Getting Pregnant Naturally Despite a PCOS Diagnosis

Interview Q&A

Dear Anastasia, could you please tell us your personal story? How long have you been trying to have a child?

I’ve wanted to have children since 2016, but I didn’t stop taking the pill until March 2018. It came as a shock to many people—after all, we were planning to get married in the summer of 2018, and everyone was certain I would get pregnant. But somehow I had a feeling it wouldn’t be that easy.

After I stopped taking the pill, I had a perfect 28-day cycle. Crazy, right? They say that for some women, it can take up to a year after stopping the pill before a regular cycle My period started. What can I say: I guess I got my hopes up too soon. Starting in August, my cycles got longer and longer—it began with a 30-day cycle. And what does a woman hoping to have a baby hope for when her period is a day late? A positive pregnancy test, of course. But that wasn’t the case.

What happened with your period?

My cycle went from 30 days to 40 days, and eventually…and I have a cycle of 60–90 days. Great. I knew something was wrong, and a marathon of searching for a gynecologist began. “Be patient; it takes time after stopping the pill. Your body isn’t a clock,” “You’re so young; there’s nothing wrong with you,” “Your pain is coming from your hip. I don’t need to do an ultrasound; see an orthopedist,” were the doctors’ responses. After seeing three different gynecologists, I’d had enough. I had severe lower abdominal pain every day, and my period hadn’t come for months.

By the end of 2018, I’d had enough: I went to the emergency room. It wasn’t exactly the most elegant solution, but when no doctor takes me seriously and I’m in constant pain, what else was I supposed to do?

That’s where I had my first ultrasound. The gynecologist in the emergency room realized something was wrong—she was truly an amazing doctor. It was clear to me: I needed an appointment there. This gynecologist finally took me seriously. She didn’t dismiss my desire to have children; she examined me and tested my hormone levels. Diagnosis: PCOS and apparently no ovulation!

How did it make you feel to finally be taken seriously?

I was so incredibly relieved—after all, I’d even started to think I was just imagining the whole thing. Everyone kept telling me I was putting too much pressure on myself about wanting a baby and that I should just relax! After the diagnosis, I decided to speak openly about my desire to have a child, on Instagram and on my blog. I wanted to show that we women and couples with unfulfilled desire to have children that you’re not alone and that you should trust yourself and your instincts. I wasn’t imagining things, and there are probably still many women out there who are on the verge of breaking down because of their desire to have children.

Since neither chasteberry nor acupuncture had any positive effect on my endless cycles, I decided to try hormone therapy with clomiphene. That was one year after my diagnosis in November 2019. At the same time, I also started using OvulaRing because the standard ovulation tests weren’t conclusive enough for me. Two cycles later, I finally had a positive pregnancy test in my hand. OvulaRing has given us our second miracle and for that I am infinitely grateful!

What did you try before OvulaRing?

Before trying OvulaRing, I tried acupuncture and monk’s pepper to regulate my cycle. Ovulation tests were also piling up in my bathroom cabinet, but they didn’t give me any clear results.

Measuring my basal body temperature with a special thermometer wasn’t really a practical solution for me either; after all, many factors can skew the results, and the whole process felt too unreliable and inconclusive to me.

OvulaRing is different from the usual methods for optimizing conception: How is it different from traditional methods? What do you like about it?

I was hooked right away! How convenient can cycle tracking possibly be? It’s so simple and practical! My temperature was measured reliably and accurately several times a day, and I had no trouble interpreting the cycle chart. I also love how practical and easy OvulaRing is to use.

You don’t feel the ring at all, and you get a perfect measurement almost automatically. You can’t go wrong with this method as long as you wear the ring regularly every day.
Starting with my second cycle, the myovularing app showed me my daily probability of conception, and at the same time, I was seeing my gynecologist for cycle monitoring. OvulaRing told me exactly the same thing as my doctor. There really couldn’t be any better proof of how accurate OvulaRing is.

What do you think of using OvulaRing?

I’ll admit, at first I thought I wouldn’t be able to do it. But using OvulaRing is a breeze—it’s just like using a tampon. With OvulaRing, women can do everything on their own. Reading the data works very well, too, and you can upload the files in just a few seconds.

Will you continue to use OvulaRing?

Definitely yes. After my pregnancy, I’d like to use OvulaRing again to help with natural contraception and maybe use it to plan for baby number 3. Especially since the body needs time to adjust after a pregnancy. For me, hormonal birth control is out of the question from now on.

Do you feel that the OvulaRing team has given you good advice?

All questions were answered as quickly as possible, and the phone support is great, too. But I also think the website and Instagram profile are self-explanatory, and you can find answers to all common questions there.

Would you recommend OvulaRing, and if so, why?

I would recommend it to all women because OvulaRing is exactly what every woman needs. We like that it’s simple and practical—especially if you already have children, it’s nearly impossible to take your basal body temperature at the same time every day after waking up. Ovulation tests often leave you guessing and don’t give you a clear prediction.
If you’re not a fan of hormonal birth control, you should definitely try OvulaRing! Whether you’re trying to conceive, using it for birth control, or Getting to Know Your Cycle.