PCOS and Vegan, Rebelling Against BC, Trying to Find My Way

ThriftyChica12

Hi Ladies--

I love reading the posts in this group! I know that many here advocate a low-carb diet, which in some ways is the antithesis of a vegan food plan (I am vegan for 2 or 3 years now)...so I am wondering if there are any vegan ladies here also recovering from PCOS?

No one ever told me I was PCOS...went on BC at 14 for acne and wildly irregular periods, but no one ever made the connection. On BC from 14 through my mid-twenties, with some short gaps. The surprise came when I stopped my BC last year (my partner had a vasectomy), and after 6 months, was getting almost no menses, BAD jawline acne, etc.

Finally found a good Gyno and Endocrinologist who diagnosed my PCOS, suggested I go back on pill and threw out the idea of Metformin (I refused, but did go back on pill). Mostly, I want to see if my PCOS symptoms can be addressed through diet and exercise. I no longer have health insurance, so theres no way to keep my levels monitored

I am scared. I have never had superfluous facial hair, but my mother has for her whole life. I am 28 yrs old right now, and figure if I never had a "beard" before, I should be okay, but who knows....?

My libido is better when I am off the pill, and I AM off the pill again for the last couple months. My goal is to stay symptom free, but HOW?
My biggest fears are excess hair, bad acne, and the possibility of growing a belly (my belly is soft and chubby, but i have always had a dramatic hourglass shape...hopefully, I stay that way!)

At the point, I am looking at eliminating sugar and white flour, as well as processed/fried junk. I am vegan, eat lots of fruit and veg. Need to add daily exercise.

Thanks for reading my rant!

purplegoboom

I'm not vegan, but I too am trying to fight my PCOS naturally. I no longer take BC because it actually made me feel worse, and I rejected the idea of metaformin. I try to eat clean, and because of food intolerances do not eat gluten, dairy, or soy, and exercise at least 5 times a week for a minimum of 30 minutes. Just making these changes I noticed an improvement. I also take a probiotic to help with digestion and absorption of nutients. Many women have success with low carb diets and insulin resistance (diabetic) diets, but I'm just trying to be smarter about my choices. I will add though that cutting out sugars is essential to a woman with PCOS.

I have started adding in quite a few vitamins and herbal supplements into my daily routine to try and "jump start" my period and drop some of the weight I gained since my diagnosis. So far I've only been doing this routine for 20 days and I'm already noticing improvements, no period yet though I'm pretty sure I ovulated a couple of days ago.

First thing in the morning I rub a natural progesterone cream on my inner thighs (the kind I use: http://www.amazon.com/Source-Naturals-Natural-Progesterone-Cream/dp/B000GFJJHY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1359426487&sr=8-1&keywords=natural+progesterone+cream) Women with PCOS are short on this hormone, and that's why doctors like to put us on progesterone BC. You can read a little more about it here https://pcosdiva.com/2011/02/natural-progesterone-for-pcos/ and you can find more information about it through google.

I also take every morning:
Women's Ultra Mega Multivitamin
Evening Primrose Oil (helps with ovulation)
Cinnamon with Chromium (Women with PCOS usually have insulin resistance, cinnamon and chromium helps with that)
Vitex (Supports hormonal balance)
Milk Thistle (Liver function, women with PCOS have impaired or "sluggish" liver function. Saw Palmetto helps with this too)
B-Complex (women with PCOS tend to be short on B vitamins, and this will help with the excess hair. Mine hasn't completely gone away, but it has thinned)

All of these I get at GNC.

As I said, I really just started this little routine. I plan on making a more detailed post in a couple of months when I see if it has any real results or not, but I have noticed some improvements.

Edit to add: I also had really bad acne, my skin is so much clearer now. And after only two weeks!

purplegoboom

One more thing: since you are vegan, do you eat a lot of soy products? I ask because we tend to be estrogen dominant, and soy isn't necessarily good for that. You may want to do some research about that.

ThriftyChica12

One more thing: since you are vegan, do you eat a lot of soy products? I ask because we tend to be estrogen dominant, and soy isn't necessarily good for that. You may want to do some research about that.

thanks so much for all the info...hadnt even thought of supplementing progesterone on my own...need to look into that. as i said tho, its hard having no health insurance, cuz there's no one to do bloodwork and monitor my levels.

i DO eat a fair amount of soy products (not as many as I did when i first went vegan), but i am looking and keeping that in check...not more than one serving a day.

i am also cutting out sugar and refined grains...did that years ago, and lost 70 lbs!
fruit is fine, intact grains fine, SOME whole wheat bread fine....but the closer to nature i eat, the better

nuts and beans can replace some of the soy. DO take B vite as a vegan anyway

thanks for your input...will research those links