PCOS And Swelling in Legs (Over a Year Since Had Baby)

You may have already read this, but a low-carb or even no-carb diet is highly recommended for this from what I remember. You might want to research that aspect of it.

L.,
Good morning,

When you go to the DR, request a CRP test, this is called a C Reactive Protein Test, this test will show you how much Silent Inflammation is in your blood stream, and disease start with Inflammation.
You can learn more about CRP from Dr. Vaughn Johnson, hear his audio on www.DailyHealthJuice.com, click on his name and listen to his explanation of Why it is important and how to treat it.

good luck,
Oly

Has an endocrinologist checked your thyroid function?

I have PCOS too and I have found my Naturalpathic doctor to be extremely helpful...but the process is very slow. You have to be extremely patient...and it is very helpful to cut out almost all starches from your diet...bread, pasta, sugars, etc. You also may want to cut out processed foods too as much as is possible. I am so glad you've been able to have a baby at all. I think you'll be happy with naturalpathic care if you are willing to wait it out. In the long run it will bring your whole system back up and running on a much better level...moods, digestion, energy, etc.

I can tell you what you already know, that losing weight is the best way to get rid of most of your symptoms/issues. It won't cure the PCOS, but will help with your blood pressure, hormone fluctuations and edema. I gained a minimum of 45lbs with each of my children. I got back down to 145 when I got pregnant again, but at one point I was 210lbs and 5'4. After my last, I got down again, but was holding on to 30 extra pounds. I didn't think that would make much of a difference with my hormones or my fatigue or blood pressure, but after I lost it I was (and still am) a new woman. I tried my tail off, to exercise the pounds away, but plateaued and lost NOTHING! I now swear by two methods of weight loss...Slimfast shakes for breakfast, and Weight Watchers as an overall program. Some people are under the impression that you have to have special food with WW, but you don't. You can do the program in person (I recommend that) or online. I went physically to my local meetings to weigh in so I would have to take some responsibility and it really worked for me. If you want more information about the program and how it works, e-mail me back and I will be happy to share. I have before and after pictures too! Anyway, think about what is best for you.

On another note, you have had your heart, liver and kidneys checked for disease...the typical cause of pitted edema, right? If you have hypertension, which is sounds like you may with the high blood pressure, the hypertension medication may alleviate some of the edema too. Hey, go here before your appointments so you can decide what applies to you and are able to talk to your Doc and ask informed questions:

http://www.medicinenet.com/edema/article.htm

Good luck and God bless!

Hi L.,
I am not a health professional but I have been diagnosed with PCOS so have done some research. I cannot remember ever reading that swelling goes along with PCOS. I do seem to remember that it is a common reaction in people with high blood pressure. One of my doctors also said that the more overweight you are, the more fluid you retain. So, it sounds like getting your weight down even more (and congrats on your weight loss so far, btw!) might be the most helpful thing you can do. Also, if you haven't already, ask your doctor to check your Thyroid levels. Hypothyroidism can cause you to be overweight and sluggish. My mother and 9 year old daughter both have it. Have them check your TSH, T3, T4 and Thyroid antibodies. If it turns out you are, you simply take a pill every day and you will see the weight fall off. Good luck!

Hi I also had preeclampsia 2 years ago, and was diagnosed with chronic hypertension afterward.

I was first going to suggest you see a nephrologist, but it sounds like you already have a kidney doc and don't have any permanent damage.

You could be having a reaction to whatever antihypertensive medication you are on. The first blood pressure medication I tried caused my feet to swell. My cardiologist told me that if the swelling ever moved into my calves to call him. There are many different types of meds and med combos for hypertension; you might have better luck seeing a cardiologist or an internist to help deal with your blood pressure issues.

You might also want to see an endocrinologist if you aren't already- thyroid and blood sugar issues can also cause edema or swelling. As far as natural remedies for PCOS you could try eating a lower glycemic diet (cutting out foods that tend to spike your blood sugar like refined flour and sugar) to see if that helps you feel better.

Some women take longer than others to heal from the endothelial damage or changes caused by preeclampsia, I have heard of women taking over a year to get off BP meds. Also lifestlye changes including regular exercise and weight loss to get to a healtheri BMI can reduce the need for BP medication.

For women who have btdt in regards to PE and edema (and chronic hypertension & PCOS) check out the preeclampsia foundation: www.preeclampsia.org

I suffered for over 15 years not knowing I had PCOS until I found a wonderful GYN Anna Marie Lozano. She diagnosed PCOS and I was on my way to a better life. I also wanted to get pregnant and had been unable to up to that point. She suggested buying the book The Zone by Barry Sears and told me to follow the diet to help me control PCOS and to perhaps get pregnant. I was pregnant in five months (at 40 yrs old). She was way ahead of her time on the correlation of carbohydrates on the endocrine system and how it relates to many female problems. Four years later it was in Journal of American Medicine and all the magazines had articles on this subject. The carbs or rather no carbs are the answer (good carbs are OK too). I know its hard for us big girls but its the way without medication. Good Luck

i honestly know nothing about PCOS but just thought id offer a few things to you...

most of my family has high blood pressure and for some reason the dr. prescribed blood meds tend to cause more problems then help so we did some research on herbal things that would help blood pressure...we found a pill at the local health food store called Blood Pressure Factor..its in a white bottle with a red label. my dad had extremely high bp before taking this and within a few days of taking it the bp had dropped to the higher part of normal..then within a few weeks it was in the normal range and has stayed there for the past year and half.

my mom developed scerosis of the liver and was in alot of pain..she started holding in water as well. i know this is a totally different thing that what you are going through but it helped her...her ankles would swell up to the size of foot balls after just being up and about for 30 minutes and was extremely painful for her to walk. my dad started putting her on cayenne tablets. basically what it did was help stimulate her blood circulation to her legs and hands and in turn helped the swelling go down. but if you do take that route be sure to have a roll of tums on hand because if you take it on an empty stomach it will cause heart burn.

lastly the only thing i can think of that might be of help, and you might want to talk to a dr or the people at your local health food store on this is you said you have other symptoms from the pcos... after my tubal i started having abnormal periods (5-6 weeks apart) major mood swings and yes..the dreaded acne...i found an herbal supplement called Vitex..it helps level out my hormones so im not a raving lunatic and ive had pretty good success with this, its also a great alternative to the ladies who are going through the change.

i hope something in this helps.

I too get swellings in my legs from time to time. I found out that I have poor circulation in my legs and have to get my veins treated at least 2 to 3 times yearly. The reason I started was they discovered I had a blood clot in my secondary artery just behind my knee. I had no idea it was there other than the swelling and my right foot looked a little purplish at times. So you might want to check that out just in case. I have information on a great product which you drink daily as a shot. If you are interested give me a call, it puts your body in a PH Alkaline state and it helps with blood pressure and all sorts of good stuff.
K. ###-###-####

L.,
I've fought PCOS as well as endometriosis. I did all sorts of reading on PCOS before I had my first child, but never found anything that conclusively gave me an underlying cause for why I had it (other than the genetic luck of the draw.

You might want to seriously look at seeing a nutritionist (not a dietician) for a work up. What I have liked about the nutritionist approach is they look at the cause--why is your body having difficulties? and they do not use medication--only diet, lifestyle, and vitamins. It also works.

The nutritionist I see can also run a Spectracell test to see how your body is absorbing vitamins, or what you are low on. I think you can also have it run yourself by contacting the lab.

I hadn't ovulated in a year (6 months on metformin, which had worked for me before). Within a month my nutritionist diagnosing me with a major food intolerance and changing my diet, my body was working again. Within two months (including treatment for low vitamin levels critical for fertility), I was pregnant. My fluctuating blood sugar, sugar cravings, mood swings, and irritability all went away within 2 days of changing my diet; my period was the most pain-free I'd had in years. My skin is also the clearest it's been in over 15 years. Plus within 2 days of starting the supplements to counter my vitamin D deficiency, I was sleeping like a baby--which hadn't happened since before my 2-year-old was born.

I also found out that certain prescription drugs, including Metformin and birth control, can deplete your body of certain nutrients--Metformin, for example, depletes B12 and folic acid. The nutritionist would know this and could put you on extra vitamins to offset that.

When I was researching PCOS while trying to get pregnant with my first, I came across a book written by a doctor that indicated that birth control over time can actually exacerbate the insulin resistance.

I really like the nutritionist approach--they try to see what the real cause is, not just throw drugs at you to mask the symptoms.

I would really recommend seeing a board-certified nutritionist. I go to Dr. Osbourne at Town Center Wellness in Sugar Land. His website also has a flowchart showing how deficiencies can exacerbate different aspects of infertility.

Good luck!

Hi L.,
I suggest you go to a naturopathic dr.(ND is Dr. of Naturopathy) who can treat all your issues holistically. It is beneficial to have the input of both an MD and an ND. IMO The ND is likely more tolerant of using medical practices, however, it has been my experience that MD's are less accepting of more natural methods. Naturopaths will treat the underlying issue to bring about balance in the body, whereas many MD's treat the current symptoms. I've used both satisfactorily for many years. Wish you well, C.

Hi L.,

I want to give you another way of looking at the condition you are discribing.
Natural healing is a lifestyle change, and it works best will all phases of it are done in order. On this website, this is my free teaching website, http://www.creeksideherbhouse.com/ on the theory page. Click on the word theory under the banner at the top of the home page. All I do is offer knowledge and information, what people do with that knowledge is totally up to them. There are many ways to research this information also on the net.

I almost diet at 48, my best friend a medical dr. could not help me live. So I choose to look for something else. That is when I found natural healing. I just turned 62, I take no meds, and see no dr.s, as there is no need for it.

I know if I had not found this knowledge and used it properly I would be dead at this time.

Blessings for a new way of life
J. M