PCOS/MCOS No More!

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Comment by Jolie Mertin on June 3, 2013 at 7:40am

I have PCOS and am 34 years old, I have tried to conceive since 2004 with no success.  I have tried many natural and conventional approaches including metformin and clomid.  I am One week into HCLF Raw Vegan (after a few years of introducing healthier foods and transitioning).  I have been able to bring my cycle on only twice in the past naturally using wild yam cream (the last time was six months ago), every other time I had my cycle it was induced by taking hormones.  I have now got my cycle back after one week of Fully Raw HCLF Vegan!  AMAZING!  I have also lost 18 pounds I can almost not believe it after so many years of struggling I finally feel alive again!  I am gonna go eat up some fruit in hopes that this month I will ovulate!  (I have ovulated only once ever on Clomid but the side effects were so terrible for me I could not continue).

Comment by KittyKatKayl on August 29, 2012 at 2:14am

Hey everyone,

I'm new to HCRV and not 100% raw yet but found this group so wanted to join :)

I've not ovulated since March 12 and I'm currently on 1,000 mg of Metformin a day.

Did you guys carry on with your medication while in this lifestyle?

Comment by L on July 8, 2012 at 9:48am

Hi Melonhead! Thank you for your fabulous input! Muah <3

Comment by melonhead on July 4, 2012 at 6:14am

Figured I would weigh in with my PCOS success story. I had very irregular periods all my adult life ( I'm 41) till I went raw about three years ago. Since then, I have had a period every month around the same time, which was HUGE for me. I had a trans-vaginal ultrasound done recently and the girl who did it had to question me on when I had been diagnosed with PCOS ( about six years ago- never took the insulin medication they prescribed, found raw soon after and healed) because she could only see one or two cysts on my ovaries!! I have to go in for my yearly exam and they will tell me more, but yes, raw  definitely affects PCOS. I am not, however, pregnant. I'm still hoping, age be damned! I figure the universe has gotten me this far, I'll leave it up to the higher power(s) and go with it- I don't have much of a choice! :)

Comment by L on June 29, 2012 at 7:20am

No problem :) We are here to support one another!

Comment by J on June 28, 2012 at 3:57pm

Thanks for adding that Dr. McDougall post!!

Comment by L on June 28, 2012 at 3:45pm

What Dr. McDougall says about infertility and PCOS:

"Over my 35 years of practice I have had many apparently infertile women become pregnant after changing to the McDougall diet—they believed diet change was partially responsible.  Infertility affects one in six couples in Western countries. Obesity associated with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is the primary cause of infertility in women living in developed countries and both are caused by the Western diet.  Weight loss will correct PCOS.  The most effective way to permanently lose weight is to change the composition of the diet to low-fat, plant foods and add a regular exercise program.  This research by Chavarro showed the source of dietary protein (vegetable vs. animal) has additional effects on infertility beyond body weight. 

Many couples are delaying starting a family until later in life.  Because of their advanced age they worry about an increased risk of birth defects, particularly Down syndrome. Normally, a woman’s reproductive years last until about age 50.  This was not a mistake of nature. Women should expect to be able to have normal babies during all of their reproductive years if they eat a healthy diet and follow a supportive lifestyle.  The most important reason birth defects become more common as people get older is because of the damage to their bodies, and more specifically to their eggs and sperm, caused by unhealthy food choices.  Animal foods lack folate, an essential ingredient for DNA (genetic) metabolism, and other nutrients needed for reproduction found in plants. Plus, because they are high on the food chain, meat and dairy products are contaminated with significant amounts of environmental chemicals, including organophosphate pesticides.    

We communicate our state of health by our personal appearance, which gives strong signals about our ability to reproduce successfully. Being healthy makes a man or woman appear attractive. Thus, we are by design encouraged to mate—share our genetic materials—with those people who are most likely to produce the best children from this union. Sickness is unattractive—such recognition warns us that union with a sick person is unwise; resulting in greater risk of infertility and genetically defective children. 

The Western diet causes people to become overweight with a sickly look, expressed in many subtle ways, such as a gray complexion and puffy skin.  Body odor also communicates our state of health.  Animal foods contain large amounts of foul-smelling sulfur and also make us sick. The connection of health and attractiveness is important because ultimately, good health promotes preservation of the species. In order to clean up your appearance you need to eat a clean diet based on plant foods."

1) Chavarro JE, Rich-Edwards JW, Rosner BA, Willett WC. Protein intake and ovulatory infertility. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2008 Feb;198(2):210.e1-7. 

2) Young SS, Eskenazi B, Marchetti FM, Block G, Wyrobek AJ.  The association of folate, zinc and antioxidant intake with sperm aneuploidy in healthy non-smoking men.

Hum Reprod. 2008 Mar 19; [Epub ahead of print] 

http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2008nl/mar/fav5.htm

Comment by L on June 15, 2012 at 3:32am

Hey Carrie,

I hear ya! Eat your favorite fruits. If you despise bananas, that's just going to cause more stress, which is not good for the majority of us ladies with PCOS. Enjoy what you eat to thrive. Personally, I LOVE bananas.

And yes, lack of exercise, late nights, and stress makes hirsutism worse. I forget to mention that berries and grapes are great, too. I try to add little things to my smoothies to get the most out of my day and eat a rainbow! So I mix 8-9 bananas with blueberries, raspberries, clementines, etc. at times. Spinach-banana. Mangoes. Persimmons. For me, dates are like when I have no other food or when I haven't eaten enough.

L

Comment by L on June 12, 2012 at 11:55am

*CONTINUED*

Finally, Carrie, I used to be an undereater at some points in my life, and I think this may contribute to difficulty losing weight. I think the pill is horrible and in my opinion, is the cause of many of the PCOS symptoms, including weight gain, irritability, and depression, as it is very toxic. My main symptoms, including weight gain, started with the pill. Heavy metals, I wouldn't doubt is a contributing factor as well.

I think instead of focusing so much on the little things (myself included, honestly), I think we need to see the big picture: How can we achieve homeostasis without causing more distress to the body? Stress isn't helping us, especially stressing about our symptoms! Let's focus on the future!! =)

Exercise, sleep, and lots of fruits and vegetables. A rainbow of colors. Green smoothies for us. Any way that we can lower insulin resistance, without causing distress. Durianrider says that for people generally, they should focus on sleep, water, sugar. I agree. But I would say for us with PCOS, we need to move around priorities a bit. I say 1) sleep (falling asleep early helps hormone homeostasis, which in turn, helps insulin resistance), 2) exercise, 3) water 4) sugar, and 5) stress-relief.

Let's try to support one another in this group so that we can stay motivated! I know we want to achieve our goals! We want to regulate our lives so that we can be who we truly are, the best women, wives, sisters, cousins, workers, and nurturers of the planet that we can be, minus these negative symptoms!

In encouragement and with lots of love,
Lyanne <3

Comment by L on June 12, 2012 at 11:39am

Hey Carrie and everyone else in this group,

I am on the same road that you are. I don't get my period every month, especially not when I am stressed. But I have gotten them with this lifestyle more than I ever did my whole life--which was never, unless with a pill.

I am also a woman who loves to experiment in order to find answers. I have tried almost everything out there, even tried eating fish again in Africa (not the farmed crud we have here.) I fell ill after eating the fish and ended up getting a throat infection (karma lol). Nothing has worked like raw fruits and vegetables. Nothing has worked like bananas, greens, and mineral-dense veggies.

We ladies with PCOS have varying insulin resistance issues, which is why high glycemic foods give us issues. I have experimented with high fat and high fruit and have noticed that high fat contributed to the insulin resistance, a factor in type 2 diabetes. Women with PCOS are prone to getting type 2 diabetes if we don't take care of what we eat. The insulin resistance may also cause us to be hungry all the time, eating more than we should. Fat blocks the insulin receptors in the beta cells. This causes the body not getting the message that we have eaten. Don Bennett explains it better here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gg_6WCa1-tM&feature=relmfu



Besides eating low-fat, I cannot stress the importance of exercise. It is a must for us ladies with PCOS. In my many self-experiments, I have noted that exercising has given me a period. In his book The Ultramind Solution, Mark Hyman stresses that people with insulin resistance exercise at least one hour a day. I would actually agree. Exercise helps with insulin resistance. It also speeds up our metabolism. It gives us more of an appetite. Helps us detox. There are so many benefits to exercise, and I think that we women with insulin resistance, facial hair growth, fatigue, depression, etc. should do more of it, myself included.

I recently experimented with cooked food, the healthiest versions to the crud. I got my period once and not again. I am doing HCRV and I am already sensing a period coming. I can feel it in my body. I personally am a fan of carrot and beet juice because I have a hard time getting veggies in (that is not recommended on this site, but it is my personal experience). I know what you are thinking, "What about the insulin spike?" Well, to me, it hasn't had much of an effect. Cooked potatoes, white rice, etc. make me bloat like crazy, and I know many of you can agree.

But one thing I must say is that fruit, greens, and veggies are the way to go. With tons of sun, sleep, and exercise. Not to mention a quality B12 and D3 supplement (vitamin D has been associated to have an inverse effect on insulin resistance). If you can get organic, that is better. Why? Well, I have noticed that we may be very sensitive to toxins as well. I know I personally don't react as well to conventional bananas as I do organic. I go organic raw811 one week and I lose loads of water weight. Lately, it has not been the same with conventional (financial reasons0. However, it has been much better than cooked.

I think that if we are going to go at this, we can't have a transition. We need to go cold t-of-urkey. I am in the process of doing this now. No salt, no condiments, none of that. We must avoid the white crackers, potatoes, etc. Only emergencies.

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