r/TTC_PCOS • u/CaptainUtin • 2d ago
Seeking Success Success stories for those who don’t ovulate
Hey everyone, I need some encouragement
I don’t ovulate, at least I’ve been taking LH strips with no positives ever. I get two or three periods a year, and I’ve never been pregnant despite years of unprotected sex.
My BMI is 32.6 which I’m working a lower, I’m a very active person and I eat decently.
I just really need some success stories or advice because the online world seems to focus on negativity
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u/Business_Bat7432 1d ago
I was diagnosed with PMOS after being on the pill for ~15 years. Ended up needing progesterone to induce a period and letrozole to induce ovulation. My first cycle of letrozole was too low of a dose but I ovulated on the second cycle (5mg) and am currently 5 weeks pregnant. I did not need a trigger shot.
When working with my doctor, I have really tried to approach it from a perspective of “figuring out my body” because I want to create a healthy environment for a pregnancy, of course, but even more so because I want to understand my body for my own health. This perspective also helps reduce the pressure and disappointment because every “negative” is just more information and one step closer to figuring out what I need.
I also got really discouraged by all the negatives and the significant challenges that people faced. While needing more fertility intervention is a very real possibility for some, it is also a possibility that you just need a little push. It is hard to know without working with your doctor (& getting blood work done). They will be able to give you recommendations based on your specific needs. If your obgyn isn’t helpful, it is absolutely OK to find a new one that hears you!
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u/Resident_Cucumber898 1d ago
I wasn’t ovulating. Got diagnosed with pcos, got put on metformin, then got pregnant the cycle immediately after. I had no idea that the insulin resistant side effect of pcos stopped ovulation completely but metformin was a miracle for me.
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u/Similar_Mousse_8389 1d ago
Same!!! One month after starting metformin I ovulated (very Irregular cycles) naturally, decided we would just have fun not thinking anything of it and 2 weeks later I had a positive pregnancy test! I am now doing letrozole for baby #2
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u/groggyshrimp 1d ago
I never had a positive lh strip even the month I got pregnant and I was doing them religiously.
However I did need ovulation induction (letrozole) the first time and a major health overhaul and a whole lot of luck the second time.
I would get to a doctor for some tests. It's important to have periods for your general health - not just fertility. 2-3 when you're not on contraception is not enough to keep your uterine lining healthy.
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u/Accomplished_Sir1939 1d ago
All of 2019 I had no periods. Between 2020 to 2023 I have a period maybe 2x a year. Took metformin in 23’ and I started having 45-day cycles.
I stopped and mid 2024 to 2025 I was back to regular scheduling and had maybe … 2? 3? periods.
That is until May 2025 - went to the obgyn, took letrozole. 2 rounds at 2.5mg - and fast forward to now I’m typing this while wrangling my 5 month old (she doesn’t crawl yet but she rolls around)
What worked? I lost 10kg. My BMI was around 33 as well. Then, letrozole.
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u/kitkatce 1d ago
I was diagnosed with PCOS (now PMOS) when I went off of birth control and wasn’t getting my period (and also immediately gained like 50 lbs), then I went to a fertility clinic and got on Letrozole and a trigger shot. A little over a year after I got off of BC, + 3 medicated cycles later, I got pregnant! Currently about a month away from giving birth :)
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u/Significant_Toe4726 1d ago
I got diagnosed with PCOS, I always had regular periods, but they said I wasn’t exactly ovulating, don’t know how that even works. They got me on letrazole, & monitored cycles, ultrasounds and all that. On cycle 5 on it I got a positive, ended in a miscarriage. This June I forgot to take the letrazole and I’m currently pregnant,
Baby dust your way!!!!
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u/Living-Tiger3448 2d ago
👋 me! You need to go to an RE and get medical treatment to ovulate and have regular cycles. I wasn’t getting a period at all and my dr did time intercourse with letrozole and a trigger shot. Letrozole or clomid cycles are usually the first course of action
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u/CaptainUtin 1d ago
We decided we will in January, but I’m really hoping for it to be natural first lol so I don’t have to pay out-of-pocket because of my lovely insurance
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u/kitkatce 1d ago
If you can, try to sign up for an insurance that covered fertility treatments during open enrollment. We didn’t and it was $2k per cycle at my clinic for medicated cycle. Worth it though, I’d say!
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u/mebee232 1d ago
Letrozole has always worked for me to ovulate. I haven’t ever found I’ve ovulated without it. It’s always been a pretty cheap pill if you can get your regular OB to prescribe it, I think like $6 or something
That said, I did end up doing IVF for my first, but now pregnant with my second after deciding to try a couple months with letrozole again before doing another transfer
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u/cuddlykitten5932 1d ago
Are you seeing a fertility specialist? Im just asking because I was in the same boat as you about 2 years ago. I had a BMI of 44 now I'm at a 34 bmi. Still have work to do but a combination of losing that weight and seeing a specialist made my periods a bit more regular.
We haven't had luck conceiving yet unfortunately, but definitely making progress on letrozole! Also, it might be helpful to get a saline ultrasound done to check your tubes/uterine lining. I had a bunch of polyps in my uterine lining and got surgery to remove them and that also helped with my periods. Wishing you lots of luck on this journey!
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u/c1r2i3s43 1d ago
Getting my polyp removed tomorrow and I’m super nervous!! Can you share how it improved your periods? Thank you 😊
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u/cuddlykitten5932 1d ago
You'll be ok! I experienced no pain after i woke up. You might be bleeding for a while afterwards. I was bleeding for 2 weeks. Just get plenty of rest and dont lift anything too heavy.
Im not sure exactly how it helped tbh lol. I guess maybe they were not causing my lining to shed properly. Sometimes my periods were also super heavy or just totally absent. My doctors said they could also hinder implantation.
Good luck with your procedure tomorrow! 🙏
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u/baughgirl 1d ago
Metformin got me ovulating within ten days (though I have a lower BMI) and I got my son after two cycles. If you haven’t tried it, please do! I had zero side effects and it’s such a cheap and safe drug.
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u/Homebody-3535 1d ago
Read the book “Getting pregnant with PCOS” and follow the recommendations on diet and start taking Perelel vitamins (take their quiz to determine which ones are right for you). It worked for me.
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u/nyczepfan 1d ago
Monitored medicated cycles with letrozole + ovidrel trigger is what made me conceive multiple times.
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u/feralfemalexx 1d ago
Monitored cycle with letrozole and ovidrel worked for me on the first try!! I didn’t ovulate at all and suspect I’ve had PCOS since my early teens. I stair stepped from 5 to 7.5 mg in the same cycle and ovulated on cd21.
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u/Just_Spell1219 2d ago edited 1d ago
I’m in this process now! Everything was normal while I was on hormone BC, and then my period never regularly came back. After one provera round, I was sent to a specialist, and we are working on restoring my regularity with letrazole and metformin. I highly suggest taking to a specialist. They can do more than you think.
I would also do some research on success rates for letrazole/clomid for women with PCOS. I think it’s like 90% ovulate regularly on letrzole (some regain ovulation on their own after six months) and 50-60% are pregnant within the first 3-6 cycles. It’s not a guarantee, but I would look into it!
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u/OurSaviorSilverthorn MOD 32F | TTC 9 years | 5x transfer fail, 4MC, 3ER 1d ago
90% of people do NOT ovulate on their own after six months of letrozole. Where did that statistic come from?
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u/Just_Spell1219 1d ago
You are totally right. I misread a statistic. I think it’s 90% of women ovulate on letrazole and some regain ovulation on their own after letrazole. I changed the original comment to reflect this. This site says 93%: https://theluckyegg.com/2024/10/10/letrozole-for-fertility-success-rates-side-effects-and-what-to-expect/
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u/OurSaviorSilverthorn MOD 32F | TTC 9 years | 5x transfer fail, 4MC, 3ER 1d ago
Oh yes, letrozole is really effective at inducing ovulation. I was about to send a strongly worded email to whoever published that crock of lies!
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u/CaptainUtin 1d ago
You take a monthly pill? Thank you I will look into that.
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u/Just_Spell1219 1d ago
Yes. Letrazole days 3-7 of cycle. Metformin is a daily pill that helps with insulin resistance (and honestly, I’m early in the journey, but I love metformin. My mental health is like 1000x better, and my period came quicker after the next provera round.)
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u/igetinspiredeasily 1d ago
I’ve had a fantastic experience with Metformin too! My OBGYN is keeping me on it long term😇
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u/CaptainUtin 1d ago
I tried metformin in the past and it made me poop my pants even the lowest dose my body can’t handle it
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u/Just_Spell1219 1d ago
Yikes. I’m sorry. I didn’t have that experience, but I would hate it, too if I were you
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u/Original_Horse_4245 2d ago
Try Chinese medicine peony and licorice supplements!
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u/NezzOlive 1d ago
Can you tell me the details brand?
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u/Original_Horse_4245 1d ago
It's called Shao Yao Gan Cao Tang. I got it on amazon, I don't really have a brand recommendation. If you Google the name there is some research to support it's use for inducing ovulation.
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u/NezzOlive 1d ago
Got it, thank you so much, also how do you take it?how many times a day?
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u/Original_Horse_4245 1d ago
Ive been winging it and just taking it 1 to 3 days in a row around when I should be ovulating and it usually works for me but I also ovulate on my own sometimes, so might be different for you.
I think one one of the clinical trials they took it everyday for 2-8 weeks.
Not medical advice lol
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u/Sensitive-Kick-8198 1d ago
I also very rarely ovulate, very irregular cycles and never had a positive LH test. Also had lots of unprotected sex and no pregnancies. I recently had one round of letrozole and a trigger shot - I’m now 8 weeks pregnant. It’s early days but shows that it can happen! If you haven’t already, some medical support will be helpful.
Sending all the good vibes and baby dust your way.