Other Moms with PCOS

I have several friends who got tremendous relief from PCOS by using balanced supplements (not just grabbing pills off the shelf at the health store). I know they would be happy to talk with you. I took a few months but they have had wonderful and life-changing results without going the "drug route" which scared them and didn't work anyway. Let me know if you'd like to talk to a couple of other women.

I have pcos. I kind of always knew I had it because I rarely got a period unless on birth control pills, have had acne issues my whole life, and excess facial hair....all common symptoms of pcos. It was official when I wanted to get pregnant and went to see a fertility specialist/endocrinologist. I am not aware of why someone would be on metformin unless they were trying to get pregnant (unless it is just the same reason why I have always been on the pill, whether needed for pregnancy prevention or not, to get regular periods). I understand what you mean by your doctor telling you that you probably haven't ovulated the whole time. I don't if I'm not on the pill. For pregnancy, I need to use clomid in order to ovulate. I am not a doctor, but considering my periods have been irregular since puberty (I am now mid 30's), I don't believe the hormones balance out on their own. I think it just how we are.
I guess deciding to be on a regular medication depends on if you need any symptoms regulated, especially if you are not worried about getting pregnant. I need to have my periods, acne and excess hair regulated/controlled, so I stay on the pill. I've heard that women with pcos can also have concerns and need to be careful with their weight.
It is definitely worth having a good discussion with an endocrinologist and your Gyn to see what you need and don't need to do with what your needs are.
Our stories are somewhat different, but hope this was a little helpful.

Has she ruled out Endometriosis(sp)?
You cant tell by bloodwork or Pap Smear if you have it.

I found metformin to be a little hard on my system. My doctor now prescribes the metformin "ER" (extended release), which is a lot more comfortable (for me). On metformin, I was able to lose 35 pounds, which enabled my body to start ovulating spontaneously, so I was able to skip the Clomid and go straight to shots when we started fertility treatment.

My husband was diagnosed with Type II diabetes right after my twins were born, and was put on metformin. He now restricts his diet (no red meat or chicken, only fish, tons of veggies and fruit - little to no carbs). He is off metformin and shed 100 pounds in a year. He is the poster child for dietary control.

I am also on spirinolactone which helps keep the hairiness (such a sexy syndrome!) under control.

Best of luck!

Hi J.
I can connect you to someone with PCOS who has had great results with supplementation and NO drugs.
Happy to share.
J. H

J.

I was diagnosed with PCOS 12 yrs ago and told i'll have to do the drugs to conceive, but i decided that drugs wasn't for me so i started to excise and diet(sensible) and add several suppliments and of course avoid as much stress as possible 18 months later and 70 lbs later my beautiful son was born a miricle according to my doctor. my take is even if your not trying to get pregrant, try the excersie and suppliments before all the drugs and the side effects you do have your wonderful son to think of. keep trying and good luck.

P.s. i have all the classic signs except the acne

I have PCOS as well. I don't know if you will have to be on the metformin forever or not but I am assuming it would probably be a good idea since most women who have PCOS are glucose intolerant (I call it pre-diabetic since there are members of my family who are diabetic and there's a chance I can go full blown diabetic if I am not careful). According to my GYN, some women get pregnant just going on the metformin and others will need to add clomid to it in order to get pregnant. Then there are yet others that will need to go through in-vitro fertilization to get pregnant. I have seen that anything other than just the metformin will increase the chances of multiples during birth. My GYN recommended that I try using a fertility monitor when I am truly ready to get pregnant though my hubby and I have been doing nothing to prevent it for about 6 months now and I still haven't gotten pregnant. The first time they put me on the metformin, I lost approximately 40 pounds. When I lost my insurance and was unable to pay for it out of pocket, I gained back about 30 pounds of it (I have been chunky since I had my tonsils out at age 7). This time around, I have lost 50 pounds over the last 15 months and have noticed that my cycle is becoming more regular (I can now count on getting it once a month versus anywhere from 2 days to 6 months between cycles off of it). At some point in the near future, I do plan on buying some ovulation tests to check and see if I am ovulating or not but my GYN seems confident that I am as I have had an ovarian cyst since being back on the metformin that went away on its own (very tiny one, she couldn't feel it duing a pelvic exam but the ultrasound picked it up, but I was in a lot of pain from it). If you want to know a lot more information about it, check it out on webmd.com. If you have any further questions from there, write them down & talk to your GYN. If he/she is like mine, they will answer anything you ask. Good luck!

Hi,
I have PCOS. I was diagnosed when I was about 28.

I took metformin for a brief amount of time, but it seemed to do nothing for me. So I quit.. and remained overweight for about 5/6 years.

Then I was told about the Atkins diet. I followed it, dieted, lost 50 pounds and started to ovulate regularly (and conceived!)

To this day, I try to limit my carb intake. The key is getting to the target weight then add back carbs to maintain. Use common sense (A good book was 'Good Carb/Bad Carb).. we all need some carbs to function properly.. but somehow it is linked to the insulin in your body. I became "Insulin resistant" meaning I ignored the insulin I naturally produced and the unused food quickly got turned to fat.

Talk with your PC/OB/Gyn.. but I control mine with diet and exercise.
Good luck!