Making the decision to have a child is momentous…..
If you’re wondering how to get pregnant with PCOS and risks involved in pregnancy, then you’ve come to the right place.
WHAT IS PCOS?
(Polycystic ovary syndrome) A hormonal disorder causing enlarged ovaries with small cysts on the outer edges which is common among women of reproductive age. Women with PCOS may have infrequent or prolonged menstrual periods or excess male hormone (androgen) levels. The ovaries may develop numerous small collections of fluid (follicles) and fail to regularly release eggs.
SYMPTOMS:
1. Menstrual: Abnormal menstruation, absence of menstruation, heavy menstruation.
2. Weight: Obesity, overweight.
3. Hair Growth: Excess hair growth on face, unwanted hair and loss of scalp hair.
4. Skin: Acne or oily skin, dark patches of skin
PCOS AND PREGNANCY
PCOS affects about 5-10% of women of child-bearing age. A woman diagnosed with PCOS can struggle to get pregnant and is at the high risk of facing complications during pregnancy. As PCOS can make it difficult to conceive due to ovulation and egg quality issues, it’s also one of the most treatable causes of infertility in women. As in most cases, women with PCOS have hormonal imbalances that can disturb the normal ovulation and menstrual cycle. This condition can also impact the quality of eggs, thus resulting in fertility and pregnancy problems.
Women who conceive with PCOS need to be monitored carefully throughout their pregnancy. This is because such women are three times more likely to have a miscarriage.
Given the number of options available, both natural and medical, I’ve included in this article illustrate, getting pregnant with PCOS is completely achievable when you take the right steps.
WHAT IS THE MOST APPROPRIATE TREATMENT?
At first, they need to get ovulated and see what kind of hormone imbalance is present in them and that can be corrected mainly by weight loss and lifestyle changes.
Lifestyle changes include a lot of exercises and having a balanced diet. Certain medication can be given which helps in improving the insulin resistance as well, along with this when you approach a fertility clinic, they may start medications for ovulation induction which will help in recruitment of follicles and will help you to conceive.
The main problem with PCOS is the quality of follicles will be on the lower side hence it doesn’t lead to pregnancy and also their will be a problem in ovulation that is the egg will not be released on the right time hence some amount of small resistance is required for this.
Therefore, approaching a fertility clinic if you have PCOS for a proper evaluation as well as the appropriate treatment is required by all patients.
- DIET: There should be healthy and timely diet which includes:
- Green leafy vegetables.
- Almonds and flaxseeds.
- Spearmint tea (Pudina/Mint)
- Healthy fats (Cow’s ghee)
Foods to avoid:
- Excess of sugar.
- Junk food
- Salt products as it increases the male hormones.
- YOGA AND EXERCISES: Exercising regularly is very important and it is found to be effective to boost fertility naturally. Best exercises to do are the ones that you enjoy. If you love Zumba or Swimming, this will be more effective (and fun) then forcing yourself to run or exercise in a gym.
Brisk walking regularly for 15-20 minutes.
For YOGA it is said that “yoga unites the mind with body”. So, doing several yoga poses early in the morning with empty stomach is found to be very effective. In addition, yoga helps to restore hormonal balance and can even help increase blood circulation to be pelvic region.
- MEDICATIONS AND PROCEDURES: For some, lifestyle changes may be all you need to control the symptoms for PCOS. But for many other women, medications may be necessary to help control harder to manage symptoms.
WHAT ARE THE TREATMENT OPTIONS FOR PCOS IF YOU WANT TO GET PREGNANT?
You have several options to help your chances of getting pregnant if you have PCOS:
- LOSING WEIGHT: If you have overweight or obesity, losing weight through healthy eating and regular physical activity can help make your menstrual cycle more regular and improve your fertility.
2. MEDICINE: After ruling out other causes of infertility in you and your partner, your doctor might prescribe medicine to help you ovulate.
3. IN VITRO FERTILIZATION (IVF): IVF may be an option if medicine does not work. In IVF, your egg is fertilized with your partner’s sperm in a laboratory and then placed in your uterus to implant and develop. Compared to medicine alone, IVF has higher pregnancy rates and better control over your risk of having twins and triplets (by allowing your doctor to transfer a single fertilized egg into your uterus).
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO GET PREGNANT?
There is no time frame like 1 year or 6 months. You have to take medications, It may take from 6 months to 2 years for a lady to become pregnant. To conceive faster and to become pregnant with healthy fetus with PCOS, one needs to give their hormone test done, get your scans done and bring your BMI to normal.
TOP THINGS TO KNOW:
- Ovulation may not happen regularly each month for women with PCOS, making it a common reason for infertility.
- Women with PCOS can become pregnant without the use of fertility treatment, so using birth control is important if you don’t want to become pregnant.
- Treatments are available that can help regulate periods and induce ovulation.