Living with PCOS

Hi Miss Hopeful, sorry only saw this post now. Do you have Medical Aid? Medical Aid should pay for all the bloodwork so double check with the consultation room. The Sperm Analagy is usually not included and I paid about R400 at the lab direct for this to be done. Just double check again.
If you do not have Medical aid I have to be the barere of bad news as yes this is really expensive with my initial fertility screaning bloodwork they did something like 15 different tests ( I bearly know what all for ) so I can imagine that these together could cost quiet a large sum, but also check the diffirent labs as they have diffirent rates.

Good Luck and keep us posted

I would recomend to go for the consulatation and then if he sais you need blood works tell him that you will not do this right away as the costs are very high and that you will do this the next month. Atleast then you hear what he has to say and have a clearer idee of where you want to go from their. You might not even need the blood tests.

Hi Miss Hopefull , i also have PCOS had to have an iui for my first son fell pregnant naturally for the second but he didnt make it due to hospital negligence plus he was born early . Theres always hope . I am pregnant again 17 weeks , what i did try was Inofolic and folic acid as well as Metformin 500mg . I know of many ladies that have PCOS and have had healthy children . if you would like to stay in contact my email is pamgovender@rocketmail.com , my number is 0815285526 if you have whatts app and my bbm pin is 2A76EFC7. Dont ever lose hope . It will happen

Hi Ladies,

I hope everyone is well.

So i called Dr Ramdeo's offices today to confirm the time for my appointment in May. The reception lady confirmed the consultation amount with me and then goes on to say that should the doc require any blood work to be done and/or a semen sample to be taken then the cost will be R5000 + ...i nearly fainted. This amount is not even including meds should i require any, are all FS's this price or is this doctor seriously overpriced.

I called Dr Sagie Naidu's rooms, his next available app is in August

I feel totally out of options, i am not prepared to pay R5000 for a consult, scan and blood works.

Have a good day x

Thanks again Chanz, i am very optimistic and looking forward to what the future holds.

I will keep you posted with all the happenings

I love how positive you are being, it's one of the key necessities in beating PCOS So well done girl !!!

You must be comfy with your Fertility Specialist. I have a friend who just did an IVF with Dr Ramdeo which didn't work. Not saying he isn't good but explore your options. I heard Dr Coetzee in Umhlanga is also great but he is new too. Dr Sagie Naidu charges R500 per consult but you can claim it back from your medical aid. He is a gynae too so when you do fall pregnant you don't have to change drs. He operates from Kingsway and also from St Augustines. He really is awesome, since seeing him I am honestly at ease Our IUI was R2900 and my meds were roughly R2000. Honestly way cheaper than the rest. There is also Dr Hansen but I heard his bedside manners are terrible and he is insensitive. It also depends what type of personality you value in a fertility specialist. For me I wanted someone gentle, respectful, ahead with medical technology in the fertility department and also someone who shows they human too, Dr Naidu is all that for us He has alot of patients from the UK, USA, Africa and Belgium so I think that says alot too

Goodluck with your appointment and don't feel silly to ask loads of questions, you are paying afterall

Dear Chanz,

First and foremost I must mention how grateful i am for all your feedback and further information you have provided me with.

I got in contact with a Dr Ramdeo who runs the C.A.R.E clinic in Westville but he is VERY expensive - R1100 and does not except medical aid. I have an appointment to see him on the 14th May.

I was very sceptical to go onto the pill when my GP prescribed it. Would you then suggest that i discontinue the pill until i have seen my FS and gotten his advice on a way forward?

I am serious about losing weight and have decided to join Weigh-Less, i need constant motivation when it comes to weight loss and i after much research i like the Weigh-Less approach and they have Saturday morning classes which suits my schedule perfectly.

As mentioned in my earlier posts i have been very inconsistent with my Glucophage and have not been taking it effectively since finding out i had PCOS. I understand that it is vitally important to be consistent with the medication and i have decided to be exactly that.

I am excited for my meeting with the FS to find out exactly what my situation is and to have a good idea of the steps i need to take going forward.

Once again, thank you for the wonderful information you have provided and for opening up and telling your story. Its so wonderful to have found a place where so many of us go through the same issues on a daily basis. I really dont feel alone and in the dark anymore.

Hello Miss Hopeful and all the other lovely ladies...sorry for being MIA. Life is hectic with a toddler and we just completed our second IUI
I very briefly read the comments... so forgive me if I repeat something someone else said

Most importantly, you are in your "fertile years" meaning you will want kids I am sure. So BEST thing you can do is get a Fertility Specialist who REALLY knows about PCOS and Insulin Resistance. PCOS is actually so common nowadays.

I was diagnosed in 2010 with PCOS and IR. I was with a couple gynaes before then and I regret wasting my time with them. Since then I have done LOADS of research on PCOS. There is no cure, it's not reversible. BUT you can manage it effectively.
Quit the birth control (pill). Birth Control is the worst thing you can do for PCOS, it masks the symptoms so eventually when you want to have kids you find yourself struggling and all of a sudden your problems seem bigger. I was on the pill for 7 years prior to being diagnosed and I honestly regret it now because it masks alot of symptoms and makes your condition so much worse. If you ever need birth control you need to consider something that contains no hormones.
Remember PCOS is a hormonal disorder so the pill will throw everything out.

Where are you based? We found an awesome Fertility Specialist in Durban who doesn't charge a fortune AND who REALLY cared about us and our desire to have kids. Dr Sagie Naidu is brilliant. He runs the Durban Fertility Clinic and the success rates are extremely good. The best advice he gave me was to not go on any special diets, all I must do is eat low GI, high fibre, low carbohydrate and high protein. Prior to this piece of advice I had tried so many diets only to put on weight instead of losing. Once I followed Dr Naidu's simple advice I lost weight, not fast but gradually. The month prior to conceiving our first son I lost 6kg. I was on regular glucophage but must admit I was sensitive to it (my tummy would go more than once a day and I would get nauseous) so Dr Naidu changed it and put me on 1000mg Glucophage XR, this is a slow release and you don't get bad side effects like with the others.

I was always regular with my cycles, never skipped months. So no, it doesn't mean that if you are regular that you are ovulating. You can still have your period every month and not have ovulated. And I was annovultary.
Weightloss can help your PCOS but it won't cure it. I had a previous gynae always complain about my weight when I was really trying to lose it. My fertility specialist explained that yes weightloss can help relieve some of the symptoms but it won't always work that way for everyone. That's why you also get "thin" PCOS where ladies are super thin but have PCOS.
Are you on any supplements? Most PCOS ladies lack Vit D and this can also affect hormone levels. Our specialist advised I take PregOmega Plus (this helps with egg quality alot), glucophage XR 1000mg, staminogro at night to also help with egg quality. Hubby was put on Sperm-i-prove since he has slight sperm issues. After all the research I later added Vit B6 50mg, Inofolic 2 sachets per day and also FertilAid for women (but only when I wasn't on fertility meds). I cut down my sugar intake and fat intake. To be honest eating super healthy isn't always easy for us (it's expensive) but being a chef I have learnt to find alternatives to the expensive stuff.

I can't express how important it is to watch what you eat. For example soya is a no no for PCOS ladies because soya imitates the hormone estrogen which with PCOS you already have too must estrogen so by adding more you are only making your problem worse. Change from regular coffee to decaf. Personally I stick to full cream milk because the fat helps egg quality. Stay away from refined foods ie white flour, bread, white potato, white rice. However enjoy sweet potato (low gi), if you have white rice add lentils to it to make it low gi, enjoy your beans because they are healthy and high in protein. Cheeses are great for snacks, nuts and berries. Whenever you feel the need for chocolate, eat a teaspoon of peanut butter. It levels out your sugar level so you don't spike and it suppresses your craving. If you want a dessert eat cheesecake made with cottage cheese and cream cheese, the cheese helps hold back the sugar so you don't spike.

I would advise getting a sugar tester because by doing a food diary for a week you will be able to see which foods affect your sugar levels badly. Every person differs. for breakfast try things like oats, kellogs high fibre because these types will release energy slowly.

There is some research that shows that PCOS ladies can be gluten sensitive so some ladies find relief by cutting gluten out their diet. But this doesn't apply to all PCOS ladies.

We struggled just over 2 years to conceive our son, we then met our FS in Jan 2011 and end of Feb 2011 we conceived our son. Big miracle for us. Unfortunately my pregnancy never went without hiccups, at 20 weeks I dilated to 3cm due to an incompetent cervix. I got an emergency stitch and managed to carry until 32 weeks when I gave birth. My son was in NICU for 3 weeks. Since my PCOS was severe just like yours, we decided to start trying for baby nr 2 soon after giving birth. So we started ttc in December 2011. By November 2012 we decided to try IUI again (since IUI worked to conceive our son), that IUI in november never worked. So we waited until March 2013 to do our second IUI. I am now 4 weeks and 2 days pregnant. Miracles do happen so please don't lose hope.

I am not sure if I answered all your questions but if you have anymore please feel free to ask. I am very open about our infertility