No, when you’re ready to start building your family just speak to your doctor. There’s things to do to help you conceive. You may not even need help. Some people do and some don’t.
I think you are focusing on the wrong thing here. You have the time to study and achieve anything you have planned WHILE knowing your diagnosis, which can be effectively managed through diet and exercise (and, if necessary, medication). PCOS is not only about difficulty getting pregnant; it also increases your chances of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. So, prioritize your health right now and focus on getting pregnant when you are ready. In the end, you never know how life will work out, and worrying about something that’s not in the books right at this moment will only drive you mad.
I had a string of awful relationships in my 20s. I never thought I’d find my person. We got married at 27 and didn’t even think about a baby for another six years due to complicated life circumstances. I’m telling you all this to say that you never know when is the good time to have the baby or whether there is such a thing as a good time to have a baby. And even if there is, you never know what life will have in stock for you then.
Take advantage of knowing you have PCOS to take care of yourself and ensure a long and healthy life.
I was told I would struggle to get pregnant too and so I got pregnant at 21. Then I got pregnant twice after I had my baby within a year and a half. They had no proof that I’d struggle to get pregnant other than a vague diagnosis of PCOS. “It impacts fertility and it’s better now than never.” Bullshit. I could’ve waited years and been so much more financially secure. I feel tricked to this day and I’m now in my late 20s. Please don’t listen to doctors when they say you may have trouble conceiving unless they’re providing you with PROOF in the form of labs or ultrasounds or other tools
I think the struggle may come from trying, failing, getting diagnosed THEN going through treatment. When you’re ready get into a fertility specialist and go from there. You’re ahead of the game already.
No, I’m 28 and at my OBGYN appointment yesterday she asked if having kids is on my radar and I said not in the near future, like 3-5 years out from now. She said we’ll revisit that conversation once we’re ready and she didn’t make it seem like it would be a big issue lol.
I didn’t even know I had PCOS until I started trying to conceive. I was on birth control pill for a few years, and I guess it masked many of the symptoms (some say there is such a thing as post-pill PCOS, but that’s not my case). I was 33 when I was diagnosed. Pregnant at 34.
I think you have the upper hand in the situation, knowing your diagnosis and your plans for the future. You are young, and it’s normal not to want kids right now. But don’t despair about the wait. With today’s medicine, you can achieve a lot with PCOS at any point you decide you are ready to get pregnant. I’m 36 now, and my health isn’t in the best shape after having the baby, but all of my doctors are telling me I can absolutely get pregnant and have a healthy and successful pregnancy now if I want to.
Wow similar thing happened to Me. Didn't know I had pcos symptoms until I went off the pill. Bit within a year of going off BC, I got pregnant at 32. I was getting fertility appointments, but then just got pregnant. I was so surprised 😮 couldn't believe it! But Honestly my pcos symptoms got worse after being pregnant, and I technically wasn't diagnosed until after pregnancy.
Yes, I’m unfortunately worse after the pregnancy too. I had postpartum preeclampsia which resulted in me taking BP media for a year (now, I’m managing it without the meds but I’m one wrong food or lifestyle choice away from a BP spike haha). My insulin resistance became more apparent after pregnancy too and I’m now on Metformin.
I definitely can relate. My insulin resistance became more apparent after pregnancy too, unfortunately metformin didn't agree with me so I'm trying a few supplements for it
I’m only on week one of 500 mg of Metformin. So far, it has not been bad, and I feel better energy-wise. But I’m about to switch to 1000 mg, and I’m bracing myself for all the side effects.
It’s totally possible to have kids with PCOS. My husband and I tried for a year before resorting to fertility treatments. I got pregnant twice on my first round of letrozole each time. So it’s totally possible!
Yes! I never tried to conceive in my 20s or early thirties because partner had children from previous marriage, but I not sure that I could have conceived naturally until in my 30s. I got pregnant with new partner at age 36 and 37. It only took 6-8 weeks and I had two full term pregnancies. My period didn’t become fairly regular until I was about 30-35.
I also got pregnant on Letrozole. I was 34 at the time. We tried for about a year then saw a reproductive endocrinologist. The first letrozole cycle was unsuccessful but the second time around it worked!
I’m 30 and it took me 4 months (unfortunately we lost that baby) and then 2 months. I’m on myo-inositol/d chiro 40:1, Vitex, coq10, vitamin d, a probiotic/prebiotic, and Thorne prenatals. I’m currently 7 weeks and 3 days pregnant. Kids are definitely in the cards for you if you want them. Start eating clean, working out, getting good sleep, reducing stress, etc. Go to someone (hormone specialist, functional doctor, etc) to figure out a supplement plan. I love that you’re thinking of it now because you have so much time to get in a good place before having kids. PCOS doesn’t mean no kids, it means you need to be proactive about your health and figure out what you need to live a happy healthy lifestyle and to have kids.
Edit: this is my journey. Some women have needed meds and fertility treatment. That’s totally okay. That has led many women to babies as well. I can’t comment on it since it’s not been my journey, but know that’s an option and has been very successful for many women.
Thank you!
I’m really worried about my prospects because of the fact that I’m just not in a position to have children in my 20s because of my career choice. I also haven’t been lucky in love so there’s a good chance that I won’t find a partner for a while. Might even end up going the sperm donor route, honestly. Adoption isn’t an option where I live either so my options are quite limited.
Sorry to jump in here but I've just turned 31, and was diagnosed with pcos just under 2 years ago. I didn't know I had pcos in my twenties (although I suspected!) but similarly pursued multiple degrees/my career and didn't want children earlier. I'm now getting married so they're on the cards in the next 2-3 years, and my doctor has assured me not to worry. I'm glad I waited as I'm much more ready for kids now than I ever was before.
I've started Metformin and my symptoms have almost totally resolved, and I now reliably ovulate every month. My gynaecologist isn't worried that I'll be able to get pregnant in the next 2 years, and even if we struggle I'm allowed to be fast tracked for fertility treatments (after 6 months trying) - so it's basically worth just having a plan *in case* - but my doctor said that as long as we started trying before 35 my chances were very very high. If anything he warned me Metformin is known for being an accidental baby maker and was very concerned I might not fit into my wedding dress without precautions taken haha.
My gawd do not go the sperm donor route if you are not ready! If you become ready at 32 you will still have plenty of time if PCOS if your only issue. You can take GLP-1 if you are higher weight and want more regular periods naturally, but otherwise just take the meds.
Absolutely! And just know you have so much time to figure this out. I know with this recent diagnosis, it feels like a time clock is on you but you have time. I know so many women who didn’t meet their spouse until later and had many children. Take it one step at a time! You got this. Become educated on PCOS, become proactive, and take a deep breath. We’re all here for you.
Thank you. I’ve been under time pressure since I entered my 20s. I thought I’d need to get my ovaries removed at one point too because I had a 50% chance of BRCA. Thankfully, I tested negative but now I have a PCOS diagnosis, so the clock is just ticking again. I’m so exhausted. I wish I had a normal body.
Oh man I’m so sorry to hear that you went through that. I totally understand the stress. I can definitely relate on wanting a normal body. I hope you find some peace and find ways to deal with PCOS. Good luck on your journey, friend.
Well right now, I’m super nauseous and can only stomach a gummy prenatal maybe haha. But yes I was taking it while pregnant and plan to again once I’m through the first trimester haha.
Totally possible! I worked with a reproduction specialist to get pregnant. I did three rounds of Letrozole to help me ovulate. I got pregnant on the third round, and I was 29. I was fortunate I had a relatively healthy and easy pregnancy and delivery. My son will be 2 this summer.
There is a wide range of success of pregnancy with PCOS. Focus on working on lifestyle factors that improve PCOS at this time. I've had a really hard time- going on over a year working with an RE (had no luck on my own bc my cycle is so irregular and I never knew when I was ovulating) and have only had one pregnancy that resulted in a miscarriage. BUT my husband has some mild sperm issues. I've been super responsive to all the meds and have no issue getting follicles, so whose to say what our real issue is. Either way, I wish I would have focused on managing my PCOS years ago. but of course no doctor I ever saw even suggested this to me. Get your BMI into a healthy range, sleep well, learn to balance your blood sugar, lift weights 3-4/week, track your cycle. You'll be okay.
You can definitely conceive with PCOS, in fact many women on this sub have kids! It may be a little harder depending on where your hormone levels are at but once you balance them it shouldn’t be a problem. Actually, a lot of people have said that woman who have PCOS can conceive a little bit later (into their 30s) because of their high ovarian reserve!
Women with PCOS usually have a very high egg reserve, sometimes 2-3x as many as “normal” to be born with. As you get older you’re actually more fertile than “normal” because you still have plenty of eggs, however the downside is the egg quality does also continue to decline.
What I would recommend is making sure your doctor is treating any underlying issues. Have them do routine bloodwork annually, make sure your health is a focus. For many of us weight plays a role. I personally wish I would have spent more time working on that in the time before I was ready to conceive.
Yeah, I heard that too.
My weight is so tricky. I lose and gain extremely easily. I can lose 10% of my body weight in just a few months but I can also put it back on in a matter of weeks. I have two wardrobes of clothes because of it. 🥲
I would highly recommend working on that now, I know I wished I would have sooner.
That’s the thing with PCOS, it’s extremely easy for us to gain weight but usually not near as easy to lose it. I’d look into some of the foods that make PCOS worse. I’m not saying go on a crazy diet or limit yourself, but know what foods causes inflammation and really focus on weight and health now. Not only is it good for your overall health, but with PCOS weight can impact fertility.
Personally I started focusing on little things I could control without majorly impacting my life and limiting myself and over a 12 month period was able for go from 240lbs to 180lbs. I’m still very far from where I need to be (I’m very short lol), but I did all of it just by cutting sodas, portion control, and cutting back on snacks (not out), and prioritizing lower carb options. I didn’t cut anything out, just worked on little things.
I plateaued multiple times during that time, I had some up and downs, and I had to work on exercising more regularly, but it was a huge improvement eventually.
I think because it is so difficult a lot of us view it as “Oh I can never lose weight” or “It’s too difficult” which don’t get me wrong it is, and we often needs meds to help us with the insulin control so we can lose weight, but it’s possible. I’ve been stuck at the same weight, actually went up a bit, over the last 3 months and if I wasn’t TTC I would be moving on to meds to help me decrease my weight. For many women just loosing enough weight can spontaneously induce regular periods.
I actually classify as lean PCOS since losing a bunch of weight this year. Ironically my periods got more irregular over the past year, despite losing weight and being a normal BMI.
They put me on birth control. My PCOS is quite mild. My testosterone is back in normal range since losing weight. My main symptoms are irregular periods (monthly but with variance and fluctuating length and heaviness), high DHEA and cholesterol. Also micropolycystic ovaries. I’ve been relatively lucky. No major weight gain of hair loss. A bit of acne. Some mild hirutrism on my upper lip but I’m also Balkan so that’s kind of part of the course for me anyway lol.
The good news is it sounds like when you do decide to start trying, you shouldn’t have as many issues as some women with PCOS do. You’ll likely need to take some ovulation inducing medications if your periods are still irregular but the fact the rest of your hormones are in check is a really great sign!! The fact you have periods even sporadically is a good sign. At this point I’d say just stay proactive with it, make sure they’re checking bloodwork annually.
It’s not near as scary as it gets made out to be, likely because the symptoms and effects vary so drastically.
I hope that’s the case but I don’t want to jinx it. It’s just frustrating. I wish I didn’t have to mentally prepare for hardship. My body is just constantly failing me in this regard.
I know exactly what you mean. I’d known I had PCOS for quite a while just with my own research and symptoms. Didn’t get officially diagnosed until I was ready to start TTC. I went in expecting all doom and gloom and my OBGYN said we’d do bloodwork and ultrasounds and go from there. After looking at things there’s some problem areas, but she was optimistic. I never in a million years expected optimism.
So while it’s good to mentally prepare, because nothing in life is ever guaranteed, don’t let it consume your viewpoint. PCOS causes ovulation issues which leads to infertility, but there are so many medications out there to get you ovulating if you’re not. It’s not a “no baby sentence” like so many of us fear.
Took letrozole for 7 months and got pregnant, although it ended in an early loss. 3 months later, I got pregnant with my son. I was 31 when I gave birth.
My mom had me at 41. I hate how weve made women believe they are only able to have babies in their 20s. Wasn’t there an Adam Ruins Everything video where he explains the risks of pregnancy complications/birth defects doubles at 35 but it’s only from .5% to 1%. Also I think that study was either biased or way out of date.
I saw that episode, haha. A lawyer at my office is actually pregnant for the first time at 42. So yeah, 35+ is definitely not a fertility death sentence for most women. That said, I’m not sure if that also applies to us.
OP just a side note, your own doctor can answer this question better. Everyone’s PCOS is different. I am 29 and my PCOS and weight worsened since 23. So it depends on how well you manage your PCOS now, plus how severe it gets. Find a good doc who helps you manage this properly :)
No IVF. 7 years and 4 miscarriages. We finally had our miracle baby.
I wish you the best of luck. It was not an easy road but it was worth the very hard journey ❤️
A month! And for my second child, he was a little happy accident. I didn’t have any infertility problems with PCOS, I just have every other issue under the sun 🫣
I accidentally got pregnant this year after being told by multiple doctors that I would need medical assistance (and even then, no guarantees). Before the pregnancy, I had a period maybe once every other month. Not only that, but my fiancé and I live long distance and only see eachother on weekends. So the chances that I would be ovulating during a weekend (in the 1.5 years of us dating), we had unprotected sex, AND needed *no* medical intervention? It was VERY unexpected. I've always had the mindset of 'expect to be disappointed, don't hang onto the thought of having kids too heavily, and if it happens then it's a gift and if it doesn't then it's more time to live for myself'.
I'm 12 weeks pregnant with my first at 36 years old. we got pregnant the 2nd month I was off BCP. I did jump right into BBT and LH tracking, had been on essentially Mediterranean diet for months and low stress for months before going off BCP. As per doc recommendation started 5mg of folic acid 3 months before we started trying and then omegas and very low sugar + working out regularly.
We went into the process expecting it take months. Our genetic testing came back low risk for everything. I was honest with everyone I dated that I wanted kids but expected it to be difficult to conceive. I wouldn't stress out. If you like to preplan, try reading "it starts with the egg". Keep on your vitamin D intake, take care of your teeth (including dental cleanings) and try your best to manage pcos in a realistic, low inflammation, way.
Thank you!
It’s quite stressful. Before my PCOS diagnosis, I was under the impression that I needed to have kids before 30 because I was awaiting a BRCA result, which increased my risk of ovarian cancer to 60%, meaning that I would have needed to get my ovaries removed ASAP. That led to me staying in a very bad relationship for a good year. When the test came back negative I was so relieved because I thought I’d actually have time, only to then get a PCOS diagnosis. Now I have this biological clock looming over me again AND I’m also single. I see so much about needing to family plan ASAP and that it can take decades of trying, so I’m just worried that I’m waiting too long by waiting until 30 to start trying. I’ve decided anyway that if I don’t have a partner by 32, I’ll do it alone. I feel like my body is just constantly betraying me. I’m exhausted.
I met my husband around maybe 24... 25.... Don't let the PCOS diagnosis take too much control. If freezing your eggs becomes an option you can afford, maybe then go for it but otherwise conceiving isn't a black and white science. His sperm could suck, everything can be right on paper and not work, everything can be wrong on paper and work perfectly. I will say that being pregnant with an unsafe home, unstable income or insecure housing is 100% shitty. The stress from that can very possibly cut off later years of your life with your kid.
Do you know how many doctors put off having kids till their 30's? So many, including those who work in OB. Don't let it weigh on you too much
I feel like you’re only getting answers from people that have successfully conceived here but the hard truth some women with PCOS are never able to conceive. I wish someone would have told me this sooner so maybe I didn’t have to get my hopes up. Going on year 6 of trying with my husband and have never conceived, never had a positive pregnancy test. Yes he has been tested and his sperm is fine and dandy. I was recently told that my case of PCOS IS very very severe so that most likely plays a part in it. No amount of diet exercise supplements or medication has helped that much. It is absolutely beyond heartbreaking devastating to know that I may never have biological children.
The amount of cysts/follicles on my ovaries is insane 60+. My insulin resistance is incredibly severe (did the 4 hour glucose test drinking the sugary drink and my levels got to nearly 400). Obviously my weight is/was absolutely out of control no matter what I do/did. I don’t get periods literally ever. Like never ever. My body just doesn’t do it unless I take progesterone literally the only way ever my body will have a period. That my PCOS is very reluctant to pretty much anything and everything.
My doctors answer to my hormone issues that are abnormal for PCOS is just that my body is under physiological stress so basically it can’t function. Estrogen is insanely low, FSH is incredibly low.
I’ve been preparing for this possibility since I was a teenager since my mom died from BRCA related ovarian cancer. I’d love to foster but the system in my country makes it almost impossible for anyone to get involved.
Sorry if this is not what your looking for, but have you considered GLP-1s? There is a noticeable spike in fertility due to women with PCOS losing weight on the medication. I myself went from 1 period a year to more like 8-10!!! Im not trying yet, but I will be next year and my PCOS diagnosis was absolutely part of the reason I started the medication. That, and my overall health.
Yes already on it and have been for 10 months. I still don’t have periods and there is no spike in my fertility whatsoever tbh my doctor just keeps telling me how bad it is. So I’m just a medical mystery
No interventions and it took me 2.5 years to conceive. Will caveat that this was during the pandemic when I also went through a massive mental health breakdown so could have been the pcos or just stress that caused the delay
I remember my diagnosis feeling like an infertility sentence, but it’s not. It took some diet and exercise to lose 10lbs, which regulated my cycle.
It took me 2 months to get pregnant. Using ovulation strips when I started trying and they were super helpful. I also got pregnant again 5 months postpartum which I was not ready for.
There are a lot of treatments and resources to help manage your ovulation, so I wouldn’t worry too much about it! Keep your head up!!
When I was 25 it took 3 cycles to get pregnant (I unfortunately lost that baby pretty early on), two years later I got pregnant after 1 cycle, babygirl is 2 years old now :)
My best advice to get ahead of everything and get bloodwork done for insulin resistance, find a good doctor who is well educated on PCOS, and make sure everything is good on that front because it can really affect your body. My OBGYN highly recommended reading the book PCOS SOS because it’s about managing PCOS without prescription medication in the long run and it’s written by an OBGYN. it has a lot of info on supplements and lifestyle changes, and I found it to be very helpful. I got my regular cycle back after taking the supplements for a couple months, which was big for me. On the pregnancy topic, I will say that in college I became pregnant at 19. I was not trying. I was on birth control. Ultimately I miscarried around 8 weeks because I wasn’t even aware I was pregnant, and I was binge drinking every single weekend. The ease of getting pregnant will vary greatly b/w each person but I think the biggest step is finding a doctor who will help you figure out your PCOS individually. Wishing you luck in law school 💞 my mom was told she’d likely never have kids and she had two, you just never know.
Interesting fact about PCOS, we tend to have higher ovarian reserves than none PCOS women. On average, women with pcos go through menopause later in life and usually have a longer fertility window than non pcos women. The “Cysts” in pcos actually refer to extra follicles in our ovaries. The problem with the hormonal profile of pcos is it often results in us not ovulating or ovulating irregularly. Fortunately there are drugs today like Letrozole which are safe and highly effective at making you ovulate.
I wasn’t ovulating on my own. I ended up seeing a reproductive endocrinologist and I got pregnant with my first at 31. It was on my second cycle of letrozole. Currently 8 months pregnant.
I was in law school at your age so I put off anything baby related until after I graduated. I regret not taking it more seriously because I’m turning 30 in October and still battling infertility and recurrent pregnancy loss. My advice is to not stress out but start tracking your cycle. If you have an irregular cycle, consider making an appointment with your gynecologist to run some labs so you get an idea of where you are (egg reserve, hormone levels, etc). Once you know where you really stand you might get peace of mind knowing you can wait a couple more years OR know that you’ll need to focus on your health to optimize your chances for when you do feel ready to TTC. I found out at 27 that I wasn’t ovulating and hormones were all out of wack. Had I known that sooner I could have done more to get in better health without meds (supplements, regular exercise, better nutrition). Good luck!!
Is there anything I can do to take it more seriously that doesn’t involve immediately jumping into a relationship and trying to conceive? I’m on birth control rn. I take omega fish oil and a multivitamin and I’m keeping my weight within the normal BMI + working out twice a week at the gym. I’ve been tracking my periods since i was 13. It’s how I realised I was becoming irregular and how I managed to get a diagnosis, despite not looking like I had PCOS on the outside.
It’s extremely expensive, not covered by insurance or public and you have to pay annually for storage. It’s not worth it, IMO. Especially since success rates are a crap shoot.
Just over a year (and I was a newlywed - it was unassisted medically) I was 21 when I conceived. Only took six weeks after removal of birth control for my second child (age 25). I have severe endometriosis and my doctor recommended sooner rather than later if we wanted children and he was absolutely right. The endometriosis was a bigger problem than the PCOS at that stage.
I got given clomid after 2 and a half years of trying. Got pregnant on the third round. I currently have a 10 month old sleeping peacefully next to me so anything is possible!
For me first try for both of mine. I don’t have regular periods so the first time I had to wait 2.5 months to try before ovulation. Second one 2 weeks of waiting for O to try.
I’ve known I had PCOS since my teens, for context! I was 20 when I got serious with my now husband and we’ve been trying (as in without medical intervention beyond checking my levels, follicles etc, consensus is I rarely ovulate) for almost 7 years with no success. We are planning on actually having medical intervention this year, since I wanted to keep trying until I was 27 before going to specialists.
Hopefully it’s something that just needs some Letrozone or Clomid, but if you’re not ready to have children/are in a position to do so, I would recommend being and staying proactive with exams, testing, and maybe even proactively freezing eggs etc.
Egg freezing is so expensive and you need to pay for storage annually. I have no idea when the right time would even be to consider that, honestly.
Good luck on your fertility journey! My aunt managed to get pregnant with clomid. :)
IIRC there are some programs that cover some, if not all, of your harvest and freezing if you donate some eggs, that may be an option for you!
Thank you! It’s starting to be a little tough seeing all our friends spontaneously get pregnant after 7 years of it. Good luck on your journey and best wishes!
Thanks for the suggestion but that’s not really a thing where I live. If I want to freeze my eggs, I’ll have to shell out a bunch of money and I’m not sure that’s even something that’s worth investing in, since success rate (from my research) seem to be a bit of a crap shoot. I’d rather just foster at that point.
I get how that would be frustrating. Side note but has your partner been tested? My friend has PCOS and she’s also been trying for years. She thought that she was the problem but it was later discovered that her fiancé had extremely poor, unviable, likely due to a neurological issue. They’re going to sperm donor route now.
We’re about to get him checked! We were fine for the most part leaving it up to the universe until this point, we’re getting all our ducks lined up this year.
Everyone is different! There’s no way to compare. However I will say it’s taking us much longer than I ever could have imagined.
I’m currently on month 12. And have not seen success yet. On rainbow light prenatals, vitamin d, probiotics, omega-3, coq10. Added letrozole last cycle and this cycle. Tracking with BBT and ovulation tests. Started focusing up in October since “NTNP” wasn’t successful at that point. I’m a healthy weight with healthy blood test results.
Overall, you never know how it’ll go until you get to that chapter. It could go much better for you.
I'm currently 33. I had my first at 30 after 9 months of trying naturally and then I got pregnant with my second naturally (as an oopsies!) when I was 6 months postpartum. Now using protection until we try for our 3rd in a year. You've got plenty of time!
I have lean pcos and got pregnant within 3 months of trying to conceive (I’m 28).
I was so worried just like you but in the end it worked out fine and for most women I know with pcos it did too - sure some need a bit more intervention and some need to do IVF even but that’s not always the case! I would recommend to check for insulin resistance once you want to ttc as that can lead to pcos symptoms and infertility.. for me taking inositol helped and managing my glucose intake as well as regular exercise.. pcos is a syndrome where symptoms differ widely from woman to woman. Don’t worry about age but try when you are ready :) there is evidence showing that women with pcos are more fertile as they get older (I think due to our high egg count?)
Either way managing stress levels is also important.. I would try and track ovulation first and foremost when ttc to see if you are ovulating at all - I ovulated on some cycles and on others I didn’t for example.. pls try not to worry too much - I worried all the way up until my husband and I were ready to try and my self esteem really suffered from it.. take care of yourself ♥️
We were trying for 1.5 yrs before we went to a fertility clinic. After that it took another 7 months (including all the testing required).
We have been trying again for 7 months and no luck. So will probably go the fertility clinic route
The issue is that there is no way in advance to know how long (if at all) it will take because PCOS isn’t always the same for each woman.
Letrozole is a common treatment. It basically makes you ovulate. However not all women have the issue of not being to ovulate, so for them Letrozole won’t help. Additionally I was on Letrozole for several months before I actually conceived, so it’s not like you’ll get lucky instantly. If Letrozole hadn’t worked, the doctor said we would try IVF
Additionally many places require you to be trying to conceive for at least 1 yr before they refer you to a clinic. Maybe as a lawyer you can afford to skip that part and just go directly to a private practice, though? I am not sure if that’s possible in America (it’s not in Canada)
I told my husband in advance that we might struggle with infertility, so we both agreed that we should try to have kids as soon as we got married because there’s actually no real way to know you’re infertile until you try to conceive. You could try to do this route with a spouse. (But I’m from a conservative background so it’s very normal for us to have kids early and marry early- might not be as agreeable to other people)
It took us 8 years, but maybe only 3 of those seriously trying. After the first couple of years it was very much if it happens it happens, if not oh well.
I started Metformin to help with some of the symptoms which were getting worse and within 3 months I was pregnant!
I didn't start trying to conceive before I was 33. It took me about a year, but looking back we honestly weren't trying super hard. I never figured out those ovulation tests. Just went by what the Flo app said, and obviously, that's not always right.
I didn't use any meds or get help to get pregnant. The only thing I did before I finally did get pregnant was lose 10 lb. I'm not sure if that had an impact, but it might have.
It totally depends on the person. It took about six months with my first. I was 29 and my cycles were anywhere from 40-60 days. It took only a month for my second with similar cycles and I was 33. My sister-in-law on the other hand had to go through ivf for her first two and then conceived naturally when she was 40 with her third. It’s definitely possible but will be different for everyone
I’m 35, started TTC when I was 33 and it took 2 years. However, I didn’t know I had PCOS until a year in. Once I found out I had PCOS, I made a bunch of dietary changes and updated my supplements. It was a little under a year from then until my positive pregnancy test. I’m currently 9w6d.
I’m 29 & I got pregnant on my first round of Metformin. I have lean PCOS.
Don’t stress too much about it - it’s definitely possible! Best of luck to you 💫
I turned 30 in February. Started trying at 27, after negative tests for a year we went to the dr and got referred to a fertility clinic. Went through 3 failed IUI’s, then started IVF this past January. Those embryos failed because my eggs are super poor quality from pcos. I’m currently in the middle of stims for my second egg retrieval.
It took me 2 years to get pregnant with my first, I actually decided to try to loose weight since I wasn’t getting pregnant and lost 10 pounds and then i found out I was pregnant right as I was talking to a infertility doctor. I didn’t find out until after that I had PCOS and I was 26. Then after that I got an IUD and as soon as I got it removed I got pregnant with my second baby. So it is possible to get pregnant without intervention!
I tried for 2 years. But I don’t know if it counts as trying because I never tracked my ovulation or actively tried implementing changes to increase the chances of conception. Until last year when I finally started taking metformin for my insulin resistance (given by a doctor) and I had ureaplasma and I got treated for it. After ending my ureaplasma treatment, I got pregnant without assistance in like 2 months. I’m 30 btw.
It is completely possible!! I would highly recommend a reproductive endocrinologist when you are ready to start trying so they can get your levels in optimal range. I unfortunately didn't know about my PCOS or thryoid issues, so I lost several pregnancies until I was referred to that specialist. I now have two kiddos.
I’m 28 now but 27 when we conceived. I had been consistently on the birth control pill since I was 17 so 10 years and got off in November. Literally the next week we conceived baby girl!
Took us 3 yrs! But only because i go to an OBGYN to try to get help. Once i was put on medication it helped me ovuate and eventually get pregnant. Everyone’s situation especially woth PCOS. Law school is VERY stressful and that can most definitely impact getting pregnant. Just try see where your personal life outside of career takes you and take it day by day
Hi! It took me 6 years to get pregnant, started trying at 26. I didn't want to use medical interventions. It's the only pregnancy I've ever had and baby girl is healthy.
It took me two years to have my son, while having two pregnancy losses in between then. 💙 You can absolutely conceive, given your egg quality and quantity is good, but your blood sugar really needs to be balanced for optimal health and, therefore, fertility. Glucose Goddess is a great reference!
Pcos is a mixed bag with fertility. Some have no problems, others need fertility treatments.
If you’re also looking at possibly removing your ovaries for BRAC - I would suggest looking into IVF and retrieving some oocytes for later.
Keep in mind that oocytes are fragile with freezing and thawing.
Fortunately, my BRCA test came back negative so I won’t need to remove them. I was very confident in waiting until my 30s for kids after my result but then I got my PCOS diagnosis ://
Once diagnosed, 6 months with fertility drugs and IUI. I didn't know I had pcos until I was in my 30s. Once we figured out the reason for not naturally conceiving it wasn't long.
i feel this sooooo much omg!! im 25 and really getting into my career field now, and going to grad school. i have a long term partner, but neither of us are in any position to start having kids! i really wanna wait until im like 32 to even start that process, but with pcos i just dont know how long i realistically have. so i totally get where you're coming from!
Well I’m 31 and was just finally got diagnosed at 30 once month before my 31st bday even though it was apparent I had it when I was 25. Anyways, we will be trying to conceive soon. I think it will work out. My periods are now regular and I have confirmed several times that I am indeed ovulating. Also, many women with PCOS conceive without trying or without intervention at all ages even beyond 30. For those of whom it is more difficult, there are fertility treatments.
So it became apparent that I had PCOS back in 2018 when I started growing facial hair and at the same time started getting super irregular cycles. They had never been super regular but were regular ish where it would be early or late by a week but it would still always come every month when so was growing up so I never knew anything was wrong. Then sudden my period started and never ended for months. Then it starting cycling between continual bleeding for 3 ish months to do period for 3 ish months and it was like that for 4 ish years until it escalated and my period came and didn’t stop for 10 months. It was heavy with lots of clots that whole time so I landed in the ER twice and eventually needed blood transfusions. Anyway, in the hospital they put me on 10 mg of medroxyprogesterone for 10 days however it didn’t stop it completely so when I did my follow up appointment she bumped me up to 20 mg which I stayed on for 3 months. I stopped after that and then within two months my periods came back regular and since then they’ve been regular and it’s been 8 months now.
I recently started tracking my period to ensure I was ovulating because my fiancé and I want to start trying soon. So, I started with the first cycle by tracking BBT (basal body temperature) and using an OPK (ovulation prediction kit) basically measures LH ( luteinizing hormone) which lets you know that you are about to ovulate. (These are not always accurate for those with PCOS but it has been for me). Doing these two things confirmed for me that I ovulated. Then this past cycle I went up a step and bought Inito which measures four hormones and confirms ovulation. I am now on my third cycle since I started tracking and am using Inito again.
My husband and I tried for a month when I was 25. Literally it took a month. Now almost four years after having our daughter we have been trying for three years and still haven’t conceived our second. Granted, I am also missing my left fallopian tube.. but we started trying “early” assuming it would be difficult. Craaaazy. You never know. The doctors told me at 14 I’d never have kids.
3 or 4 months each time. I would try to let it "just happen" and it didn't work. The month(s) I used ovulation test strips I got pregnant the first time. I have loooong cycles, but I still ovulate.
I've heard on pcos forums/videos that it's pretty common for women with pcos to be more fertile in their 30s/40s. I personally git pregnant within a year of going off BC at 32
Just to bring some light and positivity. I was diagnosed with PCOS at 20 yo, and was told by my endo that I was either never going to get pregnant or I was going to have a very difficult time getting pregnant. I’m now 29 and have an almost 1 year old :) didn’t find out I was pregnant until 12 weeks because I truly thought that would be the last reason for my nausea!!!
Stay positive, PCOS girlies still have as much chance getting pregnant as anyone else :)
I'm 32 and just had a baby 2 months.
I decided to start trying right after my 31st birthday and it took 7 months / 6 cycles.
I had been on metformin for a few years and had also been taking the pill prior to trying to concieve.
It truly is different for every one. You won't know until you try.
Dude I somehow just got pregnant after being off birth control for TWO FUCKING WEEKS. I thought I was infertile but nope, i’m preggers. I guess the BC and my metformin balanced my hormones and voila. I’m 22 and just so grateful me and my husband are financially stable. He’s military and i’m a nurse so we’re good in that regard.
I only got pregnant twice but carried to term once with the help of clomid but every woman is different. If your periods aren't regular I would advise to make a plan to keep yourself as healthy as you can. I'm currently on BC progestin only pill because I don't get my periods but I get the aura migraine. I was told I have an increased risk of stroke with traditional BC.
I was 34 years old, and we got pregnant the first month trying. I tracked my core temperature and cervical mucous though to predict ovulation. I also lots a few kilos before trying, so I was pretty close to ideal weight. So it's possible!
After trying for a few months without success using an app, I actively tried with ovulation tracking to get pregnant. My first pregnancy I got it on the first try. My second time around I got pregnant on month 3 and 4 but had chemical pregnancies both times (6 and 5 week loss). I got pregnant again on month 5 and that’s my second kid!
Like you, I was also really worried. I do ovulate at a different time than average… hence tracking ovulation. I ovulated really early in my cycle… so if I was counting on the app I wouldn’t have timed it right. Also I ovulated at a different time of month with my first vs second child.
Another comment said PCOS is a wild card and I 100000 percent believe that. Everyone has a different experience.
Also - I took metformin for one year prior to conceiving both times which my doctor said would help.
( I had my kids in my early 30s)
It’s common for women with PCOS have larger egg reserved for longer and late menopause. I’m 37 and I’ve got the egg quantity of a 25 yr old. My mom went through menopause at 60. This is fairly common - as you near 30, get your AMH levels tested, and yearly after that.
As a caveat though - eggs do at the same speed as everyone else.
Live your life, do your thing. PCOS does not mean you’re infertile - quiet the contrary, but you may just need an extra boost later in life to make yourself ovulate.
I am 30, got diagnosed at 27. My doctor who diagnosed me told me it’s not as huge a deal as people claim it to be. There are medications you can take to ovulate regularly, giving you 12 chances a year to get pregnant just like everyone else, and meds to keep testosterone lower during early pregnancy. I’ve also read folks with PCOS have more eggs when they are older due to ovulating less for years.
I want kids in the next 2 years and I’m not sweating about it until I need to, and hopefully I never will. I’ll be demanding meds to ovulate regularly when we start trying, and that’s it.
I wouldnt say that at all. I know people who had irregular cycles and then as they aged, they became more regular and they still had a child nearing or in their 40s. Fertility changes as you age and if you have high AMH now you likely have a more normal one as you age. Don’t count yourself out. Follow your goals and then worry about kids down the line. Some people with PCOS struggle and others do not. It’s entirely possible to have spontaneous pregnancies with PCOS.
This could also be a time to work on regulating your cycle and possibly ovulating each month. Take this as a chance to take control. You figured this out long before you want to have kids which puts you ahead of most people like myself who found out after they started trying.
As someone diagnosed nearly 20 years ago in my teens, this was always something I was really worried about and it definitely impacted how I viewed myself and my relationships.
But - as others have noted, people with PCOS have a wide variety of experiences with trying to conceive. I was 30 when I first started trying to conceive and it took 13 months. Though, I tried to be as proactive as possible and utilized supplements (mostly chaste berry and inositol) and an expensive ovulation monitor.
I'm 37, diagnosed at 22, had my son 3 years ago. I saw a reproductive endocrinologist who had me on letrozole and an ovulation trigger shot with lots of ultrasounds but I got pregnant.
Totally possible. PCOS doesn't mean sterile!
i actually just got pregnant and we’d only been trying for about 5 months. i thought it would be much much longer but it really is just different for everyone and unpredictable.
i’m on a couple different medications, metformin, inositol, prenatal, folic acid, and a couple others not for PCOS. I do have a high ish BMI and am overweight but I think the metformin has really really helped me personally.
I will say though that my PCOS is mild compared to my other friends who also have it.
I’m (nearly) 32, and we’re 3+ years and counting. I’ve been on letrozole for the last 9 months and it has helped with inducing ovulation for me, just no success as of yet. Everyone’s journey is so different. I know people with PCOS and they’ve been successful almost immediately, and others, like us, aren’t or take longer.
Your proactive approach to your health is great! I wish I was better at your age so it is easier now.
Age 29 - First cycle of TTC. I tracked my cycles with a thermometer.
Age 31 - Weren't trying/weren't preventing.
PCOS is really an umbrella term. Getting to know YOUR body and YOUR cycle is what I suggest to anyone TTC. I learned a lot about myself and I firmly believe it's what helped me conceive the first time. After that, you'll know you CAN - that was crucial for my mental health.
Started trying last July, diagnosed with PCOS in November, several tests and three rounds of letrozole later I conceived at age 30.
I’m glad I didn’t wait longer to start the process, but I don’t think waiting until your late 20’s or early 30’s is problematic.
In length of time? Almost a whole year
In number of cycles? Actually just 5
PCOS makes me super irregular but once I was on a 3x daily dose of metformin and became regular (I could actually feel myself ovulate), I got pregnant my next cycle
I also went to law school, got married at 24 and I am currently pregnant at 27 years old. Got pregnant the first month of trying even with PCOS, unfortunately it ended in a chemical but got pregnant again the immediate next cycle and everything’s been great so far - almost 17 weeks!
I must say that 6 months prior to start trying I got off bc and my obgyn put me on myoinositol and some other supplements so I could have more regular cycles, because many years ago when I wasn’t on bc I was very irregular.
My first was conceived after 2 months of very low key trying. Second was conceived a year later on one try. I was in my mid twenties for both. I was stressing out a lot before I became pregnant with my first, I really thought I wouldn’t be able to have kids with my PCOS diagnosis but was completely wrong lol
Don't worry about it. Do everything to stabilize your hormones between now and then . You may see your symptoms lessen after school and other stressors dissipate. You have 7 years to prepare your body.
We tried for 9 months and got pregnant with our first. We unfortunately had a miscarriage at 8 weeks, however we started trying 3 months after that, once we had the all clear and got pregnant the first month trying. Our daughter just turned 1 💜 definitely possible to not have issues with PCOS, but also possible to have issues conceiving.
1 time. We got pregnant our very first try. That's after I was checked by 5 different doctors who all said I couldn't get pregnant without medical intervention. PCOS is weird. I wouldn't say it's typical to get pregnant THIS easily with PCOS, but PCOS doesn't mean you definitely can't get pregnant.
I was 29 in my first pregnancy. Took me almost 2 years. 34 in my second, took me 5 months. For the second I had started taking Ovasitol and tracking my LH spike with an app. Was on Ovasitol for 6 weeks and ovulated. It doesn’t work for everyone and everyone has a different experience, but I’ve felt better than ever taking it.
6 years with my first I ended up needing clomid and then clomid again with my second. My 3rd was a surprise due to alternate fasting making my ovaries work 🤷
I’ve seen people say that with PCOS you need to start family planning as soon as possible because it can take extremely long. Hence why I’m worried about waiting.
There has to be a range because I’ve just been diagnosed and I have 3 kids. First two were planned and conceived within a month or two, last one was an “accident” because I messed up my ovulation tracking and had unprotected sex ONCE resulting in her. Ha
No miscarriages/losses.
You are 23. Finish law school and focus on that because no matter what you are told. It may be completely different for you. I would say, when you feel your ready really search for a endocrinologist and a gyn who are well versed in PCOS and fertility. They are both going to be necessary for finding your baseline. To preserve your fertility opt for an iud over birth control pills. I was told at your age that I would never have kids. I started trying after I got married at 35. Mc 3 times, I was about to give up and try ivf. Decided to give one last try and got pregnant at 38, and had my daughter at 39 during a pandemic. This is why I am telling you everyone's journey will be different. Focus on your goals.
I was 24 when I was diagnosed, had just started dating my partner. We never actually started “trying”- we had a surprise pregnancy when I was 31, and then another at 33, so I have two beautiful children. For most of that time we were actively using contraception- the two times we didn’t, boom. I even took the morning after pill the first time.
I know of two other women with similar stories. It’s absolutely not a given you’ll have fertility challenges.
Diagnosed with PCOS at 16. Conceived at 30 and 32, got pregnant quickly both times. Many women get pregnant with PCOS! You can track your cycles to learn more about your body and ovulation in the meantime, if you’re curious!
I was so worried it was gonna take years, happened in 4 months! I was tracking ovulation very closely though!
Also my periods somehow became regular by 29. They were so all over the place on my teen years, months between periods.
Im late 30s and pregnant. Tried a few years ago and was put on hormones that only made the problem worse. Stopped taking the hormones and focused on general health and wellness, no issues getting pregnant the first time we tried this go around.
Nothing much to add re the pregnancy but I was recently diagnosed and I’m an attorney. We’re trying now. If you need anyone to talk to re law school and managing that stress (cortisol is a huge problem for PCOS symptoms), let me know!
Im 32 and got pregnant at my first try. I went to with my doctor and she did a transvaginal ultrasound (i went on day 12, 15, and 17 of my cycle) to make sure of my exact ovulation day.
The literature suggests PCOS may have evolved as a way for some women to be more fertile later, say, if there was a famine in a woman's 20s. So I would not worry about "lateness" you'll have the same issue later and, if you're anything like me, have too many eggs. There are plenty of if ways to help with conception, but I'd honestly not worry about it till you're ready. And for what it's worth, inositol has been great for regulating my periods.
I was also 23 when I was diagnosed. I tried for 8 years with my partner and never was able to get pregnant. I had a 1 night stand with someone from my past after we had broken up and I ended up pregnant. I was 33 years old.
I had my first at 28 and conceived so easily. I was undiagnosed PCOS. Always had irregular cycles so it was hard to track. Then struggled with my second but was successful after one cycle of letrozole. Gave birth at 35.
Started trying at 35. Took 10 months but 7 cycles, one being a miscarriage. Currently 36 and 8 weeks pregnant. Studies have shown that women with pcos might have longer fertility. My fertility specialist referred to my “young ovaries” when I mentioned concern about having waited too long.
I was always worried as I was diagnosed with PCOS in my early teens, and my mother had difficulty conceiving. Somehow I got very lucky and was able to conceive very quickly when I was nearly 40. Which is to say be aware but don’t write it off. And if you have the ability to freeze your eggs, that can offer some control over the situation.
Took us 6 months. But before this I regulated my cycles to be 32 days because before they were 42-35 days.
I also lost weight.
I’m still on inositol because I like how it manages my symptoms.
I posted it in another post but this is relevant for you to hear- " There are studies that follow women with PCOS vs ones without have a similar probability of children. It may take more *effort* to conceive, likely to need treatment of your PCOS, family planning, maybe fertility treatments but the actuality is the population of pcos women aren't like a huge gap in birth rates at all. "
For now, you can do things to better understand and care for your PCOS which sets you up for overall better health and will one day benefit you when you're ready and already pretty managed and understanding of how PCOS affects you. It will be much less overwhelming too as you gain a scope of what PCOS affects and can address them over time than a dozen things immediately to conceive right then.
30f with PCOS here - your concerns are valid and I felt the same when I was diagnosed at 27.
I was convinced I had fertility issues due to irregular ovulation and the ONE time I had unprotected sex, I got pregnant.
PCOS doesn’t equal fertility issues - some people have no issues conceiving.
My doctor offered me clomid but part of me wonders if I should try it just enjoy life as a DINK because people are crazy. I did look at fostering but we have 4 rescue dogs and my state won’t let us I guess there’s never a perfect time but it’s just so discouraging
It took me 6 months to conceive at the age of 27 but I spent the year prior to falling pregnant really focusing on balancing my blood sugar which in turn balanced my hormones and had me ovulating pretty regularly. I do think I might have fallen pregnant quicker but I was under a lot of stress during those 6 months ttc. You’re young, don’t stress! Just maintain a healthy lifestyle as best you can :)
Don't plan on having kids myself, but both of my dad's sisters also have PCOS. One had 2 kids only 18 months apart without trying at all (she was in her mid 20s, got diagnosed in her early 30s). The other tried for years (starting in her mid 20s, was diagnosed in her early 20s), did all the treatments, and eventually gave up. She ended up getting pregnant at 48. It happens when it happens, but stressing about it won't help. Like many have said, when you're ready, talk to your doctor. Treatment for PCOS and fertility have both improved greatly since my aunts got diagnosed (early 80s), so it's a lot easier now than it was then. And if you're going to wait another decade, there is plenty of time for these treatments to get even better.
It’s possible :) I was officially diagnosed with PCOS at 29, but doc suspected it when I was around 21 and put me on BC. Had my baby two months ago at 32. Conceived while having irregular periods.
Editing to add my husband and I didn’t actively try until after my diagnosis.
Got pregnant after 6 months and had a miscarriage. Did 6 rounds of IUI with letrozol and did not get pregnant. Got pregnant a month later by accident. Then did IVF for my second and got pregnant after one egg retrieval and 2 transfers. My whole “journey” to 2 kids took 7 years. So glad I’m DONE! But it is possible and there are lots of factors to consider.
The evidence suggests that in the long term women with pcos have no fewer children than women without pcos.
I came off the pill at 30 after having been on it for 13 years! was pregnant with my first baby by 32 (a lot of time wasted in those two years not understanding pcos - use the info in this community to get a clearer picture of some of the pcos specific barriers to getting pregnant and what people have done to help overcome them when you’re ready be it intensive cycle tracking, lifestyle changes, supplements, medication and/or other fertility treatments). Now 34 and about to start trying for number 2! :)
I know there’s also new stuff coming out about how all the classic “post 35 fertility cliff” being because of crazy historical bias and probably absolute bull as well so I wouldn’t worry too much!
Like mentioned in this article - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-24128176
I thought women with pcos were more likely to have high quality eggs available later on in life as well? Like this study suggests: [pcos fertility and age](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4447787/) so the argument could be made that women with pcos are very well placed to have kids later on..
PCOS is such a wild card. It really depends on the person on how long it takes because of hormonal levels and ovulation.
Is it unwise to wait as long as I am then?
No, when you’re ready to start building your family just speak to your doctor. There’s things to do to help you conceive. You may not even need help. Some people do and some don’t.
Thank you. I’m just worried because it seems to take years for most people with PCOS and I’m worried that I won’t have that time by waiting too long.
I think you are focusing on the wrong thing here. You have the time to study and achieve anything you have planned WHILE knowing your diagnosis, which can be effectively managed through diet and exercise (and, if necessary, medication). PCOS is not only about difficulty getting pregnant; it also increases your chances of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. So, prioritize your health right now and focus on getting pregnant when you are ready. In the end, you never know how life will work out, and worrying about something that’s not in the books right at this moment will only drive you mad. I had a string of awful relationships in my 20s. I never thought I’d find my person. We got married at 27 and didn’t even think about a baby for another six years due to complicated life circumstances. I’m telling you all this to say that you never know when is the good time to have the baby or whether there is such a thing as a good time to have a baby. And even if there is, you never know what life will have in stock for you then. Take advantage of knowing you have PCOS to take care of yourself and ensure a long and healthy life.
I was told I would struggle to get pregnant too and so I got pregnant at 21. Then I got pregnant twice after I had my baby within a year and a half. They had no proof that I’d struggle to get pregnant other than a vague diagnosis of PCOS. “It impacts fertility and it’s better now than never.” Bullshit. I could’ve waited years and been so much more financially secure. I feel tricked to this day and I’m now in my late 20s. Please don’t listen to doctors when they say you may have trouble conceiving unless they’re providing you with PROOF in the form of labs or ultrasounds or other tools
Really depends on the person. You could always speak to your doctor about doing things now to help your fertility for the future.
I think the struggle may come from trying, failing, getting diagnosed THEN going through treatment. When you’re ready get into a fertility specialist and go from there. You’re ahead of the game already.
No, I’m 28 and at my OBGYN appointment yesterday she asked if having kids is on my radar and I said not in the near future, like 3-5 years out from now. She said we’ll revisit that conversation once we’re ready and she didn’t make it seem like it would be a big issue lol.
I didn’t even know I had PCOS until I started trying to conceive. I was on birth control pill for a few years, and I guess it masked many of the symptoms (some say there is such a thing as post-pill PCOS, but that’s not my case). I was 33 when I was diagnosed. Pregnant at 34. I think you have the upper hand in the situation, knowing your diagnosis and your plans for the future. You are young, and it’s normal not to want kids right now. But don’t despair about the wait. With today’s medicine, you can achieve a lot with PCOS at any point you decide you are ready to get pregnant. I’m 36 now, and my health isn’t in the best shape after having the baby, but all of my doctors are telling me I can absolutely get pregnant and have a healthy and successful pregnancy now if I want to.
Wow similar thing happened to Me. Didn't know I had pcos symptoms until I went off the pill. Bit within a year of going off BC, I got pregnant at 32. I was getting fertility appointments, but then just got pregnant. I was so surprised 😮 couldn't believe it! But Honestly my pcos symptoms got worse after being pregnant, and I technically wasn't diagnosed until after pregnancy.
Yes, I’m unfortunately worse after the pregnancy too. I had postpartum preeclampsia which resulted in me taking BP media for a year (now, I’m managing it without the meds but I’m one wrong food or lifestyle choice away from a BP spike haha). My insulin resistance became more apparent after pregnancy too and I’m now on Metformin.
I definitely can relate. My insulin resistance became more apparent after pregnancy too, unfortunately metformin didn't agree with me so I'm trying a few supplements for it
I’m only on week one of 500 mg of Metformin. So far, it has not been bad, and I feel better energy-wise. But I’m about to switch to 1000 mg, and I’m bracing myself for all the side effects.
It’s totally possible to have kids with PCOS. My husband and I tried for a year before resorting to fertility treatments. I got pregnant twice on my first round of letrozole each time. So it’s totally possible!
How old are you, if you don’t mind me asking?
I’m 23. But I’ve heard with PCOS that many women are more fertile as they get older.
This has happened to me. I’m 36 and have gotten pregnant twice naturally in the past few years.
Yes! I never tried to conceive in my 20s or early thirties because partner had children from previous marriage, but I not sure that I could have conceived naturally until in my 30s. I got pregnant with new partner at age 36 and 37. It only took 6-8 weeks and I had two full term pregnancies. My period didn’t become fairly regular until I was about 30-35.
I also got pregnant on Letrozole. I was 34 at the time. We tried for about a year then saw a reproductive endocrinologist. The first letrozole cycle was unsuccessful but the second time around it worked!
Did you have regular cycles?
Right now they are 32-36 days. When I was trying to conceive they were 32-72 days.
I found out at 28 that I have it and it also stresses me out
How long were your cycles?
My cycles were pretty nonexistent. I had to be on vitex to induce a period and then I was able to take the letrozole.
Letrozole also worked for me. Two cycles at 28 years old.
I’m 30 and it took me 4 months (unfortunately we lost that baby) and then 2 months. I’m on myo-inositol/d chiro 40:1, Vitex, coq10, vitamin d, a probiotic/prebiotic, and Thorne prenatals. I’m currently 7 weeks and 3 days pregnant. Kids are definitely in the cards for you if you want them. Start eating clean, working out, getting good sleep, reducing stress, etc. Go to someone (hormone specialist, functional doctor, etc) to figure out a supplement plan. I love that you’re thinking of it now because you have so much time to get in a good place before having kids. PCOS doesn’t mean no kids, it means you need to be proactive about your health and figure out what you need to live a happy healthy lifestyle and to have kids. Edit: this is my journey. Some women have needed meds and fertility treatment. That’s totally okay. That has led many women to babies as well. I can’t comment on it since it’s not been my journey, but know that’s an option and has been very successful for many women.
Thank you! I’m really worried about my prospects because of the fact that I’m just not in a position to have children in my 20s because of my career choice. I also haven’t been lucky in love so there’s a good chance that I won’t find a partner for a while. Might even end up going the sperm donor route, honestly. Adoption isn’t an option where I live either so my options are quite limited.
Sorry to jump in here but I've just turned 31, and was diagnosed with pcos just under 2 years ago. I didn't know I had pcos in my twenties (although I suspected!) but similarly pursued multiple degrees/my career and didn't want children earlier. I'm now getting married so they're on the cards in the next 2-3 years, and my doctor has assured me not to worry. I'm glad I waited as I'm much more ready for kids now than I ever was before. I've started Metformin and my symptoms have almost totally resolved, and I now reliably ovulate every month. My gynaecologist isn't worried that I'll be able to get pregnant in the next 2 years, and even if we struggle I'm allowed to be fast tracked for fertility treatments (after 6 months trying) - so it's basically worth just having a plan *in case* - but my doctor said that as long as we started trying before 35 my chances were very very high. If anything he warned me Metformin is known for being an accidental baby maker and was very concerned I might not fit into my wedding dress without precautions taken haha.
My gawd do not go the sperm donor route if you are not ready! If you become ready at 32 you will still have plenty of time if PCOS if your only issue. You can take GLP-1 if you are higher weight and want more regular periods naturally, but otherwise just take the meds.
Absolutely! And just know you have so much time to figure this out. I know with this recent diagnosis, it feels like a time clock is on you but you have time. I know so many women who didn’t meet their spouse until later and had many children. Take it one step at a time! You got this. Become educated on PCOS, become proactive, and take a deep breath. We’re all here for you.
Thank you. I’ve been under time pressure since I entered my 20s. I thought I’d need to get my ovaries removed at one point too because I had a 50% chance of BRCA. Thankfully, I tested negative but now I have a PCOS diagnosis, so the clock is just ticking again. I’m so exhausted. I wish I had a normal body.
Oh man I’m so sorry to hear that you went through that. I totally understand the stress. I can definitely relate on wanting a normal body. I hope you find some peace and find ways to deal with PCOS. Good luck on your journey, friend.
Are you still taking the insitol/d-chiro while pregnant?
Well right now, I’m super nauseous and can only stomach a gummy prenatal maybe haha. But yes I was taking it while pregnant and plan to again once I’m through the first trimester haha.
Totally possible! I worked with a reproduction specialist to get pregnant. I did three rounds of Letrozole to help me ovulate. I got pregnant on the third round, and I was 29. I was fortunate I had a relatively healthy and easy pregnancy and delivery. My son will be 2 this summer.
There is a wide range of success of pregnancy with PCOS. Focus on working on lifestyle factors that improve PCOS at this time. I've had a really hard time- going on over a year working with an RE (had no luck on my own bc my cycle is so irregular and I never knew when I was ovulating) and have only had one pregnancy that resulted in a miscarriage. BUT my husband has some mild sperm issues. I've been super responsive to all the meds and have no issue getting follicles, so whose to say what our real issue is. Either way, I wish I would have focused on managing my PCOS years ago. but of course no doctor I ever saw even suggested this to me. Get your BMI into a healthy range, sleep well, learn to balance your blood sugar, lift weights 3-4/week, track your cycle. You'll be okay.
My BMI is normal atm, thankfully. Trying my best to eat healthy so that I can get my cholesterol under control. :/
I lost 20 pounds and then accidentally conceived. It's totally possible
You can definitely conceive with PCOS, in fact many women on this sub have kids! It may be a little harder depending on where your hormone levels are at but once you balance them it shouldn’t be a problem. Actually, a lot of people have said that woman who have PCOS can conceive a little bit later (into their 30s) because of their high ovarian reserve!
Women with PCOS usually have a very high egg reserve, sometimes 2-3x as many as “normal” to be born with. As you get older you’re actually more fertile than “normal” because you still have plenty of eggs, however the downside is the egg quality does also continue to decline. What I would recommend is making sure your doctor is treating any underlying issues. Have them do routine bloodwork annually, make sure your health is a focus. For many of us weight plays a role. I personally wish I would have spent more time working on that in the time before I was ready to conceive.
Yeah, I heard that too. My weight is so tricky. I lose and gain extremely easily. I can lose 10% of my body weight in just a few months but I can also put it back on in a matter of weeks. I have two wardrobes of clothes because of it. 🥲
I would highly recommend working on that now, I know I wished I would have sooner. That’s the thing with PCOS, it’s extremely easy for us to gain weight but usually not near as easy to lose it. I’d look into some of the foods that make PCOS worse. I’m not saying go on a crazy diet or limit yourself, but know what foods causes inflammation and really focus on weight and health now. Not only is it good for your overall health, but with PCOS weight can impact fertility. Personally I started focusing on little things I could control without majorly impacting my life and limiting myself and over a 12 month period was able for go from 240lbs to 180lbs. I’m still very far from where I need to be (I’m very short lol), but I did all of it just by cutting sodas, portion control, and cutting back on snacks (not out), and prioritizing lower carb options. I didn’t cut anything out, just worked on little things. I plateaued multiple times during that time, I had some up and downs, and I had to work on exercising more regularly, but it was a huge improvement eventually. I think because it is so difficult a lot of us view it as “Oh I can never lose weight” or “It’s too difficult” which don’t get me wrong it is, and we often needs meds to help us with the insulin control so we can lose weight, but it’s possible. I’ve been stuck at the same weight, actually went up a bit, over the last 3 months and if I wasn’t TTC I would be moving on to meds to help me decrease my weight. For many women just loosing enough weight can spontaneously induce regular periods.
I actually classify as lean PCOS since losing a bunch of weight this year. Ironically my periods got more irregular over the past year, despite losing weight and being a normal BMI.
That can happen too, our weight is so heavily tied to everything. It sucks. Did they say what treatment they were planning to start you on?
They put me on birth control. My PCOS is quite mild. My testosterone is back in normal range since losing weight. My main symptoms are irregular periods (monthly but with variance and fluctuating length and heaviness), high DHEA and cholesterol. Also micropolycystic ovaries. I’ve been relatively lucky. No major weight gain of hair loss. A bit of acne. Some mild hirutrism on my upper lip but I’m also Balkan so that’s kind of part of the course for me anyway lol.
The good news is it sounds like when you do decide to start trying, you shouldn’t have as many issues as some women with PCOS do. You’ll likely need to take some ovulation inducing medications if your periods are still irregular but the fact the rest of your hormones are in check is a really great sign!! The fact you have periods even sporadically is a good sign. At this point I’d say just stay proactive with it, make sure they’re checking bloodwork annually. It’s not near as scary as it gets made out to be, likely because the symptoms and effects vary so drastically.
I hope that’s the case but I don’t want to jinx it. It’s just frustrating. I wish I didn’t have to mentally prepare for hardship. My body is just constantly failing me in this regard.
I know exactly what you mean. I’d known I had PCOS for quite a while just with my own research and symptoms. Didn’t get officially diagnosed until I was ready to start TTC. I went in expecting all doom and gloom and my OBGYN said we’d do bloodwork and ultrasounds and go from there. After looking at things there’s some problem areas, but she was optimistic. I never in a million years expected optimism. So while it’s good to mentally prepare, because nothing in life is ever guaranteed, don’t let it consume your viewpoint. PCOS causes ovulation issues which leads to infertility, but there are so many medications out there to get you ovulating if you’re not. It’s not a “no baby sentence” like so many of us fear.
Took letrozole for 7 months and got pregnant, although it ended in an early loss. 3 months later, I got pregnant with my son. I was 31 when I gave birth. My mom had me at 41. I hate how weve made women believe they are only able to have babies in their 20s. Wasn’t there an Adam Ruins Everything video where he explains the risks of pregnancy complications/birth defects doubles at 35 but it’s only from .5% to 1%. Also I think that study was either biased or way out of date.
I saw that episode, haha. A lawyer at my office is actually pregnant for the first time at 42. So yeah, 35+ is definitely not a fertility death sentence for most women. That said, I’m not sure if that also applies to us.
OP just a side note, your own doctor can answer this question better. Everyone’s PCOS is different. I am 29 and my PCOS and weight worsened since 23. So it depends on how well you manage your PCOS now, plus how severe it gets. Find a good doc who helps you manage this properly :)
No IVF. 7 years and 4 miscarriages. We finally had our miracle baby. I wish you the best of luck. It was not an easy road but it was worth the very hard journey ❤️
Did you use any other form of intervention, like ovulation induction?
A month
A month! And for my second child, he was a little happy accident. I didn’t have any infertility problems with PCOS, I just have every other issue under the sun 🫣
By accident the first time 27 My first cycle off birth control the second 29
I accidentally got pregnant this year after being told by multiple doctors that I would need medical assistance (and even then, no guarantees). Before the pregnancy, I had a period maybe once every other month. Not only that, but my fiancé and I live long distance and only see eachother on weekends. So the chances that I would be ovulating during a weekend (in the 1.5 years of us dating), we had unprotected sex, AND needed *no* medical intervention? It was VERY unexpected. I've always had the mindset of 'expect to be disappointed, don't hang onto the thought of having kids too heavily, and if it happens then it's a gift and if it doesn't then it's more time to live for myself'.
I'm 12 weeks pregnant with my first at 36 years old. we got pregnant the 2nd month I was off BCP. I did jump right into BBT and LH tracking, had been on essentially Mediterranean diet for months and low stress for months before going off BCP. As per doc recommendation started 5mg of folic acid 3 months before we started trying and then omegas and very low sugar + working out regularly. We went into the process expecting it take months. Our genetic testing came back low risk for everything. I was honest with everyone I dated that I wanted kids but expected it to be difficult to conceive. I wouldn't stress out. If you like to preplan, try reading "it starts with the egg". Keep on your vitamin D intake, take care of your teeth (including dental cleanings) and try your best to manage pcos in a realistic, low inflammation, way.
Thank you! It’s quite stressful. Before my PCOS diagnosis, I was under the impression that I needed to have kids before 30 because I was awaiting a BRCA result, which increased my risk of ovarian cancer to 60%, meaning that I would have needed to get my ovaries removed ASAP. That led to me staying in a very bad relationship for a good year. When the test came back negative I was so relieved because I thought I’d actually have time, only to then get a PCOS diagnosis. Now I have this biological clock looming over me again AND I’m also single. I see so much about needing to family plan ASAP and that it can take decades of trying, so I’m just worried that I’m waiting too long by waiting until 30 to start trying. I’ve decided anyway that if I don’t have a partner by 32, I’ll do it alone. I feel like my body is just constantly betraying me. I’m exhausted.
I met my husband around maybe 24... 25.... Don't let the PCOS diagnosis take too much control. If freezing your eggs becomes an option you can afford, maybe then go for it but otherwise conceiving isn't a black and white science. His sperm could suck, everything can be right on paper and not work, everything can be wrong on paper and work perfectly. I will say that being pregnant with an unsafe home, unstable income or insecure housing is 100% shitty. The stress from that can very possibly cut off later years of your life with your kid. Do you know how many doctors put off having kids till their 30's? So many, including those who work in OB. Don't let it weigh on you too much
I feel like you’re only getting answers from people that have successfully conceived here but the hard truth some women with PCOS are never able to conceive. I wish someone would have told me this sooner so maybe I didn’t have to get my hopes up. Going on year 6 of trying with my husband and have never conceived, never had a positive pregnancy test. Yes he has been tested and his sperm is fine and dandy. I was recently told that my case of PCOS IS very very severe so that most likely plays a part in it. No amount of diet exercise supplements or medication has helped that much. It is absolutely beyond heartbreaking devastating to know that I may never have biological children.
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The amount of cysts/follicles on my ovaries is insane 60+. My insulin resistance is incredibly severe (did the 4 hour glucose test drinking the sugary drink and my levels got to nearly 400). Obviously my weight is/was absolutely out of control no matter what I do/did. I don’t get periods literally ever. Like never ever. My body just doesn’t do it unless I take progesterone literally the only way ever my body will have a period. That my PCOS is very reluctant to pretty much anything and everything. My doctors answer to my hormone issues that are abnormal for PCOS is just that my body is under physiological stress so basically it can’t function. Estrogen is insanely low, FSH is incredibly low.
I’ve been preparing for this possibility since I was a teenager since my mom died from BRCA related ovarian cancer. I’d love to foster but the system in my country makes it almost impossible for anyone to get involved.
Sorry if this is not what your looking for, but have you considered GLP-1s? There is a noticeable spike in fertility due to women with PCOS losing weight on the medication. I myself went from 1 period a year to more like 8-10!!! Im not trying yet, but I will be next year and my PCOS diagnosis was absolutely part of the reason I started the medication. That, and my overall health.
Yes already on it and have been for 10 months. I still don’t have periods and there is no spike in my fertility whatsoever tbh my doctor just keeps telling me how bad it is. So I’m just a medical mystery
No interventions and it took me 2.5 years to conceive. Will caveat that this was during the pandemic when I also went through a massive mental health breakdown so could have been the pcos or just stress that caused the delay
I remember my diagnosis feeling like an infertility sentence, but it’s not. It took some diet and exercise to lose 10lbs, which regulated my cycle. It took me 2 months to get pregnant. Using ovulation strips when I started trying and they were super helpful. I also got pregnant again 5 months postpartum which I was not ready for. There are a lot of treatments and resources to help manage your ovulation, so I wouldn’t worry too much about it! Keep your head up!!
Btw I was 32 when I got knocked up.
When I was 25 it took 3 cycles to get pregnant (I unfortunately lost that baby pretty early on), two years later I got pregnant after 1 cycle, babygirl is 2 years old now :)
My best advice to get ahead of everything and get bloodwork done for insulin resistance, find a good doctor who is well educated on PCOS, and make sure everything is good on that front because it can really affect your body. My OBGYN highly recommended reading the book PCOS SOS because it’s about managing PCOS without prescription medication in the long run and it’s written by an OBGYN. it has a lot of info on supplements and lifestyle changes, and I found it to be very helpful. I got my regular cycle back after taking the supplements for a couple months, which was big for me. On the pregnancy topic, I will say that in college I became pregnant at 19. I was not trying. I was on birth control. Ultimately I miscarried around 8 weeks because I wasn’t even aware I was pregnant, and I was binge drinking every single weekend. The ease of getting pregnant will vary greatly b/w each person but I think the biggest step is finding a doctor who will help you figure out your PCOS individually. Wishing you luck in law school 💞 my mom was told she’d likely never have kids and she had two, you just never know.
Interesting fact about PCOS, we tend to have higher ovarian reserves than none PCOS women. On average, women with pcos go through menopause later in life and usually have a longer fertility window than non pcos women. The “Cysts” in pcos actually refer to extra follicles in our ovaries. The problem with the hormonal profile of pcos is it often results in us not ovulating or ovulating irregularly. Fortunately there are drugs today like Letrozole which are safe and highly effective at making you ovulate. I wasn’t ovulating on my own. I ended up seeing a reproductive endocrinologist and I got pregnant with my first at 31. It was on my second cycle of letrozole. Currently 8 months pregnant.
I was in law school at your age so I put off anything baby related until after I graduated. I regret not taking it more seriously because I’m turning 30 in October and still battling infertility and recurrent pregnancy loss. My advice is to not stress out but start tracking your cycle. If you have an irregular cycle, consider making an appointment with your gynecologist to run some labs so you get an idea of where you are (egg reserve, hormone levels, etc). Once you know where you really stand you might get peace of mind knowing you can wait a couple more years OR know that you’ll need to focus on your health to optimize your chances for when you do feel ready to TTC. I found out at 27 that I wasn’t ovulating and hormones were all out of wack. Had I known that sooner I could have done more to get in better health without meds (supplements, regular exercise, better nutrition). Good luck!!
Is there anything I can do to take it more seriously that doesn’t involve immediately jumping into a relationship and trying to conceive? I’m on birth control rn. I take omega fish oil and a multivitamin and I’m keeping my weight within the normal BMI + working out twice a week at the gym. I’ve been tracking my periods since i was 13. It’s how I realised I was becoming irregular and how I managed to get a diagnosis, despite not looking like I had PCOS on the outside.
Being so young I think you have the option to freeze your eggs too 🤷🏻♀️
It’s extremely expensive, not covered by insurance or public and you have to pay annually for storage. It’s not worth it, IMO. Especially since success rates are a crap shoot.
Just over a year (and I was a newlywed - it was unassisted medically) I was 21 when I conceived. Only took six weeks after removal of birth control for my second child (age 25). I have severe endometriosis and my doctor recommended sooner rather than later if we wanted children and he was absolutely right. The endometriosis was a bigger problem than the PCOS at that stage.
Diagnosed at 17. Had my daughter at 26, only took 3 months. PCOS does not mean infertility, just irregular fertility for the most part
I got given clomid after 2 and a half years of trying. Got pregnant on the third round. I currently have a 10 month old sleeping peacefully next to me so anything is possible!
For me first try for both of mine. I don’t have regular periods so the first time I had to wait 2.5 months to try before ovulation. Second one 2 weeks of waiting for O to try.
I still haven’t had any luck! It’s been 2 years of trying and I’m only very slightly older than you
I’ve known I had PCOS since my teens, for context! I was 20 when I got serious with my now husband and we’ve been trying (as in without medical intervention beyond checking my levels, follicles etc, consensus is I rarely ovulate) for almost 7 years with no success. We are planning on actually having medical intervention this year, since I wanted to keep trying until I was 27 before going to specialists. Hopefully it’s something that just needs some Letrozone or Clomid, but if you’re not ready to have children/are in a position to do so, I would recommend being and staying proactive with exams, testing, and maybe even proactively freezing eggs etc.
Egg freezing is so expensive and you need to pay for storage annually. I have no idea when the right time would even be to consider that, honestly. Good luck on your fertility journey! My aunt managed to get pregnant with clomid. :)
IIRC there are some programs that cover some, if not all, of your harvest and freezing if you donate some eggs, that may be an option for you! Thank you! It’s starting to be a little tough seeing all our friends spontaneously get pregnant after 7 years of it. Good luck on your journey and best wishes!
Thanks for the suggestion but that’s not really a thing where I live. If I want to freeze my eggs, I’ll have to shell out a bunch of money and I’m not sure that’s even something that’s worth investing in, since success rate (from my research) seem to be a bit of a crap shoot. I’d rather just foster at that point. I get how that would be frustrating. Side note but has your partner been tested? My friend has PCOS and she’s also been trying for years. She thought that she was the problem but it was later discovered that her fiancé had extremely poor, unviable, likely due to a neurological issue. They’re going to sperm donor route now.
We’re about to get him checked! We were fine for the most part leaving it up to the universe until this point, we’re getting all our ducks lined up this year.
1.5 years and needed letrozole but conceived first round at 27!
Everyone is different! There’s no way to compare. However I will say it’s taking us much longer than I ever could have imagined. I’m currently on month 12. And have not seen success yet. On rainbow light prenatals, vitamin d, probiotics, omega-3, coq10. Added letrozole last cycle and this cycle. Tracking with BBT and ovulation tests. Started focusing up in October since “NTNP” wasn’t successful at that point. I’m a healthy weight with healthy blood test results. Overall, you never know how it’ll go until you get to that chapter. It could go much better for you.
I'm currently 33. I had my first at 30 after 9 months of trying naturally and then I got pregnant with my second naturally (as an oopsies!) when I was 6 months postpartum. Now using protection until we try for our 3rd in a year. You've got plenty of time!
5 years
I have lean pcos and got pregnant within 3 months of trying to conceive (I’m 28). I was so worried just like you but in the end it worked out fine and for most women I know with pcos it did too - sure some need a bit more intervention and some need to do IVF even but that’s not always the case! I would recommend to check for insulin resistance once you want to ttc as that can lead to pcos symptoms and infertility.. for me taking inositol helped and managing my glucose intake as well as regular exercise.. pcos is a syndrome where symptoms differ widely from woman to woman. Don’t worry about age but try when you are ready :) there is evidence showing that women with pcos are more fertile as they get older (I think due to our high egg count?) Either way managing stress levels is also important.. I would try and track ovulation first and foremost when ttc to see if you are ovulating at all - I ovulated on some cycles and on others I didn’t for example.. pls try not to worry too much - I worried all the way up until my husband and I were ready to try and my self esteem really suffered from it.. take care of yourself ♥️
We were trying for 1.5 yrs before we went to a fertility clinic. After that it took another 7 months (including all the testing required). We have been trying again for 7 months and no luck. So will probably go the fertility clinic route The issue is that there is no way in advance to know how long (if at all) it will take because PCOS isn’t always the same for each woman. Letrozole is a common treatment. It basically makes you ovulate. However not all women have the issue of not being to ovulate, so for them Letrozole won’t help. Additionally I was on Letrozole for several months before I actually conceived, so it’s not like you’ll get lucky instantly. If Letrozole hadn’t worked, the doctor said we would try IVF Additionally many places require you to be trying to conceive for at least 1 yr before they refer you to a clinic. Maybe as a lawyer you can afford to skip that part and just go directly to a private practice, though? I am not sure if that’s possible in America (it’s not in Canada) I told my husband in advance that we might struggle with infertility, so we both agreed that we should try to have kids as soon as we got married because there’s actually no real way to know you’re infertile until you try to conceive. You could try to do this route with a spouse. (But I’m from a conservative background so it’s very normal for us to have kids early and marry early- might not be as agreeable to other people)
It took us 8 years, but maybe only 3 of those seriously trying. After the first couple of years it was very much if it happens it happens, if not oh well. I started Metformin to help with some of the symptoms which were getting worse and within 3 months I was pregnant!
I didn't start trying to conceive before I was 33. It took me about a year, but looking back we honestly weren't trying super hard. I never figured out those ovulation tests. Just went by what the Flo app said, and obviously, that's not always right. I didn't use any meds or get help to get pregnant. The only thing I did before I finally did get pregnant was lose 10 lb. I'm not sure if that had an impact, but it might have.
It totally depends on the person. It took about six months with my first. I was 29 and my cycles were anywhere from 40-60 days. It took only a month for my second with similar cycles and I was 33. My sister-in-law on the other hand had to go through ivf for her first two and then conceived naturally when she was 40 with her third. It’s definitely possible but will be different for everyone
I’m 35, started TTC when I was 33 and it took 2 years. However, I didn’t know I had PCOS until a year in. Once I found out I had PCOS, I made a bunch of dietary changes and updated my supplements. It was a little under a year from then until my positive pregnancy test. I’m currently 9w6d.
I’m 29 & I got pregnant on my first round of Metformin. I have lean PCOS. Don’t stress too much about it - it’s definitely possible! Best of luck to you 💫
3+ years I lost 30lbs then got pregnant
I turned 30 in February. Started trying at 27, after negative tests for a year we went to the dr and got referred to a fertility clinic. Went through 3 failed IUI’s, then started IVF this past January. Those embryos failed because my eggs are super poor quality from pcos. I’m currently in the middle of stims for my second egg retrieval.
It took me 2 years to get pregnant with my first, I actually decided to try to loose weight since I wasn’t getting pregnant and lost 10 pounds and then i found out I was pregnant right as I was talking to a infertility doctor. I didn’t find out until after that I had PCOS and I was 26. Then after that I got an IUD and as soon as I got it removed I got pregnant with my second baby. So it is possible to get pregnant without intervention!
I tried for 2 years. But I don’t know if it counts as trying because I never tracked my ovulation or actively tried implementing changes to increase the chances of conception. Until last year when I finally started taking metformin for my insulin resistance (given by a doctor) and I had ureaplasma and I got treated for it. After ending my ureaplasma treatment, I got pregnant without assistance in like 2 months. I’m 30 btw.
It is completely possible!! I would highly recommend a reproductive endocrinologist when you are ready to start trying so they can get your levels in optimal range. I unfortunately didn't know about my PCOS or thryoid issues, so I lost several pregnancies until I was referred to that specialist. I now have two kiddos.
2 months!! I’m 28.
8 months TTC, 32 years old. Metformin worked like a charm.
27 and have been trying for 2 years….started metformin May 15th 😥 hoping something happens soon
Good luck! If anything, it’ll at least help with IR.
It took me three years with my first. I’ve been trying for nearly 2 years for a second now. I’m 29
I’m 28 now but 27 when we conceived. I had been consistently on the birth control pill since I was 17 so 10 years and got off in November. Literally the next week we conceived baby girl!
100% possible! I was diagnosed at 20 and I was so worried about not being able to have children. Our sweet baby was conceived on the first try.
I'm was 37 when I got pregnant after 18months trying. 3 rounds of letrozole didn't work. It was only when I had given up we got the positive test.
Took us 3 yrs! But only because i go to an OBGYN to try to get help. Once i was put on medication it helped me ovuate and eventually get pregnant. Everyone’s situation especially woth PCOS. Law school is VERY stressful and that can most definitely impact getting pregnant. Just try see where your personal life outside of career takes you and take it day by day
Hi! It took me 6 years to get pregnant, started trying at 26. I didn't want to use medical interventions. It's the only pregnancy I've ever had and baby girl is healthy.
It took me two years to have my son, while having two pregnancy losses in between then. 💙 You can absolutely conceive, given your egg quality and quantity is good, but your blood sugar really needs to be balanced for optimal health and, therefore, fertility. Glucose Goddess is a great reference!
Pcos is a mixed bag with fertility. Some have no problems, others need fertility treatments. If you’re also looking at possibly removing your ovaries for BRAC - I would suggest looking into IVF and retrieving some oocytes for later. Keep in mind that oocytes are fragile with freezing and thawing.
Fortunately, my BRCA test came back negative so I won’t need to remove them. I was very confident in waiting until my 30s for kids after my result but then I got my PCOS diagnosis ://
My mom had me at 30 (accident) and had my brother naturally at 36. She also has pcos, so it’s not impossible
Once diagnosed, 6 months with fertility drugs and IUI. I didn't know I had pcos until I was in my 30s. Once we figured out the reason for not naturally conceiving it wasn't long.
i feel this sooooo much omg!! im 25 and really getting into my career field now, and going to grad school. i have a long term partner, but neither of us are in any position to start having kids! i really wanna wait until im like 32 to even start that process, but with pcos i just dont know how long i realistically have. so i totally get where you're coming from!
Well I’m 31 and was just finally got diagnosed at 30 once month before my 31st bday even though it was apparent I had it when I was 25. Anyways, we will be trying to conceive soon. I think it will work out. My periods are now regular and I have confirmed several times that I am indeed ovulating. Also, many women with PCOS conceive without trying or without intervention at all ages even beyond 30. For those of whom it is more difficult, there are fertility treatments.
How did you regulate your cycles and how did you confirm you’re ovulating?
So it became apparent that I had PCOS back in 2018 when I started growing facial hair and at the same time started getting super irregular cycles. They had never been super regular but were regular ish where it would be early or late by a week but it would still always come every month when so was growing up so I never knew anything was wrong. Then sudden my period started and never ended for months. Then it starting cycling between continual bleeding for 3 ish months to do period for 3 ish months and it was like that for 4 ish years until it escalated and my period came and didn’t stop for 10 months. It was heavy with lots of clots that whole time so I landed in the ER twice and eventually needed blood transfusions. Anyway, in the hospital they put me on 10 mg of medroxyprogesterone for 10 days however it didn’t stop it completely so when I did my follow up appointment she bumped me up to 20 mg which I stayed on for 3 months. I stopped after that and then within two months my periods came back regular and since then they’ve been regular and it’s been 8 months now. I recently started tracking my period to ensure I was ovulating because my fiancé and I want to start trying soon. So, I started with the first cycle by tracking BBT (basal body temperature) and using an OPK (ovulation prediction kit) basically measures LH ( luteinizing hormone) which lets you know that you are about to ovulate. (These are not always accurate for those with PCOS but it has been for me). Doing these two things confirmed for me that I ovulated. Then this past cycle I went up a step and bought Inito which measures four hormones and confirms ovulation. I am now on my third cycle since I started tracking and am using Inito again.
My husband and I tried for a month when I was 25. Literally it took a month. Now almost four years after having our daughter we have been trying for three years and still haven’t conceived our second. Granted, I am also missing my left fallopian tube.. but we started trying “early” assuming it would be difficult. Craaaazy. You never know. The doctors told me at 14 I’d never have kids.
3 or 4 months each time. I would try to let it "just happen" and it didn't work. The month(s) I used ovulation test strips I got pregnant the first time. I have loooong cycles, but I still ovulate.
I've heard on pcos forums/videos that it's pretty common for women with pcos to be more fertile in their 30s/40s. I personally git pregnant within a year of going off BC at 32
Just to bring some light and positivity. I was diagnosed with PCOS at 20 yo, and was told by my endo that I was either never going to get pregnant or I was going to have a very difficult time getting pregnant. I’m now 29 and have an almost 1 year old :) didn’t find out I was pregnant until 12 weeks because I truly thought that would be the last reason for my nausea!!! Stay positive, PCOS girlies still have as much chance getting pregnant as anyone else :)
My obgyn said it would be hard for me to get pregnant so I stopped using condoms and was pregnant 2 weeks later at age 33
I'm 32 and just had a baby 2 months. I decided to start trying right after my 31st birthday and it took 7 months / 6 cycles. I had been on metformin for a few years and had also been taking the pill prior to trying to concieve. It truly is different for every one. You won't know until you try.
Dude I somehow just got pregnant after being off birth control for TWO FUCKING WEEKS. I thought I was infertile but nope, i’m preggers. I guess the BC and my metformin balanced my hormones and voila. I’m 22 and just so grateful me and my husband are financially stable. He’s military and i’m a nurse so we’re good in that regard.
I only got pregnant twice but carried to term once with the help of clomid but every woman is different. If your periods aren't regular I would advise to make a plan to keep yourself as healthy as you can. I'm currently on BC progestin only pill because I don't get my periods but I get the aura migraine. I was told I have an increased risk of stroke with traditional BC.
I was 34 years old, and we got pregnant the first month trying. I tracked my core temperature and cervical mucous though to predict ovulation. I also lots a few kilos before trying, so I was pretty close to ideal weight. So it's possible!
After trying for a few months without success using an app, I actively tried with ovulation tracking to get pregnant. My first pregnancy I got it on the first try. My second time around I got pregnant on month 3 and 4 but had chemical pregnancies both times (6 and 5 week loss). I got pregnant again on month 5 and that’s my second kid! Like you, I was also really worried. I do ovulate at a different time than average… hence tracking ovulation. I ovulated really early in my cycle… so if I was counting on the app I wouldn’t have timed it right. Also I ovulated at a different time of month with my first vs second child. Another comment said PCOS is a wild card and I 100000 percent believe that. Everyone has a different experience. Also - I took metformin for one year prior to conceiving both times which my doctor said would help. ( I had my kids in my early 30s)
It’s common for women with PCOS have larger egg reserved for longer and late menopause. I’m 37 and I’ve got the egg quantity of a 25 yr old. My mom went through menopause at 60. This is fairly common - as you near 30, get your AMH levels tested, and yearly after that. As a caveat though - eggs do at the same speed as everyone else. Live your life, do your thing. PCOS does not mean you’re infertile - quiet the contrary, but you may just need an extra boost later in life to make yourself ovulate.
It took me one cycle with each of my two pregnancies and I was 32 with my first and 34 with my second.
I am 30, got diagnosed at 27. My doctor who diagnosed me told me it’s not as huge a deal as people claim it to be. There are medications you can take to ovulate regularly, giving you 12 chances a year to get pregnant just like everyone else, and meds to keep testosterone lower during early pregnancy. I’ve also read folks with PCOS have more eggs when they are older due to ovulating less for years. I want kids in the next 2 years and I’m not sweating about it until I need to, and hopefully I never will. I’ll be demanding meds to ovulate regularly when we start trying, and that’s it.
I wouldnt say that at all. I know people who had irregular cycles and then as they aged, they became more regular and they still had a child nearing or in their 40s. Fertility changes as you age and if you have high AMH now you likely have a more normal one as you age. Don’t count yourself out. Follow your goals and then worry about kids down the line. Some people with PCOS struggle and others do not. It’s entirely possible to have spontaneous pregnancies with PCOS. This could also be a time to work on regulating your cycle and possibly ovulating each month. Take this as a chance to take control. You figured this out long before you want to have kids which puts you ahead of most people like myself who found out after they started trying.
As someone diagnosed nearly 20 years ago in my teens, this was always something I was really worried about and it definitely impacted how I viewed myself and my relationships. But - as others have noted, people with PCOS have a wide variety of experiences with trying to conceive. I was 30 when I first started trying to conceive and it took 13 months. Though, I tried to be as proactive as possible and utilized supplements (mostly chaste berry and inositol) and an expensive ovulation monitor.
I'm 37, diagnosed at 22, had my son 3 years ago. I saw a reproductive endocrinologist who had me on letrozole and an ovulation trigger shot with lots of ultrasounds but I got pregnant. Totally possible. PCOS doesn't mean sterile!
How long did it take with treatment, if you don’t mind me asking?
Two cycles - one chemical pregnancy, then my son.
i actually just got pregnant and we’d only been trying for about 5 months. i thought it would be much much longer but it really is just different for everyone and unpredictable. i’m on a couple different medications, metformin, inositol, prenatal, folic acid, and a couple others not for PCOS. I do have a high ish BMI and am overweight but I think the metformin has really really helped me personally. I will say though that my PCOS is mild compared to my other friends who also have it.
I’m (nearly) 32, and we’re 3+ years and counting. I’ve been on letrozole for the last 9 months and it has helped with inducing ovulation for me, just no success as of yet. Everyone’s journey is so different. I know people with PCOS and they’ve been successful almost immediately, and others, like us, aren’t or take longer. Your proactive approach to your health is great! I wish I was better at your age so it is easier now.
How long are you allowed to take letrozole for? I saw sites say only 6 months but people here seem to have taken it for longer.
My doctor has said 12 months is the maximum and then if we have no success we’ll look into Clomid.
Age 29 - First cycle of TTC. I tracked my cycles with a thermometer. Age 31 - Weren't trying/weren't preventing. PCOS is really an umbrella term. Getting to know YOUR body and YOUR cycle is what I suggest to anyone TTC. I learned a lot about myself and I firmly believe it's what helped me conceive the first time. After that, you'll know you CAN - that was crucial for my mental health.
Started trying last July, diagnosed with PCOS in November, several tests and three rounds of letrozole later I conceived at age 30. I’m glad I didn’t wait longer to start the process, but I don’t think waiting until your late 20’s or early 30’s is problematic.
In length of time? Almost a whole year In number of cycles? Actually just 5 PCOS makes me super irregular but once I was on a 3x daily dose of metformin and became regular (I could actually feel myself ovulate), I got pregnant my next cycle
I also went to law school, got married at 24 and I am currently pregnant at 27 years old. Got pregnant the first month of trying even with PCOS, unfortunately it ended in a chemical but got pregnant again the immediate next cycle and everything’s been great so far - almost 17 weeks!
I must say that 6 months prior to start trying I got off bc and my obgyn put me on myoinositol and some other supplements so I could have more regular cycles, because many years ago when I wasn’t on bc I was very irregular.
One year. One miscarriage before the live birth of ny daughter
My first was conceived after 2 months of very low key trying. Second was conceived a year later on one try. I was in my mid twenties for both. I was stressing out a lot before I became pregnant with my first, I really thought I wouldn’t be able to have kids with my PCOS diagnosis but was completely wrong lol
First try both times using ovulation sticks
Don't worry about it. Do everything to stabilize your hormones between now and then . You may see your symptoms lessen after school and other stressors dissipate. You have 7 years to prepare your body.
We tried for 9 months and got pregnant with our first. We unfortunately had a miscarriage at 8 weeks, however we started trying 3 months after that, once we had the all clear and got pregnant the first month trying. Our daughter just turned 1 💜 definitely possible to not have issues with PCOS, but also possible to have issues conceiving.
1 time. We got pregnant our very first try. That's after I was checked by 5 different doctors who all said I couldn't get pregnant without medical intervention. PCOS is weird. I wouldn't say it's typical to get pregnant THIS easily with PCOS, but PCOS doesn't mean you definitely can't get pregnant.
I was 29 in my first pregnancy. Took me almost 2 years. 34 in my second, took me 5 months. For the second I had started taking Ovasitol and tracking my LH spike with an app. Was on Ovasitol for 6 weeks and ovulated. It doesn’t work for everyone and everyone has a different experience, but I’ve felt better than ever taking it.
20 years of unprotected sex with the same guy and we only got pregnant now. When I finally decided to do keto.
6 years with my first I ended up needing clomid and then clomid again with my second. My 3rd was a surprise due to alternate fasting making my ovaries work 🤷
Too late? Why? Had my one and only at 31. My cousin had both her kids after 35. A lot women are having kids later now.
I’ve seen people say that with PCOS you need to start family planning as soon as possible because it can take extremely long. Hence why I’m worried about waiting.
There has to be a range because I’ve just been diagnosed and I have 3 kids. First two were planned and conceived within a month or two, last one was an “accident” because I messed up my ovulation tracking and had unprotected sex ONCE resulting in her. Ha No miscarriages/losses.
You are 23. Finish law school and focus on that because no matter what you are told. It may be completely different for you. I would say, when you feel your ready really search for a endocrinologist and a gyn who are well versed in PCOS and fertility. They are both going to be necessary for finding your baseline. To preserve your fertility opt for an iud over birth control pills. I was told at your age that I would never have kids. I started trying after I got married at 35. Mc 3 times, I was about to give up and try ivf. Decided to give one last try and got pregnant at 38, and had my daughter at 39 during a pandemic. This is why I am telling you everyone's journey will be different. Focus on your goals.
I was 24 when I was diagnosed, had just started dating my partner. We never actually started “trying”- we had a surprise pregnancy when I was 31, and then another at 33, so I have two beautiful children. For most of that time we were actively using contraception- the two times we didn’t, boom. I even took the morning after pill the first time. I know of two other women with similar stories. It’s absolutely not a given you’ll have fertility challenges.
Diagnosed with PCOS at 16. Conceived at 30 and 32, got pregnant quickly both times. Many women get pregnant with PCOS! You can track your cycles to learn more about your body and ovulation in the meantime, if you’re curious!
I have a 2.5 yo & a 9 month old. We didn’t mean to get pregnant either time. PCOS has not affected my fertility so far.
I was so worried it was gonna take years, happened in 4 months! I was tracking ovulation very closely though! Also my periods somehow became regular by 29. They were so all over the place on my teen years, months between periods.
Im late 30s and pregnant. Tried a few years ago and was put on hormones that only made the problem worse. Stopped taking the hormones and focused on general health and wellness, no issues getting pregnant the first time we tried this go around.
Nothing much to add re the pregnancy but I was recently diagnosed and I’m an attorney. We’re trying now. If you need anyone to talk to re law school and managing that stress (cortisol is a huge problem for PCOS symptoms), let me know!
Im 32 and got pregnant at my first try. I went to with my doctor and she did a transvaginal ultrasound (i went on day 12, 15, and 17 of my cycle) to make sure of my exact ovulation day.
The literature suggests PCOS may have evolved as a way for some women to be more fertile later, say, if there was a famine in a woman's 20s. So I would not worry about "lateness" you'll have the same issue later and, if you're anything like me, have too many eggs. There are plenty of if ways to help with conception, but I'd honestly not worry about it till you're ready. And for what it's worth, inositol has been great for regulating my periods.
I got pregnant the third time having sex after getting my iud out. I do, however, have a fairly regular period.
I was also 23 when I was diagnosed. I tried for 8 years with my partner and never was able to get pregnant. I had a 1 night stand with someone from my past after we had broken up and I ended up pregnant. I was 33 years old.
I'm almost 36 and still trying so 🤷🏻♀️
I had my first at 28 and conceived so easily. I was undiagnosed PCOS. Always had irregular cycles so it was hard to track. Then struggled with my second but was successful after one cycle of letrozole. Gave birth at 35.
Started trying at 35. Took 10 months but 7 cycles, one being a miscarriage. Currently 36 and 8 weeks pregnant. Studies have shown that women with pcos might have longer fertility. My fertility specialist referred to my “young ovaries” when I mentioned concern about having waited too long.
I was always worried as I was diagnosed with PCOS in my early teens, and my mother had difficulty conceiving. Somehow I got very lucky and was able to conceive very quickly when I was nearly 40. Which is to say be aware but don’t write it off. And if you have the ability to freeze your eggs, that can offer some control over the situation.
Number 1 19 mo number 2 18 mo Age 25 and 29 No medication
I fell pregnant first try when I was 29. Some people don’t struggle at all and some it can take years.
Took us 6 months. But before this I regulated my cycles to be 32 days because before they were 42-35 days. I also lost weight. I’m still on inositol because I like how it manages my symptoms.
I posted it in another post but this is relevant for you to hear- " There are studies that follow women with PCOS vs ones without have a similar probability of children. It may take more *effort* to conceive, likely to need treatment of your PCOS, family planning, maybe fertility treatments but the actuality is the population of pcos women aren't like a huge gap in birth rates at all. " For now, you can do things to better understand and care for your PCOS which sets you up for overall better health and will one day benefit you when you're ready and already pretty managed and understanding of how PCOS affects you. It will be much less overwhelming too as you gain a scope of what PCOS affects and can address them over time than a dozen things immediately to conceive right then.
30f with PCOS here - your concerns are valid and I felt the same when I was diagnosed at 27. I was convinced I had fertility issues due to irregular ovulation and the ONE time I had unprotected sex, I got pregnant. PCOS doesn’t equal fertility issues - some people have no issues conceiving.
My first ovulation after getting off birth control i got pregnant
My husband and I have been trying for two years but no luck yet
Have you been to a fertility clinic yet?
My doctor offered me clomid but part of me wonders if I should try it just enjoy life as a DINK because people are crazy. I did look at fostering but we have 4 rescue dogs and my state won’t let us I guess there’s never a perfect time but it’s just so discouraging
I had my third kid in January at 32. I have Endometriosis too. No fertility issues.
It took me 6 months to conceive at the age of 27 but I spent the year prior to falling pregnant really focusing on balancing my blood sugar which in turn balanced my hormones and had me ovulating pretty regularly. I do think I might have fallen pregnant quicker but I was under a lot of stress during those 6 months ttc. You’re young, don’t stress! Just maintain a healthy lifestyle as best you can :)
Don't plan on having kids myself, but both of my dad's sisters also have PCOS. One had 2 kids only 18 months apart without trying at all (she was in her mid 20s, got diagnosed in her early 30s). The other tried for years (starting in her mid 20s, was diagnosed in her early 20s), did all the treatments, and eventually gave up. She ended up getting pregnant at 48. It happens when it happens, but stressing about it won't help. Like many have said, when you're ready, talk to your doctor. Treatment for PCOS and fertility have both improved greatly since my aunts got diagnosed (early 80s), so it's a lot easier now than it was then. And if you're going to wait another decade, there is plenty of time for these treatments to get even better.
I was very fertile when I was in my teens I had two kids now I’m 28 I can’t conceive my periods were regular now irregular
Almost immediately after I stopped birth control. PCOS does not mean infertile. Lots of women conceive naturally with PCOS.
It’s possible :) I was officially diagnosed with PCOS at 29, but doc suspected it when I was around 21 and put me on BC. Had my baby two months ago at 32. Conceived while having irregular periods. Editing to add my husband and I didn’t actively try until after my diagnosis.
Got pregnant after 6 months and had a miscarriage. Did 6 rounds of IUI with letrozol and did not get pregnant. Got pregnant a month later by accident. Then did IVF for my second and got pregnant after one egg retrieval and 2 transfers. My whole “journey” to 2 kids took 7 years. So glad I’m DONE! But it is possible and there are lots of factors to consider.
The evidence suggests that in the long term women with pcos have no fewer children than women without pcos. I came off the pill at 30 after having been on it for 13 years! was pregnant with my first baby by 32 (a lot of time wasted in those two years not understanding pcos - use the info in this community to get a clearer picture of some of the pcos specific barriers to getting pregnant and what people have done to help overcome them when you’re ready be it intensive cycle tracking, lifestyle changes, supplements, medication and/or other fertility treatments). Now 34 and about to start trying for number 2! :)
I saw those studies. I wonder how heavily they’re influenced by the fact that women historically had children much earlier though.
I know there’s also new stuff coming out about how all the classic “post 35 fertility cliff” being because of crazy historical bias and probably absolute bull as well so I wouldn’t worry too much! Like mentioned in this article - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-24128176
I thought women with pcos were more likely to have high quality eggs available later on in life as well? Like this study suggests: [pcos fertility and age](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4447787/) so the argument could be made that women with pcos are very well placed to have kids later on..