I was diagnosed with PCOS at age 18.
When I was a freshman in college, my gynecologist sat me down and told me that I had polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). After multiple hospital visits in debilitating pain where no one could tell me what was wrong, I finally had an answer. This answer, PCOS, now triggered so many questions for me that I simply did not have answers for. I remember the conversation with my doctor.
She said it didn’t mean I couldn’t get pregnant. She said it just might be harder for me, given my hormonal imbalance. She also recommended birth control to help regulate my crazy periods, however, that only made matters worse. What I learned with PCOS is that there is some foundational work within the body that needed to be done in order to get pregnant naturally or have successful fertility treatment. These unconventional practices help me get pregnant with PCOS after the age of 30
Fertility issues are common for women with PCOS, but there are multiple ways to manage them.
If you have PCOS, you’re not alone. One in 10 women of childbearing age has PCOS and most of them struggle with infertility, making it one of the leading causes of infertility in women. While your doctor may recommend a variety of treatments such as fertility drugs like Clomid and gonadotropins or assisted reproductive technology (ART) such as IUI or IVF, each has its share of side effects ranging from headaches to hot flashes to ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS). And if you’re considering ART, just know that it comes with a high price tag.
The costs associated with fertility treatment can be staggering. According to The American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), the average cost for a single cycle of IVF is $12,000 to $17,000 while a frozen embryo transfer is $8,000 – $10,000 per cycle. And those prices don’t include medications which can range between $3,500 – $7,000 depending on which type are needed for your procedure.
So it is definitely worthwhile to take care of the fundamentals like eating healthy, exercising, and reducing stress levels.
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Some western fertility treatments aren’t that effective for women with PCOS.
Like many women with PCOS, I had a hard time getting pregnant. For starters, women with PCOS have a higher risk of developing diabetes. As you can imagine, this is not the best situation if you’re hoping to get pregnant and stay that way.
To make matters worse, women with PCOS are more likely to experience an early miscarriage. So even if you do get pregnant, your chances of staying that way are slightly lower than average. This is because the egg quality of women with PCOS is often compromised.
And don’t forget, women with PCOS are much more likely to need fertility treatments to conceive (though it’s definitely still possible to become pregnant naturally!)
But even then, when all else fails, there’s no guarantee that it’ll work! According to recent studies from the United Kingdom and Australia, most fertility treatments for women with PCOS just aren’t very effective at all.
So, what should you do? As I alluded to earlier, you must take matters into your own hands and reset your body. I go over some of them in my 7 secrets to heal PCOS naturally and Restore Fertility.
PCOS pregnancy is a real struggle.
I know, because I’ve been there. I’m all too familiar with the fear of infertility and the feeling of being trapped in your own body.
But after years of trying everything to get pregnant and not getting anywhere, I decided to take matters into my own hands. And guess what? It worked! Here’s how I did it:
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#1 Yoni steaming has been very beneficial to PCOS healing and Pregnancy
I also want to share with you the benefits of yoni steaming. Yoni steaming is an ancient herbal treatment that my midwife recommended. The steam helps to cleanse the uterus, soften, open the cervix and increase blood flow to the pelvic region. It can also help to reduce inflammation, manage irregular cycles, relieve cramping, assist with hormone regulation and balancing, cleanse the vaginal canal and prepare for childbirth. This treatment can be done in the comfort of your home, or at one of these leading yoni steam spas across the country.
Some herbs used for yoni steam are:
- Rosemary (emmenagogue)
- Lavender (anti-fungal)
- Basil (antibacterial)
- Oregano (emmenagogue)
Once again, it’s important that you consult your doctor before trying anything new during pregnancy.
It’s empowering to try something new and different instead of following the same old advice that isn’t helping you.
I believe in you! And I believe that these three unconventional things will take me one step closer to getting pregnant with PCOS.
#2 Mayan Abdominal massage helps blood circulation and ovulation
The Mayan Abdominal Massage helps to improve blood circulation and enhance ovulation. The massage stimulates the blood flow to the reproductive organs which helps with regulating menstrual cycles and balancing hormones, as well as helping with digestion. This is because it assists in returning the uterus to its normal position.
Want to learn how you can do this massage at home? There are a few YouTube videos out there that show you how to do a safe Mayan abdominal massage at home. Or, if you prefer, you can also find a local practitioner who can perform this massage on you!
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#3 Seed Cycling helped with regulating my menstrual cycle and shorten my long cycle
The tricky thing is that while you are trying to grow a baby, your body is doing its best to eliminate one. Seed cycling can help because it helps balance the hormones that affect your menstrual cycle.
If you have a short cycle (think 21 days or fewer), it’s likely that you have high estrogen levels and/or low progesterone levels. If you have a long cycle (more than 35 days), it’s likely that you have high progesterone levels and/or low estrogen levels.
Seed cycling just makes sure that the seeds you eat contain the phytoestrogens and lignans needed to support your hormone levels in each phase.
If you don’t have a 28-day menstrual cycle, you don’t need to worry because most women with PCOS don’t. It’s best to follow the 14-day cycle for each phase of seeds. Staying on track with the 2-week rotation of the assigned seeds will help nudge your body into a rhythmic cycle and help get your cycle back on track.
Sometimes digging deep into new-to-you options is what you need to do in order to get what you want.
The other thing that is important to mention here is that sometimes it takes some digging deep into yourself, and then new-to-you options in order to get what you want.
Being open to new things, new approaches, and different options can be a game-changer for you.
That’s why I say dig deep into yourself first. Because when you do this, the answers will come, and then you are better equipped to move forward with informed decisions. For me, digging deep meant that I need to track everything!
I tracked my hormonal test results, menstrual cycle tracking, took my basal temperature every morning, my meals, and so on. I developed the PCOS workbook to make the tracking process much easier.
It’s honestly one of the best things I did while trying to get pregnant. While reading through all the information that was out there on PCOS pregnancy and infertility I also found a few other interesting approaches to getting pregnant as well. Not everything fit in my little box or what I thought would work for me—but some things seemed intriguing, so I kept them on file until later when they spoke louder than before.
When these pregnancy success stories popped up later again, I took note of them and dived deeper into how they were able to finally conceive after years of trying with no luck prior.
Putting these puzzle pieces together with working with a naturopathic doctor was a game-changer. Have you tried any of these methods? Please comment below so that we can help others.
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