PCOS AND Endometriosis

[bindi13]

Is there anyone out there with PCOS and Endometriosis???? I have had PCOS for years.... and I have noticed that my periods are getting worse and worse over the years, along with a few other symptoms... but my cycles are still longish (33 days normally).

Some periods I am ok with just some pain killers, but other periods it is so bad I can't get out of bed.... at what point should I be worried?

[mehza786]

yes,
i have both...sigh
i have no cyles, i either bleed for months or not at all.
and i understand the painkillers...i'm often on them.
are you on any treatment?

[JellyBean]

Sorry- just an ex-endo sufferer here. No doubt I would have developed PCOS too if I hadn't found my way to a Naturopath sooner. (If I could rewind time I would have gone straight to her and bypassed all the GPs and specialists I saw- maybe I could have prevented all the synthetic drugs and repeated surgeries.... sigh!)

Have you read Francesca Naish's book 'The Natural Way to Better Babies- Preconceptual Healthcare for Prospective Parents' ? It goes into extreme depth about fertility and conditions, and contains heaps of advice that is likely to help with endo and PCOS- advice you are unlikely to ever get from your doctor.
Perhaps you should also call the belly belly centre on Thursday and have a chat to Justin Keane- he is a qualified in Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture & might have some recommendations for you.

X

[joyousGem]

Hi,
I have struggled with PCOS for years and can sympathise with those who bleed for months or never at all. Even when I don?t bleed sometimes i have the most horrific cramps. I don?t have endometriosis as well so I cant imagine how painful that must be for you. The Pill was playing havoc with me so I decided to try and fight it as much naturally as I could. After doing a lot of research, about nine months ago I started an organic and preservative free diet (as much as possible...it was probably only about 70-80% of the time) and I cant tell you how much it helped. Most of the preservatives they use in food that has any kind of shelf life is actually a hormone stimulant, which accelerates the hormonal imbalance that triggers the PCOS cycle. Preservatives can also be a major factor in low sperm count for men!!
I have always struggled with my weight and my energy levels, but even a month after switching diets, I felt and looked so much better. My skin cleared up, I lost some weight without doing much at all and my hair stopped falling out. I also have had two periods over this time which is a big deal for me! (sorry if that?s to much info)
Because my doctor had told me that falling pregnant would be nearly impossible naturally, my husband and I were not on birth control and had pretty much resolved to not having children. But, about 8 weeks ago, to both of our surprise...I took a positive pregnancy test. Even you just start with Organic meat and just wash your fruit and Veg really well, this is a great start. I know that starting out on organic and preservative free can seem expensive, but we found that we were more conscious of the food we bought and ate and were eating out less which evened out.
Different things work for different people, especially with PCOS, but you might find that it is worth giving a go. Good luck to you guys!
~xo~
Gemma

[bindi13]

mehza786, hey - not on any treatment except metformin for PCOS - I am just getting ready for a fertility specialist appointment in a few weeks, and looking back over my cycles and stuff I realised just how bad the pain is these days, every year it has slowly been getting worse so I didn't realise that not being able to get out of bed wasn't ok... I haven't been to a GYN since the last D&C...


JellyBean - hi - I have read that book by Francesca Naish - and all of the other ones in the series, and listened to the meditation CDs.... We did all of the organic diet, supplements, no caffine, no alcohol etc for about a year... I ended up sending myself crazy worrying about making sure I was making my body the best possible environment for a baby to grow..... it was way to much pressure and I ended up crying for a day over it - and decided that enough was enough - I still need to live.

I have now taken a much gentler, no guilt approach - we eat organic when we can, because it is better for the environment - but I don't beat myself up if we don't... we take the viatmins needed for a baby, but don't spend a small fortune on supplements every month (after 2.5 years of trying it adds up!) I am now working on everything in moderation... and not stressing myself out about everything I 'should' be doing.

[dusty]

We did all of the organic diet, supplements, no caffine, no alcohol etc for about a year... I ended up sending myself crazy worrying about making sure I was making my body the best possible environment for a baby to grow..... it was way to much pressure and I ended up crying for a day over it - and decided that enough was enough - I still need to live.

I have now taken a much gentler, no guilt approach - we eat organic when we can, because it is better for the environment - but I don't beat myself up if we don't... we take the viatmins needed for a baby, but don't spend a small fortune on supplements every month (after 2.5 years of trying it adds up!) I am now working on everything in moderation... and not stressing myself out about everything I 'should' be doing.

Hi Bindi
I really hear you on the above. Your approach sounds like such a sane and much more sustainable happy one for you. When LTers TTC for so long we sometimes forget what it was like to live without TTC being the be all and end all. I really admire you taking action to live your life in such a healthy relaxed way. I have been coming to the same realisation over time and I am the same about not beating myself up over not doing some or doing it better. We are only human, and it is such a happier way to live.

I wish you all life's happiness and really admire your approach to it all.

[Faith1974]

Hi,

I have both endo and PCOS (although not with the weight gain, so I'm a little different), but I also have a benign pituitary tumour that secretes prolactin. This means I have to be on medication to GET pregnant, but have to come OFF the medication if I do get pregnant (and risk the tumour growing). I can't count the number of medications I have been on, many with little effect. The thing I found most helpful though (and this may sound a little weird, but some Scandinavian research has suggested a link) was becoming a full vegetarian. My endo went from needing a "slash and burn" at least every year to 2 in 8years, with no other lifestyle changes.

I have had one miscarriage, and unfortunately am waiting right now to have another. It's my first successful ovulation with clomid, and I got pregnant strait away! But my poor little strawberry (about her size, hence the name) is not going to stay. After this it is probably more clomid, and then a step up towards IVF if that doesn't work.

Despite my doom and gloom, I think I'm trying to say "Have hope" - if I can get pregnant, I'm praying so can you. Pregnancy is also supposed to be very good for the endo. Is your weight within a healthy range? That's about the only other issue I can think of that you have direct control over with the PCOS.
Good luck to you,
Faith

[Faith1974]

Just a bit of hope for endo/PCOS sufferers (I hope!)...

I got my blood test results last night, and they were still going up but very slowely. The specialist had booked me in for an emergency ultasound for this morning, as she was thinking the pregnancy was either ectopic or getting ready to miscarry.

So this morning I went for the ultrasound, which showed A PERFECTLY SIZED SAC AND FETUS (exactly 6 weeks, 1 day, which is where I know I'm at) and a heart rate of 108-110! I could even see the tiny heart fluttering! I was crying like crazy!

My specialist is going to do another scan in 10 days, and she said a few women can have "strange" hcg levels but a normal pregnancy, so she is not going to do any more blood tests (which is a big relief).

Maybe there is hope???!!!!

[bindi13]

Hi faith that is brilliant news!! Congrats!!! That is great news!!! How is it all going??

My appointment with a fertility specialist is in 10 days - so hopefully that will go well.

I am one of the larger sized PCOSers, but I work hard at keeping it as low as possible, I watch what I eat (but am not a saint) and work out about 10hrs a week doing fun things - mainly dancing, but also other cardio and strength stuff. And funny you should mention vegitarianism - I have been over many months reducing the amount of meat I eat, and the last few weeks have been meat free and I really enjoyed it - I don't like the taste of meat, but had always eaten it as it was convenient to eat what everyone else was having.

And dusty thanks so much for your post! We only ended up settling on this after lots and lots of trial and error