Ladies w/PCOS or Infertility, ever heard of Inositol?

lisamarie2181

Hi All!

My friend told me about inositol and the effects it can have on someone with PCOS or fertility issues. I have posted a few links to some sites to get better insight, I think I might start taking this, seems beneficial.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/488700-inositol-its-benefits-on-pcos/
(yes I know this is a livestrong article, but it best explains the benefits the inositol is supposed to provide, there are references at the bottom)

http://www.lef.org/protocols/female_reproductive/polycystic_ovary_syndrome_02.htm
(shows studies of different vitamins and supplements to help with PCOS, including inositol)

http://www.europeanreview.org/pdf/94.pdf
(this is a pdf, not sure if the link with open it)

These are just a few, some are not "scientific studies" so I didn't want to get reamed by anyone for just listening to others peoples experiences with it, but I read some forums on different sites that women have had success with this. It is even supposed to promote hair growth, which would be a Godsend for me! I used to have super thick long hair and because of the PCOS it is thin and ugh horrible!

Have any of you tried this and have had good results? Bad? Ever heard of it? I would love to hear other opinions on it, it is something new I just started looking into, and if the benefits really are what they say they are, seems like it would help alot of women that have these issues.

Let me know your thoughts!!

faithchange

Have have suffered from PCOS for a long time myself too. But, I did have great results from Metformin. I never lost hair with PCOS, but have the hair on my chin, breast area, ect. I did begin losing hair with my relative hypothyroidism and the meds I take for it. I've never felt better!

I'm sorry I don't have much to say on your initial post of the drug your speaking about.

I never had the fertility issues, but with PCOS I did suffer three miscarriages, and required drugs preconception to sustain the pregnancy because of my progesterone dropping so quickly. I also had to have synthetic progesterone with the Metformin the first trimester to help with things.

I could say it all worked because today I have a healthy 6 and 4 year old.

I just wanted to put out there that PCOS (sucks!) because besides infertility, it causes m/cs too. First and foremost eat right and exercise....which helps a lot!

lisamarie2181

Supposedly this is supposed to taken instead of metformin, but not completely sure lol hoping someone can fill us in on this, i know alot of women that try for so long to have a baby and ive read of multiple ones that finally conceived after taking this. Just not sure if its special cases or probable for everyone. Im gonna keep researching and see what i come up with, hopefullythere is someone on here who has heard of it lol

Thanks faith!

lisamarie2181

Bump!!! anyone out there?

Leeny01

BUMP back

I've looked into this a lot and I know people who have had great success while taking inositol (and some who really didn't notice much of a change). Follow the link I'm going to post, there is a video that explains the role of inositol and the product I'm linking is supposedly the best/one of the best. There are a lot of testimonies on there as well. The one thing to note with inositol is that you have to take enough according to your weight. (I think the website clarifies this somewhere) I think it's like 1 capsule (however mgs that particular product is) per 150 pounds. Let me know what you think! xo

http://store.chiralbalance.com/D-chiro-inositol-p/dci600mg60.htm?gclid=CLmazOW017ICFQqk4AodeFAAbw

(Scroll down for the video, it's short and VERY helpful!)

lisamarie2181

Thanks Leeny!! I will check this out when i get to work in the morning, i was wondering how much you were supposed to take lol want to stop at the vitamin shoppe and pick some up tomorrow. I know they have a buy one get one 50 off going on, i was also thinking about getting biotin, i heard some people say it really helps with hair growth, i need all the help i can get! Lol

Thanks so much for the link

trishtrish84

This is wonderful! Thank you for posting this!

Angieh0811

I have been on inositol for 4 months now. So happy my naturopath put me on it. I have noticed huge changes in my skin. I would have huge break outs and super clogged pores. People are actually commenting on how great my skin looks. I have it in powder form and put it in my protein shake in the morning. I haven't noticed to much with my weight due to my high prolactin, but I would highly recommend it.

tingle2

My dr says to take it with my metformin, I hope it helps with my hair loss.. my darn eyebrows look so sad.
He reccomends D-Chiro-Inositol. I am actually looking into getting some but haven't taken it just yet!

lisamarie2181

I read about the d chiro one but it said its not as easy to get, im not sure if that means it has to be prescribed? I am definitelt gonna try it, from the looks of it other ladies ive talked to have had good success with it. I dont want to take an actual drug, i live pretty holistically, so im not too thrilled about having to take the pill lol this is a B vitamin, im surprised ive never heard of it till now!

mearlie

If you are having hair loss I highly recommend seeing an endo to test for hypothyroidism.

I have been diagnosed with:
PCOS
hypoglycemia
hypothyroidism
gestational diabetes

I am also gluten and dairy intolerant and also can't really tolerate legumes or soy.

I have seen numerous docs including endos and a gastro but what I've learned is that for me, my PCOS was related or caused (probably caused) by undiagnosed hypothyroidism. MANY doctors use outdated information. Go to a progressive endo.

To find a good endo, ask if they will test your tsh, free t3 and free t4. If they are "funny" about testing t3 and especially t4, find another.

Kristy_Albritton

I have PCOS, as well. I was diagnosed...I guess I was sixteen? My husband and I tried to conceive for over ten years with no luck. We tried EVERYTHING that Duke Fertility Clinic wanted us to, except IVF. I was on Metformin. as well and I didn't see a difference in anything! Anyway, I decided to get healthy and lose weight. I lost over a hundred pounds and the PCOS symptoms completely disappeared. Everything! I then became pregnant with our daughter after just two cycles of clomid, a low dose fertility pill.
I could write a book on infertility and PCOS. They are both horrible things to live with!!
I don't have any experience in Inositol. But I have heard good things!
Good luck and please keep us updated! I'm hoping that losing the weight again will get rid of my symptoms, once and for all! But I'd be interested to know more about Inositol.

kmm7309

Not trying to steal your board, but has anyone had any trouble with male pattern hair growth? What are you doing about it (besides waxing, plucking, shaving)?

I've been on metformin for a year now, and the hair isn't budging. It might be growing SLIGHTLY slower, but I haven't noticed that much of a change so far.

mearlie

I tried metformin and all it did was upset my stomach. I have a huge bottle of that stuff in my medicine cabinet left over from over 10 years ago.

It took one year of trying and two cycles of clomid (along with the horror stories of going to several doctors who took money but did nothing to help) to get pregnant. Clomid worked for me.

Leeny01

I read about the d chiro one but it said its not as easy to get, im not sure if that means it has to be prescribed? I am definitelt gonna try it, from the looks of it other ladies ive talked to have had good success with it. I dont want to take an actual drug, i live pretty holistically, so im not too thrilled about having to take the pill lol this is a B vitamin, im surprised ive never heard of it till now!

I don't know about the isn't easy to get part? It's not prescribed, you can just order it online. Maybe that just means it's a pain because you have to order it online, I don't think they have that one particularly in stores. You get discounts on that d-chiro website for certain things, like a first time order discount, a discount if you join a certain free pcos website, etc. You also get discounts for ordering multiple bottles at once.

If you just want to get inositol from another source, you could try swansonvitamins.com. They are very well priced, have a lot of different brands and people post reviews on the products, which can be very helpful. You can find out what their most popular inositol is and try it. Every time I've ordered from Swanson, the prices have been very competitive and I've gotten the vitamins really quickly. Hope this helps! -Coleen x

sonjanicole

I've heard of Inositol, but don't have too much information on it. But there is a group on here for all PCOS women, it might be a better place to ask!

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/4339-pcosers-unite

70davis

Bump

Athena98501

Not trying to steal your board, but has anyone had any trouble with male pattern hair growth? What are you doing about it (besides waxing, plucking, shaving)?

I've been on metformin for a year now, and the hair isn't budging. It might be growing SLIGHTLY slower, but I haven't noticed that much of a change so far.

Laser hair removal helps a lot. I use one by Silk'n, and I'd assume any model they make is a pretty safe bet. I had it done professionally first, but it's much more cost effective to get your own. It's only effective on hair that isn't blond, though.

Huiminlovesfood

Sorry cant help either! Metformin works wonder for me! Just 21 days and my period arrived! No side effects either. However, it did not help me lose weight like it helped the others. Good luck!

lisamarie2181

I read about the d chiro one but it said its not as easy to get, im not sure if that means it has to be prescribed? I am definitelt gonna try it, from the looks of it other ladies ive talked to have had good success with it. I dont want to take an actual drug, i live pretty holistically, so im not too thrilled about having to take the pill lol this is a B vitamin, im surprised ive never heard of it till now!

I don't know about the isn't easy to get part? It's not prescribed, you can just order it online. Maybe that just means it's a pain because you have to order it online, I don't think they have that one particularly in stores. You get discounts on that d-chiro website for certain things, like a first time order discount, a discount if you join a certain free pcos website, etc. You also get discounts for ordering multiple bottles at once.

If you just want to get inositol from another source, you could try swansonvitamins.com. They are very well priced, have a lot of different brands and people post reviews on the products, which can be very helpful. You can find out what their most popular inositol is and try it. Every time I've ordered from Swanson, the prices have been very competitive and I've gotten the vitamins really quickly. Hope this helps! -Coleen x

Yeah it was in one of the articles i read lol i think the one at the vitamin shop is the myo one. Ill check out those sites for sure, the cheaper the better lol

Thanks Coleen

lisamarie2181

Not trying to steal your board, but has anyone had any trouble with male pattern hair growth? What are you doing about it (besides waxing, plucking, shaving)?

I've been on metformin for a year now, and the hair isn't budging. It might be growing SLIGHTLY slower, but I haven't noticed that much of a change so far.

Ive been lucky and havent had too much of a problem w this, but i do get a few scragglers here and there, and i dont get them as often since ive lost weight. It should get better the more weight u lose i believe

tbirely

I just wanted to share my experience with you. I'm 28 years old, very fit (I'm a personal trainer), and I was diagnosed in January with PCOS. They put me on Clomid for 6 months. I ovulated every time but could never get pregnant.
So I decided to try the natural approach and started taking Myo inositol in powder form. Within three months I became pregnant, after trying for almost 15 months before the inositol. I truly believe it made a difference in the way my body functioned.
Unfortunately, due to blocked fallopian tubes, I lost my baby and my right tube just two weeks ago. This is not at all related to PCOS.
There is actually a new supplement on the market, it's been given out in Italy for the past ten years and has just hit the US in May. It's called pregnitude. It's myo inositol and folic acid in one. You can get it online or at your local pharmacy. You do not need a prescription for it, but you do need to ask the pharmacist to order it for you. You can also go to www.pregnitude.com to see more information.
I did not use pregnitude because I was taking a prenatal vitamin already with folic acid. So I just supplemented with the myo inositol (and it was cheaper). I had absolutely no side effects since inositol is a form of B vitamin that already accurs naturally in your body. I did notice that my cravings for sugar and sweets was diminished and I did end up losing some body fat (which was a nice plus). It's worth a try at least. The research I did says to allow 6 months for it to really work in your system.

Hope this helped! Let me know if you have any questions!

lisamarie2181

I just wanted to share my experience with you. I'm 28 years old, very fit (I'm a personal trainer), and I was diagnosed in January with PCOS. They put me on Clomid for 6 months. I ovulated every time but could never get pregnant.
So I decided to try the natural approach and started taking Myo inositol in powder form. Within three months I became pregnant, after trying for almost 15 months before the inositol. I truly believe it made a difference in the way my body functioned.
Unfortunately, due to blocked fallopian tubes, I lost my baby and my right tube just two weeks ago. This is not at all related to PCOS.
There is actually a new supplement on the market, it's been given out in Italy for the past ten years and has just hit the US in May. It's called pregnitude. It's myo inositol and folic acid in one. You can get it online or at your local pharmacy. You do not need a prescription for it, but you do need to ask the pharmacist to order it for you. You can also go to www.pregnitude.com to see more information.
I did not use pregnitude because I was taking a prenatal vitamin already with folic acid. So I just supplemented with the myo inositol (and it was cheaper). I had absolutely no side effects since inositol is a form of B vitamin that already accurs naturally in your body. I did notice that my cravings for sugar and sweets was diminished and I did end up losing some body fat (which was a nice plus). It's worth a try at least. The research I did says to allow 6 months for it to really work in your system.

Hope this helped! Let me know if you have any questions!

Thank you so much for sharing your experience with it! I just started taking it myself and am hoping for good results!

Also, if anyone is interested, I posted a thread under P.C.O.Sis Group about myo inositol vs d chiro inositol and the benefits of both and also some links to good reads on the subject! Please check it out, I keep hearing great success stories from women using this, so I can only highly recommend finding out if this is something that could work well for you!!

StephMykytuk

Hi All,

Glad to hear about all the people trying Insotol. I have just bought a supplement called Glucosmart. It comes in 600mg pills and I think I am going to take 2 a day as I am over 150lbs. Its main ingrident is the D-Chiro Insotol. I am really hoping for some results with this. I have been ttc for 6 years and have tried all kinds of other fertility treatments. We are now on a waiting list to adopt but thought I would try this out as I have also read about so many success stories.

Anyone ever taken this? Do I have to take glucosmart with it too?

SparkleHorse224

I'm glad she mentioned Pregnitude. Here's my dealio:

I just went to the gyno last week and she gave me some Pregnitude to try. I'm going to start today, actually. We haven't been trying for very long, and I don't have PCOS or anything (knock wood) so I hope it will be a good boost for me getting pregnant. My doctor just said it proved in studies to support successful conception. I didn't know until I looked it up that it was made for women with PCOS and such.

I think she gave it to me because I keep freaking out - I'm old (ok, not really but I'm 36 so I'm Now Officially A High Risk Pregnancy) and if you read the papers and such, you'd think I just have dust and tumbleweeds in my uterus.... So I think the doctor was like, "Uh, relax...have some Pregnitude and sex, and you'll be fine. Come see me in 6 months."

So I'll keep you all posted. You can add me if you like.

Angieh0811

Hi All,

Glad to hear about all the people trying Insotol. I have just bought a supplement called Glucosmart. It comes in 600mg pills and I think I am going to take 2 a day as I am over 150lbs. Its main ingrident is the D-Chiro Insotol. I am really hoping for some results with this. I have been ttc for 6 years and have tried all kinds of other fertility treatments. We are now on a waiting list to adopt but thought I would try this out as I have also read about so many success stories.

Anyone ever taken this? Do I have to take glucosmart with it too?
[/quote]

Lorna's products are amazing!! She is such a smart lady. I went to hear her speak last month. Good Luck with everything.

StephMykytuk

Thanks, haven't started taking them yet. Soon, not too sure what I am waiting for, lol

DikksWifey07112009

Hey, I started Inositol almost 3 weeks ago after having been on metformin with all the horrible side effects and the clomid which didn't help me at all. my husband and I have been trying to get pregnant for almost 4 years now. after year 3 of begging to be sent to an fertility specialist, we finally got our referral! what a huge let down that turned out to be! she never wanted to try anything different. anytime I asked her what was next she literally looked at me and said '' I don't know...''. WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DONT KNOW? ???? after the 3rd time of her saying that I never returned. My husband and I decided to have a baby break. no doctors no prescribed medication. just a try to get healthy and loose some weight, and see what happens on our own for a few months. A good friend of mine turned me on to Inositol. she took it for a little more than a month and conceived on her own after having nearly the same struggle as me. since I have started it I have felt better. so lets hope this works!

lizmcvey

Wow, glad to see to see a thread about PCOS. I was diagnosed in high school and started taking metformin as I have a strong family history of diabetes to begin with and my doc mentioned birth control would also be a suitable treatment but I was more concerned with my diabetes risk. I go on and off metforim since it can make me really sick in the stomach. I did do electrolysis for awhile and I really didn't feel like i was getting results. Since I've stopped that, I'm not seeing the results were better than I thought. Its pricey and frankly it hurts and I was just sick of going there every other week. I do plan to go back on metforim soon, every time I tell myself I will just fight through the side effects. I've continued to have regular periods even when I'm off it. My mom and grandfather were both on it and had no effects. We are generally an upset stomach kinda family so not sure how I got the short end of that stick. I hadn't previously heard of hair loss with PCOS. I do know it can be really difficult for me to loos weight. What have y'all done to have success with excess body hair and difficulty loosing weight?

everlastingfernweh

Liz,

Have you tried the Metformin XR (extended release)? I was on regular 850 mg and after having my gallbladder out, I couldn't handle it anymore so my dr. changed me over to the 750 XR and it's made a huge difference!!

lisamarie2181

Wow, glad to see to see a thread about PCOS. I was diagnosed in high school and started taking metformin as I have a strong family history of diabetes to begin with and my doc mentioned birth control would also be a suitable treatment but I was more concerned with my diabetes risk. I go on and off metforim since it can make me really sick in the stomach. I did do electrolysis for awhile and I really didn't feel like i was getting results. Since I've stopped that, I'm not seeing the results were better than I thought. Its pricey and frankly it hurts and I was just sick of going there every other week. I do plan to go back on metforim soon, every time I tell myself I will just fight through the side effects. I've continued to have regular periods even when I'm off it. My mom and grandfather were both on it and had no effects. We are generally an upset stomach kinda family so not sure how I got the short end of that stick. I hadn't previously heard of hair loss with PCOS. I do know it can be really difficult for me to loos weight. What have y'all done to have success with excess body hair and difficulty loosing weight?

hair loss is definitely a side effect, also male pattern hair growth unfortunately and we can thank that wonderful hormone testosterone for that! I had my hormone levels checked at my last check up and my T levels were way high compared to the Progesterone and Estrogen levels. This is also what causes infertility. Progesterone is needed for pregnancy and having high levels of T Makes it very difficult to conceive.

I did take metformin right at the beginning when I was diagnosed when I was 18, but it didn't do anything for me so I stopped. I am still on the pill which I take to regulate periods, and I am a bit fearful of getting off of it because I worry my period will disappear again I have been taking the inositol for about 3 months, along with biotin. I haven't noticed any changes as of yet, could be that I need the d-chiro inositol as that not all people can break down myo inositol.. I am going to buy one more bottle and see if anything changes. Some women have to start with the d-chiro, and unfortunately it is more money than the myo and is not as easily found in stores, most have to be ordered. The one I found was I believe $50 a month, which is not cheap, at least for me it is not lol

I have been doing a lot of research and have found a lot of women that have gone raw and vegan and have eliminated their symptoms and pretty much are PCOS free - no side effects, able to conceive, everything working as normal. I believe this is because they have fixed the hormone problem. I am taking baby steps to see if this could work, having lived with this for so long, I am determined enough to give it a try and see how it works for me. I don't feel deprived not eating junk food, I have never been a daily sweets eater (with the exception of TOM times sometimes lol), and I feel satisfied eating the way I am, but I am definitely taking baby steps to keep this as a lifestyle. Besides a few "meat moments", I have eliminated meat (except for fish), eat a lot of raw veg and fruit, so I am on my way. Even in regards to sweets, I am trying to find healthier alternatives when those cravings come on. I will say so far that I feel great, not sluggish at all, I have lots of energy, I can see my skin is getting better daily, so so far so good! lol This isn't something that is going to change over night and I am in this for the long haul.

I will keep you all posted about my progress, when you go to the Dr. all they do is put a band-aid on it because this is an illness they do not know how to cure with medicine. It does not mean it is incurable! I have seen others cure themselves with nutrition and I am willing to try and see if I can do the same I am tired of allowing this illness to get the best of me and I am determined now more than ever to get to the bottom of the issue. I don't want a band-aid, I want to fix this problem and I am gonna do whatever I can to try and achieve that. And if I don't cure it, I will still be healthy and eating great food, I see no downside to that