Has anyone who was diagnosed with POS (Polycystic ovaries syndrome) been able to get pregnant and what was the wait time and complication with diabetes, heart diseases, medicines and hormone replacement drugs? My niece has POS. She is married and is 27 years old. She is trying to get pregnant but was told it will be difficult. Should she start infertility drugs now. Has anyone tried in vitro?
My friend has POS and was also told that it might be difficult to conceive, but ended up getting pregnant on her honey moon. There is a great book out there called
"Fertility, Cycles & Nutrition" by Marilyn Shannon. It has great info on POS. I hope your niece is sucessful.
I have POS and I have two great, healthy kids. I went to a fertility doctor at Yale who was great. the best thing to do is stay slim and in shape if you can. There are also some meds (oral) they use that work without having to get stuck every day. I did use those, in conjunction with egg monitoring at the doctor during my cycle. The second time I just did it on my own. HOwever, I will say both times took a while, it took me 2 1/2 years the first time and my kids are 3 years apart and we did not prevent in between. It is possible, so tell her not to give up.
Hi Greta,
PCOS can be overcome ... I know this because I have it along with a beautiful 7 month old girl! I was in infertility treatment for a year and a half, but I was lucky enough to get pregnant with IUI (artificial insemination). Here's a link to a book called Fertility Foods, which I found to be REALLY useful during my struggles. http://tinyurl.com/32e2yp
Your niece is young (I had my baby at 39!) so that can only be helpful. I was on a variety of drugs (one of which was metformin, the same drug that my dad, who has type 2 diabetes was taking!) It was no surprise that when I became pregnant I developed gestational diabetes, which was no fun. Sticking to GD diet was amazingly helpful - I only gained 10 pounds while pregnant! I know that keeping fit helps - I probably need to go back on that diet! They say breastfeeding keeps you skinny, but not if you eat too much chocolate!
If your niece has any questions, she can email me. I am no expert, but I did go through it myself.
Take care,
Rebecca
I have PCOS, and via no fertility drugs except Metforfmin/Glucophage (for about a year to regulate my periods) I gave birth to a healthy, wonderful baby boy, and then, when he was 4 months old, I got pregnant and gave birth to a beautiful, wonderful baby girl (they're 11 months apart - two words: BIRTH CONTROL!! We thought we were invincible). It's possible and highly probable to get pregnant. I had my first at 29 and my second at 30... Best of luck to your niece.
I have PCOS (and am insulin resistant) and was able to get pregnant naturally. I used accupuncture to get my hormones in balance. Endocrinologist wanted me to go on metformin to regulate insulin but I refused. I started accupuncture in Apr/May and by Sept of the same year, I was pregnant. I gave birth naturally (no drugs) in July of the following year to a healthy baby girl.
Hello Greta -
There is a fertility clinic in GA. The first thing they suggest for the couple is to both ask them to take Juice Plus! I have a few success stories!
"Medical doctors everywhere are recommending Juice Plus+®.
Many have written us to share the healthful results that they have observed in their own practices.
Doug Odom, M.D., an obstetrician and gynecologist in
Jackson, Mississippi, took his observations one step further, carefully documenting and analyzing the outcome of morethan 350 pregnancies within his group practice over an almostthree-year period.
"I've delivered literally thousands of babies over the past 30+ years," says a smiling Dr. Odom. "And I've talked with expectant mothers about the importance of good nutrition ever since I started practicing. But it wasn't until Juice Plus+® came along that I felt really comfortable recommending anything more than prenatal vitamins.
"I was always worried that something I recommended could turn out to be harmfulto my patients," he explains. "Juice Plus+® is whole food based nutrition – a wide variety
of nutritional elements from a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. That just madegood sense to me from the very first time I heard about it. On top of that, it's backed
by a whole body of published, peer-reviewed clinical research that's impressive interms of both quantity and quality.
"You never see that with other nutritional products."
Dr. Odom began sharing Juice Plus+® with his patients in May 1998. "I started noticing improvements here and there, but we really saw it in the expectant moms.
Pregnancy is a very physically demanding nine months:
Juice Plus+® and pregnancy (there's such a rapid acceleration of tissue growth and, as a result, a rapid acceleration of free radical damage [oxidative
stress]. I've always recommended ‘standard
issue' prenatal vitamins. But we started to see healthier pregnancies more often when I started to add Juice
Plus+® to the regimen."
Over time, Dr. Odom and his nursing staff noticed that with the Juice Plus+® moms, they were seeing fewer Caesarean deliveries ("Csections"), fewer premature deliveries, and a lower incidence of preeclampsia – a condition of late pregnancy that is characterized
by high blood pressure and that can be potentially lifethreatening to both mother and baby. They also noticed that the newborns of these moms tended to have higher birth
weights, fewer admissions to neonatal intensive care units, and a lower incidence of respiratory distress syndrome. "It made sense to me that better nutrition would lead to healthier moms," Dr. Odom recalls. "So, I decided to get a little more formal about my Juice Plus+® observations. "Looking back to January 2000, I categorized expectant mothers into two groups: one composed of women who took Juice Plus+® (two Orchard Blend and two Garden Blend capsules) every day in addition to prenatal vitamins, the other comprised of women who took prenatals only." Dr. Odom "matched" subjects for age, ethnicity, prior pregnancies, and insurance status – "everything I could think of to make sure that the two groups were as close to identical as possible" – and ended up with 178 mothers in his Juice Plus+® group and 178 in his non-Juice Plus+® comparison group.
Dr. Odom compared pregnancy outcomes by reviewing the
medical records of all 356 patients after delivery. "The results even surprised me," he confides. He found that women who had added Juice Plus+® to their regimen had significantly fewer Caesarean deliveries (47% versus 66%), no premature deliveries before 37 weeks (compared to 35 women or 20% of the comparison group), and no diagnosed incidents of preeclampsia (versus 38 cases or 21% of the comparison group).
The Juice Plus+® babies fared better as well. They weighed
about a half-pound more at birth on average (7 pounds, 11
ounces versus 7 pounds, 3 ounces). None of the Juice Plus+®
babies had to be admitted to neonatal intensive care (compared to 17 or almost 10% of the comparison group babies).
Similarly, none of the Juice Plus+® babies studied were diagnosed with respiratory distress syndrome (versus 13 or 8% of the non-Juice Plus+® babies).
Dr. Odom offers a simple explanation: "Healthier moms have
healthier babies."
Dr. Odom presented these findings to his medical colleagues
at the annual meeting of the Central Association of
Obstetricians and Gynecologists in October 2003. The
findings are also being published as a "retrospective descriptive analytic comparison" in the March 2006 issue of JANA, the Journal of the American Nutraceutical Association.
More importantly, Dr. Odom's findings have led to the initiation of a methodologically rigorous (prospective, doubleblind, placebo-controlled, and randomized) clinical trial of the impact of Juice Plus+® on pregnancy health currently underway at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson. "I am pleased to see that what I observed in our practice is now being taken to the nextlevel of scientific investigation by my academic colleagues.
"Eight years ago, when I first started recommending Juice
Plus+® to my patients, I did so simply because I believed that better nutrition would lead to improved medical outcomes," he concludes. "Now, I recommend Juice Plus+® because I know that better nutrition leads to better outcomes."
Dr. Odom and his expectant mothers learned what so many of
us already know: that good nutrition – including Juice Plus+® – really can make a difference in the health and wellness of people of all ages and at all stages of life."
Let me know how I can serve you and your niece.
Peace, love & joy -
Sally Snyder
I'm 38 yo with PCOS, diagnosed in 2004/5. I also have 1 blocked fallopian tube. It took about a year to regulate my period using BC pills, and was also dealing with severe anemia. My ob referred me to a wonderful fert doc, who tried diff drugs and dosages. I got pregnant w/ our son in Dec 2006, after 6 monthly cycles. My ins didn't cover in vitro, so we did drugs with intra uterine insemination (IUI). The one blocked tube had also decreased my chances ea month. I had a healthy preg and delivery. We decided to go through the process again when my son was 10 mos old. Pregnancy has a way of "curbing"" PCOS and the month we were to start treatments, I became pregnant w/o assistance (well, my hubby helped!)We now also have a healthy 2-wk old baby girl. Your niece needs to find a good fert doc, one who is more concerned w/her as a pt and not how many birth outcomes he/she can rack up. My MD is in Syosset, w/another ofc. In Brooklyn if you need a referral.
I was having a very hard time getting pregnant the second time. We had no problems with my first son, then lost one baby after trying for a year. My first doctor couldn't figure out why so I looked for another doctor we were so blessed to find my current doctor. He diagnosed me and within a year we were pregnant after trying for over 3 years. Our son is going to be 1 year in April. I had to have a DNC, we used the tmperature tracker to know when fertile, and we used Clomid (sp) a fertility drug for 3 months. We never had to do invitro. Feel free to have her contact me I would be glad to offer any help I can. I know how emotional it can be!
Hi, I have a 26 year old daughter with POS and she is overweight. You didn't say if your niece is overweight but from what I have read in a lot of cases if women with POS will lose weight they tend to be able to conceive. My daughter is in the process of dieting now and has already lost about 20 lbs. Her periods are becoming more regular since the weight loss so maybe that is a good sign. She is not at this point trying to conceive but her and her husband do nothing to prevent it so we will see what happens down the road. If weight is an issue with your niece maybe this will help. Jean
I myself have been a diabetic since I was 8. I also have pos. I have 2 wonderful children 8 and 3. I used birth control to regulate ( a low dose ) then quit the pill to get pregnant. It worked each time. My Ob/gyn claims that right off of the pill your body will give you a couple cycles that are enough to get pregnant. I worked closely with my endo. To keep the a1c below 6. My kids were both healthy and are doing great. No learning problems or health issues.
I was diagnosed with PCOS years ago and was always told that it may be difficult for me to become pregnant. Last April my husband and I decided to try and I went on WebMD (website) to find out when I was ovulating. I got pregnant in May on the first "try". I did get gestational diabetes but that was not related to the PCOS. Tell your niece to make sure she knows for sure when she is ovulating (try WebMD) and try that way first. How long has she ben trying? I know women without PCOS that try for a while with no luck. Tell her not to give up. I wouldn't start taking any infertility drugs yet.
I have PCOS and I have a 2i/2 year old daughter. Yes, I did have trouble getting pregnant. I took about 2 years. My ob/gyn but me on Clomid days 5-7 of my period but it wasn't working. I then went for a hystrosalpingogram which is a test to see if your tubes are open. They were so I then had a chromotubation which just clears out the tubes. After all these procedures the doctor but me on both CloMmid a Glugophage(it's a diabetes medicine) I don't have diabetes but because of the PCOS your sugare can be a little out of wack. I got prgnant the next month.
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Good God bless Arabella C
Hi Greta,
I am a physical therapist working with Clear Passage Therapy based in Florida. We work with women with fertility issues and I have worked with women with POS(Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome). I would suggest you check out the website www.clearpassagetherapy.com and call them in Florida to get some more information. Yes, she needs to start doing more aggressive work--there are different approaches and I think the holistic way might be better first. There are no side effects to holistic therapies and POS is a lot about hormone imbalance. You should also check out acupuncturists who specialize in fertility issues.
You are a very special, caring Auntie!
I too had PCOS. I was put on Metformin, clomid and had an IUI with my first son. The second time around (not trying to get pregnant), I wasn't getting my periods. So I went on metformin to regulate myself. Apparently it worked really well, b/c I got pregnant with my second son.
PCOS presents itself in many different ways. Therefore I would seek out a fertility specialist to see what her next step would be. She may have an easy solution or she may have to undergo many more procedures.
Tell her to keep a positive attitude and hopefully a specialist can help her.
Good luck!
I have PCOS with only one ovary functioning. I tried for 7 years and refused to use fertility drugs. As a last resort at age 33, my dr. ordered a sonohistogram (so long ago, now sure if this is correct term!) to see if my tubes were open. Apparantly they weren't. Here's what happened: April 7th, took test, April 9 got period and got okay from dr to try getting pregnant, May 7th positive pregnanct test! my daughter is now 4 years old and although her dad left me when I was 5 months pregnant, i never looked back or had regrets! On my annual visit January 2007, to our extreme surprise, my functioning ovary had mature eggs and is apparantly working just fine! Explore non-medicated ways as a first option.
What a wonderful aunt you are to your niece!
When I was in my twenties it took several years for my condition PCOS to be diagnosed. Finally at 28 we concieved our daughter. She is now twenty and has PCOS - at least I was aware of the symptons. So she could get the treatment she needs. My husband and I did use fertility drugs with both my pregnancies. I believe it was Clomid - a medication that induces ovulation. After four years of trying we were blessed with a daughter and four years later, after only two months of trying we were blessed with a son.
If you watch Jon & Kate + 8 on TLC you will find out that she too has PCOS.
Good luck!
I did, and I did not get pregnant, but I'm much older than your niece. When I was there the nurse advised me to check into accupuncture. She said that with a good certified accupunturist, many women get pregnant. Also I would check into alternative therapy. There is a good book that can give you some guidance, it is called "The Woman's Guide to Natural Health." I can't remember the name of the author. I found it to be an excellent resource. It may be worth it to try alternative therapy even if you have to pay out of pocket, because in vitro can cost 15,000 to 30,000 if you are not insured.
I too was diagnosed with PCOS a few years ago when I was considering starting a family. I have spend most of my life with problems with my period. I would go months without having my period sometimes I would get it only once or twice a year. When my husband and I decided that we wanted to start having children I went to my OBGYN because I knew that only ovulating once a year and never knowing when that time would come was going to be a problem. Sure enough they ran some tests and found my testosterone levels were high and they could see the cysts on my ovaries. I was devastaded when they told me I was infertile and would need fertility drugs to get pregnant. Fertility drugs just scared us. We heard some beautiful success stories but also heard a few nightmares and after some research found that these drugs can have some long term side affects for me in the future and the future of my baby. After many discussions and alot of tears we decided that fertility drugs were not for us and we would just trust God to decide what was meant to happen. I now have a beautiful son who is 20 months old and I am 6 months pregnant with my second. I understand my story is not like most with my condition but I also believe that like myself most women panic at the thought of having PCOS and as we all know that stress alone can prevent pregnancy. Maybe just accepting my diagnosis and not torturing myself relaxed me enough that nature was able to take it's course I'm not sure but please tell your niece to do the research on the drugs that she will need to take so that she can make an educated decision.