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Hello,
I have PCOs and my cycle length varies from month to month. I feel quite sick and flat leading up to my period, especially when it is overdue. I am wondering if the pill will help me avoid this and feelign so tired and sick? Any other tips? It is really starting to bother me :(
Thanks
have you had tests to check your insulin resistance levels? you may find that part of your problem is your body being flooded with insulin and it's making you fatigued and blurgh (my very technical way of explaining it!) - i felt awful when i wasn''t treated for the IR side of the PCOS pre-bubba. i was on metformin, and it helped heaps with that side of things. it does have some side effects when you first start, but it improves as your body gets used to it - and it really did help with the ick factor
essentially my body was producing insulin in response to eating, but wasn't stopping when blood sugars got to normal levels so they were going too low...
maybe get that side of things checked if you can... the Pill made me feel a hundred times worse
Thanks for replying. Does your GP or gyno do the testing? I've never realised that it might be something like that.
i had the testing done by fertility specialist as part of the routine testing - but i already knew mine were up the proverbial creek as i'd had a GTT in the past that had me with a BSL of about 1.2 after two hours (so bordering on full hypo and having nurses pushing jellybeans at me to get it back up quick smart). a GP should be able to do it - but would have to be a GP that is switched on (way too many of them aren't really knowledgable enough about it)
if you can, start eating a really Low GI diet. it's not the same as being on metformin, but it will lead you in the right direction. Low GI food stays in your system longer as it takes longer to break down, so the sugars don't peak as high and don't drop as quickly. simple things like multigrain instead of white bread, brown (or basmatti) rice instead of white, sweet potato instead of normal spud. swapping out high sugar/starch foods helps heaps. i haven't been on met now since i was about 14 or 15 weeks pg (and DD is 20 weeks old) - and haven't had the dramas i was having before. i just make sure i have protein where i can (eggs/cheese/chicken) and as much unprocessed food (so wholegrain stuff) and i seem to be staying on top of it better
i would probably request the testing from whichever doc confirmed the PCOS. if the GP isn't helpful (if they confirmed it) then ask for a referral
My doctor said that generally they test your insulin levels when they test for PCOS because they have found the most women with the condition have an insulin resistance which explains sudden weight gain and that tired and sick feeling. I was on metformin for 3 months and i have finished my box and im waiting to see the doctor again and ive been off them for about 2 weeks now and i have noticed i am beginning to feel really odd and just feel really tired. But i do notice that now before i get AF i am very cranky and just "know" that i am getting it. I also feel very bloated a week leading up.
The pill will also help regulate your cycle, i was on yasmin which is supposed to regulate your cycle but the does of estrogen was too much for me and i was getting rotten migraines and feeling nauses all the time so i was told to stop.
Have to say that PCOS is very frustrating. But if you experience bad cramping and pains leading up to AF try Naprogesic which you can get from most chemists it is a true god send :)
I was put on the Pill when I was younger, to try and regulate my periods - they threw it even further out of whack!
As well as what the girls have already suggested, I would recommend looking into Natural Therapies. I've been going to an acupuncturist since January, and it was honestly the best thing I've ever done. At their worst, my periods came every 8 months, and I knew when they were about to come because I would get a positive HPT :( Now, they come every 6 weeks - I had to take a break from acupuncture for financial reasons, otherwise I have no doubt that they would be like clockwork by now....or perhaps gone because I'd be pregnant ;)
HTH :)