How do i get pregnant with pcos

I have PCOS and I want to have a baby, what do I need to know?

12 Feb 2019

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. 

Sara Holton, Deakin University and Karin Hammarberg, Monash University

Most women want and expect to have children. But women who have a chronic health condition such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) often have concerns about childbearing, including whether they can become pregnant.

PCOS is a complex hormonal condition which affects up to one in five women of reproductive age. Most women with PCOS have elevated levels of a type of hormone called luteinising hormone, which brings about ovulation, and reduced levels of a hormone called “follicle stimulating hormone”, which is essential for pubertal development and the function of women’s ovaries and men’s testes.

Women with PCOS also have an underproduction of oestrogen (“female” hormones) and an overproduction of androgens (“male” hormones). This causes tiny cysts on the surface of the ovaries.

Due to these hormonal imbalances, women with PCOS often have irregular menstrual cycles because they don’t ovulate or ovulate only occasionally. So women with PCOS are more likely to have trouble conceiving than other women.

While most women who have PCOS become pregnant, they often take longer to fall pregnant and are more likely to need fertility treatment than women without PCOS.

In a recent study by Monash University, women with PCOS took part in an online discussion group. They talked about their concerns about pregnancy and what they could do to improve their chances of falling pregnant, the sort of information they would like about fertility and PCOS, and when they would like to receive this information.

Their greatest worry was about whether they would be able to get pregnant. They also wanted to know how best to prepare for pregnancy and what they should do before trying to conceive. They had trouble finding up-to-date, relevant and reliable information.

Read more: Explainer: what is polycystic ovary syndrome?

How to increase chance of pregnancy

As for all women, being in the best possible health before trying for a baby increases the chance of pregnancy and gives the baby the best start in life.

According to the international evidence-based guideline for the assessment and management of PCOS, adopting a healthy lifestyle – including being in the healthy weight range, not smoking, cutting back on alcohol, eating a healthy diet, getting plenty of regular exercise and enough sleep – is the first thing to do to improve a woman’s chances of becoming pregnant and having a healthy baby.

To get the right kind of advice and support, women planning to get pregnant should have a preconception health check with their GP. This is also an opportunity to discuss a plan of action in case the PCOS causes fertility difficulties.

For women with PCOS who are overweight or obese, a modest weight loss sometimes results in more regular ovulation, which increases the chance of pregnancy. For those who know they ovulate, having sex during the “fertile window” (the five days leading up to and including ovulation) boosts the chance of conception.

Overall, women with and without PCOS have a similar number of children. john looy unsplash

Read more: Women's fertility: does 'egg timer' testing work, and what are the other options?

What are my options?

If you have tried for a baby for 12 months without success (or six months if you are aged 35 or over) it’s time to seek medical advice. Your GP is your first port of call, but she might refer you to a fertility specialist.

If you have very irregular or only sporadic periods, this is an indication you are not ovulating and need medical help to have a baby. The first line of medical treatment is ovulation induction. This involves a course of tablets or injections to stimulate the ovaries to release an egg that can be fertilised, either during intercourse or through intra-uterine insemination (IUI).

If this doesn’t work, there may be other reasons why pregnancy can’t be achieved and more invasive treatments such as IVF may be needed.

IVF involves a course of injections to stimulate the ovaries to produce multiple eggs. When they’re mature the eggs are retrieved in an ultrasound-guided procedure under light anaesthetic. Sperm are added to the eggs in the laboratory for embryos to form.

A few days later, an embryo is placed in the uterus where it may implant and grow into a baby. If there is more than one embryo, these can be frozen for later use if there is no pregnancy.

While IVF is safe in the hands of specialists, there are some possible health effects to be aware of, including ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome. This is an over-response to the fertility drugs that are used to stimulate the ovaries to produce multiple eggs. This can lead to abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, rapid weight gain and blood clots.

Read more: Better health and diet well before conception results in healthier pregnancies

For more information

The Your Fertility website has more information on PCOS and fertility. The Centre for Research Excellence in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome has also produced a list of questions for women with PCOS to use in conversations with their healthcare provider and a fact sheet about PCOS, fertility and pregnancy.

While fertility problems are common among women with PCOS, it’s reassuring that, overall, women with PCOS and women without PCOS have similar numbers of children. And, although PCOS is associated with fertility difficulties, women with PCOS should also be aware conception is possible and effective contraception is needed to avoid pregnancy when it’s not wanted.

This article was co-authored by Louise Johnson, CEO of the Victorian Assisted Reproductive Treatment Authority (VARTA). Louise has no conflicts of interest to note.

Sara Holton, Research Fellow, Deakin University and Karin Hammarberg, Senior Research Fellow, Jean Hailes Research Unit, School of Public Health & Preventive Medicine, Monash University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

PCOS Fertility Pregnancy

How to Get Pregnant with PCOS

Polycystic ovary syndrome, or PCOS, is a hormonal condition that tampers with more than just your fertility, but you might first receive a diagnosis when you’re trying to get pregnant. This is because it’s a common — and treatable — cause of infertility in women.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), up to 12 percent of women in the United States have difficulty getting pregnant because of untreated PCOS. In reality, this number might be bigger because almost 50 percent of women with this syndrome don’t know they have it or are not diagnosed correctly.

Having PCOS doesn’t mean you can’t get pregnant. It just might be a bit trickier and you may need extra help. There is plenty that you can do at home and with medical treatment to keep PCOS symptoms at bay and raise your chances for a healthy pregnancy.

Getting pregnant with PCOS involves some of the same steps that women without PCOS should take for a healthy pregnancy.

1. Have your weight and body mass index (BMI) measured by your doctor. Your BMI shows whether you have a healthy body weight and how much of your body composition is fat. If you are carrying extra weight, talk to your doctor about how much weight you need to lose before you get pregnant.
2. Start a healthy diet and exercise plan. Get into the habit of choosing healthier food choices and being more active.
3. Use an ovulation calendar or app to track when you have your period. This helps you make a better guess about which days of the month you are more likely to get pregnant.
4. Check your blood sugar levels. See your doctor to make sure your blood sugar levels are balanced. Your blood sugar levels are important in getting pregnant, having a healthy pregnancy, and even in your baby’s future health.

Being overweight has been linked to PCOS, but many women who have this condition are not overweight at all. Still, if you are carrying extra weight, you may improve your fertility and reduce other PCOS symptoms by losing just 5 percent of your weight.

Exercise daily by going for a walk and getting in your steps. Use a standing desk rather than sitting down while you’re working. Lift light weights while watching TV as building more muscle helps bring down PCOS symptoms and improves your health.

Any woman who is trying to get pregnant needs to have the right levels of nutrients. Switch out sugary foods, simple carbs, and unhealthy fats for healthier choices, including:

• fresh and cooked fruit and vegetables
• whole grains like brown rice, oats, and barley
• beans and lentils
• chicken
• fish

Certain vitamins and minerals are important for a healthy pregnancy and a growing baby. Ask your doctor about the best supplements for you. Supplements that may help fertility include:

• folic acid (vitamin B9)
• vitamin B6
• vitamin B12
• vitamin C
• vitamin D
• vitamin E
• coenzyme Q10

Your doctor will test your blood sugar levels if you’re having trouble getting pregnant. PCOS sometimes leads to high blood sugar levels or type 2 diabetes. This may cause fertility problems.

This happens because PCOS may change how your body uses insulin. This important hormone moves sugar (glucose) out of the blood and into the muscles and cells where it is burned for energy. PCOS makes your body less sensitive to insulin — making it harder for it to do its job.

Balancing your blood sugar levels may help you get pregnant. Eat a healthy diet with more fiber, protein, and healthy fats. Getting plenty of daily exercise and strength training can also help your body use insulin better.

In some cases, your doctor might recommend medications to help balance your blood sugar levels. A common type 2 diabetes drug called metformin (or Glucophage) makes your body use insulin better to help lower high blood sugar. This can also help you get pregnant with PCOS.

You might need to take metformin in low doses and only temporarily, depending on your blood sugar levels. For best results, eat a healthy diet and exercise regularly along with taking any prescribed medications to help you get pregnant.

If you have high blood sugar levels or type 2 diabetes, it’s important to check your blood sugar levels with a home monitor every day.

Your doctor will check your blood sugar levels with tests, including:

• random blood sugar test
• overnight fasting blood sugar test
• oral glucose tolerance tests (after fasting and drinking a sugary drink)
• hemoglobin A1C test (checks your blood sugar levels for the last two to three months)

If you have PCOS your body might make more of both the male hormone testosterone and the female hormone estrogen. Too much (or too little) of these hormones can make it tricky to get pregnant. Your doctor might recommend prescription medications to help balance your hormones.

Medications to help you get pregnant with PCOS include:

• metformin to balance insulin levels
• clomiphene citrate (or Clomid) to help balance estrogen levels
• birth control pills to balance estrogen and testosterone levels (before beginning fertility treatment)
• fertility medications to jump-start the ovaries to send out more eggs

You may need in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment to help you get pregnant with PCOS. Your fertility doctor will give you a checkup that may include more blood tests, ultrasounds scans, and a physical exam.

IVF is a process that can take months or even years whether you have PCOS or not. However, medical research shows that women with PCOS have a high success rate of getting pregnant with IVF treatment.

Some clinical studies found that women with PCOS who took birth control pills before the IVF treatment had better results. You may also need other mediations to help balance hormones and get your body ready for the IVF treatment.

For all women, the first step in IVF treatment is to eat a balanced diet and get plenty of exercise to reach a healthy weight. Women with PCOS who are a healthy weight are twice as likely to get pregnant with IVF than women with PCOS who are obese.

Before exploring IVF, your doctor might suggest a less-costly alternative called intrauterine insemination (IUI). This process increases the chance of pregnancy because it directly injects a high concentration of sperm closer to the egg.

PCOS may make it harder to get pregnant because it can impact your menstruation cycle (your monthly period). Symptoms include:

• too few menstrual periods
• having your period for longer than usual
• not getting your period
• very heavy periods
• higher levels of male hormones like testosterone
• acne breakouts
• getting facial hair and extra hair in other places
• small cysts or bundles of fluid in the ovaries
• fewer eggs released from the ovaries

If you don’t get treated for PCOS, it also raises your risk for other health conditions, like:

• type 2 diabetes
• sleep apnea (snoring)
• heart disease
• high blood pressure
• high cholesterol
• stroke

No one knows why some women get PCOS. Nothing you did — or didn’t do— caused you to have this condition. But getting an early diagnosis and treatment along with making other lifestyle changes may help you get pregnant and prevent health complications from PCOS.

If you are trying to get pregnant with PCOS, you may only need treatment with medications. A medical study found that almost 80 percent of women with PCOS treated with the drug clomiphene citrate successfully ovulated. Out of these, half of the women got pregnant naturally within six period cycles.

If medications don’t help you get pregnant, your doctor may recommend IVF treatments. Most women with PCOS have a 20 to 40 percent chance of getting pregnant with IVF treatment. Women who are 35 years old and older or who are overweight have a lower chance of getting pregnant.

You can get pregnant with PCOS. You will likely need to have moderate weight, balance your blood sugar levels, and treat other PCOS symptoms with healthy lifestyle changes and medications.

In some cases, fertility medications alone will help you get pregnant. If that doesn’t work, you may need IVF treatment.

But regardless of what treatment you explore, don’t lose hope. Success rates are optimistic. In time you may be smiling, positive pregnancy test in hand.

How to get pregnant with polycystic ovaries?

Polycystic disease is a common hormonal disease that affects the functioning of a woman's ovaries. The dangers of PCOS include irregular menstrual periods, excessive hair growth, acne, weight gain, and other problems. Left untreated, PCOS can even lead to infertility. In this article, we will tell you more about causes of polycystic , polycystic ovaries and pregnancy , and also give an answer to the question: “ Is it possible to give birth with polycystic ovaries? ".

What is polycystic ovary syndrome?

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a hormonal disorder common among women of reproductive age. Women with PCOS may have menstrual irregularities and elevated levels of male hormones (androgens). Numerous small collections of fluid (follicles) may form in the ovaries, and an egg may not be released regularly. This condition should not be confused with multifollicular ovaries, because with multifollicular ovaries, ovulation and a normal menstrual cycle can persist, unlike polycystic disease. nine0019

50-75% of cases of endocrine infertility. 20-22% of marital infertility. It is detected in 5-16% of women of reproductive age. These are the figures for the diagnosis of "Polycystic Ovary".

Symptoms of polycystic ovary syndrome

Polycystic ovary syndrome is accompanied by characteristic symptoms, upon noticing which it is necessary to seek advice from an endocrinologist or gynecologist. For some women, symptoms begin around the time of their first menstrual period. Others discover symptoms of PCOS only after they have gained a lot of weight or have problems getting pregnant. In some cases, PCOS may be asymptomatic. nine0019

The most common symptoms of PCOS:

1. Irregular periods. Lack of ovulation prevents the lining of the uterus from falling off every month. Some women with PCOS have fewer than eight periods a year, or none at all.
2. Severe bleeding. The lining of the uterus builds up over a longer period of time, so menstruation may be heavier than usual.
3. Hair growth . More than 70 percent of women with this condition grow hair on their face and body, including on their back, abdomen, and chest. Excess hair growth is called hirsutism.
4. Acne . Male hormones can make the skin more oily than normal and cause breakouts on areas such as the face, chest, and upper back.
5. Weight gain. Up to 80 percent of women with PCOS are overweight or obese.
6. Male pattern baldness. nine0039 The hair on the scalp becomes thinner and may fall out.
7. Darkening of the skin. Dark patches of skin may develop in body folds, such as the neck, groin area, and under the breasts.
8. Headaches. Hormonal changes may cause headaches in some women.