workouts for women who have PCOS

moniquesanhueza1
moniquesanhueza1 Posts: 2
in Fitness and Exercise
Hey guys. My name is Monique and I am 26 years old. 2 dys ago I found out that I coudnt have babies because I have pcos. I am on the pagh of no baby now but when we start trying agian i want to avoid all fertility meds. So anyone know and excerses to improve fertilty?

Replies

  • Mykaylaliz
    Mykaylaliz Posts: 193
    hi there I'm liz. i also have pcos, and i definitely do not want to use any fertility meds =) For exercising regimens i don't really know any fertility ones. for now what i do is a use the treadmill in the am for like 15 mins, and i do 2 (15 mins zumba workouts) that give me about 300 calories burned each. i drink a lot of water. when i say a lot i mean like 12 cups a day lol. my periods were always infrequent i always needed meds to regulate them, but in the last couple of months with the exercising, watching my calories and drinking lots of water it has become regular. All i did was basically research ways to help with dealing with pcos. =)
  • runningindigo
    runningindigo Posts: 63 Member
    Hey Monique and Liz!
    I was diagnosed with PCOS 12 years ago (I'm 36). I haven't tried to become pregnant, but from my understanding, to lose the weight for us, we have to strength train for at least 30/mins 3-5 days a week. More strength training instead of cardio is very important for us. I weighed 242lbs in 2000 and I'm currently 184lbs! I did it through healthy carbs, tons of fruits and veggies, and 5-6 days of alternating strength training (weights, boot camp, Insanity) and cardio (power walking 15miles/wk, Zumba, and kickboxing).
    Check out soulcysters.com for more info about women who have lost weight with the goal of becoming pregnant!
    Good luck ladies and I hope this helped!! ;-)
  • Mykaylaliz
    Mykaylaliz Posts: 193
    Hey Monique and Liz!
    I was diagnosed with PCOS 12 years ago (I'm 36). I haven't tried to become pregnant, but from my understanding, to lose the weight for us, we have to strength train for at least 30/mins 3-5 days a week. More strength training instead of cardio is very important for us. I weighed 242lbs in 2000 and I'm currently 184lbs! I did it through healthy carbs, tons of fruits and veggies, and 5-6 days of alternating strength training (weights, boot camp, Insanity) and cardio (power walking 15miles/wk, Zumba, and kickboxing).
    Check out soulcysters.com for more info about women who have lost weight with the goal of becoming pregnant!
    Good luck ladies and I hope this helped!! ;-)
    thanx =)
  • alyson820
    alyson820 Posts: 448 Member
    I don't have PCOS, but I have endometriosis and a varicose uterus (my doctor said chances of me getting pregnant were iffy, although I'm only 23 and haven't tried). But I've read that swimming and hatha yoga help. Also, lowering body fat will raise estrogen levels and help with fertility. Good luck!
  • cramernh
    cramernh Posts: 3,335 Member
    Try to keep the mind-set for exercise for *** health *** - - first and not TTC. I have seen my patients get so worked up over the whole trying to conceive notion and all they are truly doing is creating/allowing stress to overcome them. That adds to the problem with fertility issues of PCOS patients. The stress is not worth it.

    Focus on a workout plan.
    Do you go to Planet Fitness or a gym that offers a free personal training consultation to compile a workout? I met with the PT at PF and Im ready to take her home with me, she is AWESOME!

    Today is week-4 of really incorporating strength traning/weight training (Im doing five days straight - at the gym by 4:45am), and Im loving it. In conjunction with the workout plan, I spent 71.00 on a Polar FT4 HRM set - today was the first day using it and Im very pleased with the ease of programming and usage. Burned a good 387 calories today between some cardio but mostly strength training. Will continue to push myself further as I go.

    Day 1 - Upper body, abs, cardio for 30 minutes (I split the cardio in half)
    Day 2 - Lower body, obliques, cardio (same), Glutes

    Each day is alternated that way I mess with my body's ability to remember the workout. Each exercise I begin with is never the same.

    Consider discussion with an Endocrinologist who specializes in low-carb intakes (basically a more aggressive healthcare approach than diabetics). Or find an RD who specializes in that.

    I spent the money to get some allergy/sensitivity testing done - and what came back was a definite need to eliminate certain foods that tend to wreak havoc on PCOS/IR patients: I no longer consume breads, potatoes, rice, corn, pasta, most flours. You may have some undocumented sensitivities that just need to be discovered...

    Good luck!
  • AleUK
    AleUK Posts: 9 Member
    Hi,

    I was diagnosed with PCOS as a teenager and all my life have been battling with symptoms. It is not that I've been unwell for years, but I feel I need to be 'always on it' to be able to enjoy some peace.

    I conceived three times and have 2 boys. With the first I needed some help (ovarian drilling), but the consecutive times it all happened naturally and quick. The factory is now closed but I still take a supplement called Agnus Castus to regulate my periods and manage symptoms. I think as important as exercise what you eat is important factor on how your body will work, so good check it as well.

    As for exercise, I think the best thing is to do something you like and may enjoy for the rest of your life. Sorry, but this is the reality. If I stop working out all comes tumbling down in avalanche, mood swings, facial hair, missed periods, huge amount of weight piles back in a second, etc :-( I found that weights and Pilates make me feel focused, whilst cardio bores me to death. I still do cardio for quick warm up or cool down (10mins) and a HIIT session a week (20 min) though.

    There are two books I found very helpful 'The PCOS Protection Plan' and 'PCOS and your fertility' by Colette Harris and Theresa Cheung.

    Good luck xx
  • Tracy112
    Tracy112 Posts: 3
    I have PCOS, which wasn't diagnosed until I was in my 30s. But when my husband and I wanted to get pregnant, it took over four years. I wasn't in a huge hurry at the time, but I was going to acupuncture for carpal tunnel, and I mentioned my lack of babies to my acupuncturist. She said, "I can do something about that!" Within four months, I was pregnant, and our second daughter came along 23 months later as a bonus! : )

    I told two friends who were struggling with infertility about my acupuncture experience, and they went and a few months later both became moms.

    I can't say enough good things about acupuncture. Weird, I know, but it works. You can barely feel the needles when they go in, so unless you just have a deep fear of needles, I highly recommend trying that before ovarian drilling. (I don't know exactly what that is, but it sounds awful,

    Tracy
  • Tracy112
    Tracy112 Posts: 3
    P.S. As for workouts, I mix miscellaneous aerobic workouts with BodyPump and CXWorks at my gym, which aren't on DVD I believe, but they're offered at a lot of gyms and YMCAs across the country. BodyPump is an intense weight workout, which gets my weights in in a painful but highly effective way. Like most people, if I just do cardio, it does nothing. : )
  • carolann_22
    carolann_22 Posts: 364 Member
    I have PCOS and had trouble (1.5 yrs of trying, wasn't ovulating half the time) conceiving our third. I went on Metformin (for the insulin resistance) and started eating low carb (under 50 g a day) and became pregnant in 6 months even though I only lost 10 pounds. I also only walked as exercise. There are actually jokes about the South Beach diet being called the fertility diet b/c a lot of women who go on it for weight loss combined with PCOS become pregnant as a side effect. I would definitely look into eating lower carb and just getting some form of regular exercise that you can stick with and enjoy. Good luck!
  • peles_fire
    peles_fire Posts: 501
    I am pretty ignorant re: working out, but as far as PCOS and fertility go, having PCOS alone does not mean you cannot have babies. It just means you may have a little more trouble conceiving. When you are ready to try, ask your doctor about glucophage (metformin) it is a diabetes/insulin medication that has been shown in studies to help not only with fertility issues in women with PCOS but also helps regulate other metabolic aspects of PCOS (higher testosterone levels, etc.) I think someone else here posted about Metformin too...

    I wish you the best of luck in both your weight loss and future parenthood!
  • Moviedust
    Moviedust Posts: 110
    bump
  • cramernh
    cramernh Posts: 3,335 Member
    I am pretty ignorant re: working out, but as far as PCOS and fertility go, having PCOS alone does not mean you cannot have babies. It just means you may have a little more trouble conceiving. When you are ready to try, ask your doctor about glucophage (metformin) it is a diabetes/insulin medication that has been shown in studies to help not only with fertility issues in women with PCOS but also helps regulate other metabolic aspects of PCOS (higher testosterone levels, etc.) I think someone else here posted about Metformin too...

    I wish you the best of luck in both your weight loss and future parenthood!

    Unfortunately there are female patients in the practices I work for whose PCOS is so severe, they will not ever be able to conceive... I have one case where if the female patient should attempt to even conceive (the act of getting pregnant) that she is a high risk case the moment the egg is fertilized - and this is rare.... 8-(
  • lovemylilangels0910
    lovemylilangels0910 Posts: 1 Member
    I am 32 yrs old and have had pcos all my life but drs told me I had pcos in 2008 and was put on meds in 2008 and I have 3 beautiful babies so ladies dont give up on have babies cause u have pcos and i have had 2 of mine with no meds i lost 30 pounds and got preg i am on mediform just exercise all u can and eat healthy i have a facebook support group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/522963594454571/527242377360026/?notif_t=group_comment
  • AZKristi
    AZKristi Posts: 1,801 Member
    I don't think there are any exercises that will specifically increase fertility. However, improving your general health and fitness may increase your chances if conception is possible. The best exercise is the one you will actuallydo, so start by trying something fun. Once you've gotten into the habit of exercising, mix it up to get the best benefit. For the best results do some cardio (will help with controlling blood sugar levels) and weights. Yoga is great for improving frame of mind, flexibility, etc.
  • Jessica_Mujahidah
    Jessica_Mujahidah Posts: 40 Member
    While I don't have the cysts for PCOS, the doc says I have all the other symptoms of PCOS, including insulin resistance. I'm not yet at a stage where I'm trying to get pregnant, so I can't let you know re fertility.

    But I have found high intensity training and significantly lowering my calories has helped me shift 23kg so far, with another 20 or so to go. I have also found that I need to train much harder and more often than overweight people my size who do not have PCOS and insulin resistance.

    I currently do boot camp for 1 hour 3x a week and work out for 1 hour another 2-3 days a week at home. I'm burning between 450-650 cals per session, and keeping my cals lower than what MFP recommends under the guidance of my doctor and endocronologist.

    I've seen results in my fitness, I've lost cm and the scales have shifted almost 6kg in 5 weeks. As we know, with weight loss our PCOS symptoms improve so one can assume that losing weight will help you conceive.

    For those looking to do some high intensity home work outs, look at Fitness Blender on YouTube. I love their work outs, they're tough but effective!

    Good luck :)

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