PCOS....

Only 3 friuits a week? Or did you mean a day?

For your reading pleasure................

Blood fats - triglycerides, cholesterol, etc. - to a great extent are intimately related to what you eat; therefore, your diet has a strong impact on the levels of triglycerides in the blood, so your food choices should be given serious consideration.

When it comes to high blood triglycerides, carbohydrates have a predominant impact on your triglyceride level.

"Since triglycerides are circulating forms of fat in the blood, you might think that a high-fat diet will raise triglycerides and a low-fat diet would lower triglycerides.

However, carbohydrate appears to be the most important dietary predictor of triglycerides.

Diets high in carbohydrates, especially sugar, lead to increases in triglycerides." (American Association for Clinical Chemistry)

As foods are within your control, a significant drop in your blood triglycerides level should occur in four to six weeks - if you follow a strict sugar-free, alcohol-free eating plan.

To a great degree, triglyceride production is stimulated by alcohol and sugar. Therefore, your first step in healthy eating means you need to eliminate or limit alcohol and sugar.

Banishing the sugar bowl from the table is an obvious step. However, there are many other sources where sugar is a primary ingredient, including:

concentrated sweets: table sugar (sucrose), cane sugar, brown sugar, Turbinado sugar, Demerara sugar, powdered sugar, honey, syrups (especially high fructose corn syrup as a substitute sweetener for sucrose-table sugar added to fruit juices, sodas, and other beverages), preserves, molasses, jams, jellies, and candies

desserts-baked goods: pies, cakes, cookies, crackers, frosting, pastries, doughnuts, ice cream, frozen yogurt, and regular or sweetened gelatin

beverages: fruit juices, fruit drinks, fruit punches, regular sodas, carbonated pop, colas, aid drinks, smoothies, sports drinks, sweetened coffee drinks, mocha, and chocolate drinks

high-sweet and sweet fruits (fresh or dried): grape (red and green), raisin, plum, fig, date, pineapple, apricot, melons (cantaloupe, honeydew, watermelon), banana, orange

other foods: sweetened cereals, flavored yogurts, and sports or energy bars.

I too was just diagnosed with PCOS. I found out because I lost a pregnancy I have been able to loose weight and am at a 72 lbs weight loss right now. I have heard that glucophage (sp?) can help with PCOS and help you loose the weight. That may be something to talk to your doc about. Has anyone with the PCOS had difficulty/success with pregnancy? I have two children, but have been unable to get pregnant/keep a pregnancy with a third and am beginning to loose hope. I am thourougly enjoying my weight loss, but my heart desires another baby in my arms.

Yes, I have been declared infertile by my doctor after 5 miscarriages. Glucophage (metformin) only helps with keeping the blood sugar in order to aid in weight loss.

Yes thanks for the info!

For right now Im going to keep up with my working out and watching what I eat. I get my results back June 3 so we will see how everything goes.

I have PCOS and have been diagnosed since the age of 16, when I started taking metformin (it was in the trial stages at the time) and it made me so sick - no weight loss, no periods.

Whilst it may be "harder" to lose weight, it is definately not impossible. Eating natural, non-processed foods really helps! My periods are not back to a 35 day cycle too!

Even with taking the pill my periods seem to come and go as they please, usually being a week or two late and lasting way longer than a week. Its really annoying.

For me, eating a low carb way of eating with no grains and limited dairy my cycles come like they are supposed to and are light and cramps are no longer bad either.

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)
Frequently Asked Questions

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What is polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)?
How many women have PCOS?
What causes PCOS?
What are the symptoms of PCOS?
Why do women with PCOS have trouble with their menstrual cycle and fertility?
Does PCOS change at menopause?
How do I know if I have PCOS?
How is PCOS treated?
How does PCOS affect a woman while pregnant?
Does PCOS put women at risk for other health problems?
I have PCOS. What can I do to prevent complications?
How can I cope with the emotional effects of PCOS?
For more information
See also:

Ovarian Cysts
Infertility
Heart Healthy Eating
What is polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)?
Polycystic (pah-lee-SIS-tik) ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a health problem that can affect a woman's:

Menstrual cycle
Ability to have children
Hormones
Heart
Blood vessels
Appearance
With PCOS, women typically have:

High levels of androgens (AN-druh-junz). These are sometimes called male hormones, though females also make them.
Missed or irregular periods (monthly bleeding)
Many small cysts (sists) (fluid-filled sacs) in their ovaries
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How many women have PCOS?
Between 1 in 10 and 1 in 20 women of childbearing age has PCOS. As many as 5 million women in the United States may be affected. It can occur in girls as young as 11 years old.

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What causes PCOS?
The cause of PCOS is unknown. But most experts think that several factors, including genetics, could play a role. Women with PCOS are more likely to have a mother or sister with PCOS.

A main underlying problem with PCOS is a hormonal imbalance. In women with PCOS, the ovaries make more androgens than normal. Androgens are male hormones that females also make. High levels of these hormones affect the development and release of eggs during ovulation.

Researchers also think insulin may be linked to PCOS. Insulin is a hormone that controls the change of sugar, starches, and other food into energy for the body to use or store. Many women with PCOS have too much insulin in their bodies because they have problems using it. Excess insulin appears to increase production of androgen. High androgen levels can lead to:

Acne
Excessive hair growth
Weight gain
Problems with ovulation
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What are the symptoms of PCOS?
The symptoms of PCOS can vary from woman to woman. Some of the symptoms of PCOS include:

Infertility (not able to get pregnant) because of not ovulating. In fact, PCOS is the most common cause of female infertility.
Infrequent, absent, and/or irregular menstrual periods
Hirsutism (HER-suh-tiz-um) — increased hair growth on the face, chest, stomach, back, thumbs, or toes
Cysts on the ovaries
Acne, oily skin, or dandruff
Weight gain or obesity, usually with extra weight around the waist
Male-pattern baldness or thinning hair
Patches of skin on the neck, arms, breasts, or thighs that are thick and dark brown or black
Skin tags — excess flaps of skin in the armpits or neck area
Pelvic pain
Anxiety or depression
Sleep apnea — when breathing stops for short periods of time while asleep
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Why do women with PCOS have trouble with their menstrual cycle and fertility?
The ovaries, where a woman’s eggs are produced, have tiny fluid-filled sacs called follicles or cysts. As the egg grows, the follicle builds up fluid. When the egg matures, the follicle breaks open, the egg is released, and the egg travels through the fallopian tube to the uterus (womb) for fertilization. This is called ovulation.

In women with PCOS, the ovary doesn't make all of the hormones it needs for an egg to fully mature. The follicles may start to grow and build up fluid but ovulation does not occur. Instead, some follicles may remain as cysts. For these reasons, ovulation does not occur and the hormone progesterone is not made. Without progesterone, a woman's menstrual cycle is irregular or absent. Plus, the ovaries make male hormones, which also prevent ovulation.