Got pregnant quickly despite PCOS and a long-standing desire to have children

Interview Q&A

Why don’t you tell us about your journey to parenthood?

There are nearly 8 billion people in the world. How hard can it really be to have a child?

It turned out to be harder than I expected. But my partner and I hadn’t anticipated that when I stopped taking the pill in early 2019. After six months without a period, I initially cursed the pill. I had been taking it since I was 16. I was 28 at the time. Unfortunately, it turned out pretty quickly that I was one of the 5–10% of women of childbearing age who suffer from PCOS. My gynecologist tried to reassure me. But how small is the chance of getting pregnant when you have cycles lasting 2–4 months? Let alone when you don’t even know if ovulation is happening at all? I think many women affected by PCOS can relate to this. It’s so discouraging when neither dietary changes, exercise, constant ovulation tests, nor temperature measurements (which eventually become quite nerve-wracking at 5 a.m. every morning) make any difference. With every cycle, I had even less hope than before. Not to mention sex, which eventually becomes more of a “to-do” than a shared desire and love. The disappointment of looking at a negative pregnancy test after a 4-month cycle is immense. Because then another one of maybe 3–4 chances a year (at least in my case) has been squandered.

So does that mean the fertility clinic is our only option?

For a long time, I didn’t want to talk to anyone about it either. Because being constantly asked: “So, did it work out? When are you finally going to have a baby? What’s taking so long?” only rubbed salt into the wound of our unfulfilled desire to have a child. But then I came across OvulaRing in a forum. At first, I couldn’t quite believe what other women were writing in their testimonials, but we figured it was worth a try.

And then you had your first experience with the OvulaRing.

I can still remember exactly the moment when, after my first cycle, the software told me that I was ovulating at least once. I am a woman after all—yes, at some point I even doubted my own femininity. And now we might actually be able to have children naturally, without going to a fertility clinic. I had to cry with relief! It took three cycles, and we figured out how my cycle works—specifically, when the chances are highest to catch my ovulation. No more setting annoying alarms, no more confusing hand-drawn charts. But the very best and most incredible part: I’m pregnant. Seeing those two lines. Unbelievable.

Why do you want to share your journey here with others?

Because I know how difficult, emotionally draining, exhausting, and discouraging the journey has been for my husband and me. Especially after we received the PCOS diagnosis and just couldn’t seem to get pregnant. I wish I had found out about OvulaRing much sooner. Using the ring is so simple and completely painless, and it was the path that led us to our little boy! The support team, which is always available, also took so much time for me whenever I had questions. I also loved the free consultation service after 3 cycles. It’s possible that, with a lot of luck, my hormone balance might eventually stabilize and return to normal after giving birth. But if not, I’ll definitely use OvulaRing again and spare us countless failed cycles and disappointments in our quest for a second child!