PCOS and Gastric Bypass

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msewchok
msewchok Posts: 3
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello any ladies with 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? Any treatments/medication that have worked for you? (I am currently on Yasmin and Metformin) Thanks!!

Replies

  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
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    Lots of people with PCOS lose weight on their own without pills or surgery. I'm not sure how healthy it would be to even be pregnant after surgery with the low calorie intake. My thought has always been that if you can live on the little bit you can eat after surgery you can do it without surgery if you really want to.

    Even with PCOS it still comes down to calories in/calories out. You'll probably really need to watch your carbs but without tracking overall food intake and eating at a deficit just eating low carb won't make weight come off.
  • JustMeee333
    JustMeee333 Posts: 233
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    I have PCOS, and have so far lost 100lb .. with roughly 60lb left to lose. I too was on Metformin and Yasmin at one point, and found both not doing much for me, so I am currently medication free (All I take is a multivitamin).
    I personally, don't believe you should go down the surgery route without having tried all other options first.

    Search the forums too, you'll find plenty of others with PCOS who have, or are losing weight now naturally.
    Good luck. :flowerforyou:
  • kstramba29
    kstramba29 Posts: 1 Member
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    I was diagnosed with PCOS at 17. I am 5' and 198 lbs. I am on track to have gastric bypass in February. I went through all the medications. 3 years of Fertility treatments, including 6 IUI cycles. I am currently 27. My surgeon has high hopes that after surgery I should have almost no sympotoms of PCOS. And my chance of getting pregnant should be around 80-95%. I am very excited about this.
  • gailwife4ever
    gailwife4ever Posts: 1
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    Try every thing frist let Sergey be last step. U will get sick on some food after u never be able eat hole meal.their a lot risk with this Sergey. I am trying have baby but I need lose wight. Try working out n making food from diabetes cook books. That's what I am doing befor I go do Waigh loss Sergey. Good luck
  • lithezebra
    lithezebra Posts: 3,670 Member
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    If your weight is the thing that is holding you back from conceiving, my suggestion would be to try six months of eating at a deficit, with strict weighing and measuring of all of your foods and beverages, strict logging, and exercise. Then you could reassess your situation. Talk it over with your doctor, or even get a second opinion. You don't want to wait too long to conceive. On the other hand, gastric bypass is a big deal, with risks, and in the long run, it causes you to lose weight because you're eating less, which you can do without taking those risks.
  • Jnacht86
    Jnacht86 Posts: 1
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    Hello ladies! I have PCOS and I also had the lap band surgery this past June. To date I've lost 34lbs. I never thought I would do any surgery but being that I was over 100lbs overweight, no period for over a year and would like to have one more child before I'm older I felt I needed to do something because nothing I was doing was working. I had two different docs tell me if I continued to do nothing I would be lucky to see 40 without having a stroke or heart attack. I am 27yrs old.

    I have a daughter with severe Autism and the thought of someone else raising her and me not being around was enough to make me stop being so proud and realize I needed some real help. There is no cure all and I didn't see gastric bypass surgery as an easy way out but a tool to help me change my habits. I'm a stress eater and I turned to food as a coping mechanism.

    Luckily the doctor I saw for the surgery has a great support system for patients which included visits with a nutritionist and a psychologist and monthly support groups. As I started dealing with the underlying causes of my weight gain (poor diet, lack of exercise and stress induced binge eating) I started to make some changes. I do struggle from time to time because resolving emotional baggage always is a hard thing to do but I am in a much healthier better place then I was before surgery. The lap band helps with potion control and I've reduced the amount of sugar I eat. I still don't get as much exercise in weekly that I need but I am not going to give up.

    My doctor and his staff suggested that I try MyFitnessPal so I signed up recently. I hope this will help me on my busy schedule to keep better track of calories and workouts.

    Some tips that I have found helpful;

    Just remember to drink a lot of water, this helps with metabolism, bloating and dehydration.

    Continue to do hormone therapy. If I go off of my hormone therapy I gain 5-10lbs on the scale, taking them consistently helps prevent cravings and mood swings. After taking my hormones I will drop those added pounds after about 3 days.

    Check your blood sugar.

    Eat lots of protein as this helps with hunger and keeps blood sugar from spiking.

    Learn to see food as just a fuel for your body, not as a friend.

    Make sure you eat breakfast everyday with protein. I have been making breakfast my biggest meal of the day and it seems to help my blood sugar stay stable throughout the day so I don't get massive cravings later. I used to always skip breakfast and this always led to overeating later and being crazy hungry all day.

    Get lots of sleep, at least 8 hours. This was hard for me since I was a night owl but I make sure I get it in most of the time now and it seems to help me cope with stress better and I feel like I have more energy in the day.

    Go for short walks after meals, it aids digestion, burns calories and is good for your overall health.

    Take your vitamins, minerals and helpful herbal supplements. I feel like crap when I forget to take these. PCOS and being overweight will drain your body of nutrients leaving you more sick. In my case I had extremely low Vit. D levels, low B vitamins which added to my lack of energy and I found a couple of herbal remedies that help me suppress my appetite a bit so that helps.

    Anyway best of luck to all of you, PCOS is really crappy and it makes loosing weight so much more difficult just don't be afraid to try new things and find what works for you but remember you can do it!

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