I've seen various posts about the effects of low carbing on PMS, cycles, menstruation, and pre, peri and post menopause. It seems that most suggest relief of symptoms such as irritability, irregular mentruation, dryness, libido, etc. Even some are suggesting that diagnosed menopause reverted and cycles resumed.

I did a bunch of internet surfing on the subject, too. Various organs or glands are apparently responsible for production of estrogens, as well as one site claims fat cells manufacture estrogens, while I have read that ketone production releases estrogen *stored* in fat. Among the organs - ovaries, adrenal glands, pituitary.

However, my question really relates to the extension of childbearing years for my wife and I. We are in our early 40s and have a 5 yr old who came along after 13 years of trying. I don't think we'll have another barring some miracle (which perhaps can be LC, since it has transformed both of us), as prior to the diet introduction, wife was starting to have oddly spaced and alternating off then on, heavy then light periods. That actually has been happening even prior to our daughter's birth. After LC inception, cycles became more regular. My reading suggests that the alternating on off months could be caused by ovary failure to produce estrogen (but seemingly on only one side).

Is the onset of menopause postponed by LC eating, or are just symptoms what we are holding back? Anyone have any studies, experiences to share?

Thanks,
Charlie

Hi, LCer. Your wife may not be experiencing early menopause, it may be she has PolyCystic Ovary Syndrome, which is a lot more common than the doctors want to admit (my internist and gynochologist disagree about whether I have it).

One of the chief things that PCOS does is cause you not to ovulate. This would explain why it took so long for you and your wife to get pregnant.

Low-Carbing has definitely been shown to help PCOS and its resultant infertility. Check out the PCOS forum for more info.

:-Deb

I don't have the answer either, but will be interested to know if someone does. This is what I have noticed myself. I will be 40 next week, and at my last visit to the doctor we were discussing my pre-"mentalpause" symptoms....mood swings (not just PMS), lack of tolorance, sex drive, etc....since LCing the last few weeks, I am amazed at how good I feel. I am sleeping through the night, very rarely have night sweats anymore and my family doesn't have to worry whether or not I am going to "explode" one minute or cry the next.....Let's hear it for LCing!!!!!

In past (way past) exams (during the 13 years of trying), my wife was not diagnosed with ovarian abnormalities. She did have endometreosis, and we were astonished that we even had our daughter. Anyone hear of LC clearing up such things as endometreosis?

I went for years being diagnosed with no problems, even though I was not having periods. It is only in my latest exam that my gynocologist has said officially that I have PCOS (I had a previous doctor who said that I probably had it based on my appearance - although many women with PCOS don't have weight gain).

Endometriosis is one of the symptoms of PCOS. The tests for PCOS include hormone tests (not always conclusive - mine weren't) and vaginal ultrasound, which can be misread (my internist said I have a major fibroid tumor, my gynocologist says it's just developing and nothing to worry about, although I go in for another ultrasound in 3 months).

I trust my gynocologist (I just saw her for the first time), she took a lot more time with me and actually listened to what I had to say about how I feel and what happens with my body. And we discussed my test results in depth.

The problem with PCOS is that, although doctors have known about it for over 40 years, they do not know what causes it and most of them don't want to deal with it. The common excuse I got for over 20 years was "lose weight and you'll be fine." It didn't work. I lost weight and I wasn't fine.

PCOS is the leading cause of infertility in women.

Sorry for the ranting, but this is a sore spot with me.

;-Deb

Hi LCer, this is an interesting topic to me. I don't have the answer but can share my own experience.

When I was an adolescent I was overweight and had my period every 31 days exactly. I saw an endocrinologist who said it was considered irregular and told me I would have trouble conceiving. (I was single and in college so it wasn't an issue.) She did a lot of tests and said it was a hormonal imbalance caused by being overfat. She said the fat tissue converts some of the estrogen to androgen. She said my hormone levels and balance were very similar to someone going through menopause. (A very traumatic thing to hear at 19 years old.) Her solution didn't work at all for me -- she put me on birth control pills which caused me to have a period every ten days. I decided to just ignore the whole thing.

Years later, I saw another endocrinologist, convinced that I had PCOS from things I read on the Web. My period has been precisely 30 days apart for more than a decade. He did lots of tests and came up with the same thing. He said I absolutely did not have PCOS, that the syptoms I have are caused by being overfat. He repeated what I had been told years before, that fat tissue converts some estrogen to androgen. He only wanted to address symptoms so after a few months I stopped visiting him.

I've been devoutly low-carb for over eight months now. At first, my periods started coming 21 - 26 days apart and were long, heavy and painful. But now it's all straightened out. 28 days exactly. And the other symptoms which led me to think I had PCOS are disapating as well.

So maybe it's because I have lost enough fat tissue that my hormone levels have straightened out finally? But that doesn't explain it because my reaction to LC was immediate. My cycle changed within 4 days of starting LC. I am a lifelong yo-yo dieter with low-fat, low-cal diets and I've never had a reation like this before. It has to be something about LC.

Please keep us apprised of your findings. And best of luck to you and your wife.

Allison

Oh, one more thing -- I wonder if Beth (user name bsayne) knows anything about this. She hangs out in the journals and talks about losing weight in order to be able to conceive. She has a fifteen year old son. Visit her journal.

Thank you so much for your comments, Deb and Allison.

I didn't mention this before, but my wife's weight always concerned her, and she has dieted off and on throughout her life. However, her 67" medium bone frame has only reached 135 pounds, except while pregnant. Most of her life it was more like 120. She is now about 120, and has relief from anger, depression, and stuff. The emotional well being stuff started immediately upon beginning LC.

Does PCOS usually affect both ovaries?

Just had to jump in here...PCOS is a syndrome - i.e. a grouping of symptoms that may be caused by a number of different "abnormalities". The reason it is called polycystic ovarian syndrome is that the ovaries are often "studded" with unreleased eggs. This is different from an ovarian cyst - which can be very large and very painful. Generally speaking, PCOS is due to hormone imbalances that can mess around with many different stages of ovulation. One of the reason low-carbing is often beneficial for women with PCOS is that they are insulin resistant - pre-diabetic in a sense. Try www.pcosupport.org for lots of PCO information.

Good luck!

Lisa