PCOS and Fertility

I’ve discussed before one of my biggest motivators for weight loss were the words I heard from a doctor years ago: that my chances for having a child unassisted were minuscule, at best.  Obviously, I overcame my own fertility struggle, but there are many women along the PCOS journey who continue to grapple with or even fail to conquer this obstacle.

Women with PCOS suffer with fertility issues due to a variety of reasons: the first and most obvious of reasons being a lack or or irregular menstrual cycle.  However, there is more to a PCOS cyster’s fertility journey than unpredictable or absent ovulation.

Sadly, women with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome may suffer from miscarriages, late term pregnancy losses, and other pregnancy related issues.  In fact, women with PCOS have a 45 – 50% chance of miscarriage, as compared to 15 – 25% for those who do not have the condition (1).

Women with PCOS are also at greater risk of developing gestational diabetes, hypertension, preeclampsia, and blood clotting disorders. Additionally, they are more likely to have pre-term births or over-sized babies.

The cause of these complications has not been entirely narrowed down, though researchers offer a number of reasons why these risks may be greater for the cyster community.  These theories are as follows:

• Insulin-resistance (may lead to increased blood clotting in the uterus, interfering with the placenta’s functioning)
• High androgen (male hormone levels)
• High luteinizing hormone (the hormone that stimulates ovulation)

These increased risks may make pregnancy seem daunting, but under close consultation and observation, a successful pregnancy is entirely possible for many. Careful measures must be taken by mothers-to-be and their care teams to ensure they maintain a proper diet,  engage in routine exercise, minimize stress, and stabilize their insulin and glucose levels.  Early consultation with your care team when planning or expecting pregnancy is essential.

The Weight Watchers Difference (Part 2)

During my last post, I spoke on a huge factor of weigh loss success: support, and how Weight Watchers has utilized the digital age to facilitate a community of cheerleaders and rabble-rousers for its participants.  This has been a huge factor in both my and my husband’s success on the program — but we couldn’t be where we are without the dietary and lifestyle change on which Weight Watchers has thrived for 53 years.

Over the years, Weight Watchers has consistently revamped its program to reflect the latest findings on health and wellness. Over the last half century, millions of men and women have benefited from their exchange-based system, Points, PointsPlus, and now SmartPoints.

The SmartPoints system could not have been a better fit for my diabetic husband and my insulin-resistant self.  With SmartPoints, foods that are higher in saturated fat and sugar carry a heavier or higher points value.  Foods that are higher in protein hold values that are far less.

My first week with Weight Watchers, I dropped a whopping 6 pounds.  I learned quickly and easily the value of smarter food choices.  With lower point yet higher protein options, I remained fuller and more alert throughout the  day.  By week four, my previously detrimental snack-habit was a thing of the past: I no longer felt the constant hunger caused by a diet rich in carbs and processed food.

It is fitting then, that Week Four is a celebration time for Weight Watchers Meeting subscribers.

My spouse and I still have some ways to go until we reach our respective goals, but I am confident that Weight Watchers has given us the tools to succeed. Now nine months on the journey and down a collective 100+ pounds, our food choices are now second nature rather than a struggle to find what’s going go provide the most value for our SmartPoints buck.

I am excited to pass these skills on to our daughter.

The Weight Watchers Difference (Part 1)

During the so-called “honeymoon period” after my gastric bypass surgery, my weight plummeted at an alarming and dangerous weight.  By the one year mark, I was 170 pounds down and to weak to even stand over the stove while cooking dinner at night.

After a visits to the hospital, I finally overcame the fear I had developed of eating and began my journey back to health. I increase my protein intake, and began exercising to regain the muscle mass I had lost from my extreme (read: nonexistent) diet.

But then, what happened?

The honeymoon period ended and my body adjusted to its surgical alteration.  I began to put on more than muscle. When my daughter was conceived, I was a healthy 30 pounds above my lowest weight.  Through pregnancy and extended breastfeeding, that number continued to climb.

When I stepped on the scale this January, as many lifetime dieters do around that time of the year, I was horrified to see I had regained 60 pounds.  Something had to change. Luckily, I knew of a program that had worked for me in the past.

Before my bariatric surgery, I had many somewhat successful runs with Weight Watchers.  I would invariably lose 15-20 pounds and then I would fall off the wagon.  I learned this year that I was missing a vital piece of the system: support.

Previously I would always start a diet program with my mother, but inevitably one and then both of us would have a slip up, a bad week, lose our motivation, and quit. This time with Weight Watchers was a whole new story for two reasons:

1) I began the program with my spouse. Can we say friendly competition?
2) Weight Watchers “Connect.”

Weight Watchers Connect is an awesome advantage to trying this program in the digital age. This mobile-based app is a social media service for Weight Watchers members only.  It is place to connect (no pun intended) with individuals from across the globe who are on their own weight loss journeys.  Accordingly, you can share your frustrations, your successes, and insider tips and tricks to working the program.

While this person-to-person resource is available in Weight Watchers meetings, this nifty little feature called “Connect” allows you to be able to link up and receive support from anywhere and at any time.

Feel like giving up? Open Connect. Make a post, or just read success stories of others. Your attitude is certain to change.

Don’t know what’s for dinner? Open Connect. See what others are having.

Hit a major milestone and need a pat on the back? Post to Connect.  You’re sure to get plenty.

Connect has been invaluable to my husband and I during the past 8 months, and together we have lost nearly a hundred pounds in that time.

 

The Pill Problem

When I was first diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome fourteen years ago, the go-to response in the medical community was to prescribe birth control in order to kick start and regulate an absent menstrual cycle.  Unfortunately, “the pill,” as it’s commonly referred to, was not yet under fire for the nasty complications we are seeing today, and as such it was prescribed liberally for any number of symptoms.  By my ninth grade year in 2002, nearly all my friends were on the pill for one or more of the following symptoms:

• Acne
• Heavy periods
• Irregular periods
• Bothersome PMS

Birth control, it seems, had become less of a prophylactic and more of a universal solution to feminine-hormone discomfort.

What did this do for me, with PCOS?

I’ll tell you exactly what it did.  I had a period, but the remainder of my symptoms continued to get worse and worse. I started my journey with birth control on the chunky side of a healthy weight. I ended it, as we’ve discussed, morbidly obese.

Dr. Hanson, operator of the website doctorhanson.com, has weighed in (no pun intended) on the issue with treating PCOS with the pill:

For me, I am a “Type 1.”  Before puberty, I was a clone of my 98 pound on her wedding day mother: I was tiny.  When puberty hit, my body produced an excess of male hormones and the struggle began.

I would strongly encourage any newly-diagnosed cyster to talk closely with your medical care team. Pursue further testing, and do not accept a pill designed for something else entirely as a miracle cure for your own plight.  Take control of your own health, devote yourself to research and to understanding your body’s own unique needs. This is step number one on your road to recovery.

PCOS and Weight Loss

We all have that one friend: the one who can eat like a horse and never gain a single pound. Most of us also accept that this individual has been blessed with the holy grail of genetics: a fast metabolism. This, however, is one side of a double standard I’ve encountered far too often in western societies.

When a person is overweight or obese, their size is seldom attributed to genetics. Rather, excess weight is assumed to be the product of poor diet, lack of exercise, or general slovenliness.

If our thin friends are the winners of the genetic lottery, we should comparatively say that those with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome have been hormonally…robbed.

Women with PCOS are insulin-resistant, meaning our bodies have a difficult time using the hormone insulin. As you may know, insulin helps healthy individuals convert sugar and starch into energy. Accordingly, insulin and sugar build up in the bloodstream.

This buildup of insulin causes the chain reaction of symptoms we PCOSers (or “cysters”) know and hate.  High insulin leads to increased production of male hormones, which leads to excess body hair, acne, irregular periods, and weight gain.

To lose weight with PCOS, one has to learn work with what their genetic makeup has left them with. This means working in ways to combat a naturally sluggish metabolism.  This means:

• Eating several small meals throughout the day (about 4 – 6)
• Avoiding processed sugar and carbohydrates
• Increasing fiber intake
• Engaging in routine (daily) exercise (1)

Fortunately, these tactics work just as well for most of the general population as well, and there are a wealth of affordable and effective dieting programs out there for cysters to use to their advantage.  One such program? Weight Watchers!

Weight Watcher’s new SmartPoints program trains participants to choose foods low in sugar and saturated fat, and high in protein.  From February to July of 2016, I’ve lost 30 pounds with this program – and seen even more improvement with my symptoms.

Soutce:

1. “PCOS Weight Gain Causes and Treatments.” WebMD. WebMD, LLC, n.d. Web. 30 Sept. 2016.

The PCOS Skinny Story

When I was only fourteen years old, my doctor told me I would likely never have children.  This is pretty heavy news for a teenager, and for a time I was so focused on this revelation I paid little heed to the underlying reason for this sterility.  The doctor’s statement followed a diagnosis of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, one of the most common hormonal endocrine disorders in women(1).

It’s been an additional 14 years since that day, and in that time I’ve experienced and struggled with the symptoms of my diagnosis.  These include, but are not limited to:

• Weight Gain and Obesity
• Excess Body Hair
• Insulin-Resistance
• Skin discoloration and acne
• Depression

And of course, infertility.

At 20 years old, I topped the scales at 321 pounds.  I was morbidly obese and my health was rapidly declining.  With increasing pressure from my medical professionals, I underwent gastric bypass surgery one month before my 21st birthday.

And my health got worse.

I was in and out of the hospital an additional five times following my bariatric surgery.  One year later, I was dangerously, unhealthily thin.  I experienced my first miscarriage.  My actions, taken to gain control of my life and health, seemed to have instead resulted in further physical turmoil.

I decided to make a change.

My decision to take back control of my own health and happiness was one that required a lot of research and dedication.  The PCOS patient does not metabolize food in the same way that a normal woman does, and neither does the gastric bypass patient.

Since that time in my life, I’m happy to say I am at and (for the most part!) maintaining a healthy weight, with only one minor hiccup along the journey.  That hiccup?

The birth of my daughter Judah, born in September of 2013.

In the coming weeks, I’d like to share with you how I’ve taken control of my body, achieved health, and concurred infertility.  The journey was not easy, but as a mother of a toddler I can now safely say: I wouldn’t change any of it.

Source:
(1) “What Is PCOS?” PCOS Foundation. PCOS Foundation, 2016. Web. 23 Sept. 2016.

 

Welcome!

Hello and welcome to The PCOS Skinny, your resource for achieving health with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. My name is Andie Foley, and I was diagnosed with this disorder at just 14 years of age. Since, my life has been a roller coaster of struggles with my weight, body image, fertility, and more — but there is a bright side.

Over the next few weeks, I plan to tell you how I went from this:

To this:

And even how I was blessed with this ;-):

It was a wild ride that I can’t wait to share with you. Check back often for more about my journey to health and fertility, with some insight on how you can get there yourself.