Last Tuesday I had an appointment with my doctor to go over my bloodwork results. The progesterone levels indicated that I hadn’t ovulated, and were actually a little low even for that. She said I might need to supplement with progesterone when I do get pregnant.
Almost everything else was okay, including my cholesterol, prolactin, and thyroid levels. What wasn’t okay was my insulin. I was showing as slightly insulin-resistant, which is a big marker for PCOS. And while she never used the term PCOS herself, she didn’t disagree with me when I brought it up, and said she wanted to start me on metformin because most women get pregnant within a couple months of starting it, and refer me to a RE. When I told her that we weren’t technically TTC until September, she changed her mind. Instead, she referred me straight to a RE at the big hospital. That appointment is now scheduled for 2 weeks from today.
The receptionist at the RE’s office was confused as to why I was coming in, so I had to explain everything to her, even though I was at work. I thought my doctor’s office was supposed to include that information in the referral paperwork?
So now I have the appointment to look forward to, and don’t have much idea what to expect. Maybe an ultrasound? Probably a metformin prescription?
The reason it took me so long to post was that I was trying to process this information. I’ve suspected PCOS for about a year now (which was why I went off the Pill so early before TCC), but it’s different to pretty much know that’s what’s wrong with me. I’ve been pretty touchy this whole week, falling to tears with barely a nudge. My mom has been too. She said she just wishes that I didn’t have to go through this. She did, and it sucked, and even though it’s come a long way since then, it’s still not good.
I sat down with Paul and explained the situation. His first comment was “how can the ovaries cause all that damage?” I explained that the ovaries were really just a side-effect, and gave him definitions on insulin-resistance, diabetes, etc, and told him about metformin and Clomid and such. He seemed to understand, but I know he doesn’t understand the seriousness of it, although he did ask about long-term effects (diabetes, heart disease, high cholesterol, cancer), so that was nice of him. I’m pretty sure he still thinks getting pregnant will be as easy as unprotected sex at the right moment. And it could be. The problem is getting that right moment, because I’m not ovulating.
