I need some encouragement. DH and I have been TTC for SO long. LC has regulated AF, but I'm not seeing a lot of success unless Met/Gluc/Clomid are involved. Has anyone here been able to concieve without drugs??? They make me too sick.

Thanks so much!

I got pregnant for the second time in early February. Funny thing was that I was seeing my OB and discussing things like Clomid and ovulation detection kits when I was not quite late for my period. Ironic. I am Type 2 diabetic, hypertensive, and was diagnosed w/ PCOS at that OB appointment. I lowered my carbs and sugar intake even further in order to get my blood sugars down to levels that are needed for a healthy pregnancy. I believe that this is what allowed me to ovulate this month. I give all the credit to lowering my insulin resistance through low-carb.

Good luck! You can do it!!

Thanks SO much, I really do appreciate your response!

Kristi

Hi Kristi!

I was diagnosed with PCOS in June 2003. I was quite shocked when I first found out but looking back now it sure did explain a few things that my body was doing. The best thing my doctor did was to recommend Atkins which I started straight away. As soon as I started to lose weight (my goal was to lose 11 kg or 24.2lb) I found that I started to ovulate on my own. I was so proud of myself but found after a few months the doctor still recommended that I try Clomid. Begrudgedly I tried two cycles of it and I fell pregnant in October 2003 on my second cycle. I was lucky, I guess, I didn't have any side effects and only needed the minimum dose.

I realise from your post that you wanted advice on how to fall pregnant without use of drugs - I honestly believe I would've eventually done it on my own without Clomid. It just gave me that extra push to perhaps fall a little quicker.

I just wanted you to know that I beleive my new LC lifestyle was the main part of it all. I honestly think that without dropping the weight eating LC all the clomid in the world wouldn't have helped me conceive. You definately need to reset the body... and then go from there.

Good Luck - I'm back trying to do Atkins for good now. I kinda lost my way when pregnant (I thought it was a free ticket to eat lots of bread, milk and junk food). I hoping now to get pregnant with baby #2 in the near future.

Thanks for reading.

Helen

I was told the odds were 'thosuands to one' I'd ever conceive wihtout Clomid. A number of years on, I have 5 kids. Only # 2 was conceived using Clomid.

I think the most likely time to conceive is when your weight is back in the *normal* range. Unfortunately. I noticed over the years with my PCOS, the heavier I was, the worse all symptoms became. So I'd guess that goes for fertility, too? A concerted effort to get your weight under control will definitely improve your chances. I conceived my last 3 sons at times when my weight was back in the normal range, and I was very slim until I had kids - despite PCOS - so conceived my oldest without Clomid but when I weighed less than 140lb.

On the positive side, it's a great incentive to persist. I found LC diets haven't worked for me at all - which is true for many women with PCOS, as you actually need a fair intake of wholefood carbs, not a starvation level, when you have PCOS. But you can learn from LC-ing - watch the GI of your foods, avoid anything processed, and eat wholefoods. You will effectively lower your insulin resistence with exercise. I conceived my last two sons after a low fat diet. I think so long as you find whatever diet works for you - once you get into that normal weight range, you will be far more likely to conceive unaided.

Love, Annwn x

Hey Kristilill, lets keep in touch and keep some postive vibs going between us!!! (just posted this )

A little intro....

My husband and I have been trying to conceive an "ours" baby going on three years. I have PCOS and have been on clomid and glucaphage (sp) with no success. I was around 260 at the time. Just before Christmas I stopped taking my glucaphage due to the stomach problems being so bad. While on the glucaphage my cycles were very regular and all (and ovulating, suposedly), but when I stopped they were back to 40-50 days. I started the Low Carb diet in January and lost 32 pounds!!!! and my cycles are now 24-32 days long!!! so I can tell that the Low Carb is really working....

SO... My question, has anyone gotten pregnant after losing weight and the Low Carb lifestyle?

I just hope I dont have to wait until closer to my normal weight... I still got a long way to go...

Thanks for all the replies. It's good to know there are people out there who understand! Please feel free (anyone who wants to chat or support) to contact me by Yahoo Messenger. Kristiwinkle~yahoo.com. Take care!

Hi!

Just found your post and wanted to offer you MEGA encouragement. I just gave birth three months ago to a beautiful baby girl who I conceived while on Induction! I was really glad I learned how to LC because during the pregnancy my Doc watched me like a hawk because I was too close to the cut-off line for Gestational Diabetes and since I have PCOS he didn't want to take any chances. Feel free to take a look at my journal for the full story - but I wanted to let you know that there is hope - WITHOUT drugs! So hang in there - LC really works!

Take care!
Ang

When I found out about my PCOS in April of 2004, I weighed 242 pounds. I already have two children, but they were concieved when I weghed less then 200. My doc put me on Metformin immediately. At that time I was not having regular cycles, and had not even had a single period in about a year and a half. After being on Met, I had a cycle as regular as regular gets. The doc told me I would very likely not be able to get preggo without clomid and such. Well, I lost 20 pounds over the next 8 months, without half hearted South Beach. I got pregnant, and we were not even trying, in December. I ended up having a miscarriage on Valentines Day. My ob told me that is was most likely unPCOS related, that miscarriages are so common, that he wouldn't label PCOS as the cause. But I did get pregnant on my own, no fertility drugs, because my body was doing what it was meant to do, because I had lost weight.

Now, I know the original question was regarding low carb and pregnancy. To answer that I say I have lowered my dosage of Metformin without the docs consent because I don't like the way it makes me feel. Since beginning low carb, and at a lower dosage, my cycles are still regular, and I am losing weight, and we will try again next year. I truly that I will have no problem getting pregnant because I am treating my PCOS with low carb. I feel better low carbing then I did on the met alone. My cycles run like clockwork because of low carb. And I will continue to low carb........

Not that it really answers the questions, but that is what I have to say about that.

Hi there, I have good news for you. I am 39 years old, I have had PCOS from the time I was 13 if not earlier. I never had regular cycles, ever, except when I was on the pill. My 1st child I became pregnant with right off, when I had to first drop the pill, my 2nd was a clomid baby, after 3 cycles. After that we tried again, with no luck and I thought for sure we wouldn't have any more children. I started lc a couple of years ago, (more like 3), and I was also on glucophage, aldactone, and the pill. After 10 months of lc I finally felt comfortable enough to drop the pill (I have a history of endometrial hyperplasia), and I had regular cycles, (I also dropped the aldactone), and I became prenant with my now 15 month old daughter. I'm sure the glucophage helped but the lc I give most of the credit for this miracle. I have gained 20lbs with nursing this baby, but you dont' have to be "normal" weight to get pregnant, I'm proof because here I am pregnant with baby #4, and I was nursing #3, so I wasn't on glucophage with this one. Another miracle, I wasn't lc perfectly,(explains the 20lb weight gain), but I had healed my body enough that it was still working properly from the hard work I had put into trying to get healthy. You should also Know that I have always had gestational diabetes, with all three babies, this is the first that I haven't had a positive diagnosis, (I'm still watching my sugars to be sure they don't go wacky, and keeps me eating better). You can have normal healthy babies with GD, if you are diet controled, I lc with my last one, and she was the best of the 3 babies. This can be done and it is possible. Success is out there, but dont' feel bad if you need a bit of a boost, glucophage, is good because it can help keep the insulin in check so the rest of the hormones don't go wacky either so you can perhaps avoid the higher risk of miscarriage that goes with PCOS. Just treat your body right, and give it time to heal.
Tanya

I forgot to mention this yesterday. I have gotten pregnant becaue of low carbing!!!!! I can't believe that this didn't come to mind yesterday. My 4 year old son is the result of low carbing.

This was well before I knew about my PCOS. But I had just left my abusive husband and came back to Georgia with my daughter who was 9 months at the time to stay with my mom. My mom had been low carbing for a while and she had lost 50 pounds. At this point in my life, I weighed about 210, and was not having regular cycles. And at this point in my life, this was also the most I had ever weighed...I thought it was just baby fat from my daughter ( how naive).. Anyways, I started low carbing with my mom, kinda of a way to get back at my ex husband for the mean things he used to say about my weight, I wanted to get back at him ( I was only 19 at the time, kinda immature). Well, I ended up losing thirty pounds.....started dating this guy, and I got pregnant. Which I know was because of low carbing. I started having normal cycles after I started low carbing....And after of no protetion with my ex for 8 months and not being on the pill having only one or two cycles in that 8 months.......to having normal cycles and getting pregnant immediately (we were only intimate once, I know, I know,it only takes once) kinda speaks to me about the benefits of low carbing and PCOS

Kristi,

I just posted this in a thread started by lvjaybe, but thought you'd like to hear my story too:

My 22 year old daughter has PCOS (I also do & my 18 year old). She has been TTC for 7 months, and found out over the weekend she is going to have a baby!! WOO HOO! I'm gonna be a Grandma!