Hi gals.....
Just thought i would add my story of battling with PCOS too. I can't help but feel so much better after hearing everyone else's problems are so much like mine.
I found this site after humming and hawing over if i should start low carbing...i belong to the Soulcysters site for PCOS and so many women are seeing such success that i just had to try it for myself
I have been doing CAD now for one week and have lost 4 pounds and feel so good.
As for PCOS....
I was diagnosed in March 2001 after about 10 years of trying to figure out what was going on with my body. Doctor after doctor told me oh no worries just stay on BCP you will get your period and everything will be fine.....fast forward 10 years to when hubby and i are wanting babies.....ARGH. SO needless to say after finding out that there was more to it than that and finding an awesome knowledgeable doctor...woo hoo i now can put a name to something that bothered me for so long.
I started Metformin right away at 500 mg a day and was moved up to 750mg...i take 3 halves a day with meals.....i got my very own AF after only 2 weeks...this was a big deal...after not having one for quite some time..With the Met i lost about 15 pounds and now my cycles are quite regular although a bit longer than a "normal" person...roughly 35-40 days but regular so oh well hey.
I decided to do the low carb thing after hearing about all the success of others and i read the CAD and Atkins books, chose to do CAD and everything in it made sense to me totally...put a lot in perspective for me for sure...
So one week later i am down 4 pounds and have an incredibly great feeling now, energy i haven't had in a long long time and well just a good outlook on things..
I am not finding it very hard to follow at all considering the benefits certainly outweigh the little wants of carbs i may find myself thinking about.
I hope to get to know you all who battle this disease with me...it is so encouraging to talk to people who truly understand all we gals go through. Take care!

Welcome Bubbles!

I'm glad I jumped into this forum today and can be the first one to welcome you! There are quite a few women here with PCOS.

I was diagnosed in 1996 when my husband and I decided we wanted to try to get pregnant but I was so irregular I knew I needed help. After doc A told me to "just lose 40 pounds" and stuck me on fertility drugs that I responded to badly (women with PCOS don't generally do well on it) I got a second opinion. I had already self-diagnosed (thanks to info found on the web) but it was confirmed. I went on a low-fat diet and, with LOTS of exercise, lost 20 pounds and got pregnant almost right away - to the amazement of my fertility specialist, who wanted to do surgery. For some reason, that pregnancy "kick-started" my periods again, and once my daughter slowed down her breastfeeding, I got pregnant again within the year. I have been VERY VERY lucky in terms of getting pregnant. When I was diagnosed, they were only just starting to prescribe Metformin. Now, my PCOS is very well-controlled by following lo-carb and using BCP makes my period-related mood swings predictable.

Good luck to you! This is a great site with wonderful, warm supportive people.

Lisa

Hello,

I couldn't help but notice how very similar your story is to mine!!! I to was sick for almost 10 years before they found what was wrong. I actually found it before they did and had to fight to have a Dr. say the words: you have PCOS and had her write it on paper so I could go back to my other Quack and shove it in his face (just a little bitter as you can see )

Ever since then I've been on Metformin, and for a while I was on Low Carb. I stopped when I moved to Ottawa, and haven't found my way back (the road to hell is paved with good intentions they say) but I do have this to say to you:

STAY ON IT. I regret the day I stopped. I will be going back on it. And I never felt so good as when I was on that diet. I have NO excuse to not be on it except being lazy and not having enough self control. And having too many things go on in my life (which is another subject all together).

So Congratulations on your hard work. Keep going. You will do great and feel so much better. My "Positive" thoughts are with you ++++++++++++++++++++++

my best friend was diagnosed and she is taking glucophage, she insists on saying that the reason she doesnt loose weight is because of the pco and also says that the atkins diet is not going to work because of her condition. is she right?, will the diet work for her just like it did for me? help me help her please i want her to loose weight because she is very unhappy since she gained the weight.

Hi there,

The one thing I can say is that your friend won't do it till she's really ready.

THIS SAID: if I were you I'd suggest doing a milder version of this low carb diet to start. ie: Carbohydrate Addic Diet (CAD). It is a little easier to do when you first start because you have a reward meal every day as opposed to being on a strict diet all the time. After a little while, and especially after she sees the numbers go down on the scale, she could go on the Atkins or which ever LC diet suits her better (if she chooses to change).

The Met sometimes helps people lose weight. But the big reason you get on a low carb diet is to help the underlying problem which is the insuling going out of wack in our bodies. Your friend should try low carbing for at least that reason. It's like taking met to try to get better... you eat this way to get better. The BONUS is that you lose weight and feel great!!! Tell her she should maybe try it for a month and see if there are any changes or if it makes her feel better. Chances are it will.