I've been aware that the pain is a cyst either bursting or twisting. It just makes me think differently about the pain.

In high school, I would get sick every time I started my period. Cold compress, heating pad, cold sweats, couldn't wear a tampon, delirious, throwing up, searing pains, passing out in the high school bathroom sick. My father carried me out of school and brought me home once a month for about six months.

Now, I have had six OBGYNs since I was in high school. I have full disclosure told every one of my doctors about these extreme episodes. Each and every one of them told me "Some women have more painful periods than others" and proceeded to prescribe me pain killers and muscle relaxers. Excuse my language, but that was bullshit! It took Dr. P one vaginal sonogram to discover that my ovaries were full of cysts.  The other doctors were just as capable as her, but did not take the extra step. Maybe they did not suspect me of PCOS because I am so thin. Anyway, what was happening was not normal.

Moral of the story: Follow your instinct; if something is not right insist your doctor run extra tests, find the problem, or find someone who will.  

What about the Skinny PCOS Patient?

I've read (skimmed) several library books on PCOS in the past few weeks. The best one I have found is What to Do When the Doctor Says Its PCOS by Milton Hammerly and Cheryl Kimball.   Also, Taking Charge of Your Fertility has a short and informative section on PCOS.  All of the books I have found suggest exercise, diet, and weight loss to bring back regular cycles. The typical PCOS patient tends to be overweight, or gains weight easily and has difficulty loosing weight because of the insulin resistance that is associated with PCOS.  In fact, I've been reading that insulin resistance is actually at the core of PCOS. Because the body is insulin resistant, the pancreas produces more insulin, which signals other hormones including the male hormone androgen to over-produce, which prevents the egg from being released. Ta-da!

I'm the skinny PCOS patient. I'm 5'8 and 135. In fact, one of my besties, Dr. D, told me there was no way that I had PCOS because I'm so thin. My regular physician told me basically the same thing. I eat pretty healthy, although I've been watching my refined carb intake lately (well, except for all the birthday cake I've been eating this week). I've actually dropped about five pounds in the past month.

There isn't really much for the skinny PCOS patient in any of the PCOS websites and message boards. It's frustrating in it's own right. I'd love to try the PCOS Diet Cookbook and see what happens to my cycles.  Any thoughts?

Let's Take It Up to Speed

So...long story short. I charted. I may or may have not ovulated. We did it. I prayed. I took pregnancy tests. I charted some more. I may or may not have ovulated. We did it. I prayed. I charted. I spotted, and spotted and spotted.  After 22 days of bleeding and spotting, I was back in the doctor's office.  One ultrasound later, Dr. P discovered that I have a large cyst on my ovary. 


The next development makes me want to cry. Dr. P asked me to get back on BC for one month to suppress the cyst, since it is unlikely I'll ovulate with such a large cyst. If all goes well, the cyst will shrink, and when I start my cycle after the BC, we'll be able to start Clomid. Ugh. This is not going according to plan.


Clomid (clomiphene) is used to induce ovulation; it works similarly to estrogen, a female hormone that causes eggs to develop in the ovaries and be released. Clomiphene comes as a tablet to take by mouth. It is usually taken once a day for 5 days, beginning on or about day 5 of the cycle. If you are going to be successful with Clomid, it is most likely to happen in the first three months. Most doctors take patients off of Clomid after the fourth month, as it increases the risk of ovarian cancer. There is a slightly higher risk of twins (about 10%), and a smaller risk of triplets or more.  (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0000752)


Dr. P is not a fertility specialist. She's an amazing OBGYN that I stumbled across. She promises not to waste my time, and let me know when what's going on is beyond her knowledge. I have an appointment with the big fertility endocrinologist in town in October. I've heard he is amazing, but hope I'll be able to cancel that appointment. :)

Dr. Appointment Number 1

One thing I really hate about moving is finding new doctors, new dentists, new dry cleaners and new stylists. But, I really lucked out with this new doctor. I'll confess, I want to be her BFF.

When I went into Dr. P's office, armed with my one cycle of charting (a la Taking Charge of Your Fertility) and showed her that I was on day 72 of my cycle, she suggested we do a quick pregnancy test to be safe. Even thought I had taken a test the morning before, my heart beat quickly as I was waiting for the results. It was negative, and I had suspected. Step two was the vaginal ultrasound. Dr. P came into the ultrasound room with me; and when the technician told her it might be a minute, she said, "I'll wait in here, I don't want to miss this." :)

Although it all looked like static to me, the ultrasound revealed my chocolate chip cookie cysts that "are consistent with PCOS." Up until this minute, I had never heard of PCOS.

Dr. P wanted me to continue to chart my cycle, adding ovulation predictor tests, and return in three months. She gave me a bit of hope at the end of our hour long appointment, saying, "You might even be pregnant by then."

My Story--The Beginning

I would be finishing my Master's Degree in June, so we decided to start trying. In an effort to prepare my body, I stopped taking BC in October, but we weren't having unprotected sex until January. I also started taking a prenatal vitamin daily. After being on BC since 2002 (more on that later), I thought it reasonable to allow my body time to cleanse itself of all the extra hormones. I was having regular cycles Oct-Jan, so all systems were go. 

One of my besties texted me on New Year's Day "Happy Babymaking!" So many of my sweet friends had told me they got pregnant quicker than they thought, I thought it would likely be just as easy for me. And, January, Febuary, March and April went by.

Around this time, a friend of mine passed Taking Charge of Your Fertility to me. She had a bun in her oven, and attributed it all to reading the book, charting her cycle, and and one month of Clomid. This book opened my eyes to charting my cycle through temperature, vaginal fluid, and cervical position. I learned so much about my body and my cycle that no one ever told me. In fact, several of my friends who have read it agree this book should be required reading for every married woman. (I'll have a whole blog dedicated to this book soon.)

My first chart revealed that I had a cycle that lasted 72 days. Most of March, April and May went by without ovulation (an anovulatory cycle).  First signs of distress, and cue my first doctor's appointment.

The Irony of It All

My story is not unique, but frustrating all the same.  SJ and I have been together for over 12 years; married for 3. We actively prevented pregnancy to wait, so that I could complete graduate school, so that we could be in a "better place" financially, so that we could be ready.

So, now it's time to add a sweet baby to our family.

Let's just say, I'm very much a baby person. I'm an elementary teacher. I have many little ones in my life. If there is a little one in the room, it's most likely that I will be holding the baby or playing a game with the tot soon. SJ also loves little ones; he's great with his neices and my many, many cousins. He's fantasized about being his son's t-ball coach. He's ready, I'm ready, we're ready.

And...I have PCOS. I'm gaining weight, developing acne, have a never-ending period, rarely ovulate, and according to my doctor, my ovaries look like chocolate chips.  To me there is just something ironic about all of it.