PCOS & Diet

for those of you with PCOS...are you on a special diet? My dr has not said one thing about me trying to lose weight to help things out. But I am reading online that I should at least try to lose 10%.

Re: PCOS & Diet

This is what I did. I copied and pasted this from a previous post.. A change in diet is very important with PCOS.

The changes I made...

I won't go into the reasons why these are so important but basically, the way we process sugar/insulin resistance, causes our ovaries to produce androgens which cause our testosterone level to go higher and therefore, we do not ovulate, excess body hair, excess hair loss, weight gain, etc.

SUGAR is the enemy so we have to change our eating habits. Of course you can't stick to this 100% 24-7 but do the best you can...

1. No Caffeine- some studies have indicated that caffeine decreases the chances of implantation of the embryos... since we are already delicate, in this regard, NO CAFFEINE... decaf only.

2. NO REFINED SUGAR- It's in more things than you want to think of... including High fructose corn syrup. It's almost impossible to buy anything in the supermarket that doesn't have HFCS in it... including ketchup. I cut out all candy, yes including chocolate , baked goods (high in trans fat anyway), no soda, no iced tea, basically no pre-made drinks. Anything else with sugar you must severely limit. Switch to fruit... berries are very low glucose and great for PCOS patients as they don't spike the blood sugar.
NO artifical sweetners!!! Throw out the Diet Coke.

3. Drink lots of water- this is bascially all I drink except for a tiny bit of OJ (remember lots of sugar) in the morning and decaf tea... I'll get to my herbal tea in a minute. This is important because no sugar, no caffeine, no artifical cr ap. You can do it. I always carry a bottle of water with me and never order a drink at a restaurant.

4. No alcohol- Studies have shown that alcohol can affect conception in many women but it is especially bad in PCOS because the sugar in alcohol throws off our system. Yes, that once a week glass or wine can be a contributing factor to annovulatory cycles.

5. Limit other carbs- NO WHITE CARBS... they are the absolute worst. No French fries (not good for you anyway) substitute sweet potato fries if you can they sell them at Trader Joe's, frozen. No white bread... whole grain... the first ingredient MUST be whole wheat or the bread isn't good enough... or better yet order a wrap. No white Pasta, Barilla makes a good alternative... can't think of the name, but it comes in a yellow box and is actually edible. No bakery goodies... sugar and carbs... double whammy.

6. Hormone Free- The hormones in our meat, dairy and pesticides in our veggies make our PCOS worse. I switched to soy milk a long time ago for my sinus infections and DH and I try to buy hormone free meats and organic veggies as much as possible.

7. Limit eating out- You don't know what they are cooking with, what added additives are in the food etc. So many things come with a potato and you may forget to substitute for another veggie.

8. Take warm baths- Many women with PCOS and older women have decreased bloodflow to the ovaries. As we age bloodflow decreases which impacts the health of our eggs. I soaked in my tub every night after dinner for at least 15 minutes.

9. Drink hot drinks- I drank 3 cups a day of Chinese herbal tea called Woman's Dong Quai Tonic. It's put out by Yogi Tea (search their web site they have a store locator) Its purpose is to provide a hormonal balance and the warmth helps increase additional bloodflow to the uterus/ovaries. It's actually very relaxing... take a 5 minute break, do nothing else and sip your tea... the relaxing probably helps as much as the tea.
Chinese medicine knows infinitely more about how to treat PCOS than I think Western Medicine. Chinese medicine wants to restore your hormonal balance not rev up your ovariers into overdrive.

10. Accupuncture/Massage often helps- it increases blood flow and decreases stress thus increasing your chances.

Just keep in mind it takes about 100 days for your body to respond to the changes.

That's everything I did and I got my BFP after my first IVF.

Re: PCOS & Diet

I was pregnant before and had gestational diabetes. My doctors had given me a diabetic diet to follow with about 2200 calories and a great plan If you would like a copy of it, I'd be happy to fax it to you to use as a guideline. FM me if you'd like it.

Re: PCOS & Diet

I would recommend The Infertility Cure by Randine Lewis-all about traditional Chinese medicine and fertility-there is a whole chapter on PCOS-Theresa I'm not aure if thats where you got that info?

Re: PCOS & Diet

very helpful tips

question: how do you check for hormome levels in meat

and what stores carry the good stuff

Re: PCOS & Diet

Re: PCOS & Diet

thanks

Re: PCOS & Diet

Can I ask why Diet soda is out?

Re: PCOS & Diet