Anyone here TTC with diet and exercise? (loss mentioned)

Osteoblastic

Hi all!

I notice most of the posts here have to do with Clomid, trigger shots, progesterone supplements, etc. and I was just curious if there are some women here who are still TTC without medication? I ask because I am currently trying (since 10/2013), and would love the support of others who are trying lifestyle changes first. (Nothing wrong with meds, I'll be trying that if this doesn't work after a few months!)

I was unofficially diagnosed PCOS because my hormones, thyroid, glucose and ultrasounds came back within normal ranges, but I have mild hirsutism and really long cycles (before the mc, they were 90 days). I weighed 190, My BMI was 30, body fat is 37%, and Vit D is low, even after a year of supplementing. I did take Metformin for 2 months and got a BFP, but bean stopped developing at 6w. After my mc, my cycles have been a lot better, especially during months that I exercise regularly (like 38 day cycles!).

Sooo... I finally decided to see a naturopath instead of my NP, who wanted to continue the Metformin despite normal glucose. The theory now is, since I'm mild PCOS, if I can raise my Vit D and get to about 170lb with diet and exercise, my cycles should be consistent and I'll know when I'm O'ing, so we can BD So I'm on 1750 calories, grain-free diet, and exercise 3-4x a week (and 20,000 IU Vit D). I just started June 23rd, and just had a pretty perfect chart and pos opk before AF (though cycle was still 48 days). I've also lost 6 pounds! So that gave me hope to keep going with the plan! Even though it's hard to sometimes, since it's been 2 years

Anyone else TTC with diet and exercise, and it didn't help? Anyone where it did help normalize things? Anyone currently trying this stuff? Am I crazy for trying this so late in the TTC game?!

twomommiestobe

Hi, I'm just a lurker but this is why I ventured into this board I want to do diet and exercise to regulate my cycles. 40-80 days. Thanks for asking this!

Osteoblastic

Yay! Thanks for reaching out

GoldenKeys

I'm doing both, mostly because I've gained weight through treatment.  It's great that you're getting healthy now, because even if you have to turn to meds in the future, they'll work better if you're in an optimal weight range.

riveridgional

I don't have any pointed answer on this one, but exercising regularly definitely helped to make my cycles more regular. Typically (based on BBT) before I started exercising, I would O anywhere between day 17 and day 23 of my cycle and my LP was 13 days. After exercising, my cycle regulated to Oing mostly on day 15 and rarely on day 16 and extended my LP to 14 days. So, I strongly believe moderate exercise can help you out.

I wish you the best of luck and agree with @GoldenKeys that focusing on your health prior to taking fertility meds can definitely help. Getting into an exercise routine may also help set-off any weight gain side effects you may experience upon treatment. I've gained some weight since starting treatment.

CopperLane

I've heard that in some cases diet can help regulate PCOS. lower stress levels can help too. Just moving from Los Angeles where I had over an hour commute each way and a high stress job to a much slower paced place with zero commute and same job but less stress, seems to have somewhat help regulate me. As regular as 40ish day cycles can be. I hate to admit that the low stress thing helped me because I HATED hearing that from everyone. I also didn't realize just how stressed I was.

I have also started eating a lot healthier because I feel I have more time to prepare whole food snacks and meals instead of relying on prepackaged foods. Low carb diets are the best for women who have PCOS. I've also read to cut out dairy but NO ONE is taking my cheese away. NO ONE!!!!!!!

Osteoblastic

GoldenKeys said:

I'm doing both, mostly because I've gained weight through treatment.  It's great that you're getting healthy now, because even if you have to turn to meds in the future, they'll work better if you're in an optimal weight range.

My thoughts exactly- If come October or November, things still don't look more regular, I'll take another look at the Metformin. But I figure since a higher BMI correlates with complications, getting below 30 or 25 certainly won't hurt anything

Osteoblastic

CopperLane, I said the same thing about cheese when the naturopath gave me the diet plan! It's grain-free, and I just decided to do primal/paleo because it was more or less the same. But I was excited to see that, according to the outline she gave me, cheese counts as a protein, not a dairy!! Which is awesome, because we don't usually buy milk anyway   So right now I'm trying to do under 100g carbs, but I'm not as strict about that yet, until I get an insulin test results :-X

CopperLane

@Osteoblastic ok if cheese counts as a protein and not a dairy I'm in!!! We don't buy milk either. If I want milk for anything I make my own almond milk, which is surprisingly quick and easy.

Good luck with the new meal plan! It's so tough to switch over and I still struggle with it a lot.

sfleiss

I think it's great that your starting a healthy lifestyle!!! One of my coworkers had a child, then years and years passed and she couldn't get pregnant a second time. Turns out, she had a gluten intolerance. She changed her diet and within 3 months was pregnant and now has a baby boy! This may be a special circumstance, but my point is that diet can effect fertility, maybe not to such extremes as my coworker, but keep up your healthy habits. It can only help!!!!

clt2pwm11

I've tried to be more health-minded mostly because I feel so zapped after meal times. I've gone more low-carb, high protein, and I can definitely tell a difference in my energy level. Lets hope it is also helping in the baby making department!

lily55d

I have been trying exercise and diet for 3 months now. I gained a lot of weight when my insulin resistance came back and my dr put me on metformin and a diet and exercise plan. I have short cycles but with no ovulation. So far I haven't ovulated yet, so I am hoping to get on meds. However I will continue with the diet and exercise, it really helps my energy levels and I would love to lose the weight I gained.