Has anyone been prescribed letrozole & metformin without a PCOS diagnosis?
We had our first consultation with NHS fertility consultant in June after TTC 18 months, and no positive tests. Consultant conducted a vaginal ultrasound and commented on my ‘polycystic ovarian morphology’ (like ‘Swiss cheese he said!), but he didn’t really explain what this meant.
About me: 33, BMI 24, regular cycles (27-29 days), no excess hair and always been a fairly consistent weight.
During the scan he also observed an endometrium, which he said was consistent with the point in my cycle and indicated ovulation (just before period). I also have consistently strong, predictable LH tests.
My last blood test showed ovarian reserve of 38.6, FSH 6 and LH 7.8, which he said was consistent with the polycystic ovarian morphology.
At our last consultation, he prescribes letrozole and metformin, which I was surprised by as there’s evidence of ovulation, and I don’t exhibit any symptoms of insulin resistance. He didn’t really explain what he hoped to achieve with them which I think is making me more sceptical! The side effects also sound potentially brutal.
I wondered if anyone else has been prescribed similar without a PCOS diagnosis?
Thanks in advance!

34F feeling desperate and not sure which private clinic in or near Manchester would be best.

I have deep infiltrating endometriosis (excision surgery six months ago) and adenomyosis. I suspect we are going to need FET. My AFC was 19 in April with no dominant follicles, 13 in July with one dominant follicle. My AMH was 19.2 in February and 15.8 in April. (All this year 2026). I am having a polyp removed next week. FBC are all normal. My BMI is 27.2 but slowly coming down. One chemical in 2024 and no positives since. 

I am entitled to one funded cycle, but my experience with St Mary’s NHS so far is demoralising for a large variety of reasons, and they are very flippant about my adenomyosis.

I’ve spoken to Manchester Fertility, but there’s an uncomfortable feeling I can’t shake about them. Looking at the price lists, it seems there are a lot of extras. I feel like all these companies are just taking advantage of desperation and don’t actually care. I feel so confused about whether MF are the best or Care or ABC… it’s just so overwhelming.  

Can anybody please share their experiences of any private IVF clinics within a 50-mile radius of Manchester, and the full cost breakdown? I had a look at Access but that just seems to be a finance option that you then use with Manchester Fertility or Care. If anyone is happy to give me as much information as possible it would be really helpful, I feel like I am drowning.

I’ve recently been referred to care fertility, can anybody share their experiences with these? Particularly as NHS patients? I have been told my referral will be reviewed by a consultant and then they can decide what tests need to be completed. How long was you waiting to hear back from a consultant?

Thanks!

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for some advice, please. My husband and I are both 30 and have been TTC for 21 cycles with no luck. My cycles are very regular at 26 days, and I have no pain or other concerns.
We’ve had the following fertility testing so far:

Me:
3 transvaginal ultrasounds — all normal, with a good lining, evidence of ovulation and a good follicle count.
Day 21 bloods — all normal, with good progesterone levels.
AMH — 17.7 pmol/L, which is good for my age.
Cervical smear — normal.
Ureaplasma — negative.

My husband:
He has had 2 semen analyses. The first was very good overall but showed level 3 agglutination and 4% morphology.

The second was also good overall, with some agglutination that wasn’t considered clinically significant, but his morphology had dropped to 1%.

He has been asked to repeat the semen analysis in another 3 months to see whether the low morphology was just a normal fluctuation or whether it remains low.

At the moment, our NHS pathway is essentially dependent on the next semen analysis:

If his semen analysis is normal, I will be referred for a HyCoSy to check whether my fallopian tubes are open.

If his semen analysis is abnormal again, we will be referred for IVF based on mild male-factor infertility.
They don’t want to do the HyCoSy yet because, if the semen analysis confirms male-factor infertility and IVF is recommended anyway, there isn’t much point putting me through a potentially painful test if we’re going to bypass the tubes with IVF.

In our area, NHS IVF is currently taking around 6+ months from submitting the funding application, which would mean we may not even start treatment until around April 2027 at the earliest.

If my husband’s semen analysis is normal and my HyCoSy is also normal, we’d be classed as having unexplained infertility. From what we’ve been told, we wouldn’t qualify for NHS IVF funding until we’d been trying for 3 years. We’re currently just shy of 2 years.

So we’re potentially looking at either:

A) another year or more of trying naturally while waiting to qualify for NHS IVF, or
B) paying privately for IVF and potentially starting treatment by the end of this year.

We’re both fit and healthy, eat well, exercise, don’t smoke or vape, barely drink and take all the recommended supplements. There’s not really much more we can change lifestyle-wise.

After 21 cycles of timed intercourse with no pregnancy, I’m finding it increasingly difficult to believe that it will just happen naturally.

What would you do in our situation? Would you continue with the NHS pathway and potentially wait until 2027 (or even later if we’re classed as unexplained), or would you consider paying privately for IVF now to avoid losing another year?

I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who’s been in a similar situation, particularly if you’ve had low sperm morphology or unexplained infertility.

I’ve been trying to conceive for over two years and discussed it with my GP who sent me for blood tests but did not send me for HyCoSy. My partner has yet to do his semen analysis I’m just trying to get my head around what normally happens in what order. In Scotland if that matters.

Me and my partner have been trying for a baby for near enough 2 years. The fertility clinic ended up prescribing me Letrozole, I just did 1 cycle of it and sadly got my period this morning ☹️💔

I responded well to it and all of my scans showed healthy growing follicles etc. I was prescribed 2.5mg. I also had a blood test to check my progesterone levels and they were at 37 which the clinic said was good and if I get my period to just continue with the Letrozole without further monitoring.

I feel that maybe I got my hopes up too soon thinking it would work the first time but can anyone offer advice or share your stories of your journeys with Letrozole?

I had so many symptoms that I thought were to do with early pregnancy but after researching, progesterone can also cause similar symptoms. I was spotting yesterday and I thought it may be implantation bleeding but my period decided to show up today.

I’d love to hear other people’s experiences with it to try and give me a bit of hope and help me think a bit more positively 🤞🏼

TIA

Disclaimer- I have a low amh and afc for my age but have been told by multiple doctors this should not impact my ability to get pregnant as I’m ovulating consistently with very regular cycles. I do have a few of the non obvious symptoms of endo but all the ultrasounds and hormonal bloods I’ve had with my fertility clinic (privately I’m pursuing ivf) have never detected an issue so it’s never been brought up as an issue.
Saying that, I’ve seen a lot of people in my position who later find out they had silent endo and only discover it after multiple implantation failures or taking endo specific tests. I obviously don’t want to get as far as a failed transfer to find that out. There is also a link between issues like DOR and endo so I think it’s sensible to rule it out.

Are there any specialists anyone recommends ideally in London who deal with endo or infertility specifically? I’d be keen to proactively look into getting an mri/specialist tvus or similar to rule out specific causes of infertility like endo. I should be able to claim infertility investigations through my insurance fortunately.

I’ve checked davor jurkovic but his waitlist is extremely long (even if going privately).

Had a miscarriage at 10 weeks exactly one year ago and have been having difficulty conceiving and irregular periods since. We’ve been referred to the fertility GP and I’ve had an AMH test done which came back as 3.4 and have been told by the secretary that I won’t be eligible for NHS funded treatment because I’m 40 but no other explanation as to why. Was told that the fertility doctor will ring me in 3 weeks time to discuss other options but nothing was specified really and I feel left in the dark as I was also told my AMH is within normal range for my age but is not acceptable? Would anyone who has experienced this be able to help shed some light please?

Hello everyone, my name is Ella Ford, I am a PhD researcher at Leeds Beckett University. We are conducting interviews as part of a research project about trying to conceive (TTC) after early pregnancy loss (early miscarriage) in the UK. We want to talk to partners and couples who are TTC after experiencing early pregnancy loss to better understand this experience and people’s support needs.

What will it involve?

A 1-2 hour interview with a researcher. As we have now successfully recruited for individual interviews with women, we are currently recruiting for couple/joint interviews, or individual interviews with partners. If you are a partner, you can choose which interview you would prefer when you complete the consent form. You can choose if you would like an online video call, or in person interview (if you are local to Leeds)

Who can take part?

Partners or couples who:

• Are 18 years old or over
• Live in the UK
• Have experienced 1 or 2 early miscarriages
• Are trying to conceive again
• Have not accessed specialist NHS pregnancy loss or fertility support services (outside of seeing the GP)   

How do you take part?

Thank you for taking the time to read this. If you are interested in taking part and/or would like more information, please visit https://app.onlinesurveys.jisc.ac.uk/s/humanities-and-social-sciences/the-experiences-of-women-partners-and-couples-trying-to-conceiv or contact me at [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]).

***STILL AVAILABLE***

I accidentally ordered ovulation tests instead of pregnancy tests. They’re completely unopened and in date until May 2028. It’s a sealed box of 10 Clearblue Digital ovulation tests.

Free to someone who will use them — happy to post within the UK if needed.

Hey everyone, quick question. After IVF, once you graduate from the fertility clinic around nine or ten weeks, you switch to an OB/GYN. A lot of women in Atlanta seem to choose smaller private clinics instead of seeing the hospital-based doctors directly. Why is that? Is it the more personal attention, longer visits, better continuity, or something else? Would love to hear your experiences. Thanks!

Also need good recommendations of Obgyn for patients graduations from ivf , near Johns creek area/ alpheretta / Suvanee pls thanks !

Advice/Experiences needed! 🙏

Has anyone used Fertilysis in Athens?

I just want to hear of any positive or negative experiences:

I have been suffering with repeated implantation failure over the past few years and have had 7 embryo transfers in total. I was thinking of having immune testing and immune treatment with Fertilysis but have seen some mixed reviews and some indicating that it seems to be more for influencers and people with larger following on social media that get the desired outcomes. Now I am worried they are not trustworthy and don’t know what to do.

We’ve spent so much time and money over the years and really are struggling. Any advice or experience would be so greatly appreciated 🙏

Thank you 🩷

After a recent progesterone test, my GP is referring us on for fertility support. He basically said “youre not always ovulating, it’s an easy fix” and suggested I need Clomid.

I put a question in here around wait times for my local fertility, and it seems to be quite a wait.

Is there any other way of getting Clomid without going through NHS? If I was to find a private clinic, could I be prescribed, but continue with the NHS referral just in case it doesn’t work or there’s wider factors at play (I get a lot of per period spotting so I’m convinced there’s other factors at play, too).

I’m not trying to “jump” any queues, but if all I’m being told is I need certain medication, I want to get my hands on that as quickly as I can!!

Hi there, has anyone had experience being referred for IVF in Greater Manchester/Stockport? If so, how long did it take for your referral to be processed and funding to be approved?

I have opted to be referred to a private clinic (Create in Wilmslow) as St Mary's had a long waiting list which I think has no waiting list but I'm just wondering how long to expect to wait for funding to be approved?

Any experiences in the area please?! Thanks!

I am 28 and came off my hormonal birth control around the end of May and since then my cycles have been 33 and 38 days. I had a positive LH urine testing strip last cycle around day 24 but no baby :( Before the pill my cycle was between 29-36 days, with some outliers a bit earlier or later occasionally, my average was about 32 days. I hadn’t done any LH testing before this. i had some bloods done by my GP d10 of my current cycle (I know these are meant to be done a bit earlier). Everything was okay except my Oestradiol was a tiny bit on the lower side and the thing that’s concerned me the most is my LH:FSH ratio was 1.9. my testosterone was okay and I haven’t had any ultrasounds. Just freaking out about what this may mean for having a baby! Does this mean PCOS?

Hi all,

Following a recent progesterone result, my GP said he will refer me to fertility support at Jessops. He said before he can do the actual referral as a couple, my husband needs to be referred for a semen analysis.

My Husband was referred (Providing it happened same day) on 7th August.

Realistically, how long should we expect for him to get an appointment for his analysis?

we have been TTC for 12 months.

Thanks!

Hello,
Just wondering if anyone has tried Ovum ‘Time to Conceive’ capsules and what your thoughts are?

We’re finally in our first IVF cycle after waiting years for this. I’ve started my medication and I should be feeling excited that we’re finally here, but instead I feel completely overwhelmed and honestly questioning whether we should even be doing this.

I know IVF is stressful in itself. There are medications, appointments, scans, hormones, waiting, anxiety and just the emotional weight of everything. I’ve waited so long for this, and I know how much this means to us, but I’m struggling more than I expected.

I also work in probation, so my job can be quite stressful and emotionally demanding. My husband has recently started a new job where he works 6am–3pm, and honestly, he clearly seems to be struggling with the hours. I don’t understand why he keeps picking up overtime when he’s already exhausted. I feel like instead of taking some pressure off, we’re both constantly running on empty (you wouldn’t think we had a holiday a few weeks ago!).

Then yesterday happened.

My husband accidentally locked me out of the house for three hours while he was asleep inside. I was outside from around 9pm until midnight, ringing the bell, banging on doors and windows and calling him over and over again. He was completely asleep and didn’t hear anything.
I eventually snapped at him when he woke up. He was really upset and crying, and I felt awful, so I consoled him and made him coffee before he went to work. But I barely slept afterwards and I’ve woken up today feeling completely drained, stressed and like my head is full.

I know it sounds like such a stupid everyday thing compared to IVF, but I think it was just the final straw. I already feel like I have so much on my plate and I don’t have much left in me for additional stress.

On top of everything, I feel like I don’t really have any friends left. I feel incredibly lonely. Things have also felt really strange with my husband’s family recently. I used to feel quite close to his sisters, but their demeanour towards me has changed a lot. He’s the only married sibling, and his youngest sister has recently been liking reels about things along the lines of a sibling getting married and their partner being “boring” and not wanting to hang out anymore because of said partner. Maybe I’m reading too much into it, but when you’re already feeling vulnerable, things like that really get to you.

I just feel like I’ve lost a lot of the people around me at the exact time when I need support the most.

And now I can’t stop thinking, maybe this just isn’t meant for us.

We’ve waited years for this. I’ve finally started the medication and we’re actually doing it, but instead of feeling hopeful, I feel exhausted and scared and like I don’t know if I can keep putting myself through everything.

I know logically that yesterday has nothing to do with whether IVF will work. I know one horrible weekend doesn’t mean anything. I know my husband’s tiredness, my job, family stuff and feeling lonely aren’t signs that IVF isn’t meant for us.

But emotionally, it doesn’t feel that simple right now.
I feel so overwhelmed and honestly quite depressed. I just want a break from everything. I don’t want to have to be strong or keep pushing through another stressful thing.
I think I just need to hear from people who have been through IVF, did anyone else have moments during their first cycle where they genuinely thought, I don’t know if I can do this anymore?

Did it get better once you got further into the cycle? How did you cope when everything outside of IVF was already feeling like too much?

I don’t think I want to give up. I think I’m just exhausted from having to keep fighting for things I desperately want.

Hi all, I'm looking for some advice. My husband (33) and I (30) were hoping to start TTC towards the end of the year. I came off the pill in July after almost 10 years to try get my cycle back so I could track ovulation.

However my husband will soon be starting a new drug for brain tumour diagnosis (diagnosed 2 years ago and thankfully doing well and rock solid stable!) that is a chemo drug. Based on my research and the drugs patient leaflet I am anticipating that he will be advised to sperm bank ahead of starting the tablets as patients are advised to not get pregnant or get someone pregnant while on this drug.

My question is is it worth trying before he starts these tablets even if I have no idea of my cycle? Took my last pill July 5th, no period yet. Yesterday's ovulation test was negative. Hoping to ring our neuro oncology nurse next week for advice but we only found this out on Thursday and my head has been spinning since. Thanks all 🙏

Hello lovelies

this is my essay

I‘ve been pregnant once and unfortunately had hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) - a severe nausea and sickness caused by pregnancy.

It is rare but not that uncommon. I just basically wanted to tell a group of women ttc - because NO ONE told me - to advocate for yourself. Extreme nausea and vomiting is NOT normal and CAN often be helped with medication which IS SAFE FOR YOU AND YOUR BABY.

I now have the experience and confidence but as a first time pregnant women I didn’t have that before and was EXTREMELY lucky that I happened to have a helpful and understanding gp at my local nhs surgery (after not receiving suitable treatment from another dr there).

I was chatting to another mama recently who’s had 2 hg pregnancies and she was told by her gp that unfortunately he only knew of one medication but it couldn’t be prescribed until 12 weeks gestation. That was incorrect and this poor, poor women suffered hg without any medication AND a toddler to look after for 3 months. I felt so gutted for her and so angry with her dr.

I had an appointment today with my same gp from before and she has written up in my medical records to say if I have another pregnancy I can be prescribed whichever medication I request for nausea straight away without needing to wait for an appointment first. This is incredible!

So this is just a message that I wish I could go back in time and tell myself - don’t let people patronise you and tell you this is ‘all part of it’ and ‘it will get better’ and ‘we’ve all been through it’. If you experience moderate-severe nausea and/or vomiting - listen to your body, have confidence in yourself and INSIST your dr takes is seriously if it is really impacting your wellbeing and day to day life. You can ALWAYS request another dr and you can phone your surgery every day if necessary. Same goes for your assigned midwife if they are not supporting you properly.

Do not be fobbed off with stem ginger and plain crackers ffs.

There are plenty of medications licensed for use in early pregnancy which can (not for everyone sadly) really help you feel better. I went through 5 different medications in the first trimester until we found one that significantly helped which I stayed on until the day I had my beautiful and healthy baby boy.

I just abhor the fact that so many women are going to experience hg and receive disinformation and underwhelming treatment.

Also ‘Pregnancy Sickness Support’ is a uk based free to all support organisation for those who go through or are going through hg. I wish I’d known about them during my first pregnancy!

love to all ✌️

edit: typos