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Friday, November 14, 2008

I have PCOS...

Alright....so DHs S/A does not have be done til January now.

So here is the basic stuff I have to do: DIET, EXERCISE...lose weight! And take Glucofage.

My insulin was really high...I have insulin resistance. Which is a form of PCOS. Now, when I had my ultrasound done over the summer the tech told me she did not see any signs of PCOS...so I assumed I didn't have it. But my ObGyn explained to me today that they actually go by your B/W results to determine PCOS, so I may not have cysts...but I DO have PCOS.

She told me to go on the South Beach Diet. She also said that I have high cholesterol...and I am at risk for diabetes. Now I was not surprised by these 2 facts because my mom has diabetes and my dad has high cholesterol.

Luckily, she did NOT just send me packing saying "Diet and exercise and you'll get pregnant." She is putting me on Glucofage. She is starting me on 500mg for one week, 1000mg for week 2, and finally make my way up to 1500 mg. She told me it would help me lose weight!!! Woohoo! Im really excited about this because I have always wondered why I had a hard time losing weight (I used to be anorexic) and the only way I found to lose it was to just not eat. I do not eat worse than everyone else...but for some reason I stay fat! So Im going to start the South Beach on Monday...and start walking 30 min a day.

I have a follow up appointment with her in January. She does not expect me to be pregnant by then :( But she does expect me to have lost about 2 lbs a week...and therefore by January I will be healthier. She still wants me to temp so I can see if I am ovulating regularly. She said even though it seems that I am ovulating, I may not actually be releasing my eggs. She also said in January we will talk about clomid.

But basically right now I have to take care of my body before I can try to get pregnant. She said we can still try by all means by charting, but to not expect any results until we get my insulin under control.

I am so glad to have an answer! I am sad that I will not be pregnant by January, but that's okay. It just means I will be healthier and really ready for that pregnancy when it happens! My hope is that I can be pregnant by my birthday in July :) I think it's good to have a goal!!!

I'm so excited!!! Bring on the Metformin!!!

4 comments:

kate said...

Good luck with the metformin regimen. I take it, too, and have been for closing in on 2 years now. Initially, it did help me to lose a little bit of weight, but mostly it just assisted with the weight loss- it helped the exercise to work like it should, if that makes any sense. I only say that to warn that when I started taking metformin, I was already working out an hour a day, and the metformin made it such that I was able to lose 1-2 lbs per week, whereas before metformin, I lost .5-1 lb a week. And when I cut back to working out just half an hour a day, all weight loss stopped, even with the metformin, which was a shock to me. So basically, what I seem to be talking around is the fact that metformin helps, but don't be shocked or feel like it's not working if you don't lose weight.

BUT, then again, I do not have any recognizable insulin resistance- only high androgen levels and the namesake (poly)cysts, which is what the metformin helps to control, for me. So it really might be a miracle drug for you, since it would also lower your high resting insulin levels.

You also might consider checking out the book, PCOS Diet (link here). It's similar to South Beach, but specifically focused on the issues of women with PCOS. I found it really informative, and I really liked the fact that it relies on less processed foods than South Beach does. But overall, the principle of the two diets is the same- lower carb levels, only whole carbs, almost no sugar, more protein and veggies, etc.

Oh, and I probably haven't introduced myself yet, but I'm Kate, and I blog over at Bee In The Bonnet, and I'm the Clicker for Stirrup Queen Mel's blogroll, where you listed your blog (the In The Beginning category). What this means is that I periodically click through the list of blogs in that section and report back any news I find for the Lost and Found/Connections Abound daily posting. So, if you want your news to be included (blogiversarys, birthdays, PG announcements, questions, etc.), then you don't need to do anything- you're already on my list. BUT, if you'd rather I didn't share your news with the IF community, just let me know and I'll take you off my list! Oh, and if you have news that you don't want to post on your blog, but do want to share, you can always share it yourself by clicking on the Submit News link on the LCFA page.

Cheers and welcome to the IF blogging world!

Anonymous said...

Dear Emmy

I have PCOS, Insulin Resistance and Endometriosis. While it is common for PCOS/Insulin Resistance sufferers to have a hard time with their weight, I never seemed to. I hate to tell you but my experience is that PCOS is a chronic condition. So is Insulin Resistance.

The good news is that a friend of mine (another sufferer of PCOS) lost 5 stone (14 pounds per stone!) on the South Beach Diet. Any weight loss will take time BUT if you're strict with yourself at first you will find that ultimately your palette changes and you can allow yourself the odd treat - once in a great while.

Also, I'm on a similar diet even though my weight isn't a problem. In some ways I have to be more strict because I find that anything more than the odd mouthful of something sweet gives me carb cravings and other symptoms. I thought I'd warn you that you're now "dieting" for the rest of your life. It may sound like a death sentence BUT it does get easier once your palette changes...

You're not alone. Visit my blog if you'd like to see how I'm getting on. www.foxywaitingroom.wordpress.com

I'll keep visiting your blog. Take care.
Foxy

Anonymous said...

Emmy

I wanted to wish you persistence and determination starting your diet. Stick to it!

Foxy

Anonymous said...

Gosh, you sound so similar to me. I relate to your feelings of IF and it sucks.
I haven't searched through all your posts, but do you have a local IF support group? I love ours. If you call the hospital they should know.
Good luck in TTC and boooooo to AF showing up for Thanksgiving....yuck!