Any women out there have PCOS(Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome)?

emmalilypad
emmalilypad Posts: 36 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I was just diagnosed with PCOS last week and I'm curious to know if women make any changes to diet and exercise to help manage the symptoms. Thanks!

Replies

  • Dogwalkingirl
    Dogwalkingirl Posts: 320 Member
    I found out I have PCOS 5 years ago when I was rushed to hospital due to pain in my stomach. I had a cyst the size of an orange and my tube was twisted around the cyst so I needed my ovary and tube on one side removed. At that time they also did scans on my other ovary and found it was cystic. I was advised by my Dr at that time to lose weight and that I may have problems motabilizing sugars. It is best to do what you can to cut down on your sugar intake and "junky' carbs that turn into sugar quickly.

    At the time I found out I had PCOS I was 180 lbs. I got down to 150 and had a scan taken and at that time my remaining ovary was free from cysts. Unfortuately I am now back up to 175 but am working very hard to lose 30lb. I really believe cutting out sugars and watching my carbs helped the first time around.

    I am sorry to hear that you have been diagnosed with this but unless your symptoms are very severe I think it is a manageable condition through diet.
  • KateLewis11
    KateLewis11 Posts: 2 Member
    I was diagnosed with PCOS when I was 15, and have since worked really hard to stay at a healthy weight! My main tips are:
    - eat LO GI, unprocessed foods
    - eat regular, small meals 5 times a day to maintain insulin levels
    - avoid sugar!
    - exercise regularly

    I'm 170cm and 67kg, I'm maintaining this weight but finding it impossible to lose another 5kg! Don't let it get you down though, there's a lot of us out there.

    I'm new to MFP feel free to add me as a friend!
  • kazzsjourney
    kazzsjourney Posts: 674 Member
    I have PCOS...and have lost 187 pounds....it definitely helped me with my cycle...i no longer get migraines...acne improved...but not all symptoms have gone :)
  • livlovra
    livlovra Posts: 139 Member
    There is a lot of research out there that suggests that diet and exercise can be more effective than metformin so before jumping on any drugs you might be offered definitely try to treat it with diet and exercise first. I have PCOS and also have two delicious kids and one on the way. 9 months before we tried to conceive our first I was diagnosed with PCOS. We had no plans at that time to have kids but I just wanted to deal with the PCOS so that in time having kids wouldn't be a problem. Low GI is the way to go. I did 9 months of no wheat, no dairy and no sugar. I have always done lots of exercise but always been slightly overweight. 5'7 and 70 - 72kg. Clearly it worked a dream as the first month we tried - BAM. Admittedly I let my diet slide while pregnant and so by the time we wanted to try for no. 2 I had to clean up, so took 3 months for no 2 going back on the same diet. Once again bad habits have a habit of creeping back in. We wanted to try for no 3 but I realised my hormones were out of wack so I thought I would look at a better long term solution rather than yoyoing like I have been. So from Jan I put the whole family - hubby was on board or it wouldn't have worked and well the kids eat what I give them - on the whole30 to detox. Then transitioned to Paleo (kids primal) this is something we can maintain as it feels far less restrictive, even though it keeps the same rules of no wheat, dairy or sugar. But as a way of life it feels great and we all feel healthy on it. And here I am 12 weeks pregnant! Suffering less morning sickness or tiredness than either of my last two pregnancies and feel so much healthier with more energy. Anyway, everyone needs to find what works for them but I would highly recommend going Paleo. Look up marks daily apple and the whole 30 site for a few good starting places and good luck. x
  • pencakes1
    pencakes1 Posts: 1
    I was diagnosed with PCOS a few years ago now, but have never been overweight (I do have all the other lovely symptoms like acne though) so I didn't really think my diet was an issue. However, I do suffer terribly from migraines and I seem to be tired all the time. After looking at the posts here its clear I need to have a serious look at my diet! I constantly crave sugar and I snack a lot. Will definitely start researching low GI diets!
    Im not trying to conceive at the moment, but at 27 parenthood isnt that far away anymore so I would like to do all I can now before I go down the fertility treatment route.
  • Lupercalia
    Lupercalia Posts: 1,857 Member
    Yes, I am also intolerant to a few foods and have insulin resistance, so I figured out that eating in a way commonly known as "paleo" is what would work best for me. I avoid grains, sugars, processed foods and dairy and eat lots of whole foods--meats, veggies, some fruit here and there--and I exercise 4-6 times per week. I strength train 3 times per week with barbells/dumbbells and train with kettlebells on the other days. I eat 3 meals per day, sometimes with one snack, but usually not.

    Lots of my PCOS symptoms are gone--no more acne, periods are on a normal schedule and usually not terribly painful, I'm losing weight (it's really slowed down lately, but I'm still losing), hormones are balancing out....blood sugar is much easier to manage now because I'm not eating a bunch of carbs. Joint pain has been significantly reduced, arthritis is gone. Skin rashes are gone. I sleep well, and don't have mood issues anymore.

    I think PCOS can be managed and possibly even totally reversed through proper diet and exercise, and of course weight loss if you're significantly overweight.

    I'm not currently on any sort of prescription meds, and that includes BC pills.
  • ranganayakee
    ranganayakee Posts: 67 Member
    I was diagnosed with PCOS years back and I lost weight (over 30 kgs in 2 years) by doing good old cardio and lots of yoga. I piled in oodles of weight during my pregnancy and 10 months postpartum, I am 8 kgs away from my pre pregnancy weight. I was put on Metformin while TTC, but I don't think it made much difference. I have been a lacto vegetarian all my life, so can't comment much on the diet. One thing I can say for sure is Yoga helped in regulating in the hormones and restore the monthly cycles. ( This may not be a scientifically valid statement)
  • kgoodman0108
    kgoodman0108 Posts: 158
    I told my doctor something was wrong at my yearly exam at 18 years old, but she blew me off because I was a healthy weight (around 115lbs). at 19, I was diagnosed with PCOS, while weighing around 135 after INSISTING that it wasn't normal that I would go months without a period.

    After peaking at 172 pounds, I've lost over 20 pounds so far by monitoring my calorie intake and eating a low carb diet. Birth control has given me a normal cycle, but low carb has made my symptoms less severe. As the weight falls off, my symptoms are slowly going away.

    If you have PCOS with insulin resistance, then your best bet is to lower your carb intake and get those calories from another source (fat, protein).
  • lisamarie2181
    lisamarie2181 Posts: 560 Member
    Yes, I am also intolerant to a few foods and have insulin resistance, so I figured out that eating in a way commonly known as "paleo" is what would work best for me. I avoid grains, sugars, processed foods and dairy and eat lots of whole foods--meats, veggies, some fruit here and there--and I exercise 4-6 times per week. I strength train 3 times per week with barbells/dumbbells and train with kettlebells on the other days. I eat 3 meals per day, sometimes with one snack, but usually not.

    Lots of my PCOS symptoms are gone--no more acne, periods are on a normal schedule and usually not terribly painful, I'm losing weight (it's really slowed down lately, but I'm still losing), hormones are balancing out....blood sugar is much easier to manage now because I'm not eating a bunch of carbs. Joint pain has been significantly reduced, arthritis is gone. Skin rashes are gone. I sleep well, and don't have mood issues anymore.

    I think PCOS can be managed and possibly even totally reversed through proper diet and exercise, and of course weight loss if you're significantly overweight.

    I'm not currently on any sort of prescription meds, and that includes BC pills.

    I completely agree with this! I have found that cutting out the junk and focusing on whole foods has been the best for me too. I believe a lot of our food has hormones and crap that messes with our already messed up hormones! Also, I have been told by my doctor to stay away from soy and it seems like EVERYTHING prepacked has some kind of soy in it :(

    I have also cut out meat for the most part, I have been doing a lot of research on PCOS and curing holistically and have found a lot of women have had success going raw and vegan, like actually eliminating all their symptoms. Now I am striving to do that to see if it can work for me, I have been dealing with this for about 13 years, so I am pretty determined to try, but I am taking baby steps for sure lol I have cut out meat for the most part, but left the fish and dairy for now. I still have moments where I struggle with the meat, usually when I am out and the smell is all up in my face, but for the most part it hasn't been to hard, and this coming from a hardcore red meat eater lol I can't afford to buy organic or grass fed beef and things of that nature, so for now it is easier to cut it out and if I do have it, it is outside my house. I am not too strict about it, like I said I am taking baby steps and getting comfortable with this is what is important. Been a meat eater all my life and changing overnight is just not gonna happen for me lol I have also been trying to do the majority of my day raw veggies and fruit, nuts, things like that and then eat cooked for dinner. the raw is easy for me during the day because I am at work, usually do a veg/fruit smoothie in the morning, some nut snack of some sort with maybe some fruit and a big veggie salad for lunch.

    I definitely have more energy and do feel really good, I can tell my skin is looking pretty good, my biggest issue I have is hair loss, it is starting to freak me out, so I do take some supplements that are suggested for women with PCOS. I take inositol, biotin, and I take a few others, but those are the ones for PCOS. I have been on the inositol and biotin for about 3 months, haven't seen much difference, but I do know that myo inositol (which is what is sold in most stores) does not work for all because some women's bodies can't convert it to the right form. D-chiro is the suggested one to take, but also alot more expensive. myo breaks down to d-chiro, and if your body can't do that, not sure if it will help, but I am going to give the myo one more bottle try.

    Sorry for all the rambling ladies, I am kinda a blabbermouth lol Hopefully this helps you and gives you some ideas on things you can try :)

    Any of you ladies feel free to add me for support, I am very active on here and log the majority of the time, have a few absences over the weekends, but working on that. Also working on staying away from the chocolate during TOM, finding it very difficult lately lol

    One more thing, I went and got my RMR and BF% tested and was shocked to find out how many calories I am supposed to be eating. If you can afford it or save up the money, I would highly suggest getting yours checked out. We are always told we have slow metabolisms but I surely do not, so I am sure there have got to be other ladies with PCOS that have higher metabolisms. I eat a lot of cals going off of my tests now, and I feel great and I think to truly heal you need to eat enough to nourish you body properly, in my opinion a very important factor. You can't heal if you are at too large of deficits or too low. It is worth looking into, I know a lot of us do have slow metabolisms and have to eat lower cal, but that isn't all of us and it is best to see what it right for you specifically :)

    Good luck to all you ladies!!

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