Hi Lyndsey! I have been diagnosed with PCOS for years now, since I was in my late teens. I was at a healthy weight most of my life, so I can’t wholly attribute my weight gain to it, but I’m sure it had something to do with how easy it was to gain weight since I’m also insulin resistant. Is your doctor requesting a panel for insulin resistance as well as your testosterone levels? I imagine he is since it’s pretty routine with PCOS diagnosis, but if he isn’t I would request he does that as well.

I had a surgery a couple years ago to remove one of my ovaries that was essentially a mass of scar tissue from multiple cysts growing and bursting continuously without releasing an egg for so many years. They originally went in to just remove some large cysts, but when I woke up they had taken out the whole thing- quite a shock! My other ovary is kind of a mess, but not as bad. As far as fertility goes, I will likely have fertility issues. It was pretty upsetting for me at first, but I’ve become resigned to the idea- I have a lot to be happy about in my life and even though I’ve always wanted children that come to accept that may just not be in the cards. With that being said, there are countless women out there that have PCOS and have conceived naturally- so it may not be a problem for you at all. Statistics about increased risk for miscarriage with women who have PCOS are spotty at best, I've seen studies that say there is an increase and some that say there is no increase- the ones that say there is an increase in miscarriage often attribute it to the insulin resistance that goes along with PCOS. Miscarriage in general is fairly common across the board, I think the statistic is 1 in 4 pregnancies end in a miscarraige, so I wouldn't worry about it to much as far as being associated with your PCOS.

If I were you I would just focus on being at a healthy weight, which can help drastically not only with the symptoms, but also can reduce the frequency of non-functional cysts forming. If you’re insulin resistant, talk to your doctor about taking something for that as well. II take Metformin, a lot of people don’t like it because of the upset stomach issues it can cause, but I pushed through those symptoms since I knew my body needed the help that Metformin provided and have found it to work quite well at regulating my glucose levels. As a rule of thumb in my life I try to stay away from medications, but this one has helped me drastically. A lot of people with PCOS do low carb diets, which can help too. I don’t do that because I don’t have the discipline and not a huge fan of meat, but I do try to limit my intake of refined sugars and carbs- I often opt for multigrain and sugar from fibrous fruit, both release sugar into the bloodstream more steadily which reduces the risk of a glucose spike with causes fat to be created.

Just educate yourself as much as possible without getting too freaked out- knowledge is power!

One resource that has really helped me is PCOS Diva. She is a health coach with a great blog, meal ideas and fitness ideas that are specifically for ladies with PCOS, plus articles on supplements and things that will help. I find her positive attitude makes it less overwhelming! I have been doing her meal plan for almost a month, and it's really made a huge difference, plus it's delicious!