Does anyone have any tips to overcome PCOS naturally?

[mummyloveslucy]

Hi, I took clomid for PCOS to concieve my daughter who is now 6.5. I tried taking it again last year, but it didn't work.

I've been unsure as to wether to have another baby, as there will be such a big age gap now, but my daughter loves babies and is such a loving caring child I think she'd make a fab big sister.

I was wondering if there was anything I could do nturally to help with PCOS? I've heared that diet and excercise can help, but is that only if you're overweight?

Also, if I'm not ovulating and can't take any more clomid to help me ovulate, could IVF work? Surely they would need to get an egg out of me one way or another.

I have been offered an operation called ovarien drilling last year, but chickened out as it sounded nasty. I also have a bit of a fear of operations and being put to sleep. I've never had it done before, but worry about waking up. I know it's silly.
I might even ask if I can be put on the waiting list for that.
I am taking pregnecare conception at the moment, and olmega 3.

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Hi - this thread is a little out of date. We've got some more information on PCOS here. MNHQ

Diet can help with PCOS regardless of your weight. There are various books out there that will help with this, PCOS can be part of the picture in sugar imbalances in the body (not as extreme as diabetes but still not "healthy").

here is a list of books from Amazon that deal with nutritional/dietetic ways to deal with your PCOS - give one of them a go.

Good luck - there's always hope - a friend of mine had PCOS badly and has just had her 3rd baby DD so fingers crossed for you. :)

Thank you, I'll give it a go. Did you friend get pregnant naturally or as a result of fetility drugs? Just curious, I could do with some positive stories.

Amazingly, her 3rd DD was conceived the first month she came off her PCOS drugs (I'm not sure what she was on but possibly metformin and the OC Pill) - she was pretty stoked but also !

Without being rude, how old are you? Said friend was 31 and age does make a difference.

That's good. I'm 30.

As thumbwitch suggests, it's thought that Pcos is another syndrome-x disorder which responds well to low-GI eating.

It's the first recommendation given to Pcos women here in the Netherlands.

I have mild PCOS (can conceive naturally, but only ovulate every 6-12 weeks) and I would say diet helps - when I have a BMI of around 25 or 26 (only slightly overweight) I ovulate a lot less than if I have a BMI of 23/24.

Also, although I wasn't trying to conceive at the time, I met a herbalist who gave me some incredibly horrible tasting stuff which I took for about 4 months, whilst dieting etc, a couple of years ago, and ended up with almost regular cycles about 4-5 weeks apart (it was also support to treat my mild IBD which it did help with) - so if you're into this kind of thing I would really recommend it. As my herbalist said - its not like homeopathy as there is actually plants etc in it, they just haven't been tested in labs etc (she was a lab technician herself).

A low GI diet, losing weight (unless already at the low end of normal BMI) and exercise should help. I recommend reading the PCOS handbook by Colette Harris (you can find it on Amazon). I learned a lot about the condition that way.

If you are considering alternative therapies, look at acupuncture. I started it as a bit of a sceptic, but my cycle has been a lot more stable whilst on it. It is supposed to be good for balancing hormone levels.

BTW, I haven't had ovarian drilling but I have had a laproscopy (so the same op but without the drilling) and it was fine. Really nothing to worry about. I seem to be ovulating despite my PCOS so I doubt it will be offered to me, but if it is, I would have it. Over on verity (a website dedicated to PCOS) there is a thread for people having ovarian drilling. You mgiht like to have a look over there if you are considering it.

Hello - been reading this with interest and have a couple of questions.

I am also following a low-GI diet after discovering at an internal scan (following a mc) that I have polycystic ovaries. I have been following the diet for over 2 months now and my cycle is still messed up. I do however eat alot of (low GI) carbs as I exercise alot and need to eat alot to keep my weight up. Has anyone been reccomended to cut down their carbs? Also, I am reading conflicting advice about fruit? Is fruit bad or is it bad if I eat it on its' own? I have never had any problems with my weight but I did have problems with my blood sugar which has improved since following the low GI diet.

Eurochick when you had accupuncture were you told that you couldn't TTC whilst having treatment? I spoke to a accupuncturist (not sure of the name) who seemed to know her stuff but she wanted me to chart, do opks etc. but not try for 3 months which I don't think I can do as the sceptic in me thinks that if it doesn't work I could have missed an opportunity to SWI and I don't know when the next one is!

LIG - one way to reduce the glycaemic impact of sugary foods, including fruit, is to eat something containing fat at the same time, because this slows down the digestion and the absorption of the sugar. This is why I get seriously het up at the "skinny cow" icecream - terrible stuff! The only saving grace of ice cream is the fat content, which slows the absorption of the sugar - skinny cow has so little fat in it that all the sugar will be absorbed really fast.

So in answer to your question (sorry about mini-rant) eating fruit by itself is not the best choice on a low GI/GL diet. I tend to eat a piece of cheese with every apple I have (lovely combination!); or you could have a glass of milk with fruit.

Re. exercising a lot - how much is a lot? Too much exercise could be counterproductive in its own right (affects hormone balance etc.). Are you a professional athlete? i.e. do you need to exercise as much as you do? Depending on how much it is, of course.

re. the acupuncture - it is generally suggested that you shouldn't TTC while having the acupuncture, partly because of the mild risk that acupuncture could cause a pregnancy failure. Reflexology is the same - both are trying to balance the body, and pregnancy is not a state of balance. Afaik there is no way to prove that reflexology or acupuncture actually cause MC, but no decent practitioner would want to take the risk that they might contribute to it, should it happen.

Cheers Thumwitch that was a very informed response.

Will have some cheese with my apples then - have been eating alot of cheese recently - sort of surprised I haven't got put on weight with this low_GI diet.

The exercise thing is a difficult one. I was quite addicted and very slim/muscular up till about 6 months ago. When my periods didn't return properly after stopping the pill, both my friend (a nutritionist) and my DH (an ex-fitness instructor) said that I needed to cut down on my exercise and gain weight to get my body functioning again. Did that and then found out a few weeks later I was pregnant. (With no AF.) Now I am not pregnant I am still exercising more than most people but less than I did before - but still around 5 hours of CV per week and 2 hours of weights. Not sure whether if I cut down my exercise and food that will help the PCOS as then there is less insulin needed. I have also not lost the weight that I gained to get pregnant but all the PCOS guidance is to loose weight and exercise......which I would love to do but worried about doing too much!

Exercise is supposed to be a good thing for PCOS ladies. Over exercising can cause periods to stop though. You mention ou had no AF for a while. Has that resolved itself? If not and you are exercising a lot and have a low BMI, you might find that cutting down teh exercise and putting on a bit of weight brings them back. I know that when my BMI is down at the low end of normal (around 18) my periods almost disappear.

I am not tooooooooo religious about my low GI diet. My own version of it is to substitute brown bread/pasta/rice for white, eat more protein than I otherwise would and avoid obviously sugary things (sweets, biscuits, cakes, etc) bar the occasional treat.

I've never heard of anyone being asked to stop ttcing while having acupuncture. There are quite a few women on this board who are having it. I see an acupuncturist who specialises in fertility issues and have been for several months.

You are right that women with PCOS are generally aimed towards losing weight, but that's often because they are already heavier than is ideal. In your case, it sounds as though losing any more weight would be counterproductive. Talk again to your nutritionist friend about maintaining your weight in the healthiest way possible; ensure you have decent sources of good-quality fats in your diet as well. Remember that cholesterol is the basis of all steroid hormones (i.e. male and female hormones) and that fat is needed to make cholesterol in the body.

Your DH should be able to tell you if you are overdoing the exercise as well - let yourself be guided by him. If you are interested, I know a nutritionist who is also a fitness instructor - so he combines both disciplines and is very good - he might be able to offer you an email consultation (he's in South Africa at the moment) but I have no idea what he would charge. PM me if you are interested and I will try and put you in touch with him, if he's willing.

I am sorry to hear of your pg loss and hope that your next time is more successful.

Cheers for your help.
Only had 2 af's since november but I did manage to fit in a pregnancy and drawn out miscarriage and erpc in between. I know that the doctor will say way a bit longer but I am fairly sure things aren't right.
Spoke to another acupuncturist who seemed happy for me to have treatment whilst ttc. I may skip a session if I do manage to get into the 2ww!

There are also lots of supplements that can help with PCOS, which can certainly boost a low GI diet. A good one that I have found is n-acetyl cysteine or NAC. There's an article here about its benefits and the different doses that were used in scientific studies.

www.myinformedlife.co.uk/got-the-nac-for-pcos/

The studies found it helped insulin sensitivity / reduced insulin resistance, reduced hyperinsulinemia, helped with fertile cervical mucous and improved the success rate of Clomid when taken alongside it.