Why my kids are 10 years apart, I beat PCOS!

Warning: This post may contain subject matter which may be considered TMI! You have been warned. Also this post is a little long. I am packing in 10 years of information after all.

Whenever someone asks how old my kids are and I tell them almost 12 and 15 months I suddenly grow a second head! OK, well, form the look that shows on their face you might think I did! So I proceed with my "story"...
     I met my husband when we were 14. When we were 17 we were surprised with a beautiful redhead that we named Amber! She is awesome, smart, loving and generous! When she was about 3 I started wanting another baby. Hubby and I were not yet married, we were living in our own apartment but Hubby wasn't ready to have another baby (smart guy). I still decided to stop taking birth control.

     After Amber's birth, at my 6 week postnatal check up I got my first Depo shot. I hadn't started a cycle yet and little did I know, I would for a long time. I continued on Depo for a year and a half with out missing a shot and only having a light spotting at about the time I was due for another one. I decided that I needed to switch to birth control pill. The doctor I was seeing thought since I wasn't having a period that I could just go straight to the pill without starting a new cycle. I followed as instructed for about 6 months and had a regular cycle on the 4th week of the pill packet.
     When I stopped taking the pills my period stopped too. I went an entire year with no period. Every doctor I saw thought that since I wasn't trying to conceive, and was still quite young it wasn't a big deal.
     Fast forward to when we did decide to actually TRY to conceive. I was tracking everything. Temperatures in the morning, cervical mucous, cervical opening, ovulation predictor kits... you name it I peed on it or checked it! I researched everything that had to do with reproducing. I had accounts on Fertility Friend, WebMD and several other sites that had any information! At times I considered my options including adoption, finding an egg bank, in-vitro, I just wanted another baby!

Amber and her baby sister!

     I finally convinced a doctor to do some testing. The way my insurance worked at the time required me to enroll in a "fertility program" so getting any testing would not happen because they wanted $1500 up front. My doctor was able to do a full hormone workup without this program. This test showed everything was normal! Then why didn't have a period? She suggested losing weight. Her claim about excess weight was proven by my research so I lost 60 lbs! NOTHING! My research had also shown that FSH (folicle stimulating hormone) and LH (luteinizing hormone) levels should only be tested on the 3rd day of the cycle. Because there was no cycle it was done on a random day. That was why my levels were normal!
     We moved to Arizona in December 2007 and stopped trying to conceive. In 2009 I went in for a well woman exam and was asked the date of my last period. I told the RN taking my info that it had been about a year. She was shocked that any doctor would allow that. When my new doctor came in the room she told me that going for a long time without a cycle could cause all kinds of problems including cancer. She immediately took a pregnancy test, prescribed Provera to induce a period so that she could run a full blood panel including hormones (the way it should have been done 5 years prior in CA) and ordered an ultrasound of my ovaries. In 2 weeks I had a diagnosis for PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome). There were no cysts on my ovaries (my right ovary was slightly enlarged but not an issue) but, the LH and FSH levels were backward from what they should be. The LH and FSH flip-flop is a perfect indicator of PCOS! The solution: Metformin! Metformin is the generic form of Glucofage, a very common drug used to treat diabetes. It is not yet approved by the FDA for fertility usage but I (and Charlotte) are proof that it works.

Charlotte's Birthday! Before she was named...

     After 3 cycles on Metformin, I found out that I was pregnant with Charlotte! We weren't really trying anymore, I had given up and started coming to terms with the fact that I would never be pregnant again. I was blessed again and I have a solution if we decide to try for one more! If you are not satisfied with your caregiver find a new one or speak up! It could change your life!








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