# help?



## sarah... (Feb 18, 2005)

hello, nice to meet you all, what a great place this is!

i wonder if you can help.......

my name is sarah ive been ttc for about a year and a half. my sister had a baby yesterday so im a bit down.(i know i should be happy). i went to see my gp 3 months ago and he referred me to a gyne and he said unless i loose 8 stone in 6 months ...3 months later ive lost 1 and half stone,i havnt had a period in over a year, he wont help me. im thinking of buying clomid over the net, id there any natural remedys i can purchase to bring back my periods or any thing i can buy over the counter? im really desperate. ive had a scan and internals and blood test and semen anyalsis but they wont give me my results for another three months..the receptionist said they were signed off as ok.. so i presume everything is ok. im really desperate here and i dont know how much longer i can hold on. please help....?


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## clarem45 (Aug 26, 2004)

sarah - I am sorry your going through the mill - I find it amazing that your doctor says you can lose 8 stone so quickly - I think moving to another doctor is quite in order!
You can try angus cactus (you can buy from boots) it is meant to be a natural Clomid and should help to regulate your periods, I think you are meant to take them for a min of 3 months though to see any effect

good luck
clare


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## clairelh1 (Sep 8, 2004)

Sarah
Sorry to hear you're not having much support from your gp.  I agree that it may be worth talking to another doctor if you can, as his expectations of you to lose so much weight in such a short time does seem a bit extreme.  You may also find that another GP will give you a bit more information and help.
Please don't go down the route of buying clomid over the net.  It's a very strong drug and really should only be taken when properly prescribed.  

Good luck

Claire


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## jess p (Sep 25, 2004)

Have you been tested for PCOS? I'm not an expert but sounds like you really should. 

I really wouldn't recommend taking Clomid with out supervision - I have suffered really badly from side effects. If you look up angus cactus on this site you'll see that even that can cause problems if you are not suited to it.

Insist on seeing another doctor. Make him/her refer you to a fertility clinic at your hospital.

I've used a low fat diet to shift some weight - lost 10lbs since Nov just by cutting out butter and eating prawn salad couple of times a week! Still eat normal food at weekends!! (Including bacon butties!)

Your dr. sounds very unfeeling - they're not all like that, mine is a gem!

Good luck,
Jess x


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## mrs cloudy (Feb 1, 2005)

I agree with the other people that have replied to you.  You need to try to see another doctor.  Do you have any friends or family that could recommend a good one.  It makes a world of difference when you are treated as an individual rather than a case. I can also vouch for the fact that there are some really good GPs out there.  Good luck and best wishes.

Mrs C
PS the desparate feeling that you get after someone close has a baby will pass.  I can sympathise tho, I know its hard.


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## Mrs CW (Jul 12, 2004)

Hi Sarah
Sorry you're having a hard time at the moment.  

I agree with Jess you should possibly be investigated for PCOS, it is often associated with irregular periods and difficulty in losing weight.

Please don't self-medicate with either clomid or agnus castus.  If you want to try a herbal remedy go and see a qualified herbalist or homeopath.  

Have you thought about seeing a nutritionist?  They can help both with weight loss and with fertility issues.  It might cost you a bit, unless you could get your GP to refer you - but it seems if you have been told to lose weight it's only reasonable that someone helps you to do it.  If you have PCOS it wouldn't be that straightforward to lose weight so you may really need a nutritionists advice.

I'm not quite clear from your email whether it's your GP being unhelpful or the gynae - if it's the gynae go back to your GP and tell them you need help with the weight loss and you need to be referred to a different gynae who will be sensitive towards you. Try booking an appointment with your GP and asking them in advance to get hold of your blood test results to go through them with you.  

In the meantime you could read a couple of books to help you out.  I would recommend Zita West's book Fertility and Conception - it at least explains everything you can do to help yourself, without resorting to taking drugs without prescription. It will help you know what you should ask for from the medical profession too.  Also there's a book by Anna Furse, which guides you through all the treatments.  You can get both on Amazon.

best of luck,

Claire xx


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## crocodile (Sep 14, 2004)

Hi I agree with what has been said before, I have two sisters and a friend all who had unexpilable weight problems and two out of the three had irregular if no periods, all were eventually found to have PCOS.. All found it difficult to get referred for tests as the symptoms of PCOS can be quite varied, facial,bodily hair, acne. Posh has PCOS and has acne, Jamie oliver's wife has it and had irregular periods, so it doesn't alsways mean infertility but it does need specialist help. A lot of GP's are quite ignorant of it and if you have it you have done brilliantly to lose the weight you have because it can have huge effects on metabolism, break down of sugar etc.  My two sisters and my friend had to fight very hard to get referred, all three are now on metaformin and have had dramatic weight loss.  
If you are diagnosed with it I think I am right in saying that a lot of people with PCOS also have intolerance to potatoes, bread, pasta etc. (sorry forgot to mention Lowri turner also has it and she has cut these things out of her diet and has lost lots).  A lot of the symptoms of PCOS are common to thyroid problems and you may have this.............

Basically what I am trying to say is your GP sucks and you should do some research on the internet and through this site and arm yourself with enough information to ask him to refer you for tests....wanting to readily blame all of your problems on your weight is convenient for him and not helpful.. IF fertility was just weight related then my other friend who was nearly 19 stone would not have got pregnant with her son, and my sister would not have been pregnant with my niece at 17+ stone( by the way she is now down to 12 stone 4 since going on metaformin as her PCOS did not effect her fertility)

Go back to your GP as both my sisters had to armed with facts and ask to be referred  
Good luck

Croc


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## Caz (Jul 21, 2002)

Sarah; Firstly can I say well done on your weight loss so far. 1 1/2 stone in three months is very good by anyone's standards. If your GP/gynae is expecting 8 stone in six months, they are being very very unrealistic and you should go back and tell them so. That kind of rapid weight loss would be more dangerous than being overweight to start with.

Not to put too finer point on it but larger ladies have babies all the time, so there's more to this than you just needing to lose a few extra pounds. If you're not having periods _something_ is stopping you. I'd be inclined to be thinking PCOS like everyone else here, because that sounds like it fits your profile. If you've had tests, which you say you have, just because they come back ok doesn't mean to say that the result are ok. I think the receptionist might just be telling you that all the results are in - she's a receptionist, not a gynae so wouldn't necessarily know what is a good result or what's not!
I think you need to hold on and wait until your follow up appointment and ask some serious questions about the results. I understand your frustrations completely - it took me almost a year to go from first seeing the gynae to being told IVF was my only realistic option, at which point the NHS washed their hand sof me comletely. They didn't mention the fact that I was overweight (which I was by about three stone at the time) or give me any suggestions as to how I could improve the situation on my own. I learnt all that from this site and the aformentioned books. 
In that time I watched two babies being born in my family (and another since I started IVF) - it's hard to watch other people fall pregnant and give birth so easily while you're so frustrated because you don't even know why you're not.
Nobody said this would be a quick process - it won't. My only advice is take the time until your next appointment to lose more weight (thus demonstrating your commitment to doing so) and learning everything you can about how your body works and what you can do to help yourself. That was you can dazzle your gynae with how much you do know when you next see him/her.

Good luck.


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