lesbians-does it affect us more?

[Caramel4Vanilla]

Hi...I've just recently been diagnosed with PCOS, but I feel Ive known something has been wrong for a while. As i would have a period about once a year.

My doctor is sending me to a fertility session at the hospital but I dont know if they will do tests to see whether or not I am able to get pregnant. I am also worried because even reguarly attending these fertility sessions without being in a heterosexual relationship I will not have the sperm to be able to determine whether I can convieve.

Its alot harder in the U.K to find sperm banks as I havent even established whether we even have one here? So all in all I am finding this alot harder to deal with because conieving is going to be time consuming and alot harder to find a sperm candidate.

[drandrea]

Originally Posted by Caramel4Vanilla

Hi...I've just recently been diagnosed with PCOS, but I feel Ive known something has been wrong for a while. As i would have a period about once a year.

My doctor is sending me to a fertility session at the hospital but I dont know if they will do tests to see whether or not I am able to get pregnant. I am also worried because even reguarly attending these fertility sessions without being in a heterosexual relationship I will not have the sperm to be able to determine whether I can convieve.

Its alot harder in the U.K to find sperm banks as I havent even established whether we even have one here? So all in all I am finding this alot harder to deal with because conieving is going to be time consuming and alot harder to find a sperm candidate.

Hi There-

I am glad you found our forum! I hear from many women who have PCOS and are concerned about their ability to conceive. For lesbians, this can be an even more daunting process for many reasons. I know how concerning this is, but there is hope and things can get better! Thanks for writing in!

To answer your question yes, PCOS has been shown to be more common in lesbians. A study conducted in London showed that PCOS was up to 38% more common in lesbians than heterosexual women. PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian
Syndrome) is a major cause of infertility. A symptom of the condition, also known as polycystic ovaries, can be nine or fewer menstrual cycles per year. The disorder may also cause heavier than normal bleeding during periods.

These conditions are the result of the ovaries failing to produce hormones that keep the menstrual cycle regular. Because women with PCOS don’t have regular periods, many are unable to become pregnant. To read more about PCOS and infertility please visit the following link:
http://www.pcos.insulitelabs.com/PCO...nfertility.php.

As you may have read on our website, the underlying cause of PCOS in most cases seems to be insulin resistance. With insulin resistance, the body becomes insensitive to the insulin it produces, which leads to elevated circulating levels of insulin. This in turn leads to hormonal imbalances such as increased testosterone and other androgens (male hormones).

The increased testosterone is responsible for many of the symptoms of PCOS such as hair growth and abnormal menstrual cycles. Elevated insulin also contributes to the formation of cysts in the ovaries in part due to the hormonal imbalances and also because the ovaries are highly sensitive to the influence of insulin.

All of these factors combine to complicate a woman's chances of conceiving if she has PCOS.

As stated on our website, losing weight and getting your insulin regulated will reduce ovarian cysts and additional hormonal imbalances, thereby enhancing your ability to conceive.

The Insulite PCOS System helps to improve insulin sensitivity with its combination of nutrients and herbs as well as diet and exercise guidelines. The supplements are also designed to correct the hormone imbalance of PCOS which may help you conceive.

As far as sperm banks in the UK, I would assume they have at least one. I would speak to your doctor about this when you go for your visit. I did find one clinic in London (not sure what the proximity is to you) that has donor sperm. Their website is: http://www.thebridgecentre.co.uk/. There may also be US sperm banks that can ship to the UK, however this may be cost prohibitive.

Additionally, I do want to let you know that using fresh donor sperm can be very dangerous to your health. There are many diseases that may not be detectable for several weeks after infection (HIV is among these) so unless this fresh donor is someone that you trust with your life (and your potential child) I would seriously caution you against this method.

Also, I don't know how it works in the UK, but in the US, fresh donors can sue for parental rights and visitation as well- even if there was a so-called "contract" ahead of time. In most states and most instances, paternal rights of a fresh donor cannot be terminated until the child is born. This can make for a very unexpected and emotionally challenging situation as you can well imagine.

I hope this information is helpful for you! There is amazing customer support at Insulite Labs; we are here to help you through this healing journey. Please don't hesitate to contact us again if you have any other questions or concerns.

Please visit our PCOS community where you can share ideas, concerns and issues and find additional information and support to reverse PCOS
symptoms:

http://www.pcos.insulitelabs.com/blog/index.php PCOS Support Blog

[chynna16]

Good real advice and as well as tips.

Thank you a lot for your advice and tips.