PCOSupport Association Chat - July 12, 1998

Anastasia Hi and Welcome to PCO Support.

Ruth10 I have stopped taking the medicine for a few months to rest from the hormones and lose some weight (hopefully).

mary_s This is a nice way to end the weekend...

Ruth10 I agree! This is my first time, too.

Anastasia Gives me a chance to talk with adults, had my daughter's birthday party yesterday.

Ruth10 Mary and Felicia - do you have kids?

Guest1 How old is your daughter, Anatasia?

Felicia I am just starting fertility treatment. . no children yet.

Anastasia Guest1: She is seven.

mary_s Yes, I have an 11 year old son and a 4 mos old daughter - both clomid babies!

Anastasia Felicia: Good luck to you and Ruth.

Felicia Very encouraging!

Ruth10 I have just gotten off of Clomid for a few months, then I'll have another go at it.

Felicia Thanks, Anastasia. . we are both nervous and excited about the whole thing.

Anastasia I am too and I have one already. As PCOers we have to learn a lot about what is going on with our bodies.

Felicia How did you all do on clomid? Side effects? How many cycles did it take?

Ruth10 If you haven't heard about it -- Prednisone works well with Clomid. It has been pretty good for me.

Guest1 Felicia, are you taking clomid?

Felicia I'm due to start clomid in a couple of weeks.

Anastasia I have a lot of side pain (ovaries) already will Clomid make it worse.

Ruth10 The hot flashes were interesting, but the crying jags weren't.

Anastasia I worry about the emotional part of fertility treatment, my family may want me to move. My husband hates me on Provera.

Felicia I worry about my ability to do my job with the unpredictability of both treatment and (in my case) insemination.

Anastasia What do you do Felicia? Do you have a lot of standing?

Ruth10 I went through four cycles with an interuterine insemination. Not fun for me or my husband.

Felicia I'm actually a psychologist. . so I have to stay emotionally well to do my job. . and not much flexibility.

Felicia Wow, Ruth. . I bet not.

Ruth10 I found your website yesterday and has given me new hope.

Anastasia Which website? PCOSA?

Ruth10 Yes - the PCOSA website.

Anastasia I found so much information from the PCOSA. And the email list has helped a lot.

Ruth10 I had never heard of the Metformin treatment. Anyone tried it?

Anastasia No, but I am going to an RE to get on it. I have been having success though with low carbing.

Ruth10 After reading the PCOSA website - I went back on my low carb diet.

Anastasia It has lessed the side pains and given me a cycle almost every month.

Ruth10 That's great! I still haven't had one without the medication.

Anastasia Mary, are you low carbing I can't remember?

Anastasia I am trying to get into the best shape I can before I start Clomid.

Ruth10 Sounds good to me!

Anastasia I have seen a lot of info on prices of injectables but not on Clomid. Is it expensive?

Felicia It's not expensive here in Canada but I can't speak for the United States.

Ruth10 Yes, I took 3 a day for seven days and it was about $150 a month (not covered by insurance).

Anastasia Ouch! :) I am lucky my husbands company covers $10,000 on fertility treatments.

Ruth10 It's cheaper than IVF - I had to go to an IVF clinic for a sperm washing and those women are really suffering.

Anastasia That is my worst fear going throught it all and not being successful.

Ruth10 I think that too, but some friends of mine just adopted and that would be okay too.

Anastasia Felicia is Clomid covered by the government in Canada?

Anastasia My aunt was on Clomid, no luck, so they adopted and wham-o the last cycle was sucessful.

Felicia Clomid will be covered by my extended health care. Most other aspects of the treatment are covered, however (i.e., ultrasounds and other diagnostic tests). This is in Ontario, anyway.

Ruth10 Yeah, that happened to a lady I work with.

Anastasia My best friend just move to Ontario and she is getting use to the medical system - she loves it.

Anastasia Well, then you get two for the price of one.

Felicia That's a large part of why I'm here. Much more humane system.

Ruth10 I am convinced that the infertility stuff is not covered because women don't run the insurance companies. ;-)

Anastasia Here Here. I think you may be right. It really just blows my mind how little info is out there for PCO.

Ruth10 I agree.

Felicia Yes. Almost no one I knew had heard of it when I was diagnosed and I work in a hospital!

Ruth10 Wow! I think that it is embarrassing and that's why you don't hear much.

Anastasia I had been to three doctors and they all said the same thing...

Ruth10 Has anyone tried the pure FSH to balance their FSH and LH?

Felicia Not me, Ruth. I'm really new to this. . was just diagnosed in April.

Anastasia No, I am just starting the fertility process, baby-stepping if you will.

Anastasia Hi Iglooanne and Welcome to PCO Support.

Anastasia Mary: Did you have to use anything other than Clomid?

Anastasia Iglooanne: Do you come to the Sunday night chats often?

mary_s No, clomid worked for me.

Iglooanne I drop in whenever if somebody might be on; just to say hi to Mary or Barb.

Iglooanne It is kinda like getting out of the house for me!

Anastasia Ruth: Were you trying to conceive and that is how you found out?

Ruth10 Well, I went to the doctor a few years ago and asked if I could take a different birth control pill that didn't give me a mustache. He said that I had no options. I told him that I did and went off of them and never went back to him.

Anastasia It seems very hard to find a Doctor that is good with PCOers.

Felicia I really like and trust my fertility doc. . but his success remains to be seen.

Anastasia Did you see the new physician info on the PCOSA page?

Ruth10 No I haven't seen it - but I will.

Anastasia Has he had other PCO patients?

Felicia Yes, several from what I've been told. The clinic is an older one so they've been in the business for a while.

Anastasia That is a good sign.

Felicia Well, I'll have to wait and see. Nervous and excited.

mary_s Gals, what do you say to a doc who you are trying to educate about pcos - without offending them?

Ruth10 Felicia - have you started the treatments?

Anastasia I give him the website address for the PCOSA.

Ruth10 Mary - I print stuff off the internet and other sources and ask him to work with me interactively.

mary_s Do you take studies, reports and articles in with you?

Felicia Nope. . we are picking a donor and i'm having the hysterosalpingogram next week. If that's ok, then it's a go.

mary_s Ok, how do you know what is legitimate and what isn't?

Ruth10 Yes - I have a pretty good doctor that explains stuff technically. I like to know the details.

Felicia First trial will be 50mg clomid for 5 days.

Anastasia Mary- Along with the website address, I give them the articles and info that I have.

mary_s Where did you get this info from...all off the net?

Ruth10 Felicia - I read several places that taking an aspirin or ibuprofen is helpful before the HSG. That's what I did. I thought it hurt, but was quick.

Felicia Yes, Ruth. They have told me to take whatever I take for cramps about an hour before. Thanks!

Anastasia Mary- And some from one of my best friend's Mom. She is always in the Medical Journals.

Ruth10 Mary - I have about ten books I have read about infertility. If they all say it, then I beleive them.

Felicia So much crap out there. . hard to know what to believe with the corrupt pharmaceutical companies funding all the research.

Iglooanne Felicia- I thought that eating something helped more than anything...

Ruth10 Unfortunately, there is usually only a page or two on PCO.

Felicia Oh, ok, iglooanne. I hadn't heard that. Thanks.

Iglooanne The tylenol didn't seem to work for a while and the food helped a lot.

Iglooanne Also try and keep your bladder empty.

Anastasia Well, ladies the time has come for me to leave... Have a great week.

Ruth10 Bye! See you next week!

Anastasia I look forward to see you all next week. :)

Felicia Ok. . eat. . don't drink. . take motrin. :)

Felicia Well, thanks, all of you. This was very helpful. . I'm sure I'll be back with an update in a couple of weeks! You all take care!

Ladyzar I am taking this new medication that affects my memory.

Ruth10 What medication are you taking, Ladyzar?

Ladyzar Lupron.

Ruth10 Is that for fertility or something else?

Ladyzar I am in menopause now.

Ladyzar It forces menopause.

Ruth10 Any hot flashes?

Ladyzar Oh yes.

Ladyzar I cry, I yell, I sweat.

Ladyzar And the headaches are bad.

Ruth10 Yeah, I 've been having them with the Clomid. I get migraines a lot, too.

Iglooanne What level of Clomid are you on?

Ladyzar I did Clomid last year, I did okay, besides the headaches and the fact I didn't get pregnant.

Ruth10 I was on three a day for seven days. I have stopped for a month or two to rest up and lose weight.

Iglooanne how many mgs?

Ladyzar Good luck losing it. I wish I could.

Ruth10 I am not sure, but I still have the bottle downstairs.

Ladyzar I will be having a hysterectomy with an oopherectomy in the next few months and still no babies!

mary_s Lady, abdominal or vaginal?

Iglooanne cause I thought the drs on forum said that a lot of headaches on the 150mgs level could be eliminated by going down to 100mgs, without compromising effectiveness.

Ladyzar Abdominal why? Is it VERY painful?

mary_s I have no idea...Dr Bradley talks about a supracervical hyst that is like a walk in the park - compared to abdominal and vaginal.

mary_s Minimal recovery time.

Ladyzar This is my last month of menopause and then they will take me off the drug and start preparing me for the operation.

Iglooanne Well ladies its been nice chatting but I gotta get some sleep while I can. Have a good evening. Bye!

Ladyzar My ovaries get so swelled, and they are taking both of them with my tubes, cervix, and uteris

Ruth10 I bet you will be glad to get that over with.

mary_s Nite everyone, have a good week!