PCOS and hypothyroidism- questions about pregnancy

[krisssa.livejournal.com]

So I went to the doc a little over 2 weeks ago and had an exam. She ordered some blood work b/c I told her we were TTC. I finally did the bloodwork the other day b/c I've been bleeding/spotting ever since that exam randomly (I posted about that b/c I was a bit concerned about the bleeding for that long.) Anyway, they told me my luteinizing hormones were elevated (the other hormones they checked were normal) and they think I might have PCOS. So I have a couple questions:

I'm on meds for my hypothyroidism right now, but I know my thyroid is a little more hypo right now (not bad, TSH is 3.49 but we're trying to get me to a 2.0). Is it possible that my thyroid could be causing the symptoms of PCOS including the luteneizing hormone to be out of whack?

Also, anyone here with PCOS who was able to get pregnant without the help of fertility meds? We think we'd rather adopt than take any fertility meds (and adoption is in our plans regardless) but we'd really like to have one of our own. If you did get pregnant, how long did it take?

Any other suggestions for helping reduce the symptoms of PCOS without meds? For what it's worth, I'm not considered overweight (one issue with PCOS that I think is pretty common) though I do have trouble losing weight and work out A LOT to try to maintain and not gain.

Thanks!

Comments

[arularia.livejournal.com]

Not everyone with PCOS is overweight. You having issues with not losing weight may be an indicator that you're insulin resistant which occurs pretty frequently in women with PCOS. My inability to lose weight despite doing everything by the book was what got me to the doctor for a thyroid work-up and eventually led me to an endocrinologist who told me I was insulin resistant and he was 90+% sure that I have PCOS.

I've had a ton of success with the South Beach diet. It was easy for me to follow cause there's no real measuring, counting, etc., just a list of things to avoid. I lost 20 pounds over the course of a few months without really trying which was the first time I'd ever been able to lose weight. I've also noticed that I just feel better when I'm eating this way--like there's some kind of foggy cloud that's been lifted off of me.

As for the connection between PCOS and thryoid issues, it's definitely possible for one to be affecting the other. Your body is a system, after all, and problems with one organ system can easily cause problems in another.

Also, I'll second the suggestion of checking out pcos. Those ladies have a wealth of knowledge, especially when it comes to supplements you can take and other more holistic options to try and avoid having to take medication. Not to mention the fact that you're also free to just go and vent about your troubles.

[krisssa.livejournal.com]

Thank you very much for the response. I will look into the South Beach Diet... my husband had suggested Weight Watchers to me and I know a lot of people who have had success, but I'm similar to you in the sense that I can't see myself counting things here and there and working up some big math problem in my head about it. ;)

I will definitely check out the pcos community.

Thanks again for your response!

[arularia.livejournal.com]

I tried Weight Watchers as well as the Slim Fast program. They're both good programs and I know tons of people who have had success with them, but because of my IR, I just couldn't lose weight on them. After I cut out the really starchy carbs (white potatos, non-whole grain bread and pasta, etc.) the weight literally just fell off. I never counted calories, I let myself cheat once a week and eat whatever the heck I wanted, and about the only exercise I had was walking around on campus each day. And now, even though I haven't been on South Beach for awhile due to stress and laziness, my weight is still stable which I take as a sign of some significant improvements in how my body is able to handle what I've been eating.

[krisssa.livejournal.com]

Wow, that's really interesting! We only eat whole-grain bread and pasta, etc. so I'm not sure what it is. I do love carbs and breads and stuff, but we're already doing the whole- grain thing. I need to look into this South Beach thing!

[arularia.livejournal.com]

The diet works in phases. The first two weeks will probably be the hardest for you because they're the most strict. Phase 1 is designed to help get rid of the sugar cravings. You'll basically just be eating a lot of lean protein and veggies. The hardest part for a lot of people is that fruit isn't allowed during phase 1. (You can have all you want in Phase 2 though so don't worry. :) )After that you can start reintroducing whole grains, but the diet suggests you limit the bread, pasta, etc. to two servings a day. There's a bit of experimentation to that part though. Some people can have something starchy with every meal and still lose weight while others can't. But if you stop losing weight, it's easy to just readjust things and get back on track.

But I'll stop now and let you do your own research. :) If you decide to track down a copy of the book, it's pretty interesting. Dr. Agatston writes about how he came up with the plan and the trials that he conducted with it and what kind of results he saw in his patients. There are some pretty awesome success stories, including a few about women who had been unable to conceive and then, at the end of a weight loss trial, discovered they were pregnant.