Rachel's March 2020 UPDATE: "I would like to introduce our Ovusense baby, Sarena Crystal born 02/22/20. I have PCOS, hypothyroid and Hashimoto’s, and advanced maternal age (age 36). I started using Ovusense in May 2018 (after many previous years of TTC unsuccessfully) and we conceived our miracle baby on cycle 12. The information that I learned about my cycle by using Ovusense was invaluable."
Rachel's December 2019 UPDATE: "I am currently 27 weeks pregnant with a baby girl due March 6, 2020 and I owe it all to what I learned about my body while using Ovusense!! So exciting to think that our story may actually help someone else overcome infertility. Thank you for the opportunity to tell my story earlier this year."
Read on below to hear about Rachel's journey earlier this year, and what she was doing to help her conceive...
While many women aren’t diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) until later in life, some women find out as they are first starting their period – often without a proper explanation of what this means for their health or future fertility. Rachel, who now lives in North Carolina, was one of those women.
After being diagnosed with PCOS at age 15, she was put on birth control right away, which helped regulate her hormones and symptoms throughout her teens and 20s. After getting married, Rachel went off birth control in 2012 and began to learn more about what PCOS meant as she started thinking about building a family.
Beginning to Understand Infertility
For the next two years Rachel worked with two different reproductive endocrinologists to understand why she hadn’t been able to get pregnant. Throughout this time period, she tried numerous fertility medications, went through periods of having daily blood work and trigger shots every cycle, and never saw a positive on a pregnancy test. Ultimately, Rachel and her partner separated, which allowed Rachel to focus on getting her PCOS symptoms under control.
Throughout 2016 and 2017, Rachel began her weight loss journey and joined PCOS support groups on Facebook, where she felt very encouraged throughout her journey. With a more optimistic outlook on her health and fertility, Rachel also began dating her current partner and started to think about starting a family again. While her previous insurance company had covered her fertility treatments – including bloodwork, ultrasounds, etc. – her existing coverage didn’t include these things so it was paramount for her to understand her cycle before undergoing any treatments to ensure they were happening at the right time.
Taking Control of Her Own Information
Rachel, now 35, began using OvuSense in April of 2018 in order to understand her cycle better before she and her partner started trying to conceive. Even though she works as a nurse, Rachel admits there was a real lack of education when she was growing up about what PCOS meant for her fertility and health as she matured.
By understanding her unique ovulation window, Rachel did end up conceiving with her current partner. While she did miscarry, Rachel is encouraged: “The fact that I could even get pregnant in the first place after years of working with fertility specialists and seeing no results gives me such hope for the future. The information that OvuSense provides about my unique cycle and when I ovulate has been invaluable.” Through using OvuSense and the connection with other women in the OvuSense support group, Rachel has been able to understand how different supplements affect her fertility and track her ovulation down to the day. As with many women with PCOS, Rachel was able to find out that she ovulates late in her cycle – information that was never available to her before.
Rachel is continuing to track her cycle with OvuSense, and is now working with a doctor who specializes in PCOS. She has been able to walk into these appointments armed with specific information about her cycle, allowing her and her doctor to quickly understand if and when she is ovulating. By being an advocate for herself and her health, Rachel has taken her fertility into her own hands and is eager to support other women who are also struggling with infertility.
Rachel's March 2020 UPDATE: "I would like to introduce our Ovusense baby, Sarena Crystal born 02/22/20. I have PCOS, hypothyroid and Hashimoto’s, and advanced maternal age (age 36). I started using Ovusense in May 2018 (after many previous years of TTC unsuccessfully) and we conceived our miracle baby on cycle 12. The information that I learned about my cycle by using Ovusense was invaluable."