PCOS, miscarriage, cancer – getting fertility fit delivers unexpected success

Sammy-Jo and Leigh from Lowestoft had only been together a few weeks when Sammy-Jo became pregnant. After the initial shock came joy and then sadness, as they lost the baby. They then tried again for eight years without success.

Symptoms of PCOS

Excessive hair, weight problems and irregular periods are classic symptoms of PCOS, but the condition is difficult to diagnose. It was only years later when the couple were referred to the fertility specialists at Bourn Hall that the condition was recognised.

Bourn Hall fertility consultant Dr Arpita Ray explains that women with PCOS often have abnormal levels of insulin – the hormone that controls sugar levels in the body – and high levels of testosterone, the ‘male’ hormone, and this can produce more body hair and acne.

She says: “Women with PCOS often find it difficult to maintain a healthy Body Mass Index (BMI) of between 19-25 and this can have an impact on fertility, because being overweight or underweight affects the amount of insulin your body produces.”

In a healthy female, a mature egg is released each month from a follicle in the ovary – this is called ovulation; if the egg isn’t fertilised the lining of the womb is shed during menstruation. However, for women with PCOS lots of follicles develop and the eggs are not released. Instead, the little sacs fill with fluid to look like cysts and this can be seen in a scan. The lining of the uterus thickens until eventually it is lost in a bleed. This creates the heavy period.

A regular menstrual cycle is therefore a good indication that a woman is ovulating. However, by managing their weight, women with PCOS can become pregnant.

Dr Ray says: “If the weight gain is the only reason why periods have become irregular then there is a good chance that by losing weight you will restart ovulation and become pregnant naturally. If you don’t manage to conceive naturally, then becoming ‘fertility fit’ will also increase your chances of successful fertility treatment.”

Getting fertility fit

Your body needs protein to stay healthy and it also fills you up. “I ate lots of eggs and spinach; I used to say ‘I am eating eggs for my eggs,’” recalls Sammy-Jo.

“We had fertility tests. Leigh’s sperm sample was low but there was some there. The doctor said I was ovulating, but by this time I had lost weight – if he had done the tests before I lost weight it might have been different.”

The couple were referred to Bourn Hall for IVF but sadly the first two IVF cycles were unsuccessful. “That was when I hit my all-time low, in a really dark place and ready to give up. I was 28, my sister and sister-in-law were on their fifth babies, it was just hard watching everyone else get what you want and I found it really hard to bond with their babies, but my sister said ‘you must keep going’.”

This third cycle was successful but Sammy-Jo couldn’t relax until baby Bodhi was born. Driving home from the hospital, she had the most surreal moment. “I said to Leigh ‘my head is quiet’, the first time in about seven years.”

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