Need help with PCOS.

[indigomama]

If anyone is familiar with PCOS would you please share your experiences.

 

Background: I was unofficially diagnosed with PCOS when I was 19. I went to an endo and he said based on my symptoms that he strongly suspected PCOS. My symptoms were sudden large weight gains, and very erratic periods. He said there was nothing to do about it since I wasn't trying to get pregnant. I tried one round of BC to see if that helped regulate things, it didn't, but it made me feel like crud so I stopped.     I got married at 20, moved to Eastern Europe where we ate less, walked way more and I lost weight, which started my cycles on a more regular pattern. I had my 1st child at 23 and then had four more (and one miscarriage). 

 

My youngest is almost four and about a year ago my cycles started getting longer and way longer! I've gained a lot of excess weight, and am having a hard time losing, my hair has gotten really thin, and some other things. I went to my PCP recently she said that it is still probably PCOS. She started me on Metformin, and told me to lose weight. 

 

 

What is the best way to lose weight for someone with PCOS?

 

Is there anything else I can do to regulate my hormones? 

 

 

Help!

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

PCOS may be very closely related to insulin residence.  A paleo style diet that eliminates most sugars may be beneficial.  When I eat this way, my PCOS symptoms basically disappear, but it is hard to have the discipline to maintain.  

 

 

 

 

[Katy]

I think this is somewhat individual.  Since you lost weight easily walking before can you try to work walking into your day more?

[indigomama]

I think this is somewhat individual.  Since you lost weight easily walking before can you try to work walking into your day more?

 

 

It wasn't just walking. We literally lived somewhere for a year, where to get anywhere we had to walk. We walked constantly! I do need to add in more exercise, but I won't be able to replica that extreme. Also, we ate way less junk, but just way less in general. I have been cutting back junk and calories in general, but this time, it's just not working. 

[mom2samlibby]

I've been researching H Pylori this week because of some stomach problems I've been having. They say that H Pylori can cause PCOS. That might be something to look into, along with having your B12, iron, and folate levels checked.

[indigomama]

PCOS may be very closely related to insulin residence.  A paleo style diet that eliminates most sugars may be beneficial.  When I eat this way, my PCOS symptoms basically disappear, but it is hard to have the discipline to maintain.  

 

 

We've tried Paleo before, maybe I need to commit to it for a longer amount of time. Thanks!

[indigomama]

I've been researching H Pylori this week because of some stomach problems I've been having. They say that H Pylori can cause PCOS. That might be something to look into, along with having your B12, iron, and folate levels checked.

 

 

I'll look into that. I did have iron and folate checked and those were good. My Vitamin D is low, so I'm working on that. Thanks!

[Guest]

Haven't read the other replies but what helped me was metformin, exercise and a low carb lifestyle.  I lost 20 pounds 6 years ago and I work to keep it off and that has made things very regular.  On the advice of my derm, I use men's Rogain once a day because I have excess testosterone that was causing thin hair.  It is a lifetime commitment but I have a normal amount of hair now which is amazing!

[mom2samlibby]

I'll look into that. I did have iron and folate checked and those were good. My Vitamin D is low, so I'm working on that. Thanks!

If you are having problems getting your Vitamin D to rise, you might need to add in some of these.

 

 

The way that vitamins and minerals work in your body is interconnected. How well vitamin D works depends on the amount of other vitamins and minerals that are present in your body. The other vitamins and minerals needed to help vitamin D work well are called cofactors and, without these cofactors, supplementation can have undesirable effects. Vitamin D has a number of cofactors. According to the Vitamin D Council and others, the ones listed below are the most critical and should not be overlooked:

Magnesium

Vitamin K2

Zinc

Boron

Vitamin A

 

from the Stop The Thyroid Madness website.

 

Did you have your B12 levels checked, too? That is a big one with PCOS? It should be at least 500 or higher. Iron should be around 60 - 80. Folate around 16 - 20.

[indigomama]

Haven't read the other replies but what helped me was metformin, exercise and a low carb lifestyle.  I lost 20 pounds 6 years ago and I work to keep it off and that has made things very regular.  On the advice of my derm, I use men's Rogain once a day because I have excess testosterone that was causing thin hair.  It is a lifetime commitment but I have a normal amount of hair now which is amazing!

 

 

So, the Metformin did help you? Are you still on it, or were you able to get off once things got normal?

 

When you say low-carb did you make extreme cuts like Paleo or just lower the carbs?

 

Thanks!

[wapiti]

Best way to lose weight for PCOS (assuming other diagnoses have been ruled out) is typically going to involve low, or lower, carb.  I'm not aware of how to low carb while on metformin and whether that might involve a dose adjustment - that would be something to look into.

 

Other supplements that might help insulin sensitivity:  zinc, NAC.  There are more.

 

Metformin is likely to help for weight loss by itself.  In my case, when I eat low carb/high fat I do not need metformin.

 

Eta, http://www.dietdoctor.com/lchf

[Guest]

So, the Metformin did help you? Are you still on it, or were you able to get off once things got normal?

 

When you say low-carb did you make extreme cuts like Paleo or just lower the carbs?

 

Thanks!

The metformin helps a lot and I will take it forever.  I have worked up to 1500mg/day but you really have to work up to it slowly because it will mess up your digestion big time.

 

I used the South Beach diet to lose the weight (really, it is just lots of veggies at every meal and protein).  I've tried more intense diets but they just don't mesh well with my life.  I found it really annoying to make dinner for the kids and then realize I had nothing for me to eat or vise versa.  WIth South Beach, I cook normal food and I skip the carbs but still have food the kids will eat.

 

HTH!

 

ETA: I even stayed on the met through my last pregnancy and, for the first time, didn't have to do the 3 hour glucose test because I passed the 1 hour!

[indigomama]

If you are having problems getting your Vitamin D to rise, you might need to add in some of these.

 

 

The way that vitamins and minerals work in your body is interconnected. How well vitamin D works depends on the amount of other vitamins and minerals that are present in your body. The other vitamins and minerals needed to help vitamin D work well are called cofactors and, without these cofactors, supplementation can have undesirable effects. Vitamin D has a number of cofactors. According to the Vitamin D Council and others, the ones listed below are the most critical and should not be overlooked:

Magnesium

Vitamin K2

Zinc

Boron

Vitamin A

 

from the Stop The Thyroid Madness website.

 

Did you have your B12 levels checked, too? That is a big one with PCOS? It should be at least 500 or higher. Iron should be around 60 - 80. Folate around 16 - 20.

 

 

No, she didn't check B12s. I've switched providers recently and I will get a more complete bloodwork done. I don't think my other Dr thought my concerns were a big deal. Thank you for this information, it does make sense.

 

My Vitamin D went from 17 to 28 in about 18 months. So, while it is improving, it's still low, but it would make sense to check into the other vitamins and minerals.

[mom2samlibby]

No, she didn't check B12s. I've switched providers recently and I will get a more complete bloodwork done. I don't think my other Dr thought my concerns were a big deal. Thank you for this information, it does make sense.

 

My Vitamin D went from 17 to 28 in about 18 months. So, while it is improving, it's still low, but it would make sense to check into the other vitamins and minerals.

Oh my - that's extremely low still.

[Sneezyone]

Metformin is what my sister uses. I use spironolactone, Mirena and rogaine because I have no plans for more kids. Both my sister and I had gastric bypass for weight which helped considerably. It is still a battle to keep the weight down tho. We have to avoid carbs and go heavy on protein.

[indigomama]

The metformin helps a lot and I will take it forever.  I have worked up to 1500mg/day but you really have to work up to it slowly because it will mess up your digestion big time.

 

I used the South Beach diet to lose the weight (really, it is just lots of veggies at every meal and protein).  I've tried more intense diets but they just don't mesh well with my life.  I found it really annoying to make dinner for the kids and then realize I had nothing for me to eat or vise versa.  WIth South Beach, I cook normal food and I skip the carbs but still have food the kids will eat.

 

HTH!

 

ETA: I even stayed on the met through my last pregnancy and, for the first time, didn't have to do the 3 hour glucose test because I passed the 1 hour!

 

That was really helpful thanks. I'm currently on 500mg/day. I started in July, but stopped because I was having my wisdom teeth out, and didn't want stomach problems while under anesthesia. It was a good idea, because recovery was long and awful! But, I'm going to start the Met back up.

 

South Beach sounds much more doable than some of the other diets. Thanks, again!

 

Oh my - that's extremely low still.

 

Dr wasn't concerned, since it went up. But I am working on raising it.

Metformin is what my sister uses. I use spironolactone, Mirena and rogaine because I have no plans for more kids. Both my sister and I had gastric bypass for weight which helped considerably. It is still a battle to keep the weight down tho. We have to avoid carbs and go heavy on protein.

Thanks for sharing. Interesting that you and your sister deal with it, so did the doctors think there was a genetic link to it?

 

I wasn't overweight until my early 20's, but several people in my family are going back at least 3 generations. I've wondered about the genetics of insulin resistance.

[kiana]

I have PCOS and was overweight basically from the time I hit puberty and obese from late teens on.

 

Several years ago (nearly a decade now) I started training martial arts rather extensively. To my surprise and delight, I found that with the increased exercise, many of my symptoms greatly reduced in severity. I did not lose any weight at this point (I was not tracking or regulating intake in any way) (ETA: I did stop GAINING weight at this point) but my cycles went from every few months to every 40-ish days, and greatly decreased in flow as well. I had been taking birth control pills for a few years at that point purely to regulate the cycles, and I was able to stop them. 

 

A few years after that (nearly four now) I went through a really bad time that sort of motivated me to start losing weight. I started with just tracking calories and saw encouraging and rapid enough progress from that that I was able to continue. I was not in any way, shape, or form eating a healthy diet at that point -- it still consisted mainly of grains and soda -- just less of it. I moved out of obese into overweight at this point.

 

As time went on I started becoming more concerned with the health of my diet, but I still don't follow a specifically low-carb diet. I focus heavily on vegetables and meat but include things that I enjoy as well. I buy them in smaller packages because of my extreme lack of self-control (for example, 1-2 oz bags of potato chips rather than family size bags) but I do buy them. I don't work out as much as I used to, but I still do martial arts 2-4 times a week and bodyweight exercises 2-3 times a week. I am squarely in the middle of the normal BMI range, my bodyfat is 21-22%, and I am asymptomatic other than the ladybeard. 

 

PCOS does run in my family as my mother and grandmother also have/had it. 

 

I might have needed to drop carbs lower if I hadn't already ameliorated the worst of the symptoms with the exercise program. 

[Chalex]

I have PCOS too.  I did lose weight with the Mayo Clinic's Diabetic Diet book.  (I mention this on a recent post)  It's simply clean eating and regulating portions.  I also took D3 daily.  I can't go too low carb because I get shaky and irritable.

 

I asked my doctor to check my vitamin D levels, but they wont do that anymore because they found that everyone is low. 

 

How are you doing on the Metformin?  I tried it once while trying to get pregnant and I couldn't handle the side effects.  It did help my cycles though. 

 

I have no idea about regulating hormones...even when I lost the weight  (shhh...totally gained it back.  I know what to do, it's just to do it)  I still had the hair issues, but my cycles were great.  

 

 

[Sneezyone]

That was really helpful thanks. I'm currently on 500mg/day. I started in July, but stopped because I was having my wisdom teeth out, and didn't want stomach problems while under anesthesia. It was a good idea, because recovery was long and awful! But, I'm going to start the Met back up.

 

South Beach sounds much more doable than some of the other diets. Thanks, again!

 

 

Dr wasn't concerned, since it went up. But I am working on raising it.

Thanks for sharing. Interesting that you and your sister deal with it, so did the doctors think there was a genetic link to it?

 

I wasn't overweight until my early 20's, but several people in my family are going back at least 3 generations. I've wondered about the genetics of insulin resistance.

 

Yes, there is a genetic component. There's evidence my great grandmother suffered as well. She only had three children, uncommon for the times, and both my sister and I began experiencing problems in our late teens, early 20s. As I'm 10 years older, I was at least able to warn her what to expect.

[indigomama]

I have PCOS and was overweight basically from the time I hit puberty and obese from late teens on.

 

Several years ago (nearly a decade now) I started training martial arts rather extensively. To my surprise and delight, I found that with the increased exercise, many of my symptoms greatly reduced in severity. I did not lose any weight at this point (I was not tracking or regulating intake in any way) but my cycles went from every few months to every 40-ish days, and greatly decreased in flow as well. I had been taking birth control pills for a few years at that point purely to regulate the cycles, and I was able to stop them. 

 

A few years after that (nearly four now) I went through a really bad time that sort of motivated me to start losing weight. I started with just tracking calories and saw encouraging and rapid enough progress from that that I was able to continue. I was not in any way, shape, or form eating a healthy diet at that point -- it still consisted mainly of grains and soda -- just less of it. I moved out of obese into overweight at this point.

 

As time went on I started becoming more concerned with the health of my diet, but I still don't follow a specifically low-carb diet. I focus heavily on vegetables and meat but include things that I enjoy as well. I buy them in smaller packages because of my extreme lack of self-control (for example, 1-2 oz bags of potato chips rather than family size bags) but I do buy them. I don't work out as much as I used to, but I still do martial arts 2-4 times a week and bodyweight exercises 2-3 times a week. I am squarely in the middle of the normal BMI range, my bodyfat is 21-22%, and I am asymptomatic other than the ladybeard. 

 

PCOS does run in my family as my mother and grandmother also have/had it. 

 

I might have needed to drop carbs lower if I hadn't already ameliorated the worst of the symptoms with the exercise program. 

 

Thank you for sharing. I do think for me, upping my activity is going to be key. I need to make a more concentrated effort. The kids and I have been going for a walk every day, but I might try to fit in a solo walk, that way I can pick up the pace. I was also playing rec league volleyball last spring and summer, and hope to play again soon.  It's encouraging to hear that your were able to not only get in shape, but also get to a point of clearing up most of your symptoms. Great job!

[SumSum]

I've had PCOS since about the age of 13. Doc put me on BC to regulate, but that really messed up my system. I found that the only way I am able to lose weight is to go very very low carb. I've lost 40 lbs on multiple occasions with this method. I think it may have something to do with PCOS and insulin resistance as others have mentioned above. My cycle regulates beautifully when I keep the weight down, but as soon as I start gaining, the cycle is thrown out of whack. Paleo is a great option for a PCOS friendly diet.

[Mama Geek]

I am pretty sure that I have it...really low carb or low glycemic index is how I take weight off.  I think I have just figured out that dt soda's slow my metabolism and cause me to stop loosing weight too.  I am only on my 2nd day again of no sodas but I haven't lost anything in the last couple of weeks while doing low carb and the only thing different from before is 1 20 oz dt soda a day.  I can tell a change in how hot or cold I am too.  Without the dt sodas I am much warmer and when drinking them I stay cold.  Just an interesting theory that I am testing.