How To Get Pregnant With PCOS: What You Need To Know
Have you been diagnosed with PCOS and are still yearning for the elusive positive on your pregnancy test kit? It takes a little more effort to conceive while dealing with an underlying condition like PCOS. If you’re wondering how to get pregnant with PCOS, it’s essential to know one thing first: it’s possible.
As with any condition, understanding what is happening in your body should be your priority. PCOS affects about 18% of the world’s women population. You’re not alone in this journey.
What is PCOS?
PCOS is an acronym for polycystic ovary syndrome. Infertility is probably the most dominant and possibly most distressing feature of PCOS.
PCOS affects the ovaries, the part of the reproductive system that produces hormones responsible for regulating the menstrual cycle. Many (poly) fluid-filled sacks grow in the ovaries affecting the maturing of the ovum and changing the ovulation cycle.
A woman with PCOS will have a hormonal imbalance characterized by elevated levels of androgen and sunken levels of estrogen and progesterone. This leads to irregular or no menstrual periods.
Women with PCOS also struggle with other side effects such as severe acne, facial hair, and weight gain.
How To Get Pregnant With PCOS Naturally
Getting pregnant with PCOS is possible with a combination of lifestyle changes.
Watch the scales
PCOS messes up with a woman’s metabolism and, subsequently, her weight. If your waist seems to get rounder and you have been diagnosed with PCOS, it’s because your body’s way of processing insulin has been messed up.
Anovulation is more severe in women who are overweight. Anovulation is when the ovaries do not release an egg during ovulation. Shedding even 10 percent of your body weight dramatically increases your ovulation chances.
Stay healthy by eating right
When it comes to healthy eating, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all diet jumpsuit. A nutritionist must make a diet plan for you depending on your body type and rate of metabolism.
Adopt a Mediterranean diet for weight loss and to keep your cells new and healthy ready for that bundle of joy. A Mediterranean diet is composed primarily of unprocessed foods, with an emphasis on:
Fruits and vegetables – vegetables are good, so if it’s green, eat it.
Whole grains and nuts – eat more whole grains as opposed to processed foods. For snacks, go completely nuts—Munch on healthy nuts such as peanuts and cashew nuts instead of deep-fried chips or candy.
Legumes – eat more seeds such as beans, peas, and lentils.
Fish – eat more fish as opposed to red meat for the omega 3 and low cholesterol.
Olive oil – ditch the vegetable oil for this wonder oil. It’s non-saturated and has more antioxidants.
And of course, don’t forget the good old beloved avocado.
Exercise more
Exercising regularly is like turbocharging your metabolism. Turbocharged metabolism is a significant recipe for weight loss. Furthermore, with the decrease in weight, you increase your chances of ovulation.
Focus on exercises that will reduce the fat around your tummy. Belly fat is generally the hardest to lose, so even a little weight loss is good news.
Adopt an exercise program that works for you. A brisk walk, jogging, or running if you can for 30 minutes a day for five days is sufficient. Consistency is key.
Avoid stress
A woman dealing with infertility has a lot of hormones out of whack in her body. Stress adds one more – cortisol. Cortisol triggers the production of insulin, which further muddies the hormones pool in the body.
Seek professional help if you’re having a hard time managing your stress levels on your own. Adopt healthy habits such as yoga, meditation, and exercises to rid your mind of stressful thoughts.
Getting Pregnant With PCOS Quickly
While the natural methods of getting pregnant with PCOS will get you healthy and ready for conception, they take time.
Weight loss the healthy way takes time. Regulating your insulin and hormones will need you to get your eyes off the clock and the calendar.
For you to plan how to get pregnant with PCOS, you’ll need to take account of your periods. If you don’t get your periods at all, it means you’re not ovulating.
If you’re not ovulating, you might need a little help from your doctor to get things running.
Jump-start your ovulation
Science has made it easier to initiate ovulation if your body doesn’t get it going on its own. To do this, your doctor will put you on a treatment plan that is compatible with your body.
Ovulation medication gives you almost the same chances of conception as the woman who doesn’t have PCOS.
Hormonal injections to regulate your hormones and induce ovulation can also be administered. These are more cumbersome as they are daily injections. However, if you do not mind a daily dose of injections, go for it and more power to you.
Surgery
Key-hole surgery or ovarian drilling is a surgery to destroy the tissue that produces testosterone. It has an 80% chance of success in inducing ovulation.
IVF (In vitro fertilization)
In vitro fertilization is the last resort for a woman who has unsuccessfully tried to get pregnant with PCOS. It has a 40% chance of success.
These medical aids of getting pregnant are also recommended for women who are above the age of 30. Age is not just a number when we are talking about conception.
Getting pregnant with PCOS after 30 may be a little trickier than when you were younger sisters. The thirties may be the new sixteen, but our bodies didn’t get the memo. Chances of conceiving after 30 are 20 percent lower than when you were in your 20s.
By all means necessary
The real answer to how to get pregnant with PCOS is by whichever way that works for you. Many factors may make it easier or harder for a woman struggling with PCOS to conceive.
Study your body; walk with your doctor until you find the way that seems most viable for you. And then work toward the journey to your bundle of joy with a positive attitude.
