QuestionHi there, I am 28yrs old from England. My husband and I have been trying to conceive for 18months now with no luck at all. We have established that I ovulate regularly by blood tests and I also chart my BBT and also that my husband has some problems with the motility an morphology of his sperm. I have decided to take up exercise (which I HATE!) and for the last 8 weeks I have been attending a gym for at least 4 hours a week with a personal trainer, to make sure I effective. I have lost no weight at all. I am wondering if there is anything which could be related to my inability to become pregnant? I have heard PCOS can make it difficult for women to lose weight, but my periods are fairly light (sometimes barely there) and I've read that heavy periods are more common in PCOS sufferers. I currently weigh 165lbs and am 5ft tall. Is PCOS a possibility or is there something else I should consider?
Thank you.
Sally
AnswerHello Sally,
If you have regular menstrual cycles, as you've described, then it is unlikely that you have PCOS. PCOS can lead to increased weight gain, and increased weight gain can lead to PCOS, but the cardinal finding is irregular or absent menstrual cycles. That is why they have heavy bleeding. . . because they are not menstruating on a regular basis and their lining get built up more.
Being 28 years old, you have an 85% chance of natural pregnancy per year. The fact that you have not been successful for 18 months is abnormal. You are at the point where we would recommend an infertility evaluation. It is probably due to something other than ovulation or weight. The sperm problem sounds like it could be the culprit. In that case, you would need to do IUI (intrauterine insemination) or IVF (in vitro fertilization).
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.
