Question:
Hi! I am … 26 years old. I’ve been married for more than 2 years with no luck in conceiving. I’ve been diagnosed by 2 OB that I am Polycystic. For my first OB, she advised me to take Metformin, Folic Acid and Fertyl. But nothing happened because we’ve stopped the treatment due to financial difficulties. The next OB, same result but different approach. She advised me to take Althea Pills and Folic Acid. We’ve been constantly taking medicines in hope that it will heal me. But nothing happened, again. So my husband and I decided to try the natural approach but we still don’t conceive. May we ask for your assistance on what are the best natural way to do in order for me to heal and for us to have babies?
Thank you and God Bless!
Answer:
I am sorry to hear of your struggles; it must feel very hopeless to be trying everything you can to have a baby with no results! Getting pregnant with PCOS can be challenging, especially if certain factors are not addressed. The first thoughts that cross my mind are questions…
- What are your diet and lifestyle like?
- What are you eating daily?
- Are you insulin resistant?
- Do you present with all the “typical” symptoms of PCOS; high BMI, polycystic ovaries, elevated levels of androgens (especially testosterone), and acne, or not?
Your answers to these questions are important pieces to your PCOS puzzle.
It is often a misconception that going to a medical doctor is going to “heal” you. In some instances this is true but, in your case, it sounds like your first doctor was focusing on some ways to help you ovulate and get pregnant, rather than fully addressing your total health when living with this condition. Your other OB then tried another medication to help with hormone imbalance, which sounds closer to the direction you want to go, but doesn’t fully address the full spectrum of considerations one must take when working with PCOS.
Currently, there is no known “cure” for PCOS, but we have seen many women reverse their symptoms and go on to have a healthy life and healthy pregnancies through both medical treatments and natural therapies.
From my perspective, which is a holistic one that addresses your entire life: diet, lifestyle, stress levels, health history, etc., it may be time to think outside of the box and enlist a holistic healthcare practitioner to work with you. This could be a naturopathic doctor or a certified herbalist. I know that you have tried a natural approach as well, but you didn’t say what you were trying. I think the folic acid is a good start.
There are 3 key areas I think you can focus on now…
1. Learn how to eat a diet specific for women with PCOS. Our guide How to Reduce the Damaging Effects of PCOS on Fertility Through Diet and Herbs will teach you all about it.
Consider also this PCOS Fertility Diet Tip – Simple Food Choices to Stabilize Blood Sugar.
2. Eat a balanced breakfast every day!
“In a 2013 study presented in Tel Aviv, researchers of multiple universities studied the effects of eating breakfast and fertility in women with PCOS… The result showed that the women who consumed their large meal at breakfast had decreased insulin resistance by 8%, testosterone that was decreased by nearly 50%, and an increased ovulation rate—thus increased levels of fertility. The results also demonstrated that the timing of our meals, specifically breakfast, is equally as important as what and how much we consume,” according to Amy Petersen, RN, CNM, WHNP, DNP. Learn more here: Study Shows Lower Testosterone Levels in Women With PCOS Who Eat Breakfast
3. Exercise daily, for at least 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week
4. Take a whole food multivitamin that includes the right amount of folic acid for preconception needs
The following articles may help as you continue on your path of healing PCOS:
The Many Faces of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome
We offer excellent, personalized fertility consultation services that provide a holistic approach, with realistic guidance on what you can do naturally, based on your unique needs, not only to help you have a baby, but improve your health overall.
Note for our readers: Fertyl is the fertility drug Clomiphene, commonly called Clomid. Althea is a combination of Cyproterone (antiandrogen drug) and Ethinylestradiol is a derivative of estradiol (E2).
- Prescription Drug Information, Interactions & Side Effects. (n.d.). Retrieved from: https://www.drugs.com/
- Jakubowicz, D., Barnea, M., Wainstein, J., & Froy, O. (2013). Effects of caloric intake timing on insulin resistance and hyperandrogenism in lean women with polycystic ovary syndrome. Clinical Science, 125(9), 423-432. doi:10.1042/cs20130071. Retrieved from: http://www.clinsci.org/content/125/9/423.long
Practicing natural health and herbalism for over 18 years, Dalene received her training and herbal certification under the guidance of Lynn Albers at Yarmony Mt. Herbal College in Colorado in 2000. She went on to become a Certified Birth Doula at Birthingway College of Midwifery in Portland, Oregon in 2007. As a Birth Doula, Dalene has helped to bring many new lives in to this world. Dalene has written 280+ fertility articles and with her vast array of herbal and holistic healing knowledge has helped 1000’s of women on their journey to Motherhood.
Hi,
Five years ago I was diagnosed with PCOS.I do have insulin intolerance, I had higher testosterone but in my last screening they were normal. From 90 kilos I dropped to 71-74(I vary nowadays because I do stress more and I have urge for sweet food under stress) and I am 172cm tall. Lately I am experiencing trouble with digestion(burping and feeling nausea) but for this I have not been to the doctors.I have reduced sports in the past 8 month.I have developed hirsutism, stage IV.MY sister has also developed PCOS after her second birth, but, yet, she stayed pregnant again after it.For the past 5 month I have been trying to conceive and so far nothing, I know it is not long, but I am 27. Thx!
Dear Jenny,
Thank you for reaching out to us! I am sorry you are faced with such challenges. Our best resource for you is going to be our guide How to Reduce the Damaging Effects of PCOS on Fertility Through Diet and Herbs. You may also appreciate out guide PCOS Fertility Diet Tip – Simple Food Choices to Stabilize Blood Sugar.
Then consider learning about the HormoneWise Fertility Kit.
I hope this is a helpful place to start!
Good article. Some other thoughts…
There are a lot of ladies on there that have conceived taking just Metformin. The Met helps you utilize insulin better which helps your hormones stay balanced, so it might help you to ovulate.
Hi! I am 34 years old and was diagnosed with polycystic ovaries in 2013. Prior to 2013, my ovaries were normal. I had my daughter in 2011 and we were trying to conceive since last year but were unlucky. I am not overweight, my menstruation arrives monthly and not diabetic. My OB prescribed metformin, took it for 2 months but has no effect. Now, I’m looking for the most effective natural way to treat PCOS and eventually to be able to conceive. Do you have any recommendations? Thanks!
Dear Camille,
Metformin is used to control the amount of glucose in the blood and while is most helpful if a woman is insulin-resistant or pre-diabetic, it is commonly prescribed whether she is or not and has PCOS. There are non-traditional types of PCOS where women have regular periods, are not overweight or diabetic and this is why treating PCOS is complex. Irregardless of the type, many healthcare providers of all schools of thought know that dietary changes are foundational and have seen many women very successfully support themselves by simply eating a whole-food PCOS diet. Consider also taking time to learn if you ovulate regularly. If not, there are natural therapies known to support regular ovulation as well (described in the article you will be led to when you click on the words PCOS Diet).
If you are still unsure of where to begin, or how to proceed, consider working one on one with our fertility herbalist who can lay out an entire natural fertility program for you based on your specific fertility health needs through a Fertility Consultation.
I hope this is a helpful start!
Hi! I was diagnosed with pcos in late 2012. I took clomid for a year with no luck. My doctor had me go off clomid to give my body a rest. I started eating wheat free in January 2014 and have just found out I’m pregnant. I’ve heard lots of things about going wheat free for pcos. Worth a try! Good luck!
What a great answer. It took me 8 IVFs to get pregnant. I believe the reason why I got pregnant at all was because of the Info. on this page. I bought the egg improvement kit [OvaWise Egg Health Kit], liver kit [Fertility Cleanse Kit], cookbooks and fertility massage tape [Self Fertility Massage] and now I am sitting with my son. Love from Denmark Scandinavia