Trouble Conceiving

I second the Endocrinologist or see a doctor who is trained in Naprotechnology. I have had trouble conceiving with my kids and come to find out I have a thyroid issue that the average doctor or OB just wouldn't pick up. With a doctor trained in Napro. you would learn how to identify when you are most fertile. I went the Napro. route and now I use it to not get pregnant. I don't take any pill or other form of birth control. Go to the Pope Paul the VI Institute web sight and find out if there is a doctor near you.

I have PCOS w/ insulin resistance and Metformin (Glucophage) works wonders for me. Without it (or on a lower dose and not watching my carbs), my cycles continue to get longer and longer and I stop ovulating.

I never got off of it even when I did finally get pregnant because without it my insulin is totally screwy and I'm constantly sick. If you can't handle being on the medicine again, you can try doing a low carb diet. Carbs turn into insulin and insulin effects your testosterone which effects your estrogen which obviously effects ovulation. (vicious cycle!) You will lose weight on a low carb diet as well, so it'll help your cycles either way. (And if you don't know much about low carb, don't believe that it's ALL MEAT ALL THE TIME. It's NOT. It's being aware and careful of how many carbs you eat - knowing which things seem healthy but are actually high carb (milk, yogurt) and being careful with that. I have TONS of good tips for low carb eating - email me if you're interested. Oh, wait - I actually wrote a blog post about it!: http://welayinrepose.livejournal.com/54483.html

Good luck!

Also, have you tried any Clomid yet?

I would like to tell you that I feel your pain. It took my husband and I about 9months to conceive our daughter with no problems. Then wjen we tried to conceive our 2nd I m/c twice n tried for 2.5 years before getting p/g. I would find a different doctor honestly. My obgyn was amazing nd after the first m/c she started doing a whole slew of bloodwork and did ultrasounds and discovered I have pcos. I too would miss periods for months and was slightly overweight but w/the stress of it all gained more. So...she put me on a 10 day cycle of prometrium to induce a period, then 5 days after I started my period I took clomid (to force ovulation) and then I would count the days until ovulation. After 3 rounds of that I conceived, only to m/c. I was devastated! So then she pulled out all the stops n did a complete work up only to find I also have MTHFR which is a minor blood clotting issue (causes problems in fertility) so then she put me on baby aspirin and folic acid mixed w/B-12 . Well then I heard about Wayne State doing a research program w/woman ttc w/PCOS all free care! I became a part of that as well! And 2 rounds and 12months later here I sit holding our 4 week old son which is truly miracilious. So I said all that to say you are not alone AND the doctors at wayne state were reproductive endoconoligists and I also took glucophage as well for being insulin resistant. Feel free to msg me w/any questions! Hang in there, try to trust in God and your time WILL come!

Have you contacted a Reproductive Endocrinologist (fertility doctor)? Or are you just working with your Gynecologist? My husband and I had a very hard time getting pregnant. We got tested through my Gynecologist and everything actually came out normal. It wasn't until we met with a RE that we finally found the problem. I had scare tissue that was keeping me from getting pregnant. It had nothing to do with my weight. If you haven't contacted a RE I would recommend that you do. They can help you find out exactly what is wrong and form a game plan to get you pregnant. 2 months after I had surgery to remove the scar tissue I got pregnant with my son Wyatt. I am so glad we finally got help. Good luck! I hope you are pregnant soon!

I have 2 friends who were overweight, and struggling with fertility and both had Poly Cystic Ovary Disease. One has 2 kids, one conceived with medical assistance and one without. The other got pregnant and miscarried a few times and decided to stop trying due to other factors in her life. I'm also heavy but my problems were with delivery, not conception. I think it is worth having blood work to check on the insulin resistance since you had that issue before. Given a totally unscientific look and my immediate circle of friends, things still may work out for you. At least you are not alone struggling with these issues. I hope things work out for you.

I'm sorry you're going through all that:( Have you already read "Taking Charge of Your Fertility"? I don't really have any help, just a note of encouragement.

My husband and I tried for 5 years before my son was born. I was definitely on the heavy side. We were going to Jamaica and so I went on a 'fad' diet and lost about 30 pounds - and got pregnant 2 months later. I do think that weight can play with your periods and hormones in general. Mine have always been a bit on the erratic side and it was not unusual for me to also go anywhere from 3-6 months between cycles.

A few years later we decided to try for our second as well (5 years actually!). By this time I was not only diabetic but also had high blood pressure - both items I still try to control by both medicine and a healthier life style. The insulin issues with diabetes are really just hormone issues. The medicines I was taking were hormone inhancers, so they helped ALL my hormones, not just insulin production. In fact, what I was taking said very explicitly on the bottle that it increased the chances of pregnancy. And it did. I was pregnant in about 3 months. Turns out they actually used the same medicine sometimes as a fertility drug.

So if you are taking medication for your insulin, you may want to talk to your doctor about alternatives that may boost other hormones as well. I was taking Avandia, and while it certainly helped both with the pregnancy issue and the diabetes issue, I am not sure I would recommend it. First, you have to stop taking it immediately upon getting pregnant because it can cause some complications. I was probably about 5 weeks along when I realized and had to switch to something else. Second, there have been some medical side effects that have popped up recently (maybe liver damage? I'm not sure) from long term use of Avandia.

But definitely speak with your doctor about what you are taking and what you may be able to switch to. I have been exactly where you are, and it gets better. I promise!

Good Luck!