Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) can make getting pregnant after 30 harder than you might think, but it is still not impossible!
What is PCOS?
In short, PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) is an endocrine disorder that causes an imbalance of reproductive hormones. It’s a leading cause of infertility and one of the most common female hormonal disorders. Women with PCOS tend to have enlarged ovaries that contain many small cysts, resulting in irregular menstrual cycles and hormone imbalances that may contribute to weight gain, acne, and infertility.
Additionally, women who have been diagnosed with PCOS are also at increased risk for type 2 diabetes, heart disease, insulin resistance, and high cholesterol levels.
There are 4 types of PCOS, knowing the type of PCOS allows for a more targeted course of action.
Let’s jump into 7 tips you should adapt to get pregnant with PCOS after 30.
I had my first pregnancy at the age of 33 years after many years of suffering from PCOS. I had to make some lifestyle choices to have a healthy pregnancy. You have to take an active role in healing from PCOS, starting by making healthy lifestyle choices that will help restore ovulation. Take steps to lower stress levels, eliminate alcohol consumption, eat a balanced diet, and exercise regularly.
#1: Confirm your PCOS Diagnosis
How do you know you have PCOS? I know you see this tip and probably rolled your eyes. But the truth is it’s easy to self-diagnose out of frustration. PCOS can sometimes be a catch-all diagnosis for all unexplained infertility so you must take the necessary steps, talk with your physician to get a proper diagnosis. Keep a record of your symptoms, the frequency of those symptoms, and share them with your health care provider. You can expect to do some blood work and ultrasound to get a proper diagnosis. Your blood work should include
Iron, Hemoglobin A1-C, Vitamin D, and homocysteine, FSH, TSH, and Estradiol. The FREE toolkit provides more information on how to create a plan to heal your PCOS
When trying to determine if a woman has PCOS, doctors will ask her about her menstrual cycle and perform several blood tests. The patient must have two out of three characteristics for at least one year to be diagnosed with PCOS: oligo-ovulation (fewer than nine periods per year), hyperandrogenism (high levels of male hormones), and polycystic ovaries on ultrasound.
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#2: Create new habits to support a healthy lifestyle
As I mentioned you have to take an active role in reversing PCOS. You cannot simply keep doing the same things and expect a different outcome. Especially when trying to get pregnant after 30, you have to make some adjustments to your lifestyle. Many things will need to be monitored, and setting actionable steps to accomplish your ultimate goal of pregnancy is important.
The truth is that you cannot control whether you get pregnant, however, you can control all the actions you need to take to make the likelihood of getting pregnant possible.
Here are all the habits that you want to develop and improve.
- Track your exercise habit
- Try Meal planning to make sure you are getting proper nutrition
- Keep track of your basal temperature and ovulation
- Track your blood work
- Track your PCOS symptoms and improvements
- Track your supplements usage
- Track your mood and practice mindfulness
Tracking your health habits and behaviors can be a great way to increase your sense of control over your own life, improve your well-being, and ultimately your fertility. Habit tracking can increase your chances of getting pregnant by helping you identify potential areas for improvement. It will also help you gain perspective on how various behaviors are affecting other areas of your life. For example, it’s easy (and tempting) to assume that just because you exercised today, that means that you can overindulge in other behaviors like eating that extra slice of cake (high sugar intake); but tracking specific behaviors can help keep those kinds of harmful assumptions at bay.
A healthy lifestyle isn’t all or nothing; it’s a combination of exercise and diet as well as emotional coping mechanisms and more.
Other tips include maintaining a healthy BMI and engaging in some stress-reducing activities like practicing mindfulness. Which we will discuss later in the post.
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#3: Adapt using natural fertility supplement to support healthy egg development
Many women with PCOS have difficulty producing enough healthy eggs, meaning they might not be able to get pregnant naturally. An unhealthy diet could make conception even more difficult. If you have PCOS, improving your diet can help restore ovulation, reduce male hormone levels and regulate hormone levels in general. You want to support your new healthier diet with great supplements and superfoods.
Adapting the right supplements and superfoods will help promote healing PCOS. The first step for women with PCOS who are trying to get pregnant is to work on restoring ovulation and balancing hormones. Many natural fertility supplements can help do just that, including vitamin D and Inositol. Vitamin D deficiencies have been linked to insulin resistance, which is common in women with PCOS, so taking a supplement can help your body regulate insulin better.
I found success with vitamin D, it helped me with regulating my mood. Inositol was great for restoring my ovulation. I got great results from Inositol when I worked with a naturopathic doctor to get the proper dosage. Although I had the pieces of information I needed to be successful, it was hard to put it together to form a cohesive plan that I could execute.
#4 Work with a herbalist or Naturopathic Doctor
Getting pregnant naturally with PCOS after 30 means you will need to support your endocrine system with herbs and other holistic practices. Some herbs and tinctures can be specially made for your specific type of PCOS and the symptoms you may be experiencing. I found it extremely beneficial to have a customized blend of herbs created just for me. The thing about PCOS is that it can affect each person differently. So the herbs allowed me to target very specific polycystic ovarian symptoms such as anovulation, hirsutism, and painful period.
#5 Be patient with yourself
Woah, I know it’s not what you want to hear, but what I quickly realized was that I was jumping from one protocol to another instead of sticking to one plan and working on that plan for a few months. Once you have done your research, you have worked with a physician or herbalist to create a plan, then stick to that plan for at least 90 days. It takes time for our bodies to adjust to new herbs, supplements, or lifestyle changes. There are no quick fixes. For 90 days, track your habits, take note of the changes you are experiencing before you jump to something new. The PCOS habit tracker was something I created for myself in a notebook during my journey and it helped me see what supplements were working, what bad habits I was still unconsciously doing, and where I was jeopardizing my progress
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#6 Vaginal Steaming for PCOS & Best Yoni Steaming Herbs
How does it work? Vaginal steaming also known as Yoni steam may help restore balance by increasing blood flow and improving endocrine function. A 2012 study published in Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice found that women who took part in 40 minutes of vaginal steam baths twice a week for three months had fewer symptoms of PCOS and reduced insulin resistance. Vaginal Steaming using the following herbs was super helpful for removing stagnant blood from the uterus.
I noticed less painful menstrual cramps, a shorter period, and less spotting when I started to incorporate yoni steam. Yoni steam reduced the build-up of old blood and allowed for nutrient-dense blood flow to the pelvic region. The herbs that I loved in my steam bath included Motherwort, Lavender, Red raspberry leaf, and mugwort.
Magicallyliving has a great Yoni steam blend that I Love
Read more in-depth information about Yoni steaming in the holistic practices that helped me get pregnant,
#7: Practice mindfulness & control negative thoughts
Breathing exercises can help you reduce stress levels, thereby improving your overall health. If done right, breathing exercises also increase blood flow and circulation, which improves egg fertilization. Start by sitting comfortably in a quiet place and observing your breath. Close your eyes if that helps you relax. Slowly breathe in through your nose for three seconds, hold for one second, then exhale through your mouth for four seconds. You should notice your belly expand on inhalation and contract on exhalation.
Controlling negative thoughts: Studies have shown that women with PCOS who thought positively about themselves—what psychologists call positive cognitive distortions—had increased chances of getting pregnant than those who didn’t Think positively!
Several mindfulness exercises may help improve your body’s response to certain stimuli, which can, in turn, lead to getting pregnant with polycystic ovarian syndrome after 30. Mindfulness helps you manage and reduce stress levels by allowing you to focus on a single thought or task for an extended period. Even taking just 15 minutes each day (it can be split up throughout your day) focusing on these techniques can give you some much-needed relaxation: Meditation: The most basic of all mindfulness techniques is meditation.
Although there’s no scientific evidence that mindfulness improves fertility, it can help you deal with problems like stress, anxiety, depression, and insomnia that can interfere with conception effort since these symptoms are common in those who have polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). If you have PCOS, these symptoms may make it difficult for you to get pregnant even if your eggs are healthy. That’s why learning how to manage them is crucial if you want to start a family. There’s no right or wrong way of practicing mindfulness—all that matters is finding something that works for you!
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Conclusion about healing PCOS
A healthy lifestyle can help people manage their PCOS. Since PCOS is a syndrome and not a disease, most of its symptoms are caused by various hormonal imbalances or deficiencies. Managing these imbalances or deficiencies will help improve symptoms and keep them from recurring. While there is no single cure for PCOS, practicing a healthy lifestyle that promotes hormonal balance may significantly improve your quality of life and increase your chances of getting pregnant if you are trying to conceive.
While PCOS is, in a sense, incurable, there are ways to manage it. The most important things you can do are maintain a healthy lifestyle and take proactive steps towards improving your quality of life. Also, be sure to meet with a reproductive endocrinologist who can walk you through what treatments may work best for you. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to PCOS treatment—and only by talking about your options and risks will you be able to find what’s right for you!
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