PCOS, Infertility & Pregnancy

First topic message reminder :

Hi,

I'm curious if there are any women who's infertility improved after being sleeved, with the weight loss, and how long does one have to wait before trying for a baby after surgery??

Does having PCOS slow down weight loss with the sleeve?

Shesha

Hi,

Just jumping on the end of a PCOS thread, although it has nothing to do with TTC.

I'm wondering if any of you lovlies had the *joys* of excess body/facial hair with your PCOS and if the weightloss had helped reverse this PCOS side effect too?

Cheers!

Thanks Suzy ... no BCP for me at the moment, we are officially TTC.

Rowdy - how is everything going? I don't think I've seen you on here lately or maybe i just haven't been in the right threads.

Well, the first month of TTC ended yesterday with AF. On a positive, it was exactly on time and came without the drama of the previous two. And the obvious negative, no conception.

I'm so grateful for my sleeve to even have a chance at this, but I'm sooooooooo impatient. That's one life skill that I've never got the hang of.

So one foot in front of the other, one day at a time, we'll have to wait and see what this month brings.

Hi green stargazer,

I've been diagnosed with PCOS for about 5 years now. Only up until recently I had no symptoms (other than my weight) but I'm sure it was only a matter of time with my weight increasing that my periods would get irregular. I was getting the odd irregularly timed one and I used to be like clockwork.

Anyway I was just going to share that I'm on a pill called Qlaira. It's new and made differently to your usual BCP (maybe google for a better explanation than I can give). It's thought to be EXCELLENT with controlling irregular bleeding and so far it's been great for me. I'm using it, though, so I don't ovulate because of very bad PMS.

So I'm sure most of us as PCOSers have irregular periods and the hope is that the surgery will help our hormones stabilize.

OMG ... now seven months out, I consider myself fortunate to have had six periods in that time (as opposed to maybe 3 or four in a whole year), BUT ...

They've changed and not just for the best. The last two have come with NO WARNING. I use iPeriod to track them, have done for years, but it's only an estimate.

The reason for my freak out and why I'm sharing is to offer a warning to others. I wasn't expecting it until this Sunday, and have had no cramps, no spotting and, thanks to my little Hope /sleeve, no chocolate cravings.

Here comes TMI in neon lights:

So the last two times I got them, I thought I needed to go to the toilet for a BM and as I stood up and walk the ten metres from my office to the bathroom the flood gates have opened. If I had been out in public or in a real workplace I don't know what I would have done. (I mainly work from home only leaving to meet clients off site when necessary). Such a mess.

So basically, I guess I just want to put it out there for others. Even if you're not due, please make sure you take some spare clothes, undies and feminine products with you (as well as wipes or something to clean the floor and toilet). And if you're really lucky, stuff so you can take a shower. I literally would have needed to leave work on both occasions and may have suffered huge embarrassment if someone else had been around.

I used to just get them of a morning, first thing when I woke up. That was safe and I was happy with that. This is unpredictable and quite daunting. I'm going to be terrified to leave the house next month.

And because we're planning on quitting all birth control early next year and crossing our fingers for the best, going on the pill is not an option.

Besides the grand entrance, everything else about TTOM is much better post-op.

I'm curious to know if anyone else has been through this and if it is something that eased over time.

it has been awhile since anyone has posted here...hubby and I have gone down the fertility road and are about to start IVF in an 2012 if all goes to plan...but if by chance we concieve prior to this well all good...so NO condoms for us
LOL

Thank you both for sharing.

I saw my GP today and while there, I asked her what she recommended.

The plan is condoms for six months, then blood tests to check if my hormone levels have balanced out and if not, she suggested a Mirena.

Glad to at least have a game plan!

Hi,

We are using condoms for the first time ever. LOL

We have 3 children but I think I would like just 1 more so havent done anything permanant :)

They do reccomend contraception for the first 12 months as you become increasingly fertile as you loose weight. Also, your body needs to adjust to your new tny tum and sustaining a pregnancy is hard work. Also, you do not want to interupt your best weight loosing window (which is in the first months). I also have PCOS and we se condoms. Hope this helps.

Hi ladies...

I'm curious if any of you were told to use some form of contraceptive for the first 12 months after surgery to ensure pregnancy didn't occur and, if you don't mind sharing, what you used?

If the pill, which one? Did you come off it after the 12 months? Did your body adjust OK to the additional hormones and then once you went off, was everything more 'normal' or the same as pre-sleeve?

I realise I'm asking super personal questions and would welcome a PM if you feel more comfortable not responding publicly.

I haven't been on the pill for years and the main reason I went off was because I felt my hormones were out of whack .... that's when they diagnosed my PCOS

I have PCOS and have had many miscarriages. First one was my twins (I always thought they were boys) and then I refused to allow myself to become attached. I still grieve for the future my husband and I will never have. At times when I'm by myself I cry. We have been married for 18 years this year and I have given up on having a child. Yes, we have done IVF. This is how the twins were conceived.

My periods are regular and come on time all the time so I could get pregnant naturally....Apparently.

shesha wrote:

Hi,

I'm curious if there are any women who's infertility improved after being sleeved, with the weight loss, and how long does one have to wait before trying for a baby after surgery??

Does having PCOS slow down weight loss with the sleeve?

Shesha

I have PCOS, was told i'd need fertility treatment to get pregnant and weight loss. I lost about 8-9kg pre op diet, fell pregnant 3 weeks after getting the sleeve surgery (no planned, doped up on painkillers don't even remember it). So it is possible!

no, i have just seen so much permant damage caused by the so called reversable band that i think choosing a band on its gone if i dont like it a very bad decision.

applesauce

Ive had 2 bands in 6 years (first one slipped, and second one I couldnt tolerate any fill in it so I put on weight even though I would vomit during every meal).
The risks of the proceedure with the band might be slightly lower than with a sleeve but the long term effects on your body and general health are much worse with the band.
ie; the constant vomiting (which is seen as 'normal' to bandits) can cause terrible hiatus hernias (I know as I had one caused by the band which I had repaired when I had the sleeve) this results in reflux and other symptoms.
Also you eat such crap with the band simply because everything healthy gets stuck causing pain and more vomiting and sometimes a trip to the hospital(many trips for me over the years) to remove fill and get put on a drip, because of this your health really suffers and you can become deficient in vitamins and minerals (I needed a hysterectomy after even iron infusions and blood transfusions didnt help as you cannot take iron tablets with the band as they can erode the band)
There are many other health problems that I have had to get through simply because I supposedly had a 'safe' band put in me,
even things you would never think of like my teeth going rotten from all the vomiting and damage done to the throat even things like burst blood vessels in my nose and eyes due to the strain when vomiting these are now problems I will have forever that nobody warned me about. I believe a band is simply medically induced bulimia and you lose weight because you bring everything up and if you dont vomit you dont lose much weight.
Since Ive had my sleeve my health has improved greatly, I dont vomit ever, my iron levels are now normal so are all my other blood tests , I am no longer diabetic (this was getting worse with the band because I couldnt eat healthy food) and I no longer
have high blood pressure or high cholesterol and I no longer take anti-depressants as I can now go out and socialise normally
with family and friends as I am not scared of having to vomit or of something getting stuck.
I do believe that you have to make the choice thats right for you but please do not base this on the operation itself as there have been deaths from the band proceedure and from it slipping at a later date and also remember that it is difficult to travel overseas with a band as alot of countries dont know how to treat problems that can occur.
DO your research and look at the problems people have had 2 ,3, 4 or 5 years down the track for both proceedures I wish I had and then I would never have had the band.

Lisab

Hi applesauce
Like I said in previous posts, I've seen both good and bad with both procedures and lets face it when we committ to any sort of surgery, there's always an element of risk.
I appreciate you are passionate about the sleeve. It's good to get another persons perspective as I've only known one person to have the sleeve done, which is why I've posted on this forum, so thanks for that.
Did you have a bad experience with the band?

Lets talk about risks. you have a 1 in 4 risk of further surgery with a lapband further surgery with a sleeve is close to unheard of. The big boogie man ooooooooo leaks with a sleeve. If you went into all the ICU's in Australia you would find more beds occupied by bandits with leaks in their stomach from the laprascop or erosion than you will EVER find sleevers with a leak from the surgery.

There is NOTHING to go back and fix with a sleeve, the worst thing after a leak and as I said more bandits have them than sleevers is you might need a day procedure for a stretch. NO surgery they just pop a tube down the throat and espand it. totaly painless afterwards. You would NEVER need to reverse a sleeve ever. It is the nightmare of shit that rains down on you with a band that makes it needing to be reversed. Oh and the so called reversable tell that to some of the people on here who can no longer have surgery because of the PERMANENT mess that reversable band made of their insides. The scaring is PERMANENT and horrific it can involve your livers your intestine let alone your stomach. Hell I have even heard of one idiot band surgeon banding the spleen. So many hacks get on the lets make money band wagon and it is a mess. But having said that you can have the best surgeon and your surgery can go perfectly and you can STILL end up with permanent damage from the band.

So you want permanent damage talk the band. You want clean inevasive surgery that doesnt leave a mess of your insides talk sleeve.

applesauce

There has been quite a lot of issues on both sides really.
Perforation of the band
port flipping
adhesions (which can deter a lot of surgeons to proceeding with the sleeve following lap band removal).
food getting stuck (all of the time)
Having to regurgitate food
gurgling sounds while eating

I am sure there are plenty of people on here who have had the band and then removed who will add to this list of complications etc..... there is even one lady on here that has so much damage from the lapband that she now can not have the sleeve....

But as you said, it is an individual choice.... but me personally having the sleeve and knowing that it is permanent is the better option for me.... I know that once the surgery is over there are no more "complications"... it is done and I can eat anything but in smaller portions. I don't have to worry about my brain not being in control....ie with a lapband if you are an emotional eater, you can still eat a tub of icecream if you want to.. with a sleeve it is impossible.... so I believe the sleeve fixes two problems, my emotional eating and the portion size I eat.... I just could not shout it from the roof tops more... I would have a sleeve over a band any day....

Hi mapmar

I'm interested about knowing more about the problems that those people had with the band ...what a user problem (i.e. did they stretch the pouch from overeating/vomiting) or were they an actual band problem (i.e. prolapse)?

I decided to go with the lap band rather than the sleeve for a few reasons;
1. I'm fairly risk adverse which is the main reason to go with the lap band. At this stage of my journey, I can't bring myself to having a permanent procedure done. No, it's not that I'm affraid of the committment. I'm very committed to my decision and am preparing for a new life. I've had so many other operations over the last 3 years that I wanted to take the option with the least amount of risk and although the band is intended to be permanent, I feel more at ease with the fact that it can be reversed should something go wrong. This isn't to say that I wouldn't consider a sleeve in the future.
2. Of all of my friends & colleagues who have had WLS, only 1 has had a sleeve (she's doing really well, she chose the sleeve as she works at a mine site and thought it would be difficult to do the follow up sessions to have her fill), so I've been able to get more 'in the flesh/real life' information from 'bandits' and have been able to see first hand their ups and downs. This includes one bandit who had a cardiac arrest during her procedure (by the way she came through the op, is ok and looking absolutely fabulous 4 years on) and one other that just keeps sabotaging herself and is going no where with the band.
3. My BMI fluctuates between 38-41. I'm on the border line for the weight restriction of getting WLS done, so I'm more suitable for the band.
4. It's come down to what I feel is right for me after weighing up the pros & cons of both ...and the band is what I need.

I strongly believe that it is very much an individual thing.

It's great to have these forums available and there is heaps and heaps of information available online. It's also great to have people like you comment in these forums who have seen first hand the problems so people like me can be aware and know what to do to avoid it.

I wish you all the best.....

Can I ask why you have chosen the band over the sleeve? After reading all of the posts on here about peoples problems with the band, I personally would never have one.... also I work for a Gastroenterologist and also see the problems that the band causes.....

I do hope you have a good outcome and the band will do wonders for you....

Hi all
I too have never had a normal period in my life unless I was on the pill. Everyone is different and I just thought this was normal for me. Up until a few years ago it didn't bother me too much other than my gyno saying that I had to loose 10% of weight before she would allow me to go on fertility drugs.

Everything I did just wasn't sustainable and as someone who has been relatively healthy their whole life, I got hit with a series of accidents/illness each year for the past 4 years (ACL reconstruction in 2007, nasty pre-cancer cells removed from my cervix in 2008, gallbladder removed in 2009, and last week I had surgery to remove endometriosis & cysts and a mystery mass (which they still aren't sure what it is). I should point out that I had the endo surgery due to the pain from the endometriosis.

I feel as though I've been in a holding pattern for the last 3 years as I've wanted to get WLS done but something else has happened.

Well NO MORE. I'm not going to let another year go past being obese. I've decided to get a lap band rather than a sleeve and am booked in to get the band on 31.05.10. So with the band and last weeks endo surgery, I feel as those I'm on the path to finally shift this weight permanently, improve my health and increase my chances of having a baby (hopefully naturally) in another 12 months. WAHOO

All the best to everyone else out there.

I have PCOS and have never had a normal period in my life that wasnt orchestrated by my Gynae.

I was sleeved in November and had my first normal, on time, right length period came in January.

Im hopeful that sometime next year i'll be able to get pregnant as well.. Take things one step at a time.

Hi All,

Angel my story is so similar to mine, I have a 6 year old too, and many years of POCS and a painful misscarriage. Well I am happy to say I am 31 weeks pregnant and so very healthy and happy! I fell 11 months after surgery but had already lost 70% of my excess weight and had the blessing of my surgeon. I can tell you it is worth the wait! My blood sugars are very normal (last Hbc1a was 5.1) and I can feel the baby move heaps, no fluid retention (yet) it's a million percent better than my first! I had indegestion and feel hungry again (not used to that since the op) and now have graze cause my tummy feels so small!! I know those small things will be worth it in the end!

Will let you know how I go and stay positive!

Trace x

hi,

i was sleeved in may last year and so far have lost 23 kilos. i am diabetic, i also have pcos and endometriosis, plus a number of other health issues. I am 38 and my partner is 42. i desperately want a baby and i am booked for endo surgery in may this year. I have been advised to wait 12 months before trying for a baby. the fertility specialist wants my bmi back to 35, if possible 30. which means my weight needs to be about 70 kg. my bmi at the moment is about 40.

i agree with apple, best to wait the full twelve months to loose as much weight as possible, get your health on track and your body as healthy as possible. that's what i am trying to do.

good luck! my prayers are with you :)

take care

del.

i too suffer from PCOS and when we first started trying i was about 130kgs. at the time a was refered to a fertilty professor who put me on clomid. at the time they did not test me for PCOS (i have since found out that Clomid isnt recommended for PCOS suffers) I fell pregnant six months after starting clomid and despite a tricky pregnancy i managed to give birth to a beautiful baby girl. One of the reasons i had the surgery was to help my chances of falling pregnant. Since Dec 09 I have had 2 regular periods and a recent blood test has shown the my hormone level is back to a normal leveland also the effects of PCOS has reduced dramatically except for the hair growth! . what applesauce has said about even a 10% weight reduction can have a dramatic effect on the hormone changes. I have been advise by my surgeon that I need to give my body a chance and would prefer me not to fall pregnant under the 12 month mark however if it happens prior to this the body is able to cope. At the moment I am running a 28 day cycle however at this stage i am approx 1 day late. I have decided not to stress until after about a week.

I hope this helps and wish all the best of luck with their journey

Jane

We have been trying for a baby since 1996, when I went off the pill- I was then diagnosed with PCOS. I won't go into the whole IUI/IVF story but suffice it to say that the only time I had a period during that time was when doing a fertility cycle.

I was sleeved last May and have lost 43 kilos. A few weeks after my op, I got my first natural period. I have been getting them regularly since then although the length of cycle was long- although each cycle was shorter than the last. The last couple have been a perfect 28 days.

I had a scan late last year and there was evidence that I had recently ovulated and the appearance of the ovaries had gone from severe to mild PCOS.

We are giving it another couple of cycles to see if we can do it ourselves, but will then be doing a FET.

Hi Sesha,

I'm only newly sleeved but think I can help answer your question. I have both PCOS and insulin resistance and was sleeved a mere 4 weeks ago. I've already lost 10 kilos - something I never thought possible!!! I've been struggling to loose just one kilo for such a long time and my sleeve has done so much within 4 weeks. That does include my pre-surgery diet.

I honestly thought my body was constantly fighting against me. I craved carbs all the time, and was hungry immediately after eating a good sized meal.

I have a 6 year old son (concieved very quickly after we got married and I lost LOTS of weight before our wedding). Then it took me 3.5 years to fall pregant again after I regained weight. I suffered from 3 miscarriages in between (two after 14 weeks) and it was awful. I've never managed to loose my babyweight and it was only after my second child that I was finally diagnosed with PCOS and insulin resistance.

I'm sure my weight loss will slow down. But i'm off to a wonderful start and it has made me feel like I can get my life back. And I feel like i'm losing the weight for the last and final time.

I hope you have found this useful, and if you need any more information at all, just ask.