My lists

Here I'll be making a list of things which have helped me personally or not; and new things I'm trying.

NOTE: THESE ARE THINGS WHICH HAVE WORKED/HWVENT WORKED FOR ME PERSONALLY, I AM NOT A PROFESSIONAL. 

1. Things which have personally helped me and new things I'm trying:

Herbs: I am an advocate of natural remedies generally, as I find they've helped me the most: enough sleep, exercise, relaxation, positivity and a healthy diet- although for the last one it's better to consult a specialist as well. Growing up in Bulgaria and constantly getting Ill as a child, I was given a lot of natural remedies. 

The first couple of times I got pregnant was natural: no medication, only healthy diet, enough sleep, holiday spent in the sun and some herbs for PCOS I was able to acquire in Bulgaria.

The first time, I had cut out sugar for a few months, ate a lot of yogurt, had a relaxing summer holiday by the sea, went to the St Michael monastery on the Island of Thassos.

The second time, I had been taking my Bulgarian herbs and had come back from a lovely family holiday in Thailand, in addition to getting more sleep and not stressing after we had seen a therapist which relaxed my mind.

No sugar: This has helped get rid of my PCOs on one occasion, and attributed to my first pregnancy. 

Yoga: I haven't been practicing it long enough to say, but I found some good yoga poses for fertility, through Mum's advice, YouTube and Mel's blog, which I should make a habit of following through more frequently.

Binaural beats: this is a new one which I started sometime in 2020, but I find them useful and relaxing to listen to, the encouraging and positive comments make the experience even better.

A good network: I am lucky to have a good support system of my parents, especially my mother, and friends.  After ending a toxic friendship a few years ago (which was not only responsible for my depression and stress, but my sleep was hindered too) I made friends with a lovely girl, who was also going through problems. Some of what she was going through was relatable, but it also put my problem into perspective. We try to make each other laugh as much as we can. 

Loving yourself: i cannot stress enough how important this is- looking after yourself well, practicing self care and encouraging yourself, never giving up on yourself. There was a time my mother hated her stomach and believes this may have contributed to her illness and I can't help but agree with her. When I was angry I wasn't getting pregnant, my PCOS came back. 

The experiment with the two plants comes to mind: one was looked after well, praised and encouraged. The other was neglected and insulted. Guess which one thrived?

I no longer hate my ovaries.

2. Things which haven't worked out for me personally:

Fertility monitors: when I was trying to get pregnant for a 2nd time I thought getting a fertility monitor would be the answer to my problems, but, like my GP said, it gave me nothing but extra stress, especially if I was unable to conceive on that day or thought I hadn't used it properly. I will say this though, it was good to know I was ovulating at least.

Chinese herbs: I gave these a try for a few months- no regular period or baby, just spending my well earned cash. It did however ignite my interest in acupuncture, which I would like to carry on with at some point, without the herbs.

In addition, hearing from others who have had/still have similar journeys to me, knowing that it's a few of us in a similar boat has put things into perspective; having read many success stories has given me hope. My aim is to eliminate PCOS, get pregnant a 3rd time and spread more awareness about PCOs, and able to help others in the same or similar situation.