PCOS and Gastric Bypass

Hello Ladies! I am new to this group, but sadly NOT new to PCOS! My endo recently told me that I should get gastric bypass BEFORE trying to conceive, she feels that I will not be able to on my own. I am 5'4" and 245lbs. I know that is overweight, but the idea of the surgery is scary. The research looks promising. I have tried all medications for weight loss she has given me, currently on a low carb lifestyle with very little success. Has anyone else had a doctor go this route before? Thanks!!

Replies

  • L2HS
    L2HS Posts: 137 Member
    Hi! I really thought I responded to this already but I don't see it so I'm typing it up again.

    I am in a similar situation as you. I'm a newly wed and went to my doctor in July for a family planning meeting. I was expecting to be put on Clomid to help me conceive but was told that I needed to loose 65 pounds before fertility treatments were discuss. I was 5'3" and 250 pounds at the time. My doctor told me that since time was of the essence, that I would consider gastric bypass surgery. After the shock, I went into research mode. I learned that in order for insurance to pay for it I would need to be on a medically supervised weight loss program for 6 months. Then after the surgery, I would have to wait 12-18 months before trying to get pregnant. That's 2-2.5 years! Like you, the thought or surgery terrifies me. I figured that with a healthy diet and exercise, I would be able to lose 65 pounds in less time than that! And I wouldn't be putting myself through surgery. I'm now 4 months from that appointment with my doctor and I'm down 35 pounds. I have faith that It can be done without surgery. It's hard work but it's all been worth it.
  • kenzietate
    kenzietate Posts: 399 Member
    Hi ladies! I am also 5'4" and my husband and I just got married last January. I am a bit smaller at around 200lbs but I wanted to lose weight on my own before figuring out my fertility stuff. I have been told by every doctor ever that I wouldn't be able to get pregnant without help. But I want to say they were all wrong.

    I hate being on medication so I decided to get off my birth control and move to NFP. I started doing research months ago and the best thing I found was eating low carb/keto. So back in June I ended my BC at the beginning of the month and began eating keto. My husband and I waited 2 months and tracked everything like you are supposed to do with NFP and I had no signs of ovulation at all but I did have my period right at 28 days both months. I figured it was just because my body was still in the habit from 6 years of BC. I continued to track during the third month and still had no signs of ovulation but we didn't abstain. By this point I had lost about 10lbs in the two months, which based on my body type, is about 20% of the weight I needed to lose. All of the sudden, my clothes started getting really loose but I wasn't losing weight anymore. I still hadn't seen my period though around 34 days or so and yes I should have taken a pregnancy test but I honestly thought that I was just reverting back to how bad it was before the BC. So yeah. I didn't test until I was 6 weeks along lol. I am now 14 weeks and my pregnancy is considered low risk!

    Moral of the story: Try low carb/keto! It is by far the best way for me to eat and I have tried low glycemic, low calorie, etc. None of them worked for more than a small amount of weight loss. Keto alleviated almost all of my symptoms including my lack of ovulation and I lost 10 lbs in about 2.5 months. I will say that normally you lose some water weight in the first few weeks but I never lost that and I think it is because I drink so much water and eat fairly few carbs already so I think at least 9 lbs of that was actually fat.
  • mmstone13
    mmstone13 Posts: 60 Member
    Hello Ladies! Like all of you, we are struggling to conceive- Hubby tests great, I just don't ovulate. My OBGYN put me on multiple rounds of Clomid, but no success, so I moved on to an RE. I started October 2012 at 317. I currently am at 245 (4'5"). My RE will not put me on any other medication until I get down to 240 (a BMI of about 40 he recommends). He says it is because the drugs are more effective at a healthier weight. I think everyone is different though. I am so close....I have set my goal (another 12 pounds or so) by December 10th. Here's to hoping!
  • ldrosophila
    ldrosophila Posts: 7,512 Member
    Wow way to write you off by your endo. I was able to conceive without bypass just weight loss. Of course, I dont know your situation, but I personally would find it insulting.

    If you think it's right for you then by all means do it, but if you think you can do it without having a major surgery then more power to you.
  • KatieWH
    KatieWH Posts: 68 Member
    Hi ladies! I am also 5'4" and my husband and I just got married last January. I am a bit smaller at around 200lbs but I wanted to lose weight on my own before figuring out my fertility stuff. I have been told by every doctor ever that I wouldn't be able to get pregnant without help. But I want to say they were all wrong.

    I hate being on medication so I decided to get off my birth control and move to NFP. I started doing research months ago and the best thing I found was eating low carb/keto. So back in June I ended my BC at the beginning of the month and began eating keto. My husband and I waited 2 months and tracked everything like you are supposed to do with NFP and I had no signs of ovulation at all but I did have my period right at 28 days both months. I figured it was just because my body was still in the habit from 6 years of BC. I continued to track during the third month and still had no signs of ovulation but we didn't abstain. By this point I had lost about 10lbs in the two months, which based on my body type, is about 20% of the weight I needed to lose. All of the sudden, my clothes started getting really loose but I wasn't losing weight anymore. I still hadn't seen my period though around 34 days or so and yes I should have taken a pregnancy test but I honestly thought that I was just reverting back to how bad it was before the BC. So yeah. I didn't test until I was 6 weeks along lol. I am now 14 weeks and my pregnancy is considered low risk!

    Moral of the story: Try low carb/keto! It is by far the best way for me to eat and I have tried low glycemic, low calorie, etc. None of them worked for more than a small amount of weight loss. Keto alleviated almost all of my symptoms including my lack of ovulation and I lost 10 lbs in about 2.5 months. I will say that normally you lose some water weight in the first few weeks but I never lost that and I think it is because I drink so much water and eat fairly few carbs already so I think at least 9 lbs of that was actually fat.

    What is bc and nfp? And awesome work - keep going!
  • kenzietate
    kenzietate Posts: 399 Member
    Hi ladies! I am also 5'4" and my husband and I just got married last January. I am a bit smaller at around 200lbs but I wanted to lose weight on my own before figuring out my fertility stuff. I have been told by every doctor ever that I wouldn't be able to get pregnant without help. But I want to say they were all wrong.

    I hate being on medication so I decided to get off my birth control and move to NFP. I started doing research months ago and the best thing I found was eating low carb/keto. So back in June I ended my BC at the beginning of the month and began eating keto. My husband and I waited 2 months and tracked everything like you are supposed to do with NFP and I had no signs of ovulation at all but I did have my period right at 28 days both months. I figured it was just because my body was still in the habit from 6 years of BC. I continued to track during the third month and still had no signs of ovulation but we didn't abstain. By this point I had lost about 10lbs in the two months, which based on my body type, is about 20% of the weight I needed to lose. All of the sudden, my clothes started getting really loose but I wasn't losing weight anymore. I still hadn't seen my period though around 34 days or so and yes I should have taken a pregnancy test but I honestly thought that I was just reverting back to how bad it was before the BC. So yeah. I didn't test until I was 6 weeks along lol. I am now 14 weeks and my pregnancy is considered low risk!

    Moral of the story: Try low carb/keto! It is by far the best way for me to eat and I have tried low glycemic, low calorie, etc. None of them worked for more than a small amount of weight loss. Keto alleviated almost all of my symptoms including my lack of ovulation and I lost 10 lbs in about 2.5 months. I will say that normally you lose some water weight in the first few weeks but I never lost that and I think it is because I drink so much water and eat fairly few carbs already so I think at least 9 lbs of that was actually fat.

    What is bc and nfp? And awesome work - keep going!

    Sorry lol. It is birth control and natural family planning.