A few questions now we're getting closer to attempt

[EnglishDame]

Ok that won't be a problem for him I'm sure, just concerned about only having 2 months of clomid too!

I'd love to understand it better but I know you're a busy lady and I'm already so appreciative of all your advice

[atomic sagebrush]

Ah, sorry, I didn't reread the entire thread start to finish again, I was viewing this thru the lens of your being worried about his high testosterone and not the Clomid thing.

Yeah, if you have 2 months of Clomid, we should not do that. Have him release NO oftener than every 2 days (so just one in between the e4d attempts only if he can't stand not to.) Or just stick with every 4 day releases (if he is willing.)

Explanation:

Sex and high testosterone is a chicken and egg kind of deal. He's probably releasing that often because he has high T and NOT vice versa. A guy with naturally lower T simply doesn't and couldn't release that much. So it's not (as you're thinking of it) that he has to not release because it's making his T levels high, his T levels are gonna be high regardless, even if he doesn't release as often. The amount of his release is really not a supereffective way to lower testosterone levels, there are numerous other reasons why a man has high testosterone entirely aside from the amount he releases and additionally I find no benefit to any hubby being pent up and b!tchy while you're trying to get them to cooperate with swaying in other ways.

[EnglishDame]

Ahh I understand, so even if he stopped releasing every day his T levels wouldn't likely change.
Is there any way at this point that we can lower his T levels or should we just not worry too much about it?

If I ask him to abstain apart from our attempts I'm sure he would, I just worried that he would be saving up the sperm and be in for a good sperm count for our attempt when it would normally be more depleted. Trust your advice though

[atomic sagebrush]

Yeah, exactly. Worrying over minor, do-nothing things like that is like worrying over the menu while the restaurant burns down LOL - just doesn't matter enough (or at all) in the grand scheme.

The catch 22 is that lower sperm numbers = lower odds of conception. There IS no way to both lower sperm count and also up odds of conception, they're mutually exclusive. So you're really asking me something impossible - both to lower your husband's sperm numbers but also be in with good chance of conceiving on the Clomid - just cannot be done! But the thing is that Clomid is much higher odds of pink than the FR (by far!) so it makes sense to let go of the FR and focus on conceiving on the Clomid.

[EnglishDame]

Right I see what you're saying Thanks so much, definitely feeling clearer about things! !

[EnglishDame]

One more question, I can't seem to find the answer to. I have probably eaten sugar most days for the last week, there seems to always be chocolate or biscuits at work and I have no willpower with sweet things. Even before this last week I would say a few times a week I've probably had something sugary and today I am having a bit of a panic that my sway is getting ruined and that we should put off our attempt. I'm only on 1000mg of metformin which I know isn't the highest dose. Is it enough to make sugary things more ok? Nearly every day I'm still only eating twice a day with a 17 hour fast overnight so then 6-7 hours between the 2 meals. Does that make a difference?

My eating habits are massively different to when I conceived my DS but I just don't know if it's enough.

If I give up sugar at 4 weeks out which is where we're at is that ok?

Can anyone that's swayed with pcos tell me if they totally excluded sugar?

[EnglishDame]

I suppose what I'm asking for help understanding is if metformin kind of resets my reaction to sugar at all? If regular pink swayers can eat sugar and I'm assuming it spikes their blood sugar levels too then what is it that makes it bad for pcos-ers and does metformin make it a bit more allowed? I remember reading on this site that metformin kind of does the same to your body as the pcos le does but i can't find where I read that again.

Sorry for all the questions Atomic, I just feel if I understand it better I can apply it easier if that makes sense.
I can't believe how much I've learned about my own body since I've been on this site, if it wasn't for gender dreaming I wouldn't even know I had pcos in the first place! Even if we get pregnant with a boy I'll definitely be back for a future away if my hubby will go for a 3rd. I truly believe in all of this (just wish I was better at it!!)

[atomic sagebrush]

Yes yes the Metformin does reset, or correct, a lot when it comes to your body's reaction to sugar. In fact most people who take Met do not even change their diets at all and it still helps them!!

To answer your question specifically, YES when people with insulin issues like PCO eat sugar, their body spikes blood sugar (as everyone's does normally) but either they don't release enough insulin or more commonly, the body is "deaf" to the insulin and this is why it's called insulin resistance. The insulin that is supposed to lower blood sugar, doesn't work because the body doesn't respond to it normally. The blood sugar goes higher, stays up longer, and drops slower, and this in turn raises testosterone. So Metformin makes your body act more like a NONPCOS person and while your blood sugar will of course still go up when you eat sweets now and then, it will "hear" that insulin better and then blood sugar will drop like it's supposed to.

[EnglishDame]

Thank you once again Atomic! That's fantastic info

[EnglishDame]

Ok so now we are on cd1 of our first attempt month! Starting clomid on cd3 so Tuesday, going to take it before bed and hope for the best in terms of side effects. Pretty nervous!
What I wanted to ask was should our first unprotected attempt be the day after I stop the clomid? We are going to do e4d, so clomid 3-7 then first attempt on cd8? Is that ok? Any tips for the 2ww? I heard pineapple can help the implantation process? Trying not to get my hopes up it's only the first month but I only have 2 months of clomid so really praying this works!