Well, I know PCOS and thyroid issues are often linked, not sure about which causes which or whatever, though. Maybe ask your doctor or do some googling?
A lot of the symptoms of PCOS are thought to be linked to insulin resistance - basically it's kind of a vicious cycle between unstable insulin levels and other hormone levels including LH and testosterone. So, many ways of treating PCOS revolve around breaking that cycle. Losing weight is one natural way of doing this, as the proportion of fat cells in your body affects these hormone levels, so even if you're not considered overweight you might benefit from trying that (assuming you don't become dangerously underweight). Another, related way of breaking the cycle is attempting to stablise your blood sugar levels through diet, which in turn will help with insulin resistance. This can be done through following the principles of the GI diet - in summary, eat little and often, eat protein at every meal, and avoid refined sugars and carbs. Because it's often insulin resistance that prevents women with PCOS from losing weight, following the principles of the GI diet is often the best way for us to go about trying to do this - but even if you're not trying to lose weight it's a good principle to follow.
Metformin is a medication that stablises blood sugar levels and so affects insulin levels in the same way as eating a low GI diet (possibly more powerfully). And no, you don't have to inject it, it's a pill you take a couple of times a day. Generally it's fine, can give some digestive discomfort to some people though.
But the main thing I wanted to say was: my mum has PCOS and got pregnant without any fertility treatment three times. She was TTC for a fair while and went to the doctor who was going to refer her to a fertility consultant, but like you she and my dad were against the idea of fertility drugs. She started tracking her cycle, even though it was irregular, extremely carefully, and got pregnant before her referral to the consultant came through. So although not every woman with PCOS can conceive naturally, it can be done!
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Date: 2008-07-04 04:10 pm (UTC)A lot of the symptoms of PCOS are thought to be linked to insulin resistance - basically it's kind of a vicious cycle between unstable insulin levels and other hormone levels including LH and testosterone. So, many ways of treating PCOS revolve around breaking that cycle. Losing weight is one natural way of doing this, as the proportion of fat cells in your body affects these hormone levels, so even if you're not considered overweight you might benefit from trying that (assuming you don't become dangerously underweight). Another, related way of breaking the cycle is attempting to stablise your blood sugar levels through diet, which in turn will help with insulin resistance. This can be done through following the principles of the GI diet - in summary, eat little and often, eat protein at every meal, and avoid refined sugars and carbs. Because it's often insulin resistance that prevents women with PCOS from losing weight, following the principles of the GI diet is often the best way for us to go about trying to do this - but even if you're not trying to lose weight it's a good principle to follow.
Metformin is a medication that stablises blood sugar levels and so affects insulin levels in the same way as eating a low GI diet (possibly more powerfully). And no, you don't have to inject it, it's a pill you take a couple of times a day. Generally it's fine, can give some digestive discomfort to some people though.
But the main thing I wanted to say was: my mum has PCOS and got pregnant without any fertility treatment three times. She was TTC for a fair while and went to the doctor who was going to refer her to a fertility consultant, but like you she and my dad were against the idea of fertility drugs. She started tracking her cycle, even though it was irregular, extremely carefully, and got pregnant before her referral to the consultant came through. So although not every woman with PCOS can conceive naturally, it can be done!