PCOS and NFP

[utunumsint]

My wife is going in for an ultrasound to test for Polysistic Ovarian Syndrom (PCOS).

I wanted to get some non medical information from people who use NFP and have PCOS. Did Metformin work for you? Is NFP a breeze now? I’ve heard of people geting regular 28 day cycles after only a month on it.

The thought of being that regular nearly brings me to tears of joy… but I am also worried about side effects of Metformin. Have they been bad for you? A doctor can tell me all about the side effects, but I was hoping for personal annecdotes.

Anyway, to reiterate, I’m not looking for medical advice. Just people’s experience.

God bless,
Ut

 

[utunumsint]

I wonder if the church is aware that this condiction makes NFP practically impossible for over 5% of women on the planet, without medical treatment? What happens to those women who live in countries where medical treatement is not available?

God bless,
Ut

 

[Kit15]

I have PCOS…a mild case but enough to know (through NFP) that I can occasionally go 60 days just to have it end up being an anovulatory cycle. I’m also one of the rare girls that would love to have a regular period.

This condition does NOT make NFP impossible. Difficult…but not impossible. The thing with me and NFP is that, I can still read my signs…it’s just that they’re showing me that I take FOREVER to ovulate (which makes NFP difficult). And I never know when it will happen. But if I have ovulated, it’s obvious (which makes NFP possible).

I am on met right now. I started taking 1 pill a day for a week, than two pills a day. Many women go on to 3 pills but the endocrinologist determined my case may be handled with 2. We’re seeing how it goes. My side effects were not that bad…ummm…I had some loose stools initially and would have to go #2 after eating a meal but no vomiting.

It’s not a miracle pill though. It’s not designed to treat irregular cycles. It’s meant to treat insulin resistance, which is common in PC women. The doctor is probably going to suggest your wife go on a lower carb/higher protein diet (mine recommended Zone, but I’m following the diet outlined in this book because I find it easier to live with). My first cycle while on met lasted about 6 weeks (which is actually a vast improvement for me considering I had lost NO weight at all. But in order to really lower my symptoms, I’m going to have to shed some pounds (I am slightly obese).

Insulin resistance makes it easier to gain weight than to lose it. Metformin is meant to put such people on an even playing field with those who do not have insulin resistance. But people react to it differently. Some will lose weight without making significant diet changes. I…have to work at it a little. Some will get regular their first cycle. Some will require a few months. I’ve been on it for a over 2 months and my current cycle is definately lasting more than 28 days.

Don’t get your hopes up too high. It could take a while and require a lot of work. Your wife is going to need your patience and support…especially if the process takes a while. PCOS is treatable but not curable.

Go to www.soulcysters.com. You’ll find LOADS of information there.

 

[utunumsint]

I have PCOS…a mild case but enough to know (through NFP) that I can occasionally go 60 days just to have it end up being an anovulatory cycle. I’m also one of the rare girls that would love to have a regular period.

This condition does NOT make NFP impossible. Difficult…but not impossible. The thing with me and NFP is that, I can still read my signs…it’s just that they’re showing me that I take FOREVER to ovulate (which makes NFP difficult). And I never know when it will happen. But if I have ovulated, it’s obvious (which makes NFP possible).

Thanks for posting. I thought we were all alone.

Our doctor got us to use CLear Blue to see if we were actually ovulating. We went through thirty days of High Fertility. My wife thought her signs were showing peak at one point, but the monitor said no. So we have no clear pattern, and she has almost constant mucous (without maybe one day here and there non fertile. So NFP wont work for us. At least not without some kind of medication.

I am on met right now. I started taking 1 pill a day for a week, than two pills a day. Many women go on to 3 pills but the endocrinologist determined my case may be handled with 2. We’re seeing how it goes. My side effects were not that bad…ummm…I had some loose stools initially and would have to go #2 after eating a meal but no vomiting.

It’s not a miracle pill though. It’s not designed to treat irregular cycles. It’s meant to treat insulin resistance, which is common in PC women. The doctor is probably going to suggest your wife go on a lower carb/higher protein diet (mine recommended Zone, but I’m following the diet outlined in this book because I find it easier to live with). My first cycle while on met lasted about 6 weeks (which is actually a vast improvement for me considering I had lost NO weight at all. But in order to really lower my symptoms, I’m going to have to shed some pounds (I am slightly obese).

My wife is very thin. Almost too thin. So I don’t think diet is going to help. But well wait and see what the doctor says. I’m not the expert.

Insulin resistance makes it easier to gain weight than to lose it. Metformin is meant to put such people on an even playing field with those who do not have insulin resistance. But people react to it differently. Some will lose weight without making significant diet changes. I…have to work at it a little. Some will get regular their first cycle. Some will require a few months. I’ve been on it for a over 2 months and my current cycle is definately lasting more than 28 days.

Don’t get your hopes up too high. It could take a while and require a lot of work. Your wife is going to need your patience and support…especially if the process takes a while. PCOS is treatable but not curable.

Go to www.soulcysters.com. You’ll find LOADS of information there.

Thank you for the reality check. I appreciate this post.

God bless,
Ut

 

[agapewolf]

. So we have no clear pattern, and she has almost constant mucous (without maybe one day here and there non fertile. So NFP wont work for us. At least not without some kind of medication.

Stop having the defeatest attitude “nfp won’t work for us”. Yes, it can. The charting can tell you so much info about her health so you can fix it.

Constant muccous is not necessarily from PCOS. It could be from a cervical eversion. There is a very minor procedure called a cryo that can make the muccous mostly stop, except for the fertile mucous.

 

[utunumsint]

Stop having the defeatest attitude “nfp won’t work for us”. Yes, it can. The charting can tell you so much info about her health so you can fix it.

Constant muccous is not necessarily from PCOS. It could be from a cervical eversion. There is a very minor procedure called a cryo that can make the muccous mostly stop, except for the fertile mucous.

Yep. The doctor checked for that. No go.

Sorry about my attitude. I’ll try to pep up.

In a way, NFP did work for us. If we had not been constant in our resolve to do it, we would have been on the pill long ago, and all of these issues would have gone untreated. 40% of women with PCOS get type II diabetes, plus a whole host of other complications. So yes, NFP has been a blessing to us.

God bless,
Ut

 

[3GirlsRUs]

Hi there. I manage with PCOS. It is difficult, but not impossible. I use the ClearBlue Easy Ovulation monitor and the Marquette Model of NFP…

I have just recently had a very different experience with my cycles. I had a baby in January and have been dieting to try and lose the baby weight. The diet was recommended for PCOS sufferers or those who suffer insulin-resistance. So it was low-carb, high protein. But it was also very low fat. I was losing weight just fine, but I had a cycle where I didn’t ovulate until day 25…thank God I did at all. So that made for a 39 day cycle. ugh.

The very next cycle, I laid off the diet for a little bit…drank more (2%) milk, had a little more fat…I didn’t go crazy or anything, just not completely following my strict guidelines and I ovulated on day 14. It was completely out of the blue and DH and I were suddenly very grateful that we had agreed to continue using most conservative NFP rules (wait until ovulation is detected) as we had toyed with the idea of using phase I time…

So I had a 29 day cycle, and now I am in the middle of another cycle and my body feels like it will probably ovulate in the next day or two (which would be day 14 or 15 again), though I haven’t received a HIGH or PEAK on the monitor yet. But I expect at least a HIGH tomorrow if not a PEAK (sometimes I skip right to the PEAK).

My point in telling you all this is that you say your wife could be perceived as “too thin”.

My wife is very thin. Almost too thin. So I don’t think diet is going to help. But well wait and see what the doctor says. I’m not the expert.

Is she too thin? Women must maintain a certain body weight and percentage of fat to ovulate properly. You might want to check into that…just an idea.

 

[utunumsint]

Hi there. I manage with PCOS. It is difficult, but not impossible. I use the ClearBlue Easy Ovulation monitor and the Marquette Model of NFP…

I have just recently had a very different experience with my cycles. I had a baby in January and have been dieting to try and lose the baby weight. The diet was recommended for PCOS sufferers or those who suffer insulin-resistance. So it was low-carb, high protein. But it was also very low fat. I was losing weight just fine, but I had a cycle where I didn’t ovulate until day 25…thank God I did at all. So that made for a 39 day cycle. ugh.

The very next cycle, I laid off the diet for a little bit…drank more (2%) milk, had a little more fat…I didn’t go crazy or anything, just not completely following my strict guidelines and I ovulated on day 14. It was completely out of the blue and DH and I were suddenly very grateful that we had agreed to continue using most conservative NFP rules (wait until ovulation is detected) as we had toyed with the idea of using phase I time…

So I had a 29 day cycle, and now I am in the middle of another cycle and my body feels like it will probably ovulate in the next day or two (which would be day 14 or 15 again), though I haven’t received a HIGH or PEAK on the monitor yet. But I expect at least a HIGH tomorrow if not a PEAK (sometimes I skip right to the PEAK).

My point in telling you all this is that you say your wife could be perceived as “too thin”.

Is she too thin? Women must maintain a certain body weight and percentage of fat to ovulate properly. You might want to check into that…just an idea.

We are using Clear Blue with Marquette as well.

We haven’t actively looked at the dieting option yet. But we’ll see what the doctor says. He should be able to make a diagnosis after the ultrasound, along with all the bloodwork and history he has about my wife. I’m hoping its not PCOS, but then again, how else would you explain her crazy cycles? It could be something worse.

God bless,
Ut

P.S. By the way, I heard somewhere that PCOS causes women to have more boys than girls. Is this your experience? We’ve had three boys in five years. No girls yet. I thought it might be because of the PCOS.

 

[3GirlsRUs]

P.S. By the way, I heard somewhere that PCOS causes women to have more boys than girls. Is this your experience? We’ve had three boys in five years. No girls yet. I thought it might be because of the PCOS.

Nope…three girls and a boy for us! LOL

Also, I hope I didn’t mislead…I didn’t think your wife needed to diet to lose weight…just that you might check into whether she is getting enough fat in her diet…it made a difference for me…at least for these two cycles…we’lls ee what happens

 

[Kit15]

Thanks for posting. I thought we were all alone.

Our doctor got us to use CLear Blue to see if we were actually ovulating. We went through thirty days of High Fertility. My wife thought her signs were showing peak at one point, but the monitor said no. So we have no clear pattern, and she has almost constant mucous (without maybe one day here and there non fertile. So NFP wont work for us. At least not without some kind of medication.

I have constant mucous all the time too…and several rounds of “peak signs” as well.

For the longest time I was also frustrated seeing rounds of fertile mucus followed by no change in temp. But then I realized that that it was QUANTITY that was my major tell. It wasn’t just enough to get the egg white mucus. I had to have a lot of it compared to before.

It takes practice (took over a year and well into my marriage for me to figure that out…and having so few opportunities to see real ovulation signs didn’t help). What I look for is something different…something I haven’t seen before in the previous weeks. When you check every single day, you learn to tell the difference between same old stuff and the real deal.

Doing the check internally is more helpful to me than checking externally.

 

[agapewolf]

I have constant mucous all the time too…and several rounds of “peak signs” as well.

For the longest time I was also frustrated seeing rounds of fertile mucus followed by no change in temp. But then I realized that that it was QUANTITY that was my major tell. It wasn’t just enough to get the egg white mucus. I had to have a lot of it compared to before.

It takes practice (took over a year and well into my marriage for me to figure that out…and having so few opportunities to see real ovulation signs didn’t help). What I look for is something different…something I haven’t seen before in the previous weeks. When you check every single day, you learn to tell the difference between same old stuff and the real deal.

Doing the check internally is more helpful to me than checking externally.

This is called “point of change”. It is taught in the creighton method.

 

[Kit15]

This is called “point of change”. It is taught in the creighton method.

Yeeeeah…I was trained in a Couple2Couple course followed by simple self-observation. But it’s posts like yours that make me want to expend my knowledge and learn Creighton.

 

[agapewolf]

Yeeeeah…I was trained in a Couple2Couple course followed by simple self-observation. But it’s posts like yours that make me want to expend my knowledge and learn Creighton.

Creighton covers many many different scenarios and issues.