Health Advice for Women

The United States currently has the unfortunate reputation of being the fattest country in the world. Sadly, there are plenty of other countries catching up to us. Just Google “fattest countries” and you’ll see a slew of articles detailing the increases in obesity in countries such as Mexico and Australia. Food intake in these and other countries is becoming more concentrated on sugar, fast food and soft drinks and less on healthy, traditional fare.

Unfortunately, countries that have never been on the radar for obesity are now starting to show up there. They are beginning to feel the adverse affects of the influx of fast food and grocery store chains in their communities. Places like China and India, which are historically known for having thin populations, are now becoming fatter as they become more indoctrinated into the global economy. As a result, these and other countries are starting to see an increase in weight related diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and stroke.

In India, researchers have also found that obese women are having a hard time conceiving. According to an article in The Times of India, this is because 90% of them, 35% of whom are within their childbearing years, suffer from Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS). PCOS is a hormonal disorder that affects a woman’s insulin production resulting in irregular menstrual cycles and infertility. Women with PCOS can also experience increased body and facial hair, hair loss, adult acne, and the inability to lose weight solely on a low calorie diet, among other symptoms.

According to Dr Gita Gan guly Mukherjee, former Head of Department- gynaecology at R G Kar Hospital, Kolkata, there are two main reasons for the increase of PCOS diagnoses in Indian women: the adoption of unhealthy eating habits and a sedentary lifestyle. Whereas older generations of Indian women eat traditional, lower calorie foods with less sugar, many young Indian girls today eat a steady diet of junk food. When these bad habits are combined with an extremely aggressive academic load, young girls simply cannot burn off the increased calories to maintain a healthy weight.

As a result of these increases, Indian doctors and patients alike are searching for solutions that will help women of Indian descent conceive children. Companies such as Insulite Labs (http://pcos.insulitelabs.com/) and support boards such as www.pcosa.org offer these women hope and solutions to their reproductive challenges. In fact, Insulite Labs reports seeing a noticeable uptick in orders of their 5 Element System – nutrition, exercise, vitamins, addiction/cravings awareness and support — coming from Indian women with PCOS living both in India and elsewhere.

Here are testimonials from two women of Indian descent that talk about how incorporating non-pharmaceutical solutions into their daily routines helped reverse the symptoms they were experiencing with PCOS:

“Thanks so much for the Insulite PCOS System. After being on it for 4 months I’ve conceived now and before that I had been trying for last 1 year but failed. Really, you are like lord for us.”

- Pankaj Anand, India

“Thank you very much for having changed my life. I am doing very well with the Insulite Labs PCOS diet and exercise regimen. I am exercising for 35-40 mins daily. My fat has drastically reduced and I now have a flat belly after taking your tablets. I am getting my periods regularly and there is a reduction of facial hair by 70%. I am very thankful to your support and the work you have done to reverse PCOS.”

- Rashmi Desai — Gold Coast, Australia

As illustrated by Pankaj and Rashmi, PCOS is beginning to affect more and more women around the world. Thankfully there are support groups and companies such as Insulite Labs that are working hard to sustain these women - until there is a serious effort to change global dietary and exercise standards that will help our populations maintain a reasonably healthy weight.

Unless they have a health issue, most people do not really know or understand the frustration that comes along with having a chronic health problem. Getting the diagnosis is bad enough. Trying to learn about the disease and go on to change your entire way of living in order to successfully combat it and live a normal, healthy life is completely overwhelming. The people you normally turn to in times of crisis often cannot relate to what you are going through. Lost for words, they give you a blank stare, a slightly furrowed brow or a sad or confused expression, leaving you feeling even more empty and alone than you were before.

For me, trying to explain to someone that I have not had a normal period for years makes me look like an alien and feel like a failure. I can’t really explain to them why I have chronic greasy skin and why my acne refuses to clear up at the age of 34. They don’t understand the frustration of not being able to get pregnant after months, even years, of trying, nor do they understand why my life is totally consumed by new dieting methods and exercise programs that guarantee to help me lose weight but never really do the trick.

Thank goodness we live in the digital age! With online health communities also known as internet forums, growing by leaps and bounds, finding someone who understands exactly what I am going through is not just possible, it’s easy. An internet forum, online forum or message board, is a website with a discussion format. Forums allow anonymous visitors to view the contents and belong to a group of contributors who’ve registered into the system, becoming known as members. The members submit topics for discussion (known as threads) and communicate with each other using publicly visible messages (referred to as posts) or private messaging.

People participating in an online forum will usually build bonds with each other and interest groups will easily form around a topic’s discussion, subjects dealt within or around sections in the forum.

In online health forums, no one judges you. You don’t have to censor your symptoms or defend how you are feeling. You can share your successes and know that the online community is genuinely happy for you.

After years of feeling horrible about myself and very much alone in my efforts to get healthier, I’ve finally found a group of “sisters” that help me deal with my particular disease, PCOS – Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. I have come to find out that there are a lot of women out there that suffer from the same issues as I do. They give me suggestions on how to deal with my symptoms, chat about what treatments have and have not worked for them, and provide me with emotional support when times are tough. Even in the wee hours of the morning, I know I can go online to find someone in a PCOS forum who understands and sympathizes, then encourages me to take action in my own life.

So if you are suffering from a health issue for which feel you need more emotional support or need access to more information and treatment options, go online! You’ll be pleasantly surprised by how uplifted and empowered you’ll feel when you do. And if you need PCOS support, I’ve listed some of my favorites below. I hope you find them as helpful as I have.

• Insulite Labs Forum (http://pcos.insulitelabs.com/forums/index.php)
• PCOS Association (http://www.pcoscommunity.com/index.php)
• SoulCysters (http://www.soulcysters.net

According to the Times of India: “More and more obese women in India are finding it hard to conceive. The reason: Nearly 90% of them suffer from Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), a complex hormonal disorder that affects a woman’s menstrual cycle, fertility and insulin production…… Gynecologists and endocrinologists report that nearly 35% of women in India in their reproductive age suffer from PCOS.”

A local Boulder Colorado company, Insulite Labs, continues to get emails and praises every day from customers that have been able to conceive after suffering infertility prior to going on the Insulite PCOS System. It’s great to see a natural solution for infertility that women are finding success with. Below are two women expressing their views.

“Thanks so much for the (Insulite Labs) PCOS System. After being on it for 4 months I’ve conceived now and before that I had been trying for last 1 year but failed. Really, you are like lord for us.”
- Pankaj Anand
India

And from a woman of Indian descent from Australia who has been guided by Dr. Heather DeLuca:

“Thank you very much for having changed my life.

I am doing very well with the Insulite Labs PCOS diet and exercise regimen. I am exercising for 35-40 mins daily. My fat has drastically reduced and I now have a flat belly after taking your tablets. I am getting my periods regularly and there is a reduction of facial hair by 70%.

I am very thankful to your support and the work you have done to reverse PCOS.”
- Rashmi Desai
Gold Coast, Australia

Getting married is a wonderful right of passage for a woman. Many of us wait to establish our careers, find the right person with the same life goals, and take immense joy in planning our “perfect” day.  And the best part is that we can finally stop hearing the dreaded question “So when are you getting married?”

Unfortunately, that question is immediately replaced with “So when are you going to have children?”

Time and time again I’ve heard brides recount the fact that they didn’t even get out of their wedding reception without someone, or multiple someone’s, asking them when they were going to start a family. And whether they wait to start trying or want to have children right away, getting pregnant is often not as simple as planning a wedding; there can be complications, set backs and an emotional toll that even the best planner is not prepared to deal with.

To most, pregnancy seems like the most natural process in the world. If you stop using birth control, you’ll get pregnant within three months right? Wrong. More and more, women are struggling to get pregnant. And the frustration builds when you are told by your OBGYN that you have to wait a year to formally be diagnosed with an infertility problem before receiving any kind of infertility counseling and/or treatment.

What women and some OBGYN’ s do not realize is that there are signs that show up way before a woman tries to become pregnant that could signal a problem with their reproductive systems. Some questions to ask yourself if you feel you might have a problem:

Do you suffer from missed periods?
Do you have excess fat around your middle?
Do you crave carbs?
Do you suffer from depression or have emotional ups and downs?
Do you suffer from adult acne or have thinning hair?

Some or all of these symptoms could mean that you have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), a common problem for women in childbearing years that can severely inhibit their chances of becoming pregnant.

PCOS is the cause of an alarming variety of conditions in women today, but its symptoms are among the most widely misdiagnosed. What’s worse is that women with PCOS often suffer through one ineffective and frustrating infertility treatment after another – and still not get to the root cause of your infertility or get pregnant.

The good news is that women with PCOS can improve their health and chances of becoming pregnant just by making a few changes to their daily lives. From adopting a low carb, healthy diet to exercising daily and taking vitamins, women can decrease the symptoms caused by PCOS and increase their chances of becoming pregnant naturally. And there are many support groups out there to help you. For example, many women use Insulite Labs’ 5 Element System (found at www.pcos.insulitelabs.com) to help them reverse PCOS. The Insulite Labs PCOS System helps you get the nutrients and supplements your body needs, helps you change your eating habits, and works with you on getting the exercise and emotional support to deal with PCOS.

For more information on PCOS, please visit:

Insulite Labs (http://pcos.insulitelabs.com/)
PCOSupport.org
Soulcysters.com

There is nothing more frustrating than losing control. At work, at home, with others, with ourselves, it hurts when we see all our well laid out plans get turned upside down by factors that we can’t do anything about.

For women with PCOS, that frustration is magnified by the fact that PCOS often controls multiple factors in our lives. From health issues to pregnancies and appearance to self esteem issues, PCOS is a beast that we feel we cannot tame.

Like in every good fairytale, we girls dream that our knight in shining armor will slay the beast and give us our life back. That, of course, will not happen – it’s why they call them fairytales. But there is someone who can help us get our PCOS symptoms under control and set us on the path to improved self esteem and, as a result, a bigger and better life: Insulite Labs

Insulite Labs 5 Element System incorporates nutrition, exercise, nutraceuticals, an awareness program for food addiction and cravings and support networks, all designed to deal with the symptoms that cause us so much angst. With Insulite Labs, we are no longer victims of pre-diabetes, weight gain, adult acne, hair loss and irregular periods. With Insulite Labs, women with PCOS have a fighting chance; they are the ones who have taken control and have killed the beast that has been weighing them down most of their lives.

Still feel like Rapunzel? Stuck in the PCOS tower for life? Take a few tips from some women who have used the Insulite Labs protocol to get their health back on track:

(With Insulite Labs) I have more energy, deeper sleep, menopause seems easier, I have already lost weight and some inches around my incredibly large midsection and my face looks younger and more refreshed. It is very easy to follow this health regimen which uses a systematic approach to reverse the PCOS instead of the classical approach with prescription pills which don’t even handle the PCOS and instead add side effects.
I’m eating and eliminating properly. As a chronic osteoarthritic, my improved diet and something in the supplements is helping my joint symptoms, and I am more energetic.

An old friend said “you’re starting to sound like your old self again, like you’re alive again. And, you look like you’re getting smaller.” Anyone with PCOS should not hesitate to give this program a try!”
– NR, New York

“I have been on the PCOS System for exactly two weeks today, and I have noticed some very welcome changes! I am getting a better quality sleep, I do not wake and toss and turn and have millions of disturbing dreams; I wake feeling more rested and rejuvenated. My acne has improved, my face is not inflamed any more, my complexion is more evenly toned and not as greasy. I have found my food cravings dropped dramatically! I find that I sometimes forget to eat because I no longer feel ravenously hungry all the time! My cravings for sweets has diminished, and if I do find myself hungry and in danger of eating the delicious looking Mr. Goodbar, I pop a breath mint in and the craving goes away!”

- B.G, Plymouth, MI

So go ahead Rapunzel… let down your golden hair. Climb down from the tower and battle PCOS head on. Contact Insulite Labs today!
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As a stay at home mother of two young, energetic boys I always thought that constantly being tired was just part of the job. By two o’clock each afternoon, all I wanted to do was get them to nap and lay down on the couch to regroup. Often, by the time I fell asleep, they were ready to get up so I was operating on automatic pilot, barely able to play with them outside, get their dinner on the table and do their baths before collapsing myself.

Then finally, after a conversation with my doctor, I realized that my constant and debilitating fatigue was not normal. Neither was my adult acne problem, hair loss and weight problem. My symptoms, I learned, were a result of a condition known as Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome or PCOS.

As it turns out, PCOS and fatigue are both linked to an imbalance of the endocrine system and are characterized by an excess of male hormones. Fatigue, a symptom commonly associated with PCOS, is also closely linked to the thyroid and adrenal glands. At the heart of both of these issues, however, is a disorder known as Insulin Resistance.

Insulin Resistance, a condition that vastly reduces the insulin sensitivity of cells, impairs the processing of glucose through the cell wall for conversion to energy. As a result, glucose remains in the blood stream, causing elevated blood sugar, which is sent to the liver. Once there, the sugar is converted into fat and stored via the blood stream throughout the body. This process can lead to weight gain and obesity, also key factors in women with PCOS.

To add insult to injury, fatigue frequently causes women with PCOS to treat their low energy with carbs and caffeine, which dumps more glucose into the blood in a never-ending spiral of weight gain and increasing insulin and glucose levels. As fatigue and insulin resistance worsen, excess fat cells produce too much of another hormone, estrogen.

Stress is another contributor to both fatigue and PCOS. Although the original purpose of the stress response was to provide a momentary burst of energy in order to fight or run away, stress has become a continual presence in our lives today. Cortisol, the hormone produced by the adrenal glands when we are stressed, is vital to our functioning as long as it is in appropriate amounts. During stress, excess cortisol causes an increase in glucose and insulin to enable our muscles and heart to handle the stress. But with today’s stressors we don’t respond like early humans. We don’t utilize the glucose by running or fighting and so the glucose stays elevated. Excess levels of cortisol can contribute to Insulin Resistance as well as other hormonal imbalances.

Because I was always so embarrassed to talk about what I classified as “failures” as a mother and adult woman, I never thought that I might actually have a condition that I could reverse. As it turns out, there are several things I could do, the most effective of which was to try Insulite Laboratories’ 5 Element System to reverse the symptoms caused by PCOS. Combining nutrition, exercise, vitamins, support and awareness programs,Insulite Labsworks with you to make the changes necessary to create a whole new you… one with lots of energy and renewed outlook on life.

About the Author:

Heather Bishara lives in South Riding, VA, is a mother of two boys ages 1 and 4 and works as a business consultant for www.tricalyx.com part-time from home. She continues on her journey for relief from her PCOS through a low carb diet, exercise, and the use of herbs and dietary supplements such as those found in the Insulite PCOS System.

Are you trying to get pregnant and you have PCOS? Women with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) who experience infertility, often feel very alone in their quest to conceive a child. Did you know that PCOS is the most common cause of female infertility?

PCOS can occur in girls as young as 11 and has been shown to be a precursor to more serious health issues such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. And though there are many symptoms associated with PCOS, infertility is certainly one of the more heartbreaking and emotionally draining ones for women in their childbearing years who want to become pregnant.

If you have been diagnosed with infertility associated with PCOS, below are 10 suggestions that may help:
1. Understand the root cause of PCOS.
Insulin resistance, defined as the prevention of the efficient conversion of food into energy, is commonly believed to be the root cause of PCOS. Insulin resistance causes hormonal imbalances in women with PCOS making them unable to ovulate and, as a result, may cause difficulties in conceiving.
There are many resources out there to help you learn more about insulin resistance and PCOS such as Insulite Labs PCOS web site. If you understand the issues, you can better understand and deal with PCOS. Many women with PCOS have become pregnant naturally.
2. Find a good doctor.
As PCOS gains more ground in the medical community, many doctors are becoming more specialized in this area. If your doctor does not work directly with PCOS patients or seems uninterested or unwilling to work with you to overcome the symptoms of this disease, find a new one immediately! The PCOSA website has a great list of state-by-state medical professionals to get you started: www.pcosupport.org
3. Adopt healthy eating habits.
Although not all women with PCOS experience weight gain, they all can benefit from adopting healthy eating habits. Eating healthy foods low in sugar and carbohydrates has proven to help women balance their insulin levels and, as a result, control the symptoms caused by PCOS. The resulting weight loss and overall benefits from eating healthily can sometimes help women improve hormone imbalances and restore normal periods and ovulation, and in some cases enable them to become pregnant without the use of infertility drugs.

4. Learn about food addictions.

Do you ever wonder why you always seem hungry and can never fill that craving or fight the urge to eat? Well you are not the only one! Many women with PCOS constantly complain about how hard it is to give up foods high in carbs and high in sugar in their quest to lose weight and/or eat more healthily.

Addiction to carbohydrates and sugars is driven by the profound ability of these negative foods to stimulate dopamine, serotonin and endorphin brain circuits which, as a result, produces feelings of pleasure and contentment as well as dulls emotional and physical pain. If you can slowly reduce your consumption of carbs and sugars then your brain will begin to accept that eating a smaller amount of these negative foods is your new normal. In essence, you are addressing your food addiction by replacing the addiction with a healthy alternative which will help you both physically and mentally deal with the fertility issues facing you today.
5. Exercise every day.
Incorporating exercise into your daily routine is especially important for women with PCOS who are trying to conceive because the endorphins that are released when you exercise increase the dopamine in your system. This process can help you deal with your food addictions because the same chemical reaction occurs when you exercise as when you eat foods high in carbs and sugars: it gives you the feeling of satisfaction and pleasure. Exercising will also benefit your mental health by helping you keep a positive attitude, deal better with stress, and maintain higher self esteem during this difficult time in your life. Equally as important, exercise directly addresses insulin resistance by increasing glucose disposal and enhancing muscle, which boosts insulin sensitivity.
6. Remember your husband/partner.
While you obviously have physical and emotional issues to deal with, try not to forget about your husband/partner. Men, for example, often experience frustration and sadness associated with infertility issues but do not feel comfortable expressing their feelings about it. The best thing to do is talk directly about the issue, remind yourselves why you wanted to have a baby in the first place and remember that this is a journey that both of you share. Both of you will benefit from this kind of direct conversation.
7. Keep it real.
Anyone who has been through this knows that while TV makes getting pregnant look fun and glamorous, trying to get pregnant can become systematic and monotonous, almost a chore! Communicating with your partner about your expectations will help everyone deal better with the situation. It may also help lighten up the mood and make things a little more spontaneous!
8. Seek support.
As stated above, PCOS is the most common cause of female infertility. If you are feeling lonely and thinking that no one in your immediate circle of friends or family understand what you are going through, reach out to other women with PCOS and infertility issues. There are many PCOS support groups online that you can access. If you can’t find one that fits your needs, ask your doctor for information about local support groups or start one yourself for women in your area.
9. Be thankful.
I know what you are thinking! Be thankful? For what? The challenge here is to look objectively at the facts. You have a diagnosis. You are working with your doctor. There are steps you can take to increase your chances of becoming pregnant. Many women out there do not have the first clue that they have PCOS and therefore cannot take any steps toward achieving their goal of conceiving a child. So, yes, be thankful!
10. Give it time.
The worst thing that women with PCOS who are trying to get pregnant can do is watch the clock. The stress it puts on the body and soul is extremely damaging. If you can work closely with your doctor, adopt a healthy lifestyle, vent to your support group about your feelings, and make a concerted effort to relax, chances are you will significantly increase your potential for becoming pregnant.

For some PCOS may have been an added abbreviation to your vocabulary from an early age for others it may still be a stranger living inside your body. Whatever the case, this article and other articles on this website will help you understand PCOS. You’ll find added information for understanding and treating PCOS effectively as well as personal accounts of those dealing with the disease.

PCOS (a.k.a. Stein-Leventhal Syndrome) refers to a condition that primarily affects those between the ages of 15 to 35 years, and occurs when there is an imbalance within a woman’s endocrine system resulting in cystic build up within the ovaries. It affects between 8-15% of women in the United States alone.

The imbalance includes higher than normal blood levels of estrogen, testosterone, luteinizing hormone (LH), and decreased levels of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). As a result of this imbalance, under-developed follicles accumulate in the ovaries, rather than maturing and releasing during ovulation.

As the follicles accumulate, cysts are formed producing pelvic pain. Further, due to lack of ovulation, those with PCOS often suffer from pelvic pain, irregular menses (periods), and may have difficulty getting pregnant.

Insulin resistance appears to play a key role in PCOS. In addition to other hormones, insulin helps regulate ovarian function. When someone has insulin resistance, cells throughout the body do not readily respond to the insulin within the blood. As a result, the insulin level within the blood remains high. These high levels may contribute to lack of ovulation, high androgen levels, infertility, and early pregnancy loss. High androgen levels correlate with weight gain, acne, decreased breast size, and increased hair growth in areas that are typical to males (face, chest, abdomen, and back). This is referred to as Hirsutism. Having insulin resistance also contributes to high levels of glucose and lipid levels within the blood, placing a person at risk for diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Now for some of you, all of this may still seem like a foreign language, medical jargon aiming to throw you off track when all you’re trying to do is figure out what has overtaken your body. Rest assured everyone feels the same way when they are first diagnosed with PCOS, but after talking to your doctor and reading through our Web site your knowledge of PCOS will evolve. Rest assured you’re not alone and remember to do something nice for yourself. Keeping fresh flowers in my house is a wonderful gift I give myself!

Living with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) can sometimes be a over-whelming task. Many of the side effects caused by the disease such as adult acne, infertility, weight gain and excessive facial or body hair can be difficult to control. Additionally, the emotions associated with presenting ones self to the public when facing such challenges- and an overall lack of self-esteem - can, at times, seem impossible to overcome.

But there is hope! Research has shown that women living with PCOS who adopt positive lifestyles can overcome the symptoms caused by this disease. Here are ten tips for living with, and managing, the symptoms caused by PCOS. You may want to post this list on your refrigerator or bathroom mirror as a gentle reminder to yourself.

1. Adopt healthy eating habits.
All women with PCOS can benefit from adopting healthy eating habits. By eating a diet low in carbohydrates and refined sugars you can help reverse the imbalances of glucose and insulin in your body that cause PCOS symptoms to flair up.

2. Fit exercise into your daily routine.
Although everyone should find time to exercise, it is especially important for women with PCOS to fit some form of exercise into their daily routine. Whether it is a 20-minute walk, playing outside with your kids, or going to a Pilates class, exercise has proven to boost metabolism and burn calories which helps to control insulin levels and, in turn, results in weight loss. Exercise can also help to stave off diabetes, a health risk for women in PCOS.

3. Avoid stimulants.
Having a cup of coffee (or two or three…) has become such a part of our culture that giving it up may seem impossible. However, coffee and other stimulants cause increases in insulin production which have proven to have a negative impact on women with PCOS. If you are serious about controlling your insulin levels, you really need to consider giving up that cup of Joe.

4. Get regular physical exams.
Women with PCOS have a greater risk of developing cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and some forms of cancer. They are also more likely to suffer from high blood pressure and/or high cholesterol. Meeting regularly with your doctor to monitor and treat these issues will help you stay healthy until the symptoms come under control through the adoption of healthy eating and exercise habits.

5. Relax.
Women with PCOS are more prone towards experiencing depression and mood swings. They often find themselves emotionally frustrated when their own bodies seem to purposefully work against them. Whether dealing with weight issues or having difficulty conceiving, PCOS can take a toll on your emotional well-being, so take a bubble bath, watch an old movie, or do something else that you really enjoy doing. It can make the biggest difference in how you feel on the inside.

6. Seek support networks.
Although it may feel like it, you are definitely not alone in your struggle with PCOS. There are thousands of women out there who are experiencing the same symptoms and emotions that you are. Do not be shy. These are the women who will lift you up when you are feeling down. If you can’t find a group then start one and promote it online, in local newspapers, via flyers and at schools, college and health clubs.

7. Ask questions.
With PCOS, there is no one size fits all solution to control the disease. Symptoms vary with each person so you really need to ask questions of your physicians and do research on your own to find a regimen that will work best for you.

8. Get help if you are depressed.
PCOS can make you feel melancholy, especially given the multitude of physical and emotional challenges that can develop as a result of this disease. If you are feeling more than a little sad and cannot shake the feeling of disillusionment associated with the condition, get help. The fact is you can live a positive life even when dealing with PCOS. Getting help is the first step towards achieving that goal.

9. See a specialist.
As PCOS gets more attention from physicians, the media and others, there are more and more treatment options being offered. For example, Insulite Labs of Boulder, CO has created a five step approach that incorporates nutraceuticals, nutrition, exercise, food addiction awareness and support networks to help reverse the symptoms caused by PCOS. If you are having trouble finding a physician who will treat you for PCOS, you should check out the state-by-state list of medical professionals who have shown a commitment to PCOS located on the PCOSA website www.pocsupport.org .

10. Maintain a positive attitude.
Maintaining a positive attitude is essential to realizing positive outcomes in any aspect of life. Be positive and create opportunities for yourself that can help you realize your dreams. Just because you have PCOS does not mean you cannot live your best life!

PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) is a major cause of infertility. A symptom of the condition, often referred to as polycystic ovaries, can be nine or fewer menstrual cycles per year. This is the result of the ovaries failing to produce hormones that keep the menstrual cycle regular. When women with PCOS have infrequent or no ovulation, they may be unable to become pregnant. Many women suffering from PCOS seek fertility treatment.

Most heterosexual women with PCOS try Assisted Reproductive Therapy (ART) before proceeding to in vitro fertilization (IFV). ART does not have the risks or the costs of IVF. Since the main reason women with PCOS have trouble conceiving is erratic menstrual cycles, ovulation induction is the most common ART method used.

Ovulation induction often involves taking Clomid, one of the most popular fertility drugs prescribed, to encourage ovulation by stimulating ovary follicles. Women with PCOS may be all too familiar with Clomid side-effects: mood swings, hot flashes and headaches and may choose an alternative fertility drug after several unsuccessful cycles, or move on to IVF.

Artificial insemination (AI), another form Assisted Reproductive Therapy, involves the injection of sperm, either from a known donor (this person may be the woman’s unmarried partner, a friend or even family member of the non-biological partner) or from a donor bank, directly into the cervix or uterus. AI is not typically used in heterosexual couples where PCOS is the only obstacle to conception. AI is a common treatment when the male has a low sperm count or the female suffers from endometriosis.

Because PCOS seems to be more prevalent among lesbians, female couples opting for a combination of ART and artificial insemination or in vitro fertilization over adoption may be more likely to face the challenges of conceiving with PCOS. And with the recent “Gayby Boom,” the trend of lesbians and gays becoming parents, the number of lesbians undergoing ART and IVF is on the rise.

“Each year we’re seeing an annual increase of about 50 percent in the number of same-sex couples coming to us for IVF to have their children and build their families,” said Dr. Samuel Pang, Medical Director of the Reproductive Science Center of New England.

In vitro fertilization is a complex, expensive procedure used as a last resort when all other methods of assisted conception have failed. One cycle of IVF may cost as much as $12,000. Risks include: Ectopic pregnancy (pregnancy outside the womb), multiple pregnancy, ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS), and the possibility of increased risk for ovarian cancer. IFV success rates vary from clinic to clinic. The Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART), representing over 85% of ART clinics in the United States, provides national statistics of member clinics.

Before undergoing ART, women with PCOS may consider non-pharmaceutical methods to achieve conception. One of the underlying causes of PCOS is insulin resistance, and when this condition is reversed natural conception may be achieved. Non-pharmaceutical methods include: a high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet, with lots of green vegetables and fruits, specific exercises to increase insulin sensitivity, nutraceuticals (vitamins, minerals and herbs that are disease specific) to balance blood sugar or a complete system that incorporates all of these elements.

A Woman suffering from PCOS tells her story of conceiving naturally, after being told by doctors she would never be able to conceive naturally. She became pregnant after using a complete system approach from Insulite Labs to reverse insulin resistance and PCOS symptoms.

References
U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services
2004 Assisted Reproductive Technology Success Rates

American Reproductive Medical Society
Fertility and Sterility
November 2007 | Vol. 88, No. 5