Get Pregnant With PCOS

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) affects 5 to 10 percent of women who are of child-bearing age. It is a hormonal disorder that causes obesity, acne, hair growth, and is one of the most common causes of infertility. Hormonal imbalances triggered by PCOS can cause infrequent ovulation and poor egg quality. Your obstetrician and reproductive endocrinologist will offer suggestions to help you get pregnant with PCOS if you are struggling to conceive on your own.

Steps

Before You Conceive

1. Notify your obstetrician when you are ready to start trying to conceive. Many women with PCOS will need help regulating their ovulation and protecting against miscarriage, which requires supervision of a trained doctor. Your doctor will help you with this, as well as monitor you early in your pregnancy.
   • Medications you are taking to manage your PCOS may not be safe for use in pregnancy, and they will need to be changed or discontinued. This is another excellent reason to see your doctor right away.
2. Establish how frequently you get your period. PCOS causes many women to have infrequent periods. Infrequent periods mean infrequent ovulation, which means lower chances of sperm fertilizing an egg. Chart your period, using an over-the-counter ovulation test or basal body temperature thermometer to make note of the days you ovulate.
   • If you are ovulating regularly, try to time intercourse to occur on your most fertile days.
   • If you are not ovulating, or your ovulation is irregular, your basal body temperatures and ovulation predictor results are erratic, or you have not conceived after 6 months of regular ovulation, schedule an appointment with your obstetrician. Explain your concern and ask for a referral to a reproductive endocrinologist.
3. Consult your endocrinologist about regulating your monthly periods. The biggest problem women with PCOS face is irregular ovulation. If you're not ovulating when you think you're ovulating, or you're not ovulating at all, getting pregnant is going to be a Sisyphean task. Luckily, doctors — and the magic of science — can help.
   • Many doctor prescribe drugs like Metformin and Clomid to help produce regular periods and regulate ovulation, respectively.
     • Metformin is primarily a drug used to treat diabetes, but is used for women with PCOS because they often have difficulty absorbing insulin. High insulin levels produce high androgen levels, which complicates periods.
     • Clomid is an infertility drug that stimulates the production of hormones that cause ovulation.
   • If you're having trouble getting a period at all, your doctor might suggest a drug like Provera.
4. Talk to your doctor about in-vitro fertilization if a non-invasive drug regimen doesn't produce a pregnancy. Some patients with PCOS use in-vitro fertilization to conceive when other methods do not offer results. In some rare cases, PCOS affects the quality of the woman's eggs and donor eggs must be used.
5. Explore other options if none of the other regimens work. A surgical procedure called laparoscopic ovarian drilling has shown promise and may help some women with PCOS conceive. It involves a surgeon inserting a camera through a small incision in your abdomen and using it to identify follicles on the surface of your ovaries and burn holes in them. This alters your hormone levels and may allow you to conceive naturally.

After You Conceive

1. Address the possibility of miscarriage with your doctor. Expecting mothers with PCOS are about three times as likely to miscarry than expecting mothers without PCOS. Many doctors will recommend continuing to take metformin throughout the pregnancy in order to lower the likelihood of miscarriage.
2. Talk with your obstetrician about getting regular exercise. Many doctors will stress the importance of consistent light exercise for expecting mothers with PCOS. Exercising will improve the body's use of insulin, normalize hormone levels, and keep your weight in check. In fact, regular exercise is often recommended for women who are trying to conceive, as this improves their chances of regular ovulation.
   • Talk with your doctor about which exercises are allowed and which ones you may want to stay away from. Walking and light strength training are often ideal for expecting mothers.
3. Eat a balanced diet high in protein and green vegetables, and low in simple carbohydrates. Because PCOS limits your body's ability to regulate insulin, you may need to be as vigilant about what you eat as a person with diabetes is. A diet high in protein and fiber can help lower your insulin levels, which mitigates the impact PCOS has on your body. Avoid overly processed foods or foods with added sugar.
4. Be especially vigilant throughout your pregnancy. Unfortunately, PCOS carries with it several other risks even after you've managed to conceive. Talk with your doctor about protecting again pregnancy-induced high blood pressure, preeclampsia, and gestational diabetes, which are all more common for women with PCOS.
   • Understand that women with PCOS often deliver their babies by Cesarean section. C-section is more common for expecting mothers with PCOS because complications more often arise.

Warnings

• Many herbal supplements are marketed as natural cures for PCOS. These are usually not regulated by the Federal Drug Administration, and you should consult with your physician before using them.

Sources and Citations

See also

• Know if You are Pregnant
• Get Pregnant Quickly
• Know the Earliest Pregnancy Signs
• Have a Girl
• Recognize Implantation Bleeding
• Prepare Yourself for a Healthy Pregnancy at 35 Years Old
• Tell Implantation Symptoms from PMS Symptoms
• Raise the Chances of Having a Boy
• Increase Fertility in Men
• Determine if You Are Pregnant

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