Pcos?

[dixiedarlin79]

When I first got my period around age 11 it was really heavy but seemed to get a little better as I got older. I began taking birth control pills when I was a teenager (around age 17) as a contraceptive. Of course while I was on them, I had regular menstruation. Around the age of 25, I started thinking about having children in the future and I've always heard that if you are on birth control for a long period of time, it may make it difficult to conceive so I stopped taking them. I began having irregular periods....either I wouldn't have one at all or I would have one that lasted for weeks and sometimes months with heavy bleeding. My doctor put me back on the pill but never said anything about PCOS. As I approached 30, the thoughts of children came back to mind. I stopped taking the birth control again and again my periods were terrible. I decided I couldn't take the crazy periods anymore and decided to change doctors in March. I had done a little research and PCOS seemed to fit all of my symptoms.....irregular periods, facial hair, depression, overweight. I asked this new doctor about it and he ran some tests and diagnosed me with it. He then put me back on the pill and told me that when I decided to get pregnant there would be other medications for me to take rather than the birth control to regulate ovulation. He has a great reputation for helping women who have a hard time conceiving or have difficult pregnancies but that's about all the information I was given. I've been looking around on the Insulite website and it keeps talking about Insulin Resistance. My mother has Type II diabetes and although I do not check it regularly I have used her glucose monitor to check my blood sugar before and it usually runs around 80. I think this is in the normal range and to me even seems a bit low considering I practically live on sweets....literally, which I know is terribly unhealthy. I do not understand what Insulin Resistance is. Do I have to be diabetic or have low blood sugar to have PCOS? It's just very frustrating when a doctor tells you you have a condition but does nothing to explain it. I really would like to try the Insulite PCOS System, but at this point, it is out of my price range and to be honest, I get sick of swallowing so many pills. Is there anything else I can do or try?

[drheather]

When I first got my period around age 11 it was really heavy but seemed to get a little better as I got older. I began taking birth control pills when I was a teenager (around age 17) as a contraceptive. Of course while I was on them, I had regular menstruation. Around the age of 25, I started thinking about having children in the future and I've always heard that if you are on birth control for a long period of time, it may make it difficult to conceive so I stopped taking them. I began having irregular periods....either I wouldn't have one at all or I would have one that lasted for weeks and sometimes months with heavy bleeding. My doctor put me back on the pill but never said anything about PCOS. As I approached 30, the thoughts of children came back to mind. I stopped taking the birth control again and again my periods were terrible. I decided I couldn't take the crazy periods anymore and decided to change doctors in March. I had done a little research and PCOS seemed to fit all of my symptoms.....irregular periods, facial hair, depression, overweight. I asked this new doctor about it and he ran some tests and diagnosed me with it. He then put me back on the pill and told me that when I decided to get pregnant there would be other medications for me to take rather than the birth control to regulate ovulation. He has a great reputation for helping women who have a hard time conceiving or have difficult pregnancies but that's about all the information I was given. I've been looking around on the Insulite website and it keeps talking about Insulin Resistance. My mother has Type II diabetes and although I do not check it regularly I have used her glucose monitor to check my blood sugar before and it usually runs around 80. I think this is in the normal range and to me even seems a bit low considering I practically live on sweets....literally, which I know is terribly unhealthy. I do not understand what Insulin Resistance is. Do I have to be diabetic or have low blood sugar to have PCOS? It's just very frustrating when a doctor tells you you have a condition but does nothing to explain it. I really would like to try the Insulite PCOS System, but at this point, it is out of my price range and to be honest, I get sick of swallowing so many pills. Is there anything else I can do or try?

Hello and thanks for posting. It seems as though you have had PCOS for some time. It is not uncommon for women to go undiagnosed with PCOS for many years, for some women. The conventional treatment is to use birth control pills to help regulate cycles with the hope that when a woman wants to try to become pregnant that the pills will have regulated your cycle enough to allow pregnancy. For many, cycles again become irregular.

Yes, insulin resistance is often the underlying cause of PCOS. However, you do not have to be diabetic or have elevated glucose levels, although if not addressed we can see glucose start to elevate and can lead to diabetes.

Insulin resistance vastly reduces the insulin sensitivity of cells, which impairs the processing of glucose through the cell wall for conversion to energy. As a result, glucose remains in the blood stream, causing elevated levels of blood sugar, some of which is sent to the liver. Once there, the sugar may be converted into fat and stored via the blood stream throughout the body. This process can lead to weight gain and obesity, key factors in creating PCOS, which is also referred to as Polycystic Ovarian Disease or PCOD.

Sometimes insulin resistance results in high blood sugar, sometimes in low blood sugar, and sometimes there is no change whatsoever in blood sugar levels. I think this probably depends on how long the person has been insulin resistant, among other things. Like many things, developing insulin resistance was probably a combination of environmental and genetic factors.

If you are eating sweets like you said, this is only contributing to the problem. You are potentially setting yourself up for becoming diabetic. Have you had any additional blood work done to look at your fasting insulin levels in addition to fasting glucose levels or an oral glucose tolerance test. These can provide much more information as to where you are at in this process.

If you can not use the supplements, you will have to make dramatic changes to your diet as well as incorporating an exercise program, as long as there are no contraindications to starting an exercise program.

I can tell you very generally that we advocate a "whole foods" diet that is low in carbohydrates. We encourage our clients to reduce the number of carbs gradually. We encourage people to avoid refined carbohydrates like bread, sugar, pasta, tortillas, pastries, cookies, etc. A whole foods diet is one that stresses fresh, unprocessed, and unrefined foods. All of our customers receive the Insulite Guide that outlines and guides you through proper dietary choices, menu and recipe suggestions.

There is a book that I often recommend, "The Natural Diet Solution for PCOS and Infertility", by Dr. Nancy Dunne, ND. It is a great place to start.

Also, I do want to mention that we sometimes offer specials on the PCOS System, so please sign up to receive emails of offers and tips on keeping you motivated and current research.

I hope that this helps and that when you can you incorporate the complete PCOS System. Let me know if I can help further.