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If you have access to Amazon deliveries and DM me your address or create a wishlist with tests on it I'd be happy to buy them for you. If you do happen to fall pregnant and don't want to be, r/abortion has lots of resources for accessing termination in countries where it's illegal. In particular I'd recommend Women on Web which has been getting the pills to people in countries where it's illegal for decades. The benefits of the pill are that it looks identical to a miscarriage.
ALL THAT SAID — it's unlikely she's pregnant based on what you said, especially if you didn't finish and haven't had sex since then. Anovulatory cycles are totally normal, especially if she's not super regular anyway. Is she having any other symptoms? It's possible but rare to get to 7+ weeks without symptoms. Breast swelling and pain, unusual fatigue/exhaustion, and nausea/sensitivity to smells are usually the first symptoms.
When was her last period before June 11? That could make a difference too.
Going forward, since it sounds like contraception, pregnancy tests, and family planning in general are hard to access for you, I strongly recommend you look into the Fertility Awareness Method (FAM) (NOT the same thing as the rhythm method!!!) It's empowering to be able to know what's going on with your cycles and fertility without any other tools. Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler is a great book to start with. If it's financially burdensome for you I'd be happy to Amazon you a copy of that as well.
Congratulations on recovery❤️
You are definitely not alone. Bodies are pretty resilient! I began my recovery in the fall of 2016 and the hardest part was the first year. After that my body has healed up better than I could’ve expected. I honestly thought I had broken it forever and carried a lot of guilt and shame. I feel grateful to have my period back and to be ovulating regularly.
I highly recommend reading Taking Charge of Your Fertility! Maybe it’s my ED past but all of the tracking has become somewhat of a calming ritual. I cannot even begin to explain how excited I was the first time my temps confirmed that I ovulated. I hope that it will help you to find some peace and allow you to forgive yourself.
Taking Charge of your fertility is the holy grail of fertility books. I learned so much about my body it was amazing! https://www.amazon.com/dp/0062326031/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fabt1_aW7SFbAGKZ8WX?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
Most apps are only guessing at when you are ovulating based on a 28 day cycle. If you’re not adding personalized info into the app such as your Basal Body Temp or positive OPK strips, you’re only receiving a very generic guess from the app. You might be missing your fertile window completely. The two most commonly used apps are Fertility Friend and Kindara. Like others suggested. Head on over to r/TryingForABaby for tons of great info. Read through their side bar and FAQ page. Another helpful resource is a book called Taking Charge of Your Fertility . Super helpful in terms of breaking down everything you need to know.
Best of luck to you.
It seems like the norm in these subreddits because many of us are actively tracking our cycles while TTC and temping is the only way to confirm ovulation at home. It is another thing to do, but the benefits definitely outweigh the minor inconvenience. It takes just a minute or two in the morning to take your temp and log it into an app. Taking Charge of Your Fertility does a great job introducing people to temping and the myriad of benefits you will experience by getting to know your body and cycles better.
I definitely recommend going off birth control now to give your body a chance to regulate and for you to get to know your cycle. If you are interested in learning how to track your cycle, I recommend reading Taking Charge of Your Fertility .
If your current multivitamin has folate you can finish that bottle before buying a bottle of prenatals.
Right now I would just start taking a daily prenatal (with folate) and CQ10 for egg quality. Do you best to get a lot of sleep, eat well, and drink a lot of water-- normal health guidelines. There's a great book out there called It Starts with the Egg that has a lot of tips and suggestions on how to get the best results, but here's a fair warning that it may just turn you into a paranoid fool about everything you touch (and eat out of plastic for instance).
Since you've already done some cycles with Gonal-F you're already pretty used to one of the medications itself, so really just start getting in the mindset that you'll be doing 2-5 injections a day (depending on your protocol) and you may be uncomfortable, but the process goes by pretty quick (less than two weeks).
Overall just lean on your partner and put your mental health above all in this journey. If you need to pull back from some relationships for your sanity, do it.
Best of luck to you!
The fatigue is caused by insulin resistance. Some info here and success stories
Can Low Carb and Keto Help Reverse PCOS? — Diet Doctor
This helped me a lot
Supplements like inositol, berberine and NAC can be helpful or meds like metformin.
If you search fatigue in the search box you will get a lot of hits.
Also, do you wake during the night or wake up with a dry mouth? If so, NAC or a cpap can be helpful re: apnea, a magnesuim supplement like Natural Calm and Breathe Right strips can help too. Mouth breathing at night or poor quality sleep spike cortiosl, which also increases insulin resistance.. Keeping cortisol and insulin both low is the key to managing PCOS symptoms.
It's a little bit on the pre-pregnancy and baby side, but Taking Charge of Your Fertility was very eye-opening for me! I read it all the way through and literally got up early(ish) on a few Saturdays to read until I got through it. It's all about the amazing things that women's bodies can do regarding fertility and taught me more in the first chapter than all of my school health classes put together.
I have done a lot rolling 42s, also see r/AlternateDayFasting. It is also recommended in the book The PCOS Plan: Prevent and Reverse Polycystic Ovary Syndrome through Diet and Fasting Paperback by Nadia Brito Pateguana ND (Author), Dr. Jason Fung (Author)
Both authors have loads of podcasts and YT vids, including esp @ PCOS. Dr. Nadia reversed her own symptoms.
For some people, longer fasts than AD can be counter productive, the keys to managing PCOS are keeping insulin AND cortisol low. Cortisol can be released as a counter-regulatory hormone on longer fasts. Experiment and see which group you fall into. One of the benefits of ADF for me was the consistency, I did not do longer fasts as consistently but I have done them without any issue. My symptoms pretty much reversed, so it is defo worth a try.
HTH, good luck!
Okay, other people are saying that you're ovulating. Yes and no. Your body is preparing for ovulation. What your seeing is called cervical mucus and it changes depending on what part of your cycle you're in. The part you're describing is during your fertile window. This mucus is specially designed to help sperm into your body. It's completely normal and is a great sign that you're healthy! I never got much of a lady bits education but I was reccomended this book and it explained SO many things! I highly suggest buying it especially if you plan to have kids one day!
The Natural Family Planning method is a terrible way to avoid pregnancy. It assumes that all women ovulate on cycle day 14, which is patently untrue. What do you call a woman who uses the rhythm method? Pregnant.
The Fertility Awareness Method (FAM), however, is grounded in science and reliable. You can read about the full method and the science behind it in Taking Charge of Your Fertility. (Check out the Amazon reviews--it ain't just me.) FAM is based on the fact that sperm can only survive in the uterus and fallopian tubes for up to 5 days, and a woman is only fertile for the 2-3 days surrounding ovulation each month. By tracking your fertility symptoms (basal body temperature and cervical fluid), you can reliably determine when your fertile days are each cycle. You can choose to avoid penetrative sex or use a barrier method on those fertile days.
The Fertility Awareness Method can be used to avoid pregnancy or to increase your chances of pregnancy by abstaining or engaging in intercourse on your fertile days. Unlike the Natural Family Planning or rhythm method, FAM is effective. With correct and consistent use of fertility awareness–based methods, the failure rate is 0.4 to 5 percent.
I recognize that the plural of anecdote isn't data, but my husband and I practiced FAM for 18 months to avoid pregnancy and had no pregnancy scares. When we decided to try for a baby, we used the principles of FAM to increase our chances and got pregnant in 2 cycles.
Trolls, sorry for the wall of text, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to tell more smart, empowered women about my favorite birth control option. The rhythm method gives methods like these a bad rap, but FAM is an effective, science-based method for couples who want an alternative to hormonal birth control.
It is on Amazon. Here’s a direct link. . I also suggest reading this link- Choosing your own TTC adventure . It really breaks down how to get started with TTC.
The thing about making changes is it will likely go away. :) Good luck!
Doctors are not much help with metabolic issues and happily the tools to change it are in our hands. They do not get trained on this stuff at all. Anything up to prediabetes gets dismissed but that is the time to make changes like you are doing.
This was really helpful to me too. Amazon.com: The PCOS Plan: Prevent and Reverse Polycystic Ovary Syndrome through Diet and Fasting (9781771644600): Brito Pateguana ND, Nadia, Fung, Dr. Jason: Books Even cutting out snacking and not eating from dinner to breakfast made more of a difference than I expected.
Pls come back with updates, best to you on your health journey!
PCOS is also called type 3 diabetes. I would suggest you to read the following book :
The PCOS Plan by Dr. Jason Fung and Dr. Nadia Brito Patrguana
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/1771644605/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_imm_C4ZDS4RQHMWKR1FS7W5N
Fasting and keto are well known to reverse PCOS fully and restore fertility.
Usually it has to do with increasing insulin resistance or increasing cortisol or a combo, it is as though we each have a tipping point and after that gain weight very easily. But, you can walk it back. This article explains it
Tuit Nutrition: The PCOS Post: Hormonal Havoc From Hyperinsulinemia
This book was very helpful to me and there are loads of people having success over at r/intermittentfasting
Dr. Nadia reversed her own PCOS symptoms, so, inspo. Both authors are active on YT and have loads of podcasts. Dr. Nadia is also active on Insta.
Supplements like inositol, berberine or NAC or meds like metformin can help but diet changes are a big key. Exercise is good for health and can help with maintenence but sleep, managing stress and limiting sugar and starch are the keys for many. Good luck!
Yay, so happy for you! Good health feels amazing.
Cutting carbs and sugar changed my health and my life, only wish I had done it sooner. It took a while for my hair to come back, but now it is thicker than before it started shedding. Good luck!
For those who are unfamiliar with insulin as a driver of PCOS for 80% of us, highly recommend The PCOS Plan and any vids by the authors. Dr. Nadia reversed her own PCOS and diabetes. She is active on insta.
This article is great too. Tuit Nutrition: The PCOS Post: Hormonal Havoc
Not having to worry about diabetes or feel controlled by sugar and carb addiction is so freeing, so happy for you OP!
This.
Actual medical doctors, Dr. Jason Fung and Dr. Eric Westman have decades of experience treating women with PCOS. They both speak of IR as being reversible and of LC & IF as being tools that promote metabolic healing.
Based on their training and extensive clinical experience, the symptoms that qualify for a PCOS diagnosis ARE reversible, without those symptoms, you may no longer qualify for a PCOS or diabetes diagnosis. It does not mean that if you start eating the SAD again it might not make you sick again, but that is a different issue. Dr. Ben Bikman's book, Why We Get Sick also delves into th issue of metabolic healing.
Both of these books are excellent for metabolic healing, as are any interviews with or articles by any of the 4 authors.
The PCOS Plan: Prevent and Reverse Polycystic Ovary Syndrome through Diet and Fasting by Fung and Pateguana (Dr. Nadia has reversed her own PCOS, NAFLD and diabetes diagnoses)
End Your Carb Confusion: A Simple Guide to Customize Your Carb Intake for Optimal Health
by Dr. Eric Westman and Amy Berger MS CNS | Dec 15, 2020
No, for that it’s best to check out the sidebar as well as Taking Charge of Your FertilityTaking Charge of Your Fertility which is available on Amazon and possibly at your local library. If you download the Fertility Friend app, there’s a free charting course that’s super informative as well. Here on TFAB we have a weekly thread on Tuesdays for sharing charts and asking all chart related questions but you can do the same any day here in the dailies or over on r/TFABChartStalkers. I’ve also heard good things about The Period Repair Manual.
Taking Charge of Your Fertility, 20th Anniversary Edition: The Definitive Guide to Natural Birth Control, Pregnancy Achievement, and Reproductive Heal
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0062326031/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apip_iBDtwHW3zoTQr
This book is amazing and helped me achieve pregnancy both times on our first try.
Sending you lots of love
-_-... What. The. F*ck. Man...! Thanks for saving me the trouble of looking the author up.
Better book and qualified author: https://www.amazon.com/Count-Down-Threatening-Reproductive-Development-ebook/dp/B084G9MMVH
I ordered mine off Amazon a few years back-
It Starts with the Egg: How the Science of Egg Quality Can Help You Get Pregnant Naturally, Prevent Miscarriage, and Improve Your Odds in IVF https://www.amazon.ca/dp/0999676180/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_i_JRK0QMZ6X4D5S8XNJ8J0
I recommend this book, Dr. Fung and The Fasting Method have worked with women with PCOS for many years. In fact, co-author, Dr. Nadia reversed her own PCOS symptoms, as did TFM co-founder Megan Ramos. We are all different but if interested, try it and see. The kindle version of the book is very affordable and it has some good recipes.
The PCOS Plan: Prevent and Reverse Polycystic Ovary Syndrome through Diet and Fasting Paperback by Nadia Brito Pateguana ND (Author), Dr. Jason Fung (Author)
The author of It Starts with the Egg talks about this issue. I recommend the book.
Count Down: How Our Modern World Is Threatening Sperm Counts, Altering Male and Female Reproductive Development, and Imperiling the Future of the Human Race https://www.amazon.com/dp/1982113669/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_6J02NV4S8SVJ0QV2YNB7
There is a study, it’s just massive so they turned it into a book.
Amazon.com: The PCOS Plan: Prevent and Reverse Polycystic Ovary Syndrome through Diet and Fasting (9781771644600): Brito Pateguana ND, Nadia, Fung, Dr. Jason: Books Both authors have loads of YT vids and podcasts re: fasting. r/fasting and r/intermittentfasting are great too. This one is recent, Megan Ramos also reversed her PCOS.
Intermittent Fasting for Women | Jason Fung ft. Megan Ramos - YouTube
There are also lots of free resources at The Fasting Method. Good luck!
I found this book helpful, if you like fasting might be worth checking out? Also, an alternative to metformin could be inositol and/or berberine? Amazon.com: The PCOS Plan: Prevent and Reverse Polycystic Ovary Syndrome through Diet and Fasting (9781771644600): Brito Pateguana ND, Nadia, Fung, Dr. Jason: Books This touches on inositol Tuit Nutrition: The PCOS Post: Hormonal Havoc From Hyperinsulinemia. For me, really focusing meals on 30g of protein and healthy fat (avocado, olives, etc) made me full so sugar and starch were not as appealing. Supplements and some IF helped with hunger and cravings, as my IR was reduced cravings kind of faded and my PCOS symptoms got way better. Good luck!
For me, layering in inositol and some intermittent fasting really helped lower the insulin resistance driving weight gain. With PCOS we have more insulin and clear it more slowly so spacing out eating gives it time to fall and stay low. I started with cutting out snacks and eating dinner early, then not eating until breakfast, so 14 hours or so. This article and book were really helpufl to me. Good luck!
Tuit Nutrition: The PCOS Post: Hormonal Havoc From Hyperinsulinemia
All 3 authors have loads of YT vids and podcasts, Dr. Nadia reversed her own PCOS symptoms and diabetes, so, inspo. Lots of inspo at r/intermittentfasting too. Good luck!
Fasting is amazing for insulin resistance and PCOS. I found this book really helpful, Dr. Nadia reversed her own PCOS symptoms and mood issues. Congrats on the weight loss!
Dr. Fung also co-wrote a book specifically about PCOS