OHSS after Pregnancy

[Christin]

I have recently found out that I am pregnant. Unfortunatly, I have also found out that I have a moderate case of OHSS. I am gaining about 2 lbs. a day, very bloated, not urinating alot, difficult to walk, etc. I saw the doctor yesterday and he wasn't overly concerned.

I would love to hear from someone else who has dealt with OHSS and has gotten through it. What is the timeline of getting this extra fluid out of my body? Any tips/tricks that you found to be helpful?

-Christin

[Kelley77]

Hi Christin..as you know I am dealing with the same thing, however I seem to have 'leveled' off. I am still bloated....stomach is about 5 inches distended, my total weight gain fluctuates between 3-5 lbs.

The more I read on here, the more blah I get..I think a LOT of these ladies in a similar situation, had this for about 10-12 weeks!!! YIKES

I am already wearing my maternity pants because my jeans and other pants are SO UNCOMFORTABLE!!!! I just can't believe it...its like How the heck do you explain it? Well one day you are not pregnant, then..WOW I already look about 4-5 months?! Unbeleivable!!!!

I'm starting to feel it will NEVER go away...or by the time it does....I will be starting to show anyway Especially since this will be my 2nd, I would imagine I start to show a little sooner....and believe me!! when I got pregnant the first time, I couldn't WAIT TO SHOW..well then you realize just how long you DO show for, and how badly you wish you were in regular clothes! DON'T be anxious...there will be LOTS LOTS LOTS of time to show and wear cute maternity clothes!

I would love to hear from the ladies who went through this......
How long does it take togo back down?

[shantala]

hey ladies

i was hospitalised with OHSS in my 2ww for 10 days. i gained 1-2kg every day (about 2-4lbs) and my bloatedness just got worse and worse. however, my stomach has gone completely down now. i would say i was bloated for about 2 weeks after which the bloating went down.

having said that, although the bloating has gone down my ovaries are still massive and making me feel really weak and nauseous, which ive been told, can last until you're 10-12 weeks pregnant! so althought the uncomfortableness has gone down, the rest hasnt and i still have to take it very easy. (i've been signed off work for 8 weeks in total now!).

its all worth it though!!!

hope we all start feeling better soon!

xxx

[Christin]

Shantala
Thanks so much for your honesty. If you don't mind telling me, what did they do in the hospital? Did the ultimatly drain the fluid, or were they re-hydrating you? I am to the point now that I want them to admit me just to drain the fluid. I am gaining 2 lbs a day, it is terrible. I am ready to look like a normal person that is only 4 weeks pregnant. What was the breaking point for you RE to finally admit you into the hospital?

[shantala]

hi christin!

no problem at all.

in the hospital, the originally just hydrated me with fluids. they did keep threatening to drain me if i got any bigger but just as they started talking about it, my weight gain levelled out. the other thing they did was to measure my fluid intake and output in order to measure the fluid retention. i completely understand where you're coming from - i got to a point where i just wanted to be drained too! But I think unless they really, really have to, they will try and avoid it.

as for what the breaking point was. i think the breaking point was that i had trouble breathing. when i first spoke to one of the doctor's he said its normal, etc, etc. so i called them again the following day saying i'm getting worse, spoke to a different doctor and he admitted me straight away. i was terribly bloated and could not breathe. thats when the fluids are pushing up against your diaghram. (spelling?)

if you feel like you cant take anymore please please please pester them until they do something. its very important that they monitor you closely, especially in those early weeks in pregnancy.

hope thats helped...please feel free to ask more questions if you have any!

xx

[Bean]

Christin and Shantala how are you feeling?hope your symptoms gone.
Does the OHSS effect the fetus or not ? I had OHSS and I've been at hospital after ER.Right now I'm in my 2ww I'm praying not get OHSS worse case.
Good luck to you.

[shantala]

hey bean

still suffering but definitely getting better thank you.

as for your question....it definitely cannot harm the foetus! in actual fact, often pregnancy triggers and makes OHSS worse so it could be that a growing foetus is the cause!

when do you test??

xx

[Bean]

ladeis how are you feeling?
Shantala I got my Negative result officially)))
I feel great despite the result.Good mood,nice weather....!!!!
wish you luck ladies

[hhb]

Hi ladies -

Congrats to you all that are pregnant and even though the OHSS is SOOOOO uncomfortable, it's a good sign. I started hyperstimming about 3 days before my pregnancy test was scheduled and went in to see the RE the day before my blood test because I, too, was having trouble breathing. He congratulated me on being pregnant when he walked into the exam room even though I hadn't had my test (I guess he was super confident).

I was not hospitalized - not a really severe case even though I was miserable. He told me to eat alot of protein, and if my nausea couldn't handle chicken, etc. then to make protein shakes and drink them a few times a day, which I did with rice protein powder and yogurt in a blender. Some people said that salty liquids (V8 juice) were also helpful. The protein helps your body flush the extra fluids out. I was eating leftover grilled chicken at 7am some mornings!

My ovaries were enlarged until about 12-13 weeks - I think at 13 weeks they looked totally back to normal - and the uncomfortbleness was there until about 10-11 weeks. I'm assuming it lasts longer if you have a bad case.

Good luck to you, and remember that it is a good sign, as your body is making all those hormones to help support the pregnancy.

-Heidi

[meggs1012]

Last week i was def on bedrest with OHSS-it was terrible-couldnt breathe, exhausted, no appetite-im 5 weeks today-well, its getting better, im still bloated as all get out but -does that mean that my pregnancy is doomed and that my levels arent skyrocketing??? I just feel like if my HCG was getting real high that would keep triggering it-or what? If anyone can give me their experiences that would be great!!!! Ooooh, i so cant wait for my u/s.....im tired of analyzing everything!!

[Christin]

We realized the severity (although not "severe" by definition) of my OHSS at 7dp5dt. I continued gaining 2 lbs per day for about 2 weeks. I have now lost almost 10 of those pounds. They made me sleep elevated every night so that the fluid would stay low. They wanted to try to keep it out of my lungs. In addition, I had to drink a ton of V8 and Gatorade. I was so sick of V8...uggh. I am now ...lets see...21dp5dt I guess, and finally off of the V8, and I sleep a little more flat now. My ovaries are still really large, so they want me to take it easy. I still get cramps in them, and they worry me. I get scared that they will rupture.

I still have a poochy tummy, bc I probably have 5lbs of fluid still in my abdomen, but it is defintly going down. It is much easier to walk around. Previously it was terribly miserable.

So for those that are struggling...stick it out and do what the doctors say. Drink a lot so you don't get dehydrated and to keep flushing out the fluid. It will eventually get better. Mine seemed to get really bad, before it got better. I know this probably isn't what yall wanted to hear, but it was at least my experience.

I go back to the RE on Friday and they will re-examine to see how much fluid is in there. THey have assured me that it isn't going to affect the babies (I am having twins). So that is comforting.

-Christin