Having PCOS Does Not Necessarily Mean Infertility
September 20th, 2011
PCOS, or polycystic ovarian syndrome, is the most common cause of infertility among women. The condition may interfere with the release of the eggs from the ovaries. If you have PCOS, your body over-produces androgens which are often called as male hormones, even though women’s body produces them as well.
This hormonal imbalance is what prevents the sacs in the ovaries from opening and releasing the eggs for reproduction. PCOS symptoms include missed menstruation, acne, abnormal facial hair and body growth, and weight gain.
It has been shown that PCOS can be hereditary. That is why also your family’s history is important to know when trying to diagnose whether your symptoms are the signs of PCOS or not.
Typical natural remedies for PCOS include some dietary changes, exercise, and weight reduction. Many times also some medication is prescribed in order to normalize the hormonal imbalance.
There is no known cure for PCOS but being able to control it can help to lower your risks for such things as infertility, miscarriages, heart disease, diabetes and uterine cancer.
As mentioned above, healthy lifestyle, such as regular exercise and healthy diet are very effective ways to alleviate the symptoms of PCOS. Besides, if you are smoker you need to stop right now. Many women have experienced significant relief from their symptoms just making some changes to their lifestyle.
In the case you are planning to get pregnant and have a baby, these lifestyle changes are even more crucial. Studies have proven that in obese women, who have difficulties to become pregnant, even only a small amount of weight loss has significantly increased their odds of getting pregnant. It has helped them to get their hormones in balance and regulated their menstrual cycle, thus regaining their ovulation.
Again, regular exercise and a healthy diet are the first steps you should take if you are planning on getting pregnant and starting a family. If you are a smoker you should think about quitting since it increases the amount of androgens in your body and increases your risk of developing heart disease.
Unfortunately, weight loss and other natural methods don’t always help. In such cases, you should contact to your doctor and ask about some other methods to increase your fertility. They may prescribe you some medicines that should help you out. One option is a prescription that decreases the amount of insulin, thus balancing out your hormone levels.
Lowered amounts of insulin along with weight loss have been proven to increase your chances of ovulation resulting in pregnancy. If this does not increase your ovulation there are other methods out there as well to provide you the ability to begin ovulation and try for pregnancy.
PCOS doesn’t mean that you will never be able to have children. There are many PCOS treatments today that can improve your fertility so that you can have a child of your own.
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