PCOS and Gluten Free??

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melissaforster07
melissaforster07 Posts: 145 Member
in Motivation and Support
I am signed up for e-mails related to PCOS. Today I received an e-mail regarding gluten free diets helping women who struggle with PCOS. I did a quick google search and it looks like SOME women who have changed their diets and lived gluten free have fewer problems with cysts (some women report that all cysts have gone away completely), cycles have been restored, and all infertility problems have gone away.

Does anyone have any success stories or have you heard anything like this before? Changing to a gluten free diet is HUGE change that takes a lot of commitment... I am not sure I'm quite ready for the change just yet, but I am interested to see if anyone has heard this before.

Thanks ahead of time for your input! :-)

Replies

  • amsparky
    amsparky Posts: 825 Member
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    While I am gluten free due to food allergies and have PCOS, I never thought to look at a link between the two. I have had a reduction in cyst "episodes" as I call them, but there are probably a lot of possible reasons why.

    I will follow this thread to see what you find out. :)
  • idabug3
    idabug3 Posts: 43 Member
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    I was interested in what you had to say concerning PCOS, my daughter has it and doesn't have the cyst problem but struggles with excessive hair and weight due to high levels of tetostrone. Are there any solutions offered for those problems? By the way , it took her 6 years to get pregnant after she was married and it was a heart breaking 6 years. I feel for any woman who has this syndrome.
  • cat3nv
    cat3nv Posts: 389 Member
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    I changed to my diet when I started on MFP. I quit caffeine and white sugar. I read that cysts like sugar so I thought that would help. I noticed my cycle was closer to a normal one than it had been in a while, and the cramps I had during ovulation (which felt like regular cramps) went away.

    I have considered going gluten free, but not sure if my family would make the journey with me.
  • mackenzg
    mackenzg Posts: 37 Member
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    I have PCOS and from all the research I have done, the best diet I have heard is a low GI diet. We are insulin resistant (so think like a diabetic) and you want to keep your sugars stablized. This often helps with the acne, hair growth etc. Not sure about the cysts but I couldnt imagine doing a gluten free diet. You need to find a diet that can become your lifestyle..I even saw in the bookstore PCOS diet book and it said low gi. Good luck!
  • TheYoungRetiree
    TheYoungRetiree Posts: 84 Member
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    I'm not sure I could live that strict of a diet. My doctor has not said anything about it with my PCOS and has merely suggested change in diet and exercise to promote a general weight loss of as little as 10%. I'm sure it depends on how your stacking on the lbs. though.

    I will be interested to see if this is some sort of "miracle" worker... Even if it is, that's COMMITMENT I just don't think I have when it comes to my diet!
  • samfarbe
    samfarbe Posts: 1
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    I was diagnosed this winter as being gluten intolerant. I also have PCOS. I had been on prescription hormones for 10 years and desperately hated putting that synthetic crap into my body. Since February, I have lived essentially gluten free, and this spring, I took myself off the hormones, which primarily, were used to regulate my cycles. For the first time in my life, I am having normal cycles and without the use of hormones. So far, anyway. I am still keeping my fingers crossed. :wink:

    Living gluten free isn't as hard as I thought it would be. Initially, it was a challenge, reading the labels on everything, but before long, I had found my new favorites. I eat a lot of whole foods anyway, which reduces the odds of gluten being in the diet. Most packaged goods contain it in one form or another, yet gluten is not on the label - it's hidden in things like modified food starch.

    There is a very informative book on the topic called Life After Bread.
    Good luck and thanks for this post!
  • melissaforster07
    melissaforster07 Posts: 145 Member
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    I have been doing the low GI diet since being diagnosed in February with PCOS. It really has done wonders. I feel so much better. But this gluten-free thing really shocked me. I hadn't heard it before even after all the research I had done. I am not sure I could do it.

    It sounds like a lot of you are having the same reaction as me??
  • melissaforster07
    melissaforster07 Posts: 145 Member
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    I was interested in what you had to say concerning PCOS, my daughter has it and doesn't have the cyst problem but struggles with excessive hair and weight due to high levels of tetostrone. Are there any solutions offered for those problems? By the way , it took her 6 years to get pregnant after she was married and it was a heart breaking 6 years. I feel for any woman who has this syndrome.

    That is my biggest fear regarding PCOS. All my life I have had wanted to be a Mommy and it terrifies my that this horrible syndrome may make things harder. I have had a lot of luck with a low GI diet. I am praying that the mix of the low GI diet, working out, and visits to the chiropractor will help me when my husband and I make the decision to have children.
  • melissaforster07
    melissaforster07 Posts: 145 Member
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    Wow. Your post really helped. I just can't imagine going completely gluten free but your post makes it sound more doable. Sounds like I have more research to do! :-)
  • RachelT14
    RachelT14 Posts: 266 Member
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    I was diagnosed with PCOS when we had been trying for a baby for 6 months as my cycle was almost non existent, i had been very irregular since i got my first AF at the age of 9, I had various treatments that didtn work and was put on the waiting list for IVF but told to loose at least 3 stone.
    I did manage with the help of Slimfast, in order to make my meals as healthy i naturally fell into a lower GI diet. Result i lost 3 stone and within a couple of months i was pregnant without any further treatment. So in my case i think that a lower GI diet did help me with my PCOS.

    To those of you hoping to conceive and worried about your PCOS, i just want to say never stop believing it really can happen
  • melissaforster07
    melissaforster07 Posts: 145 Member
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    I was diagnosed with PCOS when we had been trying for a baby for 6 months as my cycle was almost non existent, i had been very irregular since i got my first AF at the age of 9, I had various treatments that didtn work and was put on the waiting list for IVF but told to loose at least 3 stone.
    I did manage with the help of Slimfast, in order to make my meals as healthy i naturally fell into a lower GI diet. Result i lost 3 stone and within a couple of months i was pregnant without any further treatment. So in my case i think that a lower GI diet did help me with my PCOS.

    To those of you hoping to conceive and worried about your PCOS, i just want to say never stop believing it really can happen

    Thank you for your post. These stories are what keep me believing!!
  • godblessourhome
    godblessourhome Posts: 3,892 Member
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    this is very interesting! thanks for the info!
  • Jaxie1231
    Jaxie1231 Posts: 24 Member
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    I see this is an old post, but I am interested in this as well.
  • stoutam1989
    stoutam1989 Posts: 1
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    PCOS is a nutritional problem. I have PCOS. Our bodies do not absorb insulin the way it should. We are insulin resistant. Essentially we are diabetic. The best course of action from doctors and nutritionists, I was told to almost live as a diabetic would. Cutting out gluten is a good place to start. But focus on cutting out simple carbs, foods that are high in sugar, processed and pre-packaged foods, and and fast and junk foods. Focus on eating lots of veggies, lean meats and grains such as quinoa. This is the best course of action.
  • runningjen74
    runningjen74 Posts: 312 Member
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    I did it, not 100%, but I don't eat bread/grains on a daily basis. If I'm offered a slice of birthday cake, i'll eat it if I want to.

    I aim to eat ~100gm carbs - from fruit / veggies.

    I lift weights. I started doing all 3 at the same time.

    I can't say which made the biggest difference, and I'm not really prepared to do a study based on 1, but my menstral cycle normalised itself and I got rid of headaches.

    I also have problems with my thyroid, so it needs to be normalised for everything to be good.

    I 'gave up' before christmas for about 2-3 months - family emergency so I ate what other ate. Headaches came back, cycle messed up again. I was back off the grains as soon as I could. A small dose doesn't effect me. To feel better, a little more effort in ensuring I've good food choices for me makes the world of difference.

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