PCOS and Low Carb??

laurnic32

Hi everyone,

I was diagnosed with PCOS at age 15. Got pregnant with my son our second cycle off the pill at 165 lbs. I now weight 185 lbs and my hormones are out of control. I had a healthy pregnancy with no complications. I am currently taking 2000 mg of Metformin daily. I have just started a low carb diet as my dietician has recommended this for me. I just took Provera last month and got a period for the first time in almost 70 days. How long did it take for your cycles to regulate on a low carb diet? How much weight have you lost since you started? This diet is difficult as I'm sure most people with PCOS can attest to, so I just want to make sure it's really worth it. Thanks everyone!

laurnic32

I should probably add that my husband and I are hoping for baby #2

bluelotus13

I was diagnosed with PCOS at 13 (I had gone to the ER thinking it was an appendicitis attack and came away even more confused than going in hahaha). I got pregnant with our son the second cycle off the pill as well though I hadn't been informed by my doctors that PCOS would come with fertility issues (I assume it was because I was so young that they didn't want to scare me or just didn't think it was necessary to share). Flash forward five years since having my first and I'm now pregnant with our second after actively trying for almost three years. We were actually about to go into fertility treatments because I had stopped ovulating regularly by age 21 (I'm now about to turn 24). I never knew about dieting to help out but I did end up becoming more active between pregnancies and sort of adopted a healthier diet just out of habit with dance. I did start to gain weight rapidly during that period of time and it was only after I started to take a break from actively dancing that we got out BFP. 
One thing I did do that seemed to help with dieting/managing the weight pre-pregnancy was upping my water intake and almost completely eliminating my caffeine intake (something that was very difficult to do since I'm an avid tea and coffee drinker). My cycles never actually regulated, in fact I'm not entirely sure when I ovulated to get pregnant this time because I hadn't had a period in a while. It was actually my mom who urged me to test because she had a feeling so it was a complete surprise for us haha
I definitely feel like it's worth it, especially if you're really hoping for baby #2. It might take a while but I can't express the feeling of relief and joy when we finally did see those two pink lines. Not to mention, because I went into this pregnancy overweight, my weight gain has been at a steady pace with losing weight so in a strange way it's helped manage my weight and get me into a better shape than before. I have no idea whether or not that is common for all PCOS moms, but it does seem to be something that's common with anyone who goes into a pregnancy with extra weight. At the very least, working on finding ways to manage the weight will also help with the overall effect the hormones have. 
I wish you lots of luck!  

mamamedeiros1

I don't have PCOS, so forgive me for adding my .02 if it's not relevant.  I was, however, overweight while TTC.  I'd also come off of YEARS of birth control and it took almost a year to get a natural occurring menstrual cycle after that. But just one.  And then nothing.  We then did 5 rounds of Clomid and Provera.  In February of 2014 I started the South Beach Diet at the recommendation of a friend with  PCOS.  I lost about 25 pounds by May 2014 (four months) when our last round of Clomid was successful!  I am not a doctor, but I do think the combination of the meds and the healthier body weight had a huge effect on regulating my hormones and helping me have a regular cycle.  I liked SBD because the science of it made sense to me and because I got to eat things that my life-long-low-fat-diet told me to avoid (and look where it had gotten me!).    It was difficult to stay on the SBD while pregnant, but I can say that I think the tenets of it have helped me gain only about 20 lbs in 36 weeks so far.  I know everyone's weight gain is private, but I was super concerned about it because I know I have a tendency towards obesity. Good luck to you!  I hope you can start to see results soon, as that is always a helpful motivator.  

Stephij1

I was diagnosed with PCOS when I was 22. I kept gaining weight and not having cycles until FINALLY an awesome NP diagnosed me. Once I knew what was going on, and how to more or less control it, everything changed for me. I started being really strict about the low carb diet (not including non-starchy veggies as carbs), and taking 1000 mg of Metformin every day. I lost 20 pounds in a little over a month, my skin cleared up, I was getting sick less often (who knew that PCOS could screw with one's immune system?), and I had to wax/shave much less often. Most importantly, I was able to get pregnant with my now 3 year old daughter. No clomid necessary. I know not everyone has such a dramatic change, but it was life-changing for me.
I should also mention that sticking with the low carb diet after my daughter was born helped me be able to conceive my son (who's due any minute now) after only 4 cycles of trying. I actually got to where I was having regular 35 day cycles. A huge difference from not ever having periods without Provera before. Good luck!

Stephmichellep

Mine is a little different bc I'm significantly more overweight than you are. Also each case is very different. I do have PCOS though, so maybe this will help. I was diagnosed in 2010 at 23. I didn't find that the low carb diet combined with the 1000 mg of Metformin daily and Provera monthly (can't remember dosage) helped with our fertility issues. Over four years and three rounds of failed clomid treatments I never once ovulated. (But there's a happy ending so stick with me!) I did drop about 40lbs over those first four years thought on the diet and meds alone. In January 2014 I completely changed my workout lifestyle from occasionally walking to yoga, running, trail running (like actual running on mountain bike trails) and lifting free weights. By about March 2014 I was down another 20 lbs and I wasn't needing Provera to bring on my period anymore. I got pregnant with no assitance needed with our first in July 2014 and am due April 2015. The doctors had basically told us it would be impossible for us to do so without the very least insemination if not more help. I really truly believe that it was the diet, the Metformin, but most importantly the exercise that was the key to unlocking my fertility problems. With 6-7 months of a strict regular exercise plan added to the diet and Metformin I was able to accomplish what 4 years of diet + Metformin and 3 rounds of fertility treatments on their own couldn't. So far (knock on wood) I've had a wonderfully by the book, healthy pregnancy and we can't wait to meet our little girl in April. Don't let the idea of hard exercising scare you either, if this 250lb girl can do it ANYBODY can Make a few things a daily habit and pick a few hard things that will push your boundaries and expectations of yourself (that you have a blast at) to do weekly. Most importantly, stick with it! Good luck!

laurnic32

Thanks for the support everyone! I really appreciate it. 

erniebernie1

I have thin type pcos but still went on a low carb and low gluten diet. I also started taking inisotol, look into it. After all that I still had to take clomid, but only for 2 cycles and at the lowest dose, so I do believe that the diet helped a lot. I should also add that I started acupuncture at the same time as well.

missilini

I have PCOS as well. I finally decided to try something else as we approached our first IVF. I decided if I was going to spend 1,000s I might as well give myself the best chance. After reading a lot of information I decided a gluten free diet was the way to go. I did the Whole 30 program for 30 days then I did it again for the next 3 months but not as successfully as I did the first time. I lost about 25lbs. I was still about 50lbs oversight though. We were able to conceive with our first round of IVF. I gave birth to DD in July after 9 years of TTC. I definitely attribute some of the success to the Whole 30 program. I just started another Whole with the goal of doing IVF next month. I also take Metformin.