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Introduction
I have managed to regulate my PCOS without pharmaceuticals, have had one miscarriage and am now ovulating regularly without cysts. My beard is gone, and my blood sugar, thyroid and weight are normal. My doctor actually called me "normal" and said I should have "no problem conceiving." How is this possible? I hope you will find my story inspirational.
I was diagnosed with anovulatory PCOS 12 years ago at age 19, put on the pill and spironolactone and given no more information. At the time, I was about 50 pounds overweight, growing a beard, having anger management problems and very rare, heavy periods. On the pill, my periods were much lighter, and between the spironolactone and many electrolysis sessions, my beard improved. I started exercising and lost about 40 pounds. Then I went off spirinolactone about 7 years ago, and 2 years ago, at 30, I decided I wanted to go off the pill because I wanted to try and get pregnant. My GYN told me to go on metformin and was concerned about my thryoid levels, but I thought I'd look into some alternatives first. As soon as I went off the pill, my beard was back, as was my bad attitude, acne and 10 extra pounds. But I found a great naturopath who specializes in fertility issues and started a year long journey to health. I went from "call us when you're ready for clomid" to pregnant in 15 months.
Tests, Procedures, Medical consultations
1. Blood sugar regulation - I went on a very low carb and no cane sugar diet for 6 months. No fruit, no bread, no dairy, no starchy vegetables and no processed foods, just boiled whole grains once every other day. I lost about 7 pounds and have since returned to a more normal diet, though I still eat no cane sugar or processed foods and limit dairy, fruit and bread (I am also a vegetarian and have been for 15 years - yes imagine my diet - it's not normal!!).
2. Fenugreek - I took enormous amounts of fenugreek for blood sugar regulation. Fenugreek is proven to help maintain healthy blood sugar levels. Look into it - it's very powerful medicine.
3. Kelp - Kelp helps regulate the thyroid and has done wonders for me. If I don't take my kelp every other day, I literally do not ovulate.
4. Exercise - For six months, I did 10 hours of exercise a week, yoga, walking and cardio. After six months, I dropped it down to 5, which was about what I was doing before.
5. Meditation and prayer - I began a prayer routine that involved 40 minutes of prayer and meditation everyday. This seems like a lot, but once I found the time (a little bit 3-4 times each day) it isn't bad at all. In fact, it's good! Burning the bad karma has been critical, as has the relaxation and peace of mind that come from praying everyday, and visualizing myself as a fertile woman, a mother. I think my bad attitude about it, stemming from childhood trauma and low self-imagine, were definitely contributing to my poor health.
6. Acupuncture - At first, the acupuncture was very painful and brought up a lot of emotional stuff, but it's worth it, and it works. At first, I would ovulate 5 days after I got acupuncture; now I don't need it, but I do still get it once every 6 weeks because I love it.
7. Detox - You don't need to do a severe detox, but in a sense that's what my diet and exercise regime was. Other changes, like ridding my life of BPAs and other endrocrine disrupters, didn't hurt, either.
Having a knowledgeable and caring doctor has meant so much to me. She is compassionate, and she listens to me and my body.
Charting Experience
Charting is invaluable because it has gotten me into the rhythms of my cycle. Knowing and connecting to my cycle strengthens it.
Other Thoughts?
In July, after about 15 months of this regime, I got pregnant. We were not actively trying at the time. Imagine that!! I miscarried, but it was still an amazing experience. When I went in for a post-miscarriage checkup, the GYN told me I was completely healthy and shouldn't have trouble conceiving again. She was amazed - where was her PCOS patient she had wanted to prescribe clomid and talk IVF with? My blood sugar and thyroid are normal, and my androgens, though a bit high, are under control. I have a 34-35 day cycle, no acne, a stable healthy weight and thanks to electrolysis, my facial hair is under control again.
And maybe soon I'll be pregnant again!
With that, I hope this message is useful to someone. Don't get discouraged - there are many paths to wellness, and I wish you all the best.
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