Living with PCOS & Infertility: What I'm Learning/Experimenting So Far
Since being diagnosed, I have learned more about Poly-cystic Ovarian Syndrome and I am becoming increasingly interested in this health issue. I want to share some resources that have helped me and some supplements I have discovered in case it helps anyone else with this condition. PCOS affects an estimated 116 million women worldwide and the numbers are going up. Unfortunately there is no "cure." The only thing that most medical doctors can/will do is (1) prescribe birth control or metformin to manage symptoms or (2) recommend dietary adjustments.
The first resource that has been a big game-changer for me is the book, "8 Steps to Reverse Your PCOS" by Dr. Fiona McCulloch. I recommend it highly!
She outlines 8 areas of health that are affected by/or have affect on the PCOS experience.
In her book, Dr. McCulloch also makes a strong case for going off of gluten, especially for women who are more severely insulin resistant. I am more in the medium range, and so I haven't made that a big priority. I still try to avoid it when possible (like with pasta, it's not too hard). There are many different ways PCOS manifests itself, some women are nearly diabetic and losing weight is exceptionally hard. I am considered to be in the "lean PCOS" category and my problems include more of the acne, irregular cycles, and messed up hormones in general! I also suspect I have a thyroid problem and I'd like to do more comprehensive labs in that area at some point...
Before I go on, I must fill you in on the fact that last month I had a another miscarriage (my 2nd). We were just about to go on Femara and I was waiting for my period to start. Then I discovered I was pregnant! And naturally too. Unfortunately I miscarried at 6 weeks. However, knowing that I had become pregnant twice on my own and then had miscarriages, made me think that maybe taking ovulation medication isn't necessary. Maybe the issue isn't getting pregnant, but staying pregnant.
My doctor seemed to agree at our last visit. We discussed that taking progesterone wouldn't hurt in the future, as it has helped many women stay pregnant. Even though my levels were "normal-high" according to her lab during my last pregnancy, I recently heard another doctor speak about this and at her lab the threshold is much higher. So you never know! Some doctors literally think that taking progesterone is voodoo, but it seems that more and more literature is coming out that points out its benefits. It is a vital pregnancy hormone! I also learned that Provera (Progestin) is very different from progesterone. It is completely different chemically. It turns out Prometrium is much closer to our biological progesterone than anything else so I am going to take that. (I learned this from a PCOS Diva podcast episode here). You take it during the luteal phase of your cycle (post ovulation) and then if you get a positive pregnancy test, you keep taking it. If you get a negative test, you stop until the next luteal phase of your cycle. The hope is that it can keep the uterus "still" so to speak so that contracting and bleeding won't happen early on.
I have also become more of a hippy in this process of learning 😜 and have become more interested in integrative medicine and naturopathy. I love essential oils! I'm a big DoTerra fan. Two I have heard about that can really help issues related to PCOS include:
ClaryCalm blend:
Slim and Sassy blend:
All of the oils in these blends have been shown to help with so many issues! So I say–bring it on! The ClaryCalm was a gift to me from a dear friend, and the Slim and Sassy I got from a BOGO sale when I bought more OnGuard.
Another thing I am taking is a myo-inositol supplement. I'm pretty sure this helped me get pregnant naturally in December and so I'm going to keep taking it! (You stop when pregnant). I think it helped start my period and helped with ovulation. Apparently it is just a B complex vitamin but it has great reviews from thousands of women! I don't know if there are any big studies about it, but I hope there will be someday.
The one I specifically take is OvaBoost from Fairhaven Health which also has some other good supplements that Dr. McCulloch cited in her book:
With the progesterone, oils, and OvaBoost, I'm hoping to get pregnant again naturally and stay pregnant! While I feel very hopeful about this, I have also struggled a lot lately. When this last miscarriage was happening, I felt totally peaceful and calm. Two weeks later, the grief hit me. It was so weird! I was really happy with the idea of having a baby this year, but now, who knows? I think the hardest part for me is that we're back to the waiting game again, and I get tired of waiting believe it or not! I know that God's plan is best, and that everything will work out for our family, but sometimes I still hold on to my will and don't want to wait anymore. The infertility journey is painful, truly. It's hard to not feel in control of your body and your family timing. But again, I know it can happen. My body can do this. It just needs a little help. God is on our side. He will carry us along this journey. I know that the lessons I've learned while on this path are irreplaceable and invaluable to my eternal progression. It has led me to embrace letting go and mindfulness (which I'm still working on! It's so hard sometimes). It has helped me not worry about what others think. And it has led me to have a different view of health that has been beneficial to me.
I hope this can be helpful to someone going through something similar!
The first resource that has been a big game-changer for me is the book, "8 Steps to Reverse Your PCOS" by Dr. Fiona McCulloch. I recommend it highly!
She outlines 8 areas of health that are affected by/or have affect on the PCOS experience.
- Inflammation
- Insulin Resistance
- Adrenal Imbalance
- Excess Androgens
- Hormonal Imbalance
- Thyroid Imbalance
- Unhealthy Environment
- Imbalanced Diet
As a result of her book, the biggest change I have made has been going off dairy (for the most part, I'm not perfect, I cheat sometimes, I also still eat butter).
I've started making my own almond milk and cashew milk. I also buy it at the store sometimes.
Her argument for why dairy is the last thing a woman with PCOS needs is quite compelling. As I often feel the need to justify this decision, I will include one paragraph from this section in her book here (which starts with the premise that women with PCOS struggle with insulin resistance):
In particular amino acids...especially the branched chain variety (valine, isoleucine, and leucine), can cause a spike of insulin that is quite significant. Dairy contains these amino acids. So for women with PCOS, it wreaks havoc with insulin levels in a similar manner as white bread...dairy also contains several other compounds that are concerning for metabolic health. For a baby animal, these compounds have an important and useful function. In an adult, they may present issues depending on your metabolic health status. For example, dairy contains: insulin, leptin, insulin-like growth factors, estrone, estriol, 17-alpha estradiol, 17-beta estradiol, progesterone, testosterone, cortisol...Cow's milk contains considerable amounts of female sex hormones in particular. These may compound the already existing hormonal imbalances in PCOS...And it goes on. After citing more reasons why it further complicates our hormones, she states, "I am not totally against dairy as a general rule, and it is true that quality, grass-fed dairy products can provide good nutrition for some individuals. However, in the typical woman with PCOS, they are arguably one of the most important foods to avoid." Calcium often comes up as a concern. Well, it turns out you can get plenty of calcium from eating a wholesome diet (including lots of leafy greens) without needing cow's milk. "In the Harvard Nurses' Health Study, which followed more than 70,000 women for more than twelve years, it was found that consuming dairy products had no effect on the fracture risk in these women." I'm inclined to believe that our assumption that we need dairy for strong bones has more to do with the dairy industry than scientific fact, but that's for you to decide 😏
In her book, Dr. McCulloch also makes a strong case for going off of gluten, especially for women who are more severely insulin resistant. I am more in the medium range, and so I haven't made that a big priority. I still try to avoid it when possible (like with pasta, it's not too hard). There are many different ways PCOS manifests itself, some women are nearly diabetic and losing weight is exceptionally hard. I am considered to be in the "lean PCOS" category and my problems include more of the acne, irregular cycles, and messed up hormones in general! I also suspect I have a thyroid problem and I'd like to do more comprehensive labs in that area at some point...
Before I go on, I must fill you in on the fact that last month I had a another miscarriage (my 2nd). We were just about to go on Femara and I was waiting for my period to start. Then I discovered I was pregnant! And naturally too. Unfortunately I miscarried at 6 weeks. However, knowing that I had become pregnant twice on my own and then had miscarriages, made me think that maybe taking ovulation medication isn't necessary. Maybe the issue isn't getting pregnant, but staying pregnant.
My doctor seemed to agree at our last visit. We discussed that taking progesterone wouldn't hurt in the future, as it has helped many women stay pregnant. Even though my levels were "normal-high" according to her lab during my last pregnancy, I recently heard another doctor speak about this and at her lab the threshold is much higher. So you never know! Some doctors literally think that taking progesterone is voodoo, but it seems that more and more literature is coming out that points out its benefits. It is a vital pregnancy hormone! I also learned that Provera (Progestin) is very different from progesterone. It is completely different chemically. It turns out Prometrium is much closer to our biological progesterone than anything else so I am going to take that. (I learned this from a PCOS Diva podcast episode here). You take it during the luteal phase of your cycle (post ovulation) and then if you get a positive pregnancy test, you keep taking it. If you get a negative test, you stop until the next luteal phase of your cycle. The hope is that it can keep the uterus "still" so to speak so that contracting and bleeding won't happen early on.
I have also become more of a hippy in this process of learning 😜 and have become more interested in integrative medicine and naturopathy. I love essential oils! I'm a big DoTerra fan. Two I have heard about that can really help issues related to PCOS include:
ClaryCalm blend:
Slim and Sassy blend:
All of the oils in these blends have been shown to help with so many issues! So I say–bring it on! The ClaryCalm was a gift to me from a dear friend, and the Slim and Sassy I got from a BOGO sale when I bought more OnGuard.
Another thing I am taking is a myo-inositol supplement. I'm pretty sure this helped me get pregnant naturally in December and so I'm going to keep taking it! (You stop when pregnant). I think it helped start my period and helped with ovulation. Apparently it is just a B complex vitamin but it has great reviews from thousands of women! I don't know if there are any big studies about it, but I hope there will be someday.
The one I specifically take is OvaBoost from Fairhaven Health which also has some other good supplements that Dr. McCulloch cited in her book:
With the progesterone, oils, and OvaBoost, I'm hoping to get pregnant again naturally and stay pregnant! While I feel very hopeful about this, I have also struggled a lot lately. When this last miscarriage was happening, I felt totally peaceful and calm. Two weeks later, the grief hit me. It was so weird! I was really happy with the idea of having a baby this year, but now, who knows? I think the hardest part for me is that we're back to the waiting game again, and I get tired of waiting believe it or not! I know that God's plan is best, and that everything will work out for our family, but sometimes I still hold on to my will and don't want to wait anymore. The infertility journey is painful, truly. It's hard to not feel in control of your body and your family timing. But again, I know it can happen. My body can do this. It just needs a little help. God is on our side. He will carry us along this journey. I know that the lessons I've learned while on this path are irreplaceable and invaluable to my eternal progression. It has led me to embrace letting go and mindfulness (which I'm still working on! It's so hard sometimes). It has helped me not worry about what others think. And it has led me to have a different view of health that has been beneficial to me.
I hope this can be helpful to someone going through something similar!
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