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My wife and I have been together since 2005. We got married in 2014.
My wife, who was over 200 pounds, went on a diet a few months ago and has already lost 32 pounds. She aims to lose another 10-15 more.
Now that she has made considerable progress, we feel we're finally ready to start trying for a baby. She's 33 years old and knows that time is of the essence.
But it seems my wife is afraid of even trying because she fears the worst -- that she won't get pregnant, she'll have a miscarriage, etc.
Her concerns stem from the following:
1. She has PCOS.
2. She has hypothyroidism.
3. She's been on birth control (pill/IUD) since we began dating in 2005.
4. As I already mentioned, she's approaching her mid 30s.
Are her worries warranted, or is it still very possible she'll be able to get pregnant?
She's already seeing a fertility specialist who's told her everything looks good and that he's sure she'll be able to, but we don't know if these people say these things just to make one feel better.
Generally a doctor won't say something like that just to make her feel better. Her doctor knows her medical history better than anyone here.
I'd recommend she continue to lose weight, perhaps even more than her goal to get into an even healthier range. If she's not taking a multivitamin daily with iron she needs to start now. I'll assume she knows something about tracking her ovulation cycles. If not, the fertility specialist can help.
PCOS can be a bit of a troublemaker when trying to conceive, but odds are still very good. If she is concerned, tracking her cycles using an app might help her feel a little bit more in control of the process.
Is there any reason other than those you mentioned she would think she couldn't get pregnant? I think that seeing a fertility doctor at this point might be a bit premature. I would at least try before I did that.
I was convinced I wouldn't conceive but I did twice, once at a 39 and once at 40. Full term pregnancies.
I am more concerned about her mental state. Scared to try because she won't get pregnant? I don't really understand that mindset.
I'll tell you what the OB told us when my ex (when we were married) was having problems. After 3 miscarriages they found out diabetes was her problem. After getting that under control, he told her to stop thinking about getting pregnant. Just think about enjoying the sex. Act like it's your first time. Some times having it on your mind all the time can be a problem.
I have known many, many women with PCOS who were able to get pregnant, and had healthy babies.
She should discuss whether or not she should go on metformin now, to decrease her chances of developing pre-diabetes, and to help her lose weight. If the doctor that she is currently seeing says no, she should consult a specialist in dealing with PCOS, because going on metformin early definitely helps with weight loss and delaying the onset of type II diabetes in PCOS - it may even help prevent some cancers.
Then, she should discuss with OB whether or not she should stop the metformin once she starts trying to get pregnant, because it may not be wise to be on metformin while pregnant.
I also have PCOS and clinical hypothyroidism as a result of my Graves disease treatment. They stopped my metformin on my first and second pregnancies - two miscarriages. I think both of those might have been successful had I had more informed medical care. I was taken off of it because I was having trouble keeping my food down after taking the pills.
This time around I decided to keep my endocrinologist involved and not trust to the so-called infertility expert ob-gyns. When I asked if we should stop the metformin at any point he said "absolutely not."
Metformin has been shown in many studies to lower incidence of first trimester miscarriages.
I do recommend people ask their doctor for Metformin ER (Extended Release) as it is much easier on the tummy. I have been taking 1500 mg of Metformin ER after dinner for several years now and have no upset stomach issues. I also recommend your wife see an endocrinologist to monitor the thyroid during the pregnancy and not trust the ob-gyn to do it properly.
OP, you didn't say if your wife is taking metformin or not. I was put on it when diagnosed with PCOS and insulin resistance. I am no longer insulin resistant and I do believe the metformin helped me lose a significant amount of weight as well as restarting my fertility.
Yes, my wife has been on Metformin for a while now. I think the doctor first put her on it when he saw that her blood sugar was creeping up a few years ago.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kygman
I'll tell you what the OB told us when my ex (when we were married) was having problems. After 3 miscarriages they found out diabetes was her problem. After getting that under control, he told her to stop thinking about getting pregnant. Just think about enjoying the sex. Act like it's your first time. Some times having it on your mind all the time can be a problem.
That's really interesting you say that.
Yes, unchecked sugar levels or wildly fluctuating sugar levels can be a major cause of infertility, although no one ever seems to say that.
Good advice to women who have unexplained infertility is to go 3 months on the "no white sugar" diet. Eat like someone trying to control diabetes through diet, and it's likely she'll get pregnant.
That is, of course, if her infertility hasn't been explained in other ways.
I'll tell you what the OB told us when my ex (when we were married) was having problems. After 3 miscarriages they found out diabetes was her problem. After getting that under control, he told her to stop thinking about getting pregnant. Just think about enjoying the sex. Act like it's your first time. Some times having it on your mind all the time can be a problem.
While diabetes can certainly be a problem, there is absolutely nothing the back up the "just stop thinking about it". That's BS that just serves to minimize the actual MEDICAL reasons behind infertility and make women feel like it's their fault for bothering to care about it. It's stupid and pointless advice, especially from an OB. The stress of not getting pregnant does not cause one to not get pregnant. Fertility issues should be taken seriously, not brushed off as "you're too stressed".
For the OP, knowing that she has PCOS before trying is a good start. Is she taking Metformin? Following a PCOS diet (low carb)? Those things will help. Already losing weight will help. She will need to be pro-active. At her age, give it 6 months and then seek further treatment if she isn't pregnant yet. Know that PCOS has a higher risk of miscarriage (I had 2 myself, but I have 3 children in the end ). PCOS is *usually* treatable.
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). PCOS is *usually* treatable.
