Category: PCOS
Status

Abnormally Normal

Friday, March 22nd, 2013.  CD10.

 

So I got my labs back from Tuesday’s excursion to Dr. F’s office…

My hysteroscopy looked great.  I have a perfect uterus and beautifully open tubes.

My thyroid panel looked great.  I have completely normal levels in all areas, including thyroid antibodies.

My B-12 level looked great.  I have a level that’s in the upper ranges of normal and needs no further supplementation.

 

 

So… I’m great then?

Great.

Then why won’t my great hormones and great reproductive organs produce a great baby?

TELL ME WHY!!

 

I might buy this, you know, for doctor’s appointments.

 

Anyway, so that happened.

Again.

I just love having all of these normal labs and still having some major malfunction in the junk region.

Heh.  That kind of rhymed.

Okay, back on track….

To sum up (because obviously there is no time to e’splain…):

My labs are normal, as usual.

My girl parts are still jacked up somewhere, as usual.

I shall continue with my vitamins and supplements, as usual.

I shall begin taking Metformin, possibly this weekend.

Because Met can cause B-12 deficiency or absorption issues, I shall take an extra B-12 supplement along with my prenatal, D3, and Pregnitude, despite the doctor’s insistence that it’s not necessary.

I shall continue this cycle with TCM, but discontinue the herbs next cycle…

When Aunt Flo shows her ugly face next time around, I will move forward with another medicated cycle, with IUI and acupuncture.

 

So there you have it.  Decisions made.

BOOM.

Suck on THAT.

Life’s too short to hem and haw…

I’ve got better things to do than vacillate for months at a time, and my eggs aren’t getting any younger!

 

This blog post brought to you by the wordsmith, Tina Fey.

Status

Hysteroscopy

Just a quick update, as I am still feeling pretty crampy from the events of today’s office visit, and would like to remove this laptop from my pelvic region as soon as possible.

So, the hysteroscopy went well.  Dr. F and her colleagues didn’t find anything of concern while they were poking around in my business.  The video was cool to watch, and was a welcome distraction from the discomfort I was feeling with a camera up in my hoo-ha.

She also did an AFC (antral follicle count) and checked to make sure fluid was flowing between my tubes and uterus properly.  My AFC was slightly high, as is the norm with PCOS patients, but Dr. F said that the follicles she counted looked to be healthy sizes, for whatever that’s worth.

Everything today looked normal, as per usual.  Dr. F said as she was leaving that she has great faith that we can do this thing without IVF, and that all signs point toward a very healthy reproductive system that just can’t get its business together.  She aims to help me with that, and I feel good about my chances.

In other news, I had my full thyroid panel drawn today, including thyroid antibodies, which I’ve wondered about for some time.  I’ll be interested to hear those results in a few days when they come back.

I also had my Vitamin B-12 levels checked.  I’ve been reading a lot lately about B-12 deficiency and its effects on the body.  I have many of the symptoms of B-12 deficiency, but those could be attributed to other issues as well, so I will just wait on the results to find out my next step, if there is one.

I’ve decided to move forward with Metformin.  Not today, but soon.  I have the prescription waiting for me at the pharmacy, but I want to get my B-12 results first.  I have read that taking Metformin can actually cause B-12 deficiency, and I want to gauge my levels before I start taking the drug.  I know my acupuncturist won’t be thrilled with me taking the Met, but I know she will accept that I’m doing what I feel is best based on doctor recommendations.

I also ordered a month’s worth of Pregnitude.  For those of you who have never heard of this product, Pregnitude is a powdered supplement of Folic Acid and Myo-inositol, both of which are essential B vitamins that your body needs.  This particular combination is a high dose, and many women with PCOS have found that it has helped regulate their hormone levels when used with (and without) Metformin.  I figure I might as well give it a shot.

I’ve also eased up on my self-placed dietary restrictions.  I am allowing myself gluten again, but being sure to only consume whole grains if possible.  I’m still avoiding processed foods, and having sugars only in extreme moderation, and mainly from fruit or honey.  I’m trying to keep with a low-glycemic index diet as much as I can, and I feel that the regulations help me to make better choices all around.

I received my blood work results from my PCP this morning, and they came back with a slightly low glucose level (72) and a very slightly elevated VLDL level (which is a triglyceride, apparently), so I am seeing more clearly that while I may not be insulin resistant, I am sensitive to the peaks and valleys of my blood sugar.  I was told not to be terribly concerned about the VLDL as it was just a bit high, but it’s one more thing pointing toward pre-diabetic tendencies, insulin issues, and PCOS.

So that’s what’s up in my neighborhood.  Pieces are falling into place, little by little.

For now, I’m going to sit with my feet up and relax till my acupuncture appointment in a couple of hours, and then I’m going to make myself a dinner  high in protein and low in carbs, and watch Hell’s Kitchen till I fall asleep.

To each their own, am I right?  🙂

Status

What To Do, What To Do…

Friday, March 15th, 2013.  CD3.

So with this “lean PCOS” diagnosis, comes a whole line of decisions yet to be made.

On the one hand, I am having acupuncture, and am using a line of Chinese herbs to help regulate my cycle (which is regular in its timing, but irregular in its awful, terrible, painful heaviness).  My acupuncturist is skeptical of some of the Western treatments for PCOS, and feels that since I am of a healthy weight, and am maintaining a healthy diet, that she can regulate my cycle and hormones to a natural balance with the use of herbs and acupuncture alone.

On the other hand, my new RE has offered Metformin.  While I don’t appear to be insulin-resistant, there are many studies showing that Met can help regulate the balance of androgens and estrogens, which is a large part of my problem.  My testosterone levels are a bit high, and my estrogens are a bit low, which I’m sure is causing crappy eggs to emerge.  The husband’s swimmers are turning up their nose at said crappy eggs, or they are attempting to fertilize and failing because they are just so damaged.

Metformin could help over the course of a few months… And so could the herbs and acupuncture combo.  What about combining the Eastern and Western treatments?  What about adding Pregnitude, which sounds like a more natural alternative to Met?  What about adding supplements to my already hefty list of pills?  I’ve heard good things about the combination of CoQ10, myo-inositol (one of the ingredients of Pregnitude), and L-Arginine?

If I was younger, I would try each for four to six months until one of them worked, but let’s face it – I’m not getting any younger, and neither are my eggs.

Oy.  So many choices.

I sometimes wish that I was the type of person I used to be.  The type of person who could just take the doctor’s orders without question and proceed happily.

Not so.  Not anymore.

I’m the person who asks questions with every recommendation.  I’m the person who brings such a disturbing amount of knowledge into the exam room that the doctor asks what she can do for me, rather than telling me what I’m going to do.

Now, instead of orders, I have options.

Rather than making up my mind, I am going to the internet for help.

I know we talked about this recently, but can anyone out there shed any light on lean PCOS and the effectiveness of Metformin vs. Pregnitude vs. TCM and acupuncture vs. egg-quality-improvement supplement cocktails?

Help, internet!  Help!!

 

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