Can a healthy diet increase fertility in a average sized person with PCOS?
Thursday, June 24th, 2010 at
12:07 pm
I haven’t been tested but I believe I may have PCOS. I am not overweight. I am 5′4" 134 pounds so I am average. I have never had a problem with weight my whole life. I have read however that eating a low GI diet may help increase fertility. I have been trying to get pregnant for close to 7 months now with no success. Would eating a low GI diet help me at all since I am not overweight?
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Low Glycemic Index (GI) foods are a good place to start, and here’s why:
I’d say, yes, diet can absolutely have a positive affect on PCOS. One of the best recommendations I have it to limit any food that raises blood sugar quickly. This includes refined sugars, flours, grains…this is true b.c. increased blood sugar contributes to insulin resistance and insulin uptake–both factors in PCOS.
To start out on a PCOS friendly diet, try eliminating any white foods (potatoes, breads, flour, sugar) and turn toward complex carbohydrates (fruits, veggies) proteins and omega-3 high fats (such as salmon and grass-fed animal products) if you consume meat. You can also buy omega-3 rich eggs.
You can test your BMI here–which admittedly is not the most accurate device, since it overlooks muscle mass relative to height, but it gives you an idea of where you are, approximately.
Here’s a link to a free BMI calculator: http://www.yuuvuu.com/bmi
Otherwise, you can add certain sugar-regulating herbs into your diet (cinnamon, gymnema sylvestrae, bitter melon, etc.) into you diet.
Keep in mind PCOS is a potential harbinger of future health problems, such as elevated cholesterol, fatty acid imbalanced, thyroid problems, diabetes and other issues that are good to nip in the bud now.
For more on PCOS and fertility, you can see the quoted source below.
Best of luck in your pregnancy pursuit!
-John
Hi Panda,
I agree with John completely and his information is very good, but self diagnosis is really tricky as you may not even have PCOS. It really is best to have a diagnosis from a doctor before embarking on a lifestyle change that you aren’t sure you need to make.
A big part of the problem with PCOS is the high insulin resistance. Resistance to insulin increases the bodies insulin levels which effects normal ovulation by preventing the body from ovulating or limiting the maturation process of the released egg.
Women who are insulin resistant are also 4-5 times more likely to have a miscarriage. Imbalanced insulin levels due to PCOS make it difficult for the embryo to attach properly to the uterus.
It really is best to find out what your fertility challenges are for sure, so you will know in which direction to go from there.
Hello Panda
healthy diet as well as exercise is a very important factor in helping PCOS women getting pregnant.
My wife (who has PCOS) and I had been trying to conceive for nearly 5 years before we had our first success. Now don’t panic but not all those five years did we know about the PCOS and it’s effect in our troubles.
But when we did and my wife started getting treated (with Glucophage) and changed her diet and started exercising things started to happen.
The thing is that with PCOS your insulin balance becomes wacky and the hormones in your body are very unbalanced. Glucophage attacks that along with healthier eating. Also daily calorie intake for a PCOS woman is significantly lower than in a normal woman. So she had to eat fewer calories. Then with the exercising came the better blood circulation which in turned had great effect on our abilities to conceive. after those 5 years of trying we are now currently having our 3 child in 5 years.
However I agree that self diagnosing is not always optimal and if you have a hint of suspicion I recommend seeing your doctor. My wife was diagnosed by a hormonal doctor which was later confirmed by her fertility doctor.
All those things above do help, but first things first is to get checked and diagnosed first.
but I wish you all the best in your efforts to conceive and hopefully you’ll get some answers.
Regards
SafeBanker123