I used to love writing in a journal but as my life got busier and busier I did it less and less frequently. But I really wanted to record my hopes, dreams, thoughts, and just really keep a record of this exciting (and somewhat overwhelming) time in our lives. So since I almost always have access to a computer and an internet connection I decided to get with the 21st century and start blogging.
I'll share a little background first. My husband and I have been married for over a year and a half and will be celebrating our second anniversary this fall.
I have a condition called PCOS which stands for Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. I was diagnosed 9 months after our wedding. I am the type of person who does a lot of research on my own and I had been fairly certain I had PCOS but really need a doctor to diagnose me. I found an RE (reproductive endocrinologist) who diagnosed me with this. He suggested Clomid, a drug which helps induce ovulation, but my husband was out of work and while I really wanted a baby I didn't feel right forcing the issue at that volatile time in our lives so we waited. He has been working again but I still didn't wasn't quite ready to go on Clomid (my heart was really pointing me to giving a year or so to some more natural remedies) so I visited a naturopath in May and she has really been helping me. She started me on two alternatives, Ovablend and Vitex. I also read Toni Weschler's book "Taking Charge of Your Fertility" and I started charting my temperatures and attempting to record my cervical fluid (CF or CM).
Please realize I have nothing against Clomid or any other methods of ART. I feel they are fine and I am not above using them but I really wanted to just take some time to see what my body was doing and what it could achieve before I get all high-tech.
I am currently on my first cycle of charting and I am excited that I ovulated! I had a long LP (luteal phase) and did not ovulate until Day 31 but I feel for having PCOS it's great that I ovulated at all.
PCOS has been quite embarrassing and somewhat traumatic for me. It's basically a hormone disorder and I have almost all of the symptoms it causes: extra weight around the belly that is so hard to lose, facial hair (not too bad but I get a few chin hairs and hairs on my upper lip), thinning scalp hair (no fair we lose hair where we want it and get it in other places!), oily skin and acne, a condition called acanthosis nigricans (dark velvety skin patches), and very irregular periods and anovulatory cycles. Please note these are the symptoms I have and this is not necessarily what other women with PCOS have. The symptoms and combinations of symptoms can vary.
So I've been feeling really ugly from all these PCOS symptoms and then to top it off find that it causes infertility was pretty hard to hear.
So I'm going into this TTC time of my life knowing it might take awhile and just trying to be OK with that and not over-stress and over-analyze everything.
Of course I feel excited that I ovulated and now it's like, "OK, now that I know I ovulated I want to be pregnant. Am I pregnant?" Yes, patience is not a strong virtue of mine...
I'm 7DPO right now and just hoping to keep having high temps!
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