last month after more than 10 years with unexplainable health and infetility problems i was told i have pcos. It might sound odd but after so many years of problems and no explaination i am actually happy to know im not crazy.

i hve a few questions that i am worried about. Is it possible to become pregnant with pcos? Initally thats why i went to see a spealist to find out why i am having fertlity problems and since diagnosing me wiht pcos my doctor has been treating me with metformin. We havent really discussed the part about children. I recently got married and we definatly want children in the not so far off future and im scared that wont be possible.

I have also read about alot of the symptoms that you have wiht pcos and mine are a little different. I noticed alot of people said they have no period because of it well i have had the total opposite. I am 26 and since i was a very young teenageer i have had severely heavy periods and irregular in that i have them more often than i should. I have had times not recently but in the past where my periods lastest 3months and were very painful. Because of this i am anemic. They put me on the pill for treatment of the heavy bleeding. I had very sever acne unitl i was about 22 and thought it would never stop. Do a lot of people with pcos have the same problem?


any advice or info would be greatfully appreciated as this is all so new to me
thanks in advance
april

It sounds like you may have had something similar to what I was diagnosed with and that is a complication of PCOS, it is endometrial hyperplasia. It is well taken care of with the pill. In the mean time yes, take metformin, it can help with fertility.
I have had PCOS since I was 13, and had very irregular periods, and usually very long, and sometimes heavy, very rarely pain. So I would be sure that you don't have problems with endometriosis is well. I didn't have bad acne, but very oily skin, doing the Schwarzbein Principle really helpled me. I'm expecting my 4th baby right now, so it is very possible to get pregnant with PCOS. My first child was because I ovulated as soon as I dropped the pill, my 2nd was clomid, and then I had horrible infertiliy problems, and clomid didn't work, I rufuse to do more than that. My oldest are 15 and soon to be 12, I have a 15 month old, these last two are from lowcarbing, the 3rd baby I was on glucophage XR(or XL I can't remember the initials, but it was a once daily dose.), and I had started to lc, it made all the difference, for the first time in my life I had regular cycles. This baby I'm expecting now, I wasn't even on glucophage because I was nursing. So it can be done. The trick is to besure of what you are doing, research, take care of yourself, and find the right eating program. I would say any lc program that you can find you can do, follow it. I like the TSP because her focus is on fixing the endocrine system ( hormones) not just weight loss. Good luck,
Tanya

thanks well i guess you are proof that you can become pregnant lol

When i was a kid all the way up to a few years ago i had really bad acne and im not sure what i did but it went away, i still have a little but not nearly as bad. I have been checked for endometreosis before I was told i had pcos i was on the pill and for aobut the last year my cycles have been kinda regular. I am very pleased with my doctor she is the only person in 10 years who ran tests and didnt just tell me to loose weight. I havent gone back for my follow up exam since they did all the tests.
Right now i am on 500mg metformin for 2 weeks then increase it to 1000mg for 2 weeks and then to 1500 mg. So far(its only been a week) the medicine hasnt bothered me so hopefully it will work for me
When i was a teenager i tried a diet like atkins and it had the same phase the first 2 weeks cutting out the carbs and halfway into it i got really sick and shaky and had to go hospital so im waiting untill i see my doc again to start any major diet. In the mean time i have started eating better and quit drinking soda pop which was almost as bad a quiting smoking lol.

what is TSP?

I have PCOS as well. I actually was one of the ones that didn't have a period. I went as long as a year and a half without one. Then I was diagnosed, put on Metformin, and BAM, regualr cycle since! 8 months later, without really trying, I got pregnant. I ended up having a miscarriage at 9 weeks, cause unknown, just one of those things that happens, but I still got pregnant, after being told it wasn't likely gonna happen again. Plus, I have a 6 year old and a 4 year old. So, no, it is not impossible to get pregnant with PCOS. I would not let the label of PCOS discourage you at all. PCOS is treatable and manageable, and IN MY OPINION, reversable with the right diet and medications like Glucophage or Metformin, if you choose to take medication (a lot of people don't like taking meds).
We want to try for another baby. But this time we are going to wait until I get to a healthy weight for my height before trying.

Just talk with your doctor about the right treatment plan for the "type"(many women have very different symptoms, but still PCOS) of PCOS you have. My doc told me to low carb, and take Metformin to correct the endocrine problem that was causing my issues, insulin resistence. It worked for me. I am losing weight, I have regular periods,and I know that I can get pregnant when the time is right.

Good luck! And best wishes

I would suggest watch what kind of carbs you eat then, if you had such a reaction. Stopping the soda, good, then look at all other simple sugars, white,brown, honey, white flours, anything refined or processed and try to cut those out to the best of your ability. Be sure to get plenty of good fats and protein, and lots of veggies. The fats are a real key to controling cravings, so don't be afraid of them. In the mean time, pick up several lc books, it doesn't mean you have to do them, like Atkins if you know going that low on carbs doesn't work for you, but his information is good, others I like are Life with out Bread,( similar to TSP in many ways but perhaps a bit easier to do, hers is complicated but has exelent observations and discussions on many health issues, not just weight loss, I prefer Dr. Schwarzbeins first book but I have all three), Diabetes solution, this one is very good about how insulin effects the body, and I think anyone with IR or Diabetes should have this book, this is a man that hasn't had fruit in years, because he can't tolerate it. Protien power, I have never read because I was interested in it, and The Carbohydrate Addicts diet is another flexible program, if giving up Carb is too hard. For me it is dangerous, because then I will eat high carb all day.
You can also look at Somersizing, again I haven't read it, and I'm not big into food combining, but it is just one more idea that can work. What I like about lc is that there are so many plans, most of them with the same basics, lots of veggies, good meats, and protiens, it is just the fine tuning that is different so it can be very easy to find something that works for you. I found when I started to lc, my IBS went away, and my oily skin became more normal, first signs for me it was working. TSP is The Schwarzbein Principle, she is a endocrinologist in LA that specialized in diabetes treatment. My dad calls alot of her Ideas "california" food, but I like her basics, well balanced diet, never eating a carb alone without a protein and visa/versa, (too much stress on the adrenal glands), mostly healthy normal foods. I follow the advice of shop on the edges of the super market, that is where all the real foods are, I very rarely go down isles anymore, generally if I need oils, spices or the few odds and ends, (canned veggies for storage, etc.)
Keep talking to your doctor that is what I did, and get an idea of what she might specifically like you to do. I also went on aldactone, if you are on the pill something to consider.
Workout, I believe in weight lifting, and walking, but find something you like, but weight resistance is important to get the muscle on to help improve your metabolisim. Take each step as you feel ready, that is what I did, to much at once and you will get overwhelmed and PCOS is not something that handles stress well.
I should say, I never had tests done to diagnose my problem, the Dr. that diagnosed it, is my OB, and he diagnosed it just from my physical symptoms because they were so classic. You name it, I had, or still have it. It has been a long road for me to find what works, and I have to say I haven't been too compliant since I had my 15 month old, but it was enough of a healing that I'm expecting again, so it can be done.
Good luck Tanya,
Oh and start a journal. That is a great place to log what you are doing and how you are doing.

thanks for all the great advice. im glad i found this site it has a lot of useful information. thanks all