Thursday, August 12, 2010

August 13 - 2010 All About _Woman_Health Articles - Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

Getting Pregnant Diagnosed With PCOS, Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
By Yvonne Wilson

Recommended Reading
Freedom From Pcos E-book
Highly effective solution to NATURALLY
overcome PCOS and insulin resistance?

Infertility is a very real problem today. CDC estimates indicate that as many as six million women of child bearing age are having trouble conceiving a child. In married couples this amounts to about two million of all couples. Nine million women have used infertility services at some point in their lives. One condition that causes some of these cases of infertility is polycystic ovary syndrome, or PCOS. Between six and ten percent of all women have PCOS to some extent. While many women are able to conceive and bear children naturally in spite of this condition, it can make getting pregnant difficult for some.

What Is PCOS?

PCOS is an endocrine disorder that causes cysts to grow in the ovaries. Women with POCS will have eight or more cysts that are 10 mm in diameter or smaller in the ovaries, and these cysts can cause difficulties with ovulation. The cysts cause the ovaries to be larger than the ovaries in healthy women. The condition can cause late periods and difficulties when the woman tries to get pregnant.

Interestingly, PCOS tends to be more common in diabetic women than non-diabetic women. While women who are not categorized as diabetics can have the condition, it is often accompanied by higher-than-normal insulin levels. This has led some researchers to speculate that there is a correlation between diabetes and PCOS, although the link has yet to be proven.

Symptoms of PCOS

The symptoms of PCOS are usually what cause a woman to seek treatment. Infertility is one common symptom that sends women to the doctor. However, there are other symptoms of the condition as well, including:

· Irregular or late periods
· Lack of ovulation
· Increased levels of testosterone
· Six months or more of pelvic pain
· Being overweight· Diabetes
· Cholesterol problems
· Hypertension
· Excessive hair growth, especially on the face
· Hair loss· Skin problems
· Skin tags

While these symptoms can indicate a variety of problems, they do point to PCOS. However, they can appear to be completely unrelated problems, and for this reason many women who have the condition are not diagnosed very quickly. The doctors, instead, focus on treating each of the symptoms individually, especially if the doctor cannot feel the cysts on the ovaries. However, a combination of these symptoms, especially when accompanied by fertility problems, is a good indication that PCOS may be the culprit.

Treatment for PCOS

PCOS needs to be treated, because the condition can lead to other serious health problems in the future, such as endometrical cancer and heart disease. While these are serious conditions, most women seek to treat their PCOS so that they can get pregnant. Regardless of the reason, treatment is essential.

Treatment for PCOS tends to focus on treating the symptoms, rather than the disease itself, as the cause of the condition is still unknown. Women who suffer from irregular or late periods often are put on birth control to stabilize the menstrual cycle. This does not work, however, for women who are trying to get pregnant. Other conditions, such as hypertension or diabetes, are also treated with medications.

Many women who have PCOS and are struggling with infertility find that their infertility issues are calmed somewhat when they go on insulin medications. This often helps to regulate periods and promote ovulation, which can help a woman to get pregnant. A healthy weight, which is sometimes difficult to attain with this condition, can also improve fertility.

Getting Pregnant with PCOS

If you are diagnosed with PCOS, it does not mean that you will be unable to get pregnant. However, you may find it more difficult to get pregnant with this condition, and you may also have a problem with miscarriages. Estimates indicate that women with PCOS have a 45% miscarriage rate. Before you try to get pregnant, talk to your obstetrician about the hurdles you will be overcoming as someone with this condition. There are steps you can take prior to getting pregnant to reduce your chances of having a miscarriage.

Remember that PCOS is one of the most common fertility problems in women, so your doctor will be trained on how to treat this condition. Also, many of the medications used to treat the symptoms of PCOS are dangerous for babies in the womb, so you may need to work with your doctor to adjust your medications before you begin trying to conceive.

Start by getting as healthy as you possibly can. Adding exercise and a healthy diet to your life will help balance the insulin problems your body is probably facing. Also, being at a healthy weight before you get pregnant will lower your chances of developing gestational diabetes, which is common among PCOS patients. Lower the amount of fat and carbohydrates in your diet as much as possible.

If you have gotten your weight under control and are taking medication for insulin resistance and still find that you are not ovulating, your doctor will probably prescribe an ovulation medication, such as Clomid. This will stimulate your ovaries towards ovulation, which must occur if you are going to get pregnant. Once you begin ovulating, start charting your body temperatures to learn when you ovulate. Your morning body temperature will spike slightly around the time of ovulation, and this is when you are going to be fertile. If you have tried to conceive using these medications and proper planning and still are unsuccessful, you may wish to consider intrauterine insemination or in vitro fertilization to help you successfully conceive. Your doctor will be able to advise you as to which of these treatments is likely to be successful.

Remember, it can take a lot of time and medical care to get pregnant while suffering from PCOS. It is possible, but you need to be patient. Choose a physician that you trust and feel comfortable with, as you will be spending many hours in his or her office in the next few months. Also, try not to stress about getting pregnant. Stress hormones can interfere with fertility, making it even harder for you to conceive. Relax, follow your doctor's orders, and enjoy the process. Soon you will be holding that bouncing baby you have been dreaming about for so long. If you don't want to visit a doctor you can use my method to get pregnant with PCOS, using an online pregnancy method at http://Child-Wish.com/.

Recommended Reading
Freedom From Pcos E-book
Highly effective solution to NATURALLY
Overcome PCOS and insulin resistance?

Back To Home


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Yvonne_Wilson


1 comment: