My PCOS is creeping back!

[Pookietooth]

I have come to realize that with my ds nursing less and less, my PCOS symptoms are coming back. : My belly has gotten bigger, my head hair is falling out, my facial hair is thickening. Yuck! : What to do? I so don't want to go on metformin, but all the natural things don't seem to work well for me. And for me, the PCOS also causes (or worsens) depression. My dh has actually asked that I go back on antidepressants, because he's worried I may do myself in, maybe not directly but maybe in an accident or getting cancer. Sigh. I know most of you are here because you are ttc, but what about just fighting the PCOS?

[eloise24]

Hi! I was just diagnosed PCOS. My doc is recommending Metformin and wondered why you don't want to go on it?

Anyway, I hope that you find some good solutions. I don't have much to recommened because I've just started doing my research on it. And my symptoms aren't as bad. :-) Cheers and hugs!

[SusannahM]

Have you ever been to the boards at http://www.soulcysters.com ? They've got a lot of good ideas on their alternative remedies forum, maybe something you haven't tried yet. I was pretty lucky in that my symptoms were controlled by diet (I did South Beach, but I now just follow the general principles involved with not spiking my blood sugar too much), after I got my mineral balance in my body balanced (did a couple of hair mineral analyses).

[Pookietooth]

Thanks, I'll check it out.

[rosenino]

PCOS/Endometriosis

Thanks.

[DocsNemesis]

I am with you, I hate being on Metformin. I was supposed to start back up a couple of months ago, but I felt so awful and my poor dd (who is still nursing) ended up miserable with gas and diarrhea.
I went on the mini pill for a couple of months just to get rid of my (painful) cysts and it worked really well. My other symptoms I am just dealing with until I get pregnant again (hopefully soon!!). I am thinking that once I am not trying to get pregnant anymore and I am no longer nursing, I will just go on the pill to help with any symptoms. Oh, I also just got put on Wellbutrin. Hopefully that will help me loose some weight and I will have my symptoms lessen.

[Pookietooth]

Yeah, I didn't want to go back on metformin, because a) it causes me major stomach problems and b) I'm still nursing my son. Also, I'm convinced it's just a bandaid, really, and that the real problem goes much deeper. It never really helped me lose weight, even though I was fairly low carb and exercised daily (30 minute brisk walk). I never got below 180 pounds. I'm now 145, thanks mostly to the breastfeeding's putting my PCOS into remission, to a great extent. Cari, that is amazing that you were able to be an egg donor, and a surrogate with PCOS. And to have three kids! I have only one, and at 40, don't expect to be able to have any more (dh doesn't think it would be a good idea at my age, anyway). Is the Wellbutrin for the depression? It never made me lose any weight, I was on it for depression. Is it safe for nursing?

BCPs gave me migraines, and in fact, the migraines have never gone away since then. I wouldn't want to go back on them, and anyway I'm sure that at my age and with a history of migraines, the stroke risk is probably astronomical. The pill is also just a bandaid, of course. It doesn't help my facial hair or head hair problems (too much of the former, loss of the later), and it probably made me gain weight. It did help with the sleep apnea and according to my dh it made me act more feminine. It gave me nasty yeasties!

[Miguelsmomma]

Rosenino, Just wondering what the exact cleansing program is called and where I can get it.

[Mamma Mia]

My PCOS seems to be helped by eating low glycemic foods, basically, a diabetic diet. Which sucks. But it does help. I also used to take blood sugar stabilizing supplements like chromium and saw palmetto. Also, evening primrose oil and green tea extract. I noticed a difference when I did those things alone, but without going low glycemic and also making sure I didn't allow myself to get hypoglycemic during the day I haven't noticed dramatic changes.

I also second the rec. for soulcysters, even if you don't reg., it's a great place to lurk.

[Mama Shifra]

Originally Posted by Pookietooth

I have come to realize that with my ds nursing less and less, my PCOS symptoms are coming back. : My belly has gotten bigger, my head hair is falling out, my facial hair is thickening. Yuck! : What to do? I so don't want to go on metformin, but all the natural things don't seem to work well for me. And for me, the PCOS also causes (or worsens) depression. My dh has actually asked that I go back on antidepressants, because he's worried I may do myself in, maybe not directly but maybe in an accident or getting cancer. Sigh. I know most of you are here because you are ttc, but what about just fighting the PCOS?

Jen--

I had this problem too. With my second child, my doctor actually told me to nurse as long as I can, because the nursing *for me, anyway* puts the PCOS into remission. Unfortunately, you cannot nurse forever, but even if you could, it really only works when the baby is taking all or most of its nutrition via breast. However, whenever my mother now asks me how long am I going to nurse my 2 year old, I have the perfect excuse: my doctor told me to nurse as long as I can, to keep the PCOS in check.

However, it is really depressing to gain all this weight; how well I know.

Good luck!
Shifra

[Sarain]

Exercise ,Keep your weight down

Low fat, lower carb, low cal, organic foods

Supplments like Epo, multi vitamin..Homeopathics for irragular cycles.

electrolosis for your facial hair..AWESOME! I used to have a thick black beard (uhhhh!) that I had to pluck every day, but for the last year I've been totally smooth! It took about a year of weekly treatments ranging from 1.5 hours-15 mins depending on the hair growth that week. At first the treatments were painful, but after a few months it was just a minor irrtation.. I feel SOOOO much better about myself now, and my self-esteem is much higher. When my boyfriend touch's or kisses my chin/neck I can actually enjoy it!

I use 5-HTP for depression and it works with out the side effects of antidepssants.

If I reagularly do all the things above I'm close to being symptom free, and I've had PCOS since I was 13.

[Pookietooth]

Thanks, mamas!