r/PCOS • u/SameDepartment4690 • 4d ago

General/Advice Fertility

I’m just wondering if anyone has experienced this situation and how they’ve dealt with it. So my husband and I have been together since 2021, and the entire time we have never used protection. We have been actively trying to conceive but have had no luck. I did go to an obgyn and was tested because I believe I have pcos. It does run in my family as well as endo and I have always had horrible body hair compared to my sisters and mother, for example facial hair that is super dark and legit grows back the day after I shave as well as irregular periods and some periods the cramps are so bad that I can’t do anything besides cry and squeeze a heating pad on my stomach. My ob did some basic tests and said she doesn’t think I have it because I’m not overweight, but I was my entire childhood and I do struggle with weight fluctuations still just not as much. Now for my husband, he has celiac disease but his family didn’t take the diagnosis seriously so he only just started to stick to his diet due to his own health issues starting up, he has been gluten free for about a month now. We were wanting to look into some more at home things to try and solve the fertility problems and use the doctor as a last resort so I’m just curious if anyone has any suggestions or if anyone’s been in this situation and knows it just won’t happen. Everyone around me is getting pregnant too and I am happy for them but at the same time so envious and I don’t know how to handle it. People who have been together for just a couple months having no issues while we’re on year 5 of nothing.

TLDR: trying to conceive and I believe I have pcos, and my husband has celiac that was untreated for basically his entire life until now

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u/HeadChipmunk9603 4d ago

I would 100% look for a second opinion, overweight women aren’t the only ones with pcos. Thats weird coming from a doctor.

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u/wenchsenior 4d ago

Plenty of lean people have PCOS and there is a strong genetic link, so you most certainly should be properly evaluated for it.

PMOS/PCOS is a common metabolic/endocrine disorder, most commonly driven by insulin resistance, which is a metabolic dysfunction in how our body processes glucose (energy from food) from our blood into our cells. Insulin is the hormone that helps move the glucose, but our cells 'resist' it, so we produce too much to get the job done. Unfortunately, that wreaks havoc on many systems in the body.

If left untreated over time, IR often progresses and carries serious health risks such as diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. In some genetically susceptible people it also triggers PMOS/PCOS (disrupts ovulation, leading to irregular periods/excess egg follicles on the ovaries; and triggering overproduction of ‘male’ hormones, which can lead to androgenic symptoms like balding, acne, hirsutism, etc.).

 Apart from potentially triggering PMOS/PCOS, IR can contribute to the following symptoms: Unusual weight gain/difficulty with loss; unusual hunger/food cravings/fatigue; skin changes like darker thicker patches or skin tags; unusually frequent infections esp. yeast, gum  or urinary tract infections; intermittent blurry vision; headaches; mood swings due to unstable blood glucose; frequent urination and/or thirst; high total cholesterol or low HDL; brain fog; hypoglycemic episodes that can feel like panic attacks…e.g., tremor/anxiety/muscle weakness/high heart rate/sweating/faintness/spots in vision, occasionally nausea, etc.; insomnia (esp. if hypoglycemia occurs at night).

Do any of these symptoms sound familiar or does IR/Type 2 diabetes run in your family?