Getting Pregnant with PCOS

Coming off the Pill to get Pregnant (PCOS Diagnosis)

I started taking the birth control pill around the time I was 15. At 28 years old, my husband and I were ready for the next big step, it was time to start a family. After 13 years it was time to come off the birth control pill.

I decided I should go see the doctor, have that pap smear done that they kept reminding me I was due for. Every visit I would sound surprised that I am over due for that pap smear, and say I would book that soon. Not sure the doctor bought that, I am not a great actress. Alas, it was time to get serious and make sure everything checked out okay. The pap came back clear and the doctor said there was no reason to wait to start trying to conceive once I stopped my birth control. So I started taking prenatal vitamins, and came off my birth control pill.

I feel like I should give you some background information. At 16 years old I had been dealing with acne from the time I started my period at 12 years old. I also always had irregular periods, I can remember them being anywhere from 40 to 60 day cycles. To be honest I never really worried about the irregularity. It wasn’t so bad not having to deal with your period every month. As a teenager I was definitely not thinking about how an irregular period might affect my ability to one day conceive. Actually when I was a teenager I was certain I didn’t want to have children. The only frustrating thing about not having a predictable menstrual cycle was never knowing when it would rear its ugly head. I never experienced any warning signs that aunt flo was on her way, not even a mild cramp. I am sure many girls would have been jealous of that. It however meant for some gruesome discoveries in the bathroom, I can remember leaving school one day with my sweater tied around my waist. My doctor told me that the birth control pill would help me with my acne and fix my irregular period. So I started on them and never looked back. I new down to the day when I would get my period and my skin was not perfect but there was improvement. Life was good.

Fast forward to 28 year old me and I have this sneaking suspicion that getting pregnant might not be so easy, given my history of irregular periods. I kept telling my self that I had been on birth control for 12 years and that maybe my period will have regulated by now. So I put those negative thoughts a side. Guess what happened? Nothing, that’s what. I waited and waited, 3 months had passed when I decided to make a doctors appointment. My husband and I were “trying” to get pregnant yet without having a period I didn’t even know if I was ovulating. I of course read everything I could online about how your body can take time to adjust after coming off the pill. Here is the thing though birth control pills actually leave your system relatively quickly. Knowing my history, deep down I knew something wasn’t right. My doctor didn’t waste any time he ordered blood work and also ordered an abdominal ultrasound. The blood work I did right away. Everything was normal except my estrogen was a little on the low end but the doctor said that wasn’t something to worry about. For the ultrasound there was a waiting time of 4 months. It had been 6 months since coming off my birth control pills when I got my first period. I was excited and hoping that this meant my body was getting on track. Not long after this period I began experiencing some of the worst cystic acne I had ever had. Most of it was around my mouth and chin, I did not know what to think. I was trying every lotion and potion I could. If any one has ever experienced cystic acne they know that lotions and creams are no match. I even tried out a laser procedure which proved useless. My self esteem reached an all time low, I stopped wanting to do anything that involved socializing. I felt like a monster and I didn’t want anyone to see me. Finally I had the ultrasound done, I was so anxious to get the results. Unfortunately we were in the middle of winter and every time I had an appointment booked to go over results there would be a blizzard. Finally after about a month of waiting I saw my doctor. Not sure what I expected, I mean I knew something had to be wrong. Going 8 months with only having one period was totally abnormal. The doctor began telling me that I had what is called pcos or polycystic ovary syndrome. I was shocked, I sat there listening to him tell me about the cysts that they found on my ovaries. He told me that normally an egg develops and is released from your ovary at ovulation time. My eggs however were never released and instead formed these cysts. No ovulation, meant no period for me. As I had said I was expecting something to be wrong but I wasn’t expecting pcos. I had the impression people with pcos are overweight, and I have been thin my whole life. However there is a smaller group of people that have what is called “thin pcos”. The pcos symptoms I had were acne and irregular periods. The doctor assured me that conceiving with pcos would be possible with some help. He immediately prescribed a drug called Metformin, and referred me to a gynecologist. Metformin is more commonly used for diabetics to help regulate their blood insulin levels. It just so happens that insulin levels control the testosterone that women produce in their ovaries. Testosterone, when to high can prevent eggs from being released. Lower your blood insulin levels and you in turn lower your testosterone levels, who knew?! So I started on Metformin right away and about 3 weeks later got my period. Things were looking up.

Trying to conceive is a truly a delicate game of timing. For some people coming off birth control pills will be smooth. You may be lucky and your period will resume a normal schedule fairly quickly and you will be starting your baby registry before you know it. However I can’t stress this enough, if you come off birth control and your period doesn’t return after a few months see your doctor. Struggling to get pregnant can be one of the hardest things to go through. My husband and I were very lucky, I personally know people that have tried to conceive for several years with no luck. From the time I came off birth control to the time we conceived for the first time was just over a year. Unfortunately this first pregnancy ended in a miscarriage, but we managed to get pregnant again just a month later. I am now 27 weeks pregnant with a healthy baby girl. I am so glad I didn’t wait any longer than I did to seek medical help, and will be forever grateful for the doctor that didn’t waste any time.