Trying to Conceive with PCOS

Sorry to hear the medicines did not help ... I was in the same boat not too long ago
Hopefully you will have had a sperm analysis done for your husband to figure out if there are any issues there.

Do you have regular periods?

IUI or artificial insemination is not too bad. I had it done and conceived on the 1st try. Because of my irregular cycles, I had to take injectibles to develop and release the eggs for 10 days before the IUI happened. After that I took bed rest for a week and by god's grace and elder's blessings conceived. There are no side-effects except that the injectibles can over-stimulate your ovaries so they may get enlarged and cause some minor pain. If your cycles are regular, they may just time the IUI to when you ovulate.

Doctors recommend that you try IUI for 5-6 times before moving on to IVF which is when the extract the eggs and fertizlize them in the test tube and then put them back in the uterus. This involves more monitoring, more injections and more discomfort than an IUI.

Sanya

You said medicines did not help but could you please clarify if you tried 'Metformin'? Also if you did take it then did you follow a diet? Because Metformin is effective only if you are on a well balanced diet. I had to take metformin to concieve. I was on a low carb diet and it really helped.

Also in general for all women with PCOS, a low carb diet can help a lot. Just avoid the big 5 carbs: Rice, White bread, Potatoes, Pasta, Sugar.

Hope this helps

All the best
CoolMommy

Dear Pooja,

No we haven't done the analysis for my husband. We will be getting it done soon. I have very irregular periods. I had no knowlegde of all these things....i am now trying to get all the information possible...you ladies here have really helped. Thanks for taking time to reply..

Yeah I tried Metformin...for about a month but i used to feel dizzy and sleepy the whole time. So my gynac changed it to Actos...still taking them. I have put on a lot of weight ...trying hard to control it....which is really a big task for me....i am really bad at dieting...but i am trying...really am.. Thanks for your suggestion....will try to stay off the carbs.

Originally Posted by coolmommy

Sanya

You said medicines did not help but could you please clarify if you tried 'Metformin'? Also if you did take it then did you follow a diet? Because Metformin is effective only if you are on a well balanced diet. I had to take metformin to concieve. I was on a low carb diet and it really helped.

Also in general for all women with PCOS, a low carb diet can help a lot. Just avoid the big 5 carbs: Rice, White bread, Potatoes, Pasta, Sugar.

Hope this helps

All the best
CoolMommy

hi sanya,
iam afraid i cannot help in with ur problem ,can u pls tell what is this PCOS first of all??

shashi.

Originally Posted by Sanya

Yeah I tried Metformin...for about a month but i used to feel dizzy and sleepy the whole time. So my gynac changed it to Actos...still taking them. I have put on a lot of weight ...trying hard to control it....which is really a big task for me....i am really bad at dieting...but i am trying...really am.. Thanks for your suggestion....will try to stay off the carbs.

Sanya

I strongly feel that you main problem is the weight that you had put on. Workout regularly, stay away from these 5 carbs and take your medication. Make it a goal to shed off atleast 5-8 pounds and see the difference, your periods will get regular.

Also try to test for ovulation and keep track of your cycle patterns. Do you get ovulation preditctors over there? Because that will give you some relief to know that you are ovulating and then you can plan during that time. It'll surely increase your chances of conception.

All the best
CoolMommy

Hi Sanya,

Like coolmommy said, your weight gain is the main cause of pcos. Unfortunately, it is a circle of evil, with the pcos causing the weight gain and the weight gain worsening the pcos condition. You have to break this cycle and lose weight for the pcos effects to lessen.

I know how difficult it is to take metformin for the first few months but you need to take it to control pcos. Actos will not help that much. Try lowering your dosage. Like my gynac started me off at 500mg a day and gradually moved me upto 2000mg a day over a period of 6 months.

You definitely need to follow a low-carb diet to combat the effects of pcos and also to lose weight. As a guideline, you should consume no more than 150-200 gms of carbs a day and atleast 75-100 gms of protein a day. Doing this and with regular excercise, I was able to lose about 25 pounds over a period of 4 months and immediately conceived afterwards with an IUI.

As a diet example, one cup of rice has about 45 gms of carbs while 1 medium chapatti has about 15-20 gms of rice. I have posted in other threads the diet I followed, please look them up for guidance. Basically, you want to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as 2-3 snacks per day, with equal amounts of carbs and protein at each meal. My breakfast for example, is a slice of high fiber bread and a slice of cheese. For snacks, I use fruit and cheese combo, or a glass of milk with nuts or a glass of buttermilk. For lunch and dinner, it's 2 chappatis or 1/2 cup of rice with 1 cup of daal or 1 cup of yogurt, salad and 1 veg curry. If you eat meat, that's better for low-carb diets and you can add eggs to your breakfast.

You also need to get excercise. Atleast 30-40 minutes of aerobic activity such as brisk walking, treadmill, elliptical etc atleast 5 days a week. And lift light weights for 10-15 minutes 2-3 times a week. This builds muscles and that will help you lose weight faster and also control your pcos.

This sounds like a lot and yes, it is a lifestyle change. But I am living proof that even with pcos, you can conceive if you follow the right diet and excercise. due to my pregnancy right now i can't excercise at a high intensity but I walk 10-15 mins around my house after breakfast and lunch and then after dinner, take a 30-40 minute walk outside with my husband. This is to combat my gestational diabetes, which is unfortunately, one of the side-effects of having pcos.

Good luck and don't worry. Your son will have company soon! Just diet, excercise and take your medications. All will be well!

Pooja

Hi Shashi,

PCOS is an hormonal imbalance which causes infertility. U can look up the other threads for a detailed description.

Sanya

Originally Posted by yenetishashi

hi sanya,
iam afraid i cannot help in with ur problem ,can u pls tell what is this PCOS first of all??

shashi.

Hi, yes...i guess that's may be the main issue. I will work towards losing weight. Yes we do get the ovulation predictors.Thank you so much...

Originally Posted by coolmommy

Sanya

I strongly feel that you main problem is the weight that you had put on. Workout regularly, stay away from these 5 carbs and take your medication. Make it a goal to shed off atleast 5-8 pounds and see the difference, your periods will get regular.

Also try to test for ovulation and keep track of your cycle patterns. Do you get ovulation preditctors over there? Because that will give you some relief to know that you are ovulating and then you can plan during that time. It'll surely increase your chances of conception.

All the best
CoolMommy

Dear Pooja,

Thank you for the detailed infromation. I will seriously follow your suggestion on weight loss. Your words have really encouraged me. Thanks once again.

Sanya