PCOS Low Carb Successes?

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jordyngiulio
jordyngiulio Posts: 157 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello! I was wondering if anyone out there has had success managing symptoms of PCOS using a low carb diet and how long after you started did you see changes?

Until December, I had been on the pill for almost 10 years to treat body acne and regulate my cycle. Previous to that I had extremely unpredictable periods, often only having about 4 a year. It was blamed on being young and after being on the pill for so long I eventually forgot about it. Flash forward to this year, I switched doctors and my new dr. discovered that I actually shouldn't be on the pill. After stopping, my cycle again became super long - averaging 47 days with incredibly painful cramps and heavy bleeding. I've always suffered from cystic acne and body hair (I always blamed that one on being of Mediterranean descent lol).

After some research I suspect I may have PCOS and about 3 weeks ago I decided to start a LCHF diet. Today I got my period 15 days early, putting me at a normalish 32 day cycle as opposed to my 47 day.

Has anyone experienced similar results? Are others managing PCOS symptoms through diet?

Replies

  • SleeplessinBerlin
    SleeplessinBerlin Posts: 513 Member
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    For someone with PCOS, low carb is a good choice. In many cases, the patients are insulin resistant. Reducing your body weight (if you're overweight/obese) even by 5% is extremely helpful in managing PCOS.

    The Rotterdam/ESHRE/ASRM Criteria of PCOS are:
    1. Hyperandrogenism/Hyperandrogenemia
    2. Polycystic ovaries (12 or more follicles not bigger than 9mm)
    3. Oligo-/Amenorrhoa (fewer than 8 episodes of menstrual bleeding per year or menses that occur at intervals greater than 35 days)

    2 of these 3 are usually enough to diagnose PCOS. You might be a PCOS patient from what you're describing.

    I'd encourage you to visit a gyn who specializes in endocrinology and to let him/her have a look at you. If PCOS is the right diagnosis, it would be wise to have a oGTT (oral glucose tolerance test) done and have your levels of both insulin and glucose checked.

    If you carry most of your weight around your waist, and suspect you might have a PCOS, you won't do wrong by trying a low carb diet. Now only might the symptoms improve, you'll reduce your cardiovascular risk, too.

    Everyone is different and there is no way to tell you if and how fast you might be successful - it also depends on how much you actually need to lose. If you currently eat lots of carbs you might see a change pretty soon, I'd say.
  • HaleCry
    HaleCry Posts: 387 Member
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    I have PCOS and couldn't stick to low carb as I found it unsustainable. I'm 18lbs down just by eating the calories MFP gives me :)
  • herculesmulligan
    herculesmulligan Posts: 6 Member
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    HaleCry wrote: »
    I have PCOS and couldn't stick to low carb as I found it unsustainable. I'm 18lbs down just by eating the calories MFP gives me :)

    I found the same; I lost very little weight on low carb, it was expensive, and I hated it. My doctor (who also has PCOS, which is nice for me) was supportive of me trying it but said it's not always the best, or only, solution. I've lost about 20lbs so far with simply reducing calories and tracking on MFP, and it's a lot more doable and enjoyable for me.

    Another thing my doctor suggested was weight training, which can apparently help with PCOS symptoms as well.

    About your cycle, in the past I found that whenever I lost a few pounds, it would usually start my period. I'm not sure why but I'm on the pill now so it's regulated.
  • tryett
    tryett Posts: 530 Member
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    I do low carb, have pcos and insulin restart. I try to stay u der60-70g of carb per day. It works for me. I have a difficult time losing and am down 28 pounds over the last 5 months.
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
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    There's a few in the Low Carber Daily group who went to a LCHF diet to deal with insulin resistance and hormone issues. You may find a few like minded people there.

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