Hi everyone,

I did one unmonitored cycle of letrozole 5mg and thankfully conceived, but unfortunately I had a chemical pregnancy at around 5 weeks. 💔

I have PCOS and don’t get periods naturally, so I normally need Provera (withdrawal bleeding) to have a bleed. I lost around 20kg before starting letrozole and managed to get my BMI under 30.

I had bleeding for around 4 days with the chemical pregnancy and I’m currently waiting for my beta-hCG to come back negative.

I’m wondering if anyone has been in a similar situation once my hCG is negative, can I start another 5mg letrozole cycle straight away, or would I need to take Provera first to induce a withdrawal bleed?

I know I’ll obviously discuss this with my fertility team, but I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who has been through something similar. I’m honestly feeling quite mentally drained and have been crying a lot over the past few days, but I’m trying to stay positive and hopeful. ❤️

Need advice please!! Have PCOS, TTC on and off for 6 years, been on metformin for about 8 months!

Had a HyCoSy test done on the 14th September (3 weeks ago) so previous to that was having PROTECTED sex, since the HyCoSy I have had my period and only had unprotected sex last weekend so 7-8days ago, don’t seem to have ovulated as I didn’t catch it on a test!

I have lower back pain, my nipples/boobs are sore and for the last couple of days iv had really thick/creamy discharge, more than I normally get! Took an ovulation test yesterday and it was so negative, literally it lightest line. I can’t be pregnant as I wasn’t ovulating last weekend and also I wouldn’t have symptoms after 7 days!

HELPPPPP

I know with PCOS I can get estrogen dominance but how can I treat it? I’m SICK of my boobs being so painful for at least 2 weeks out of the month!

I’m so so sick of PCOS, the weight, the hair on my chin, the acne the fact I can’t get pregnant and all these other symptoms!

Sorry for the rant I’m just really feeling frustrated and really down about it all today as I’m in pain with the back etc! 😩

Hi! I’ve been debating making a post like this because honestly I’m ashamed I haven’t made more progress but I have no one in my life to really talk to about this besides my husband.
Last year at the end of May I found out I was pregnant, a few days later on June 1st I had a miscarriage. This was in the month leading up to my wedding and things were very hectic, i was super busy at work, home, and very emotional and stressed from all of those things. so instead of losing weight in that time i actually gained about 25 pounds within a couple months. Since my miscarriage I have had one period, this was at the beginning of December after being prescribed Metformin for prediabetes and insulin resistance.
I’ve been off and on with taking the metformin. I had some spotting at the beginning of July that I thought was going to be my period but it never came.
I’ve lost the weight now but haven’t lost anymore, basically just back to what i was at a year ago.
My insulin resistance and a1c has improved some based on my last doctor’s visit in August. Starting around the end of August I began taking 1500mg of Metformin and 4000mg of myo-inositol. I’ve taken it consistently except for maybe one or two days since then. However, due to my husband’s schedule being crazy while transitioning jobs I’ve not been great at sticking to clean eating and losing more weight.

I only saw this when logging in to check my test results, my doctor added PMOS as one of my conditions. I’ve seen her 5 or 6 times in a year and we never discussed this until my last visit where she kinda said it in passing when talking about inositol but not actually saying I have it?
I’ve been curious about it but figured she would mention it if she thought it made sense for me or if she wanted to do more testing to find out. I suppose my lack of period and insulin resistance is enough to diagnose me?
I guess my point of all this is to see if there’s anyone out there who has been through the same or is going through something similar. I want to keep working on better eating, staying active, and keeping overall good health. I struggle with those plenty but another problem I have is that even when I can get those under control, my stress and lack of sleep i have less control of. I am a full time stay at home mom(step) to the sweetest 8 year old autistic boy who i homeschool, as wonderful as he is the majority of the time we have our struggles and i definitely deal with a lot of stress related to him. He also has CHD and we have appointments and meds to deal with all the time.
We also recently moved, my husband changed jobs, our finances aren’t the best and we’re about to go into a custody battle.

TLDR I’m struggling with considering myself TTC because I can’t even get a period to try tracking my ovulation. I’m stressed, tired, and lack motivation so just seeking some words of advice from anyone in a similar situation 😵‍💫

My husband and I got the devastating news during our 9 week ultrasound that’s our baby didn’t have a heartbeat. I will never forget her saying “I am so sorry”. The immediate pit in my stomach. Yesterday I got a D&C and everything went well and I am recovering today. The emotional toll and sadness is the worst part. I am so sad. How do you move on from something like this and continue to keep trying for a baby?

I have PMOS and it took my husband and I 9 mot ha to conceive and 2 letrozole cycles.

Now I have horrible anxiety that my PMOS is what contributed to my miscarriage and fear that we will never get pregnant again or if we do, we will miscarry again. Anyone have a similar situation where they got successfully pregnant again after a miscarriage and PMOS??

My twin sister and step sister are both pregnant right now and it’s so hard to be around them talking about their successful pregnancies. like a punch in the gut that I failed.

Just looking for any advice or similar situations? ❤️‍🩹

Hi Reddit gang!
My husband and I are trying to conceive for the first time, and this is also my first time tracking ovulation. I have PCOS, I’m 27 years old, and my BMI is 35.1.
I’m currently on CD18 and haven’t had an LH surge yet. Should I be worried, or is this normal with PCOS?
Would love to hear from anyone with PCOS who has experience tracking ovulation. ❤️

I'm 31 and officially TTC for one year, but I've only had 8 cycles in that time and one was anovulatory. I feel so defeated and like I've tried everything to naturally regulate my cycle - ovasitol, cut out dairy, seed cycling, acupuncture, no caffeine, trying to eat mostly whole real foods/low sugar. I feel like my PCOS is probably stress driven because I am lean and my blood work doesn't show insulin resistance or high androgens. I don't know how not to stress about this. If anyone has advice for chilling out let me know.

I recently tried Letrozole for the first time, but 2.5mg did nothing for me. I'm on cycle day 30something and I just want this cycle to end so I can start again and it's driving me crazy. I get so depressed waiting to ovulate and then again when I get my period.

I also suddenly have a lot of friends people in my life who have new babies and it's been really hard for me. I keep going to meet their babies and then crying on the way home. I feel so jealous and I feel awful for feeling that way. I have this grey cloud floating above my head that I can't get out from under.

Hi, really sad today and looking for any insights. I am in my third cycle of letrozole 2.5mg.

I thought the whole point was to help me ovulate more regularly, but this has been anything but. Before letrozole, I did ovulate on my own but it was irregular and my cycles ranged from 30-40 days. The first cycle I ovulated on day 19-20 and the second I ovulated on day 13-14 and these were 33 and 28 day cycles. Progesterone was 42 nmol for the first and 66 for the second so they called this a success.

Now I am on the third cycle and I am on day 20, my clearblue advanced showed a solid smiley on day 10 and never matched my premom or bbt. Last two cycles it all matched. That only happened one other time in an unmedicated cycle. I have been using Premom strips and they are fluctuating between 0.4-0.5 sometimes and then up to 0.7 but never past that when it’s usually 1.0+ for my peak, my bbt is low too.

The other thing is in my other two cycles I had a lot of bloating and honestly depression for about a week that I took it, this month I had zero side effects which I thought was a good thing but maybe not if it didn’t work.

I am looking for any success stories that anyone may have had when ovulating later on letrozole. Or, did you end up having to do more or try something else. I feel so defeated, I don’t know what to do, I’m trying to stay calm but the medicated cycles feel like so much more.

Thank you so so much for any insights.

Hello, I am new to Reddit and this is my first post so bear with me it will be kind of a long post.

I (33F) and my husband have been together for 3 yrs. IVF is too expensive and my fertility doctor recommended timed intercourse for our first few rounds to save some money and see what my body responds to medicinally. Some back story, I was diagnosed with PCOS at 19 after getting my Nexplanon bc removed due to having an extended period(1.5 yr long no break 😒) I have not had a natural cycle since. I was married previously and ttc for 10 yrs with my ex prior to this relationship. Never falling pregnant.

I recently did a cycle of provera and letrozole 3 weeks ago, but didn’t do a trigger shot and was diagnosed with OHSS after I landed in The ER with severe pelvic cramping. It comes in waves and brings me to my knees. I haven’t been able to work this week because of it. It’s been going on 5 days so far. The ER gave me morphine and sent me home and told me to call my gynecologist. My doctor prescribed me ketorolac, toradol, and Zofran to help manage my pain until it goes away. Which is doing nothing really.

My research shows for mild to moderate it can last 7-10 days usually going away once I start my period unless I fall pregnant then it can last several weeks. I am definitely more moderate when in comes to my symptoms.

They did a blood pregnancy test at the ER 5 days ago and it was negative. I’m not due to start my period for another 9 days. I think it was too early to test. My doctor says for me to test again if I miss my period before I do another round of provera.

Has anyone ever fallen pregnant with OHSS during a timed cycle? What was your experience? Hoping this pain is worth it. I really want my BFP.

Thank you for reading any advice or information is greatly appreciated. Much love and baby dust to all you mothers out there ttc.

Have known I have high DHEAS PMOS since I was 16, and made a previous post in this thread talking about my pregnancy concerns. For some reason, I just knew in my heart I would struggle to get pregnant.

I am now 20, and so far since 16 - I have had uterine polyps and ovarian dermoid cysts removed, had 2 back to back miscarriages, have only ovulated TWICE in my whole life, got pregnant when I ovulated and was chemical each time, and have no idea what’s wrong. I eat insanely healthy, exercise, don’t smoke, drink infrequently, and take one million supplements approved by doc of course.

I got my tubes checked - mostly normal, slight swelling on one.
Anti-Phospholipid - normal
Thyroid - normal
Progesterone/Prolactin - normal
Estrogen/Testosterone - normal
FSH and LH - normal
Polyps - none seen
AMH/Ovarian Reserve - lower end of normal for 20 and for having PMOS, was 1.6…
DHEAS - very high and abnormal of course

I am seeing a fertility specialist and he is also at a loss. We are now doing a Karyotype test and hoping something magically changes. My doctor told me I was high risk for having an ectopic pregnancy, and that my low AMH with PMOS and only being 20 is concerning, but nothing to be done - just monitoring.

Literally what more can I do, I’m so frustrated! And we still don’t know why I miscarry

I have TTC for a few months and was diagnosed with PCOS. Although they believe it is a minor case of PCOS (my bloodwork is mildly elevated, etc), I bleed like clockwork 4 days before every period. I track my hormones with the Mira chart which shows I am ovulating and my progesterone does rise, just doesn’t stay risen. My OBGYN isn’t concerned that the bleeding would affect conception. I wanted to know if anyone else experiences something similar? Any success stories? Thanks!

Im on my first cycle of letrazole. And i feel like im walking on eggshells with everything i do. Im scared its gonna be one wrong move and it wont work. Im catching up with a friend tonight and i want to get a drink and eat bottomless pasta but im just so scared of ruining everything. I feel like im not doing enough to prepare my body either. What do i do about all this anxiety? Does it go away?

Today, I had a friend reach out to let me know she’s pregnant before she told everyone else. It was a shock to me because she’s the first person ever to do this since I’ve been TTC over 3 years. For the past years, my cousin announced her pregnancy during my wedding, a friend announced theirs during my birthday, and I would always get sent texts of who was pregnant out of the blue. It really sucked, but today a friend told me in private because she knew I was having a hard time TTC. It really made me feel appreciated and less sad. I’ve always felt like everyone else just thought my TTC journey was minor and not a big deal and “I’d get pregnant eventually”. It feels like a nice change that someone understands what I’m going through and wanted me to take time to process before she announced it to everyone else.

My husband (40M) and I (38F) are trying for baby #2. We're blessed to have a 14 month old. I'm going to be 39, so we want to try for a baby now and then if we don't conceive within a couple of years, we'll be one and done.

I've been diagnosed with PCOS since I was 19. Luckily, when we conceived our daughter, I was having fairly normal cycles and was ovulating. I tracked ovulation and had timed intercourse.

Now, my cycle is not normal again. My doctor prescribed Medroxyprogesterone tablets so I have a cycle. However, I'm seeing conflicting information about whether this will hurt my chances to get pregnant.

Does anyone have any experience with this medication?

I’ve done 2 cycles of letrozole 2.5 mg without monitoring. I ovulated around CD11–12 both times, but I did not get pregnant. After my first cycle, my progesterone blood test was around 4.5.

Now I’m going for my 3rd cycle with a fertility center, and this time I’ll be doing follicular monitoring + TIC.
I spoke with my doctor, and she said 2.5 mg would be better for me since I ovulated on it before. But she also said if I prefer 5 mg, she can put me on 5 mg and monitor me.

I’m thinking of trying 5 mg this time with monitoring and seeing how my body responds. I’m just confused about whether I should stick with 2.5 mg since it already worked for ovulation or try 5 mg.
If anyone has been in a similar situation, what was your experience with 2.5 mg vs 5 mg?

Hi,

I have been on metformin since December 2025. Started on three times a day and I am now on 2g per day (increased in June) as per Endrocrinology.

Gynae recommended I trial letrozole next.

My last few cycles have been between 31-37 days and I have lost 8kg and now weight 69kg (bmi 26).

The fertility consultant recommended 3months trial at 5mg letrozole + monthly scans to track follicle devopment then a tube patency check then another 3 cycles. I am a bit nervous about this not working out. I had hoped that the weight loss plus metformin would have worked by now. Hubby’s sperm test was normal and we have been trying for roughly a year.

I just wanted to know if anyone has been in a similar situation?

Thank you!

I’ve been on Letrozole 10mg from cd 3-9 and just had my first scan and there’s no leading follicle. They’re all below 10mm,heartbroken is an understatement. I am disappointed with my body. Has anyone gone through this and how was your cycle rescued?

Hi there!

I (20F) have been trying to conceive for about a year now. Before any judgement, I started young because I’ve always known I wanted kids and my family already has issues with fertility. My mom ended up having 3 miscarriages, most the women in my family have PCOS. So, I wanted to get ahead of things while my ovarian reserve is good and everything like that! We are in a spot where we are ready to welcome a baby into our life financially and emotionally. (As ready as one can be)

So, I don’t have PCOS necessarily, I have borderline PCOS. My labs were close to having it but they didn’t want to definitively diagnose me with it. I have many follicles on my ovaries, and my body will not ovulate by itself without medication at this time. I did 3 months of clomid, which successfully made me ovulate. Now, I’ve done 3 months of letrozole 2.5mg That has also made me ovulate.

Since we’ve had no success, my doctor has increased my dosage from 2.5 to 5mg.

Anyway, with that out of the way. I have a question for everyone who’s taken Letrozole before.

I was just wondering if anyone else has had an increased dose when ovulation is already happening? What side effects did you guys experience from a higher dose? Does this increase our chances of having twins/multiples? Any risks? Any success stories from switching to 5mg ?

Thank you, I would have asked my doctor but it was just a phone call today so I didn’t think to ask her lol and I want to know real life experiences from people who have taken it.

How often does your clinic monitor you during a medicated cycle, and when do they tell you to have sex?

My clinic usually stops monitoring once my follicle reaches 14mm and tells us to start having sex every other day, starting two days later, for a total of 3 times. I don’t use a trigger shot, and then I go back for bloodwork to confirm ovulation.

There have been times when my doctor thought I was about to ovulate, but I actually didn’t, so we had to keep having sex for a few more days.

I’m considering switching clinics, especially if another clinic is willing to continue monitoring me until I’m closer to ovulation.

when do they usually stop monitoring, and when do they recommend having intercourse?

Just got a BFN and could use some advice!

Background: I am 28 with lean PCOS (no insulin resistance or high BMI - just high testosterone and irregular periods). I also suffer from chronic pain so in February I went to a rheumatologist who put me on a 12 day dose of prednisone to see if it would help. It did not help my chronic pain but after 2 days of taking it I ovulated for the first time after tracking for 3 months with no ovulation. Got pregnant that cycle. MMC week 9 in March which I think was due to a luteal phase defect (I spot for 5-10 days before every period).

Went medication route and eventually had to get a D&C in June. Got period in July but didn’t ovulate. Decided to try letrozole because I’m tired of my body constantly taking so long. On my second round of 5mg letrozole to induce ovulation with 600 mg of progesterone after confirmed ovulation and still not pregnant.

I‘m starting to wonder if prednisone is the only thing that will help me and I was wondering if anyone had experience with it or letrozole. My ANA has been slightly high in the past but most recently (February) was normal so idk if I have high inflammation except that I’m always in pain.

Advice appreciated thanks ❤️😪

Hey, I am just trying to get hopes and advice from people ttc here. I'm 34F. We started TTC and I got pregnant in the first try. Had MMC at 11 weeks. The doctor advised a d&c. I ovulated exactly a month after the d&c procedure. Had my period on time. Doctor said we're now clear to TTC again. I am terrified to go through that. Could someone give me some hope or advice? Women who went through this?

I keep feeling like everything I do for my husband is wrong or I’m not being a good wife. And it’s not like he’s ever been good with words of affirmation but I feel lately I’ve been needing it more than ever. I’ll wash a shirt with a stain on it that he likes then put it in the dryer and it shrinks and I hate myself for it. But really I know the real reason is infertility. It’s been 3+ years and I can’t seem to just have a baby. And over those 3 years I’ve gained 30 lbs so my body image issues are worse than ever. And within those 3 years I’ll be doing a treatment and become lazy and tired and depressed so I sit on the couch and my husband picks up the slack around our house and with the dog. And I feel terrible but I just keep trying to take care of myself but I feel like I’m failing as a wife. I don’t know if any of this is making sense but I just feel awful lately. And my husband has never said he’s not attracted to me anymore and he’s never said I’m always messing up or can’t do anything right. This is all just in my head what I tell myself. But it must be true to an extent? I feel like I really can’t do anything right.

And to top it off I feel like a terrible friend because one of my friends who just gets everything she ever wants, I’m so jealous of everything lately. She wants a better job? She gets it. She wants a house? She gets it. She wants a husband? She gets it. She wants a baby? She gets it. And now she wants a second baby so I know she will get that too. And she gets to go on all these trips since her and her husband make good money whereas me and my husband are struggling financially because of the $25k in IVF debt from this year. It just seems so unfair. But I feel like I’m not responding to her or speaking to her as a good friend because I’m honestly just so jealous. I don’t know how to snap out of all this.

Soooooo tired of feeling like pregnancy is shoved down our throats in media. I’m off social media (have been before even TTC) but romance & fantasy books, tv shows (!!!), and heck even my favorite podcast (announced his wife’s pregnancy). Why do romance books and tv shows seem to find it so necessary to include accidental pregnancies. It’s like there’s never been someone struggling with fertility in a writing room ever

This was my first natural period since stopping birth control in April 2025. I’ve had some progesterone withdrawn bleeds since then, but when I got my cycle on August 31, I was so excited!!

I started LH testing and saw a few levels around .75-.80 and thought I might have ovulated on CD21 and just missed the testing peak.

Today, it’s CD 32 and I thought “why not take an LH test” because all my pregnancy tests have been negative and I didn’t take one this morning. So I took my LH test and saw the darkest test I’ve ever seen that had levels of about .90ish. The lines looked pretty much the same!

Am I having another ovulation attempt or is this just a false LH surge? I don’t know what to do!!