QuestionQUESTION: hey dr.
i really hope u can help me. today was my 1st visit to the gyn and he told me that i have enlarged ovaries which can be bec of my irregular menstrual cycle. he said its called polysystic ovary is that rite? wat can i do this worries me bec my husband and i want to start on our family soon by i dont want to be stoppin it. any advice
thank u
ANSWER: Hello Stella,
You don't mention if you had an ultrasound done. If not, then I don't think that your doctor could know if you had PCO or not.
It is common for the ovaries to be enlarged with PCO but that is not absolutely necessary. Some PCO patients have normal sized ovaries, and some patients have enlarged ovaries for other reasons, such as cysts or tumors. Your doctor needs to do an ultrasound to evaluate further.
PCO can lead to infertility because it is a basic ovarian malfunction. In this case, the ovary does not function normally and so ovulation (giving off the egg) does not occur. If your menstrual cycles are irregular or you skip, then that is a sign of this disorder, and getting pregnant could be difficult.
If your cycles are regular, then don't worry about what your doctor said at this point. You certainly can try for a pregnancy without any intervention. If not successful after a year, then you will need an infertility evaluation. If your cycles are irregular, then you will probably need some form of fertility medication to help your ovaries ovulate so that you can get pregnant.
I hope this answers your questions.
Edward J. Ramirez, M.D., FACOG
Executive Medical Director
The Fertility and Gynecology Center
Monterey Bay IVF Program
www.montereybayivf.com
Monterey, California, U.S.A.
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QUESTION: yes i did have an ultrasound and said i'll need a hormone blood test twice two weeks apart. but i feel like im too young was never sexually active til i got married. so when u and my dr say infertility how long about wood it take and will it always be like this? will it ever to normal again? dr i thank u so much atleast some1 answers me :)
ANSWER: Hello Again,
The disorder that you have is consistent with PCOD. You should read through some of the previous patients regarding this because it is fairly common.
It is not an acquired disease or disorder. It is a dysfunction of your ovaries and a characteristic of you. You will have this your entire life, for the most part. The only reason that there is an infertility issue is because the ovaries usually do not ovulate (give off an egg) on a regular basis. Without ovulation, you cannot get pregnant. For that reason, these patients usually need infertility treatments. However, there are always exceptios to the rule, and some PCOD patients do get pregnant on their own. You just have to try for at least a 12 month period before seeking infertility treatments to see if you can get pregnant on your own.
Sincerely,
Edward J. Ramirez, M.D., FACOG
Executive Medical Director
The Fertility and Gynecology Center
Monterey Bay IVF Program
www.montereybayivf.com
Monteey, California, U.S.A.
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QUESTION: im sry to bother u but i have another question i really appreciate ur help so much thank u gd bless
my question is: is there anything i can do to help my issue
i will have to wait a yr ok i understand i rather not go through treatment so is there anything i can do like certain things i can change ????
thnak u again
AnswerHi,
The only option that you have to enhance your chances to get pregnant is to see a Physician. On your own, there is not a lot that you can do. Some PCOD patients are overweight and reducing weight to normal will restore normal ovarian function. I don't know if that is the case with you, however.
In trying to get pregnant, timing is key. It is difficult to time if you have irregular menstrual cycles, however, but cycle day # 13-17 is your fertile period and the time that you want to have intercourse in a normal 28 day cycle.
I'm sorry that I cannot offer a better solution for you.
Sincerely,
Edward J. Ramirez, M.D., FACOG
Executive Medical Director
The Fertility and Gynecology Center
Monterey Bay IVF Program
www.montereybayivf.com
Monterey, California, U.S.A.