Health Advice for Women

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!

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

Excessive weight around the waist and stubborn pounds that won’t come off with diet and exercise may be from an undiagnosed medical condition, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome or PCOS.

PCOS is the most common endocrine disorder among females, affecting anywhere from 5-10 percent of pre-menopausal women. PCOS wreaks havoc on hormones: irregular amounts of insulin stimulate the ovaries to produce large amounts of testosterone. The result can be weight gain and obesity, along with symptoms such as male-pattern baldness, excess body hair and infertility.

Many women with PCOS gain weight around their abdomen, taking on an apple shape rather than a pear shape. Women with PCOS may gain weight very easily and lose it only with great effort, usually with a diet of good carbohydrates, fresh vegetables and protein, together with exercise.

Insulin Resistance is often the root cause of PCOS and the direct link to this type of weight gain. Insulin is the hormone responsible for allowing glucose, or blood sugar, to be absorbed by your cells, where it is converted to energy. If you are Insulin Resistant your cells react sluggishly to insulin, causing feelings of constant hunger while inhibiting weight loss.

The interactions of Insulin Resistance, PCOS and obesity are complex and still under medical review. Many scientists believe that this is a case of “the chicken or the egg” – Insulin Resistance contributes to obesity and is an underlying cause of PCOS, but obesity in turn worsens Insulin Resistance, which then has an effect on the development of PCOS.

Because symptoms can vary widely from woman to woman, PCOS can often go undiagnosed for years. Possible symptoms include: weight gain, obesity, excess facial and body hair, thinning hair on your head, acne, skin tags, brown skin patches, depression, anxiety, irregular periods, and even infertility. Long term, PCOS can lead to serious conditions such as Diabetes.

If you feel you may be suffering from PCOS try the self-test at Insulite Labs to assess your risk.