Here are some tips for living with PCOS and boosting your chances of having a healthy baby:
1. Eat a healthy diet. You’ve heard the saying, “You are what you eat.” Food is amazing medicine. Eating a well-balanced diet of foods rich in fiber, protein, and vitamins and minerals will go a long way toward optimizing your health. Since women with PCOS have lowered insulin resistance, which is why they’re so susceptible to both diabetes and obesity, it’s important to minimize your sugar intake and to avoid refined carbohydrates as much as possible.
2. Move your body. In addition to helping us feel good, exercise can help you manage your PCOS. By boosting your metabolism and burning calories, it can aid in your weight loss efforts, and help keep diabetes at bay. Most experts recommend that you exercise 150 minutes a week; chat with your doctor about specific recommendations for you.
3. Quit smoking. Smoking is already bad for you, and can actually be worse for you if you have PCOS. Women with PCOS produce higher levels of androgens than women who don’t have the condition. Smoking can also exacerbate androgen production, so smoking and PCOS is a horrific combination, especially if you’re trying for a baby. I don’t think there’s anything more to say about this. If you smoke, stop. If you don’t smoke, don’t start.
4. Seek appropriate treatment and be an active participant in your care. PCOS is a medical condition, and like any medical condition, it’s important to seek out help to treat it. Find a knowledgeable doctor with whom you feel comfortable. Many specialists can work with you and develop your treatment plan to co-exist with your plans to conceive. Educate yourself on the medication and treatment options available. Ask your doctor questions about your treatment plant to make sure you understand and are comfortable with progress in your care. Have regular check-ups to monitor how your treatment is going and make tweaks if needed.
5. Find support among other women. As in so many aspects of fertility and women’s health, it is so easy to feel like something is wrong with you. PCOS is a medical condition, and having it does not make you defective. In addition, since PCOS is a hormonal condition, it can be easy to get depressed, frustrated or overwhelmed with managing it. One of the best ways to deal with this is to seek out support among other women with the condition. It’s a great way to not only foster a terrific support system, where you receive and give support, it can help you not feel so alone in living with the condition.
Do you have PCOS? How do you cope? How is it affecting your fertility treatment? Sound off in the comments below!
Hugs and kisses,
Stephanie