Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome

[Froro]

hi Sockmister...yup...just had it done a couple of weeks ago!! good cholesterol in excellent range...bad cholesterol is up a little but just above normal so dealing with that now. Doc is hoping that a few small dietary changes and the cpap will bring that down. Retesting in three months.

I just had a full physical done, had thyroid checked too. For the first time in decades I'm not anemic (woot), thyroid is good, everything is pretty good. Going to see the ob in a couple of weeks so get the once over for all the girl plumbing and hoping he can deal with some of the issues there. It's work on mommy mode this year.

[Treesap]

Socknitster,

I did have blood work this past year to test everything. The doctor said one of the tests was an insulin resistance test, and it came back with no sign of insulin resistance. Is this blood test different than where you ingest something and get your blood checked over a few hours?

[Mce]

A "double blind" study means that neither the person giving the therapy, nor the the person revievinig it know which therapy was given.

In order for you study to have been double blind you would have had to recieve a pill - active or inert - and a pap machine, the pressure of which you couldn't tell....

O.

Not necessarily, it sounds as if the study was actually divided into two treatment groups with each sub-study being it's own double blind being conducted simultaneously as part of a larger study, which is not unheard of. Especially as the treatments are so divergent.

[socknitster]

Socknitster,

I did have blood work this past year to test everything. The doctor said one of the tests was an insulin resistance test, and it came back with no sign of insulin resistance. Is this blood test different than where you ingest something and get your blood checked over a few hours?

I'm actually not sure. I'd have to do more research into it to understand it. My doctor ran a regular glucose and insulin blood test which came back normal and she said she would like to do this additional test to see if there is any insulin resistance. I guess it can be sneaky and doesn't always show up as just high insulin. My test results are complicated by the fact that I am nursing which will make my blood sugar 25% lower than if I were not nursing, from what I have read. So, maybe that answers your question, maybe not. Need to do more research into what tests are for what.

[Kiralynx]

http://www.labtestsonline.org/understan ... nce-2.html gives some information on tests for insulin resistance.

http://www.labtestsonline.org/understan ... /pcos.html gives more information about PCOS and tests related to it.

Hope it helps.

[socknitster]

THank you Kiralynx! That link was very helpful! Now I understand a little bit better what my doctor was trying to say. My lipid profile is screwed up in the way they mention in the first link, about insulin resistance.

Since I am so busy with the children, it is super-hard, especially in the winter, to get enough exercise. My diet is good--I eat very low in the GI index most of the time and I have plenty of Omega-3's in my diet from fish and supplements. I am overweight still, though I lost the pregnancy weight by 6 weeks--all of the old weight from before both pregnancies is still there. I need to lose 50-70 lbs to be a truly healthy weight again.

I guess the best thing I can do now is to try to take exercise and weight loss as seriously as I can and maybe if I do have insulin resistance I can change that all by myself without any help. It is so easy to put myself last when the children have so many needs that I am trying to fill, but if I want to continue to meet their needs over the long haul--a long healthy life--I need to get this under control now. I may not have PCOS, but I am classic for insulin resistance, test or no test, and resolving that may make my other health problems fall away.

I can't remember what exactly the doctor said--something about if I do have insulin resistance, they would put me on an insulin sensitizer which would help me lose weight. I'm not sure if that is compatible with nursing or not. I need to find out more about that. Guess I should give the doctor a call and ask.

Off to have a salad for lunch after reading that link!

Jen

[Kiralynx]

THank you Kiralynx! That link was very helpful! Now I understand a little bit better what my doctor was trying to say. My lipid profile is screwed up in the way they mention in the first link, about insulin resistance.

Sometimes, just knowing what the doctor is talking about is a major step on the way to finding a solution you can live with!

Since I am so busy with the children, it is super-hard, especially in the winter, to get enough exercise. My diet is good--I eat very low in the GI index most of the time and I have plenty of Omega-3's in my diet from fish and supplements. I am overweight still, though I lost the pregnancy weight by 6 weeks--all of the old weight from before both pregnancies is still there. I need to lose 50-70 lbs to be a truly healthy weight again.

Just 30 minutes of exercise, three times a week, can make a major difference in how your body reacts to things -- and it doesn't have to be calisthenics. Take yourself and the kids (I don't remember how old they are... sorry!) to a shopping mall. Many malls are open for walkers before the stores actually open. You can get your walking in, and then do any shopping, all in one trip!

My water therapy makes a big difference in how I feel. Since my Mom's heart attack, things have gotten a bit sporadic, and I've noticed that if I don't get my 3x a week, I start waking up every hour or so, and of course, I'm more tired. Weirdly, my mask leak rate goes down when I exercise regularly, maybe because I am sleeping more soundly and not thrashing around.

I guess the best thing I can do now is to try to take exercise and weight loss as seriously as I can and maybe if I do have insulin resistance I can change that all by myself without any help. It is so easy to put myself last when the children have so many needs that I am trying to fill, but if I want to continue to meet their needs over the long haul--a long healthy life--I need to get this under control now. I may not have PCOS, but I am classic for insulin resistance, test or no test, and resolving that may make my other health problems fall away.

Well, keep in mind that teaching your children to put healthy food and regular exercise ahead of so many, many things that seem "more important" is actually one of the best things you can teach them. Come up with ways to get exercise that involve your kids getting exercise, too.

You already eat low on the glycemic index; look into eliminating sugar, high fructose corn syrup, and artificial sweeteners, and get your "sweet fix" from fresh fruit, with maybe the occasional bit of honey.

Consider eliminating grains and getting the necessary carbs from fruits, vegetables, and yogurt.

I'm well aware that my very strict Specific Carbohydrate Diet might be tough for many people, but I did lose 180 pounds on it. Of course, I'm now battling to get the last 100 off.

I can't remember what exactly the doctor said--something about if I do have insulin resistance, they would put me on an insulin sensitizer which would help me lose weight. I'm not sure if that is compatible with nursing or not. I need to find out more about that. Guess I should give the doctor a call and ask.

If considering one of these meds, also look at the side effects of them. Many of them have diarrhea as a side effect. Do you include chromium and cinnamon in your supplements? I was going to suggest alpha lipoic acid, but this link http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/alph ... 000285.htm indicates that because there are no studies relating to its use with children and nursing moms, on it, it may not be a good idea for nursing moms.

Off to have a salad for lunch after reading that link!

Want a recipe for Ranch Dressing made with dripped yogurt?

I had a really good salad over the weekend. chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers, red onions, artichoke hearts, with a lemon juice and olive oil and oregano and garlic dressing, and chunks of feta cheese tossed in for some protein. Very different from your average lettuce-and-tomato one.

[Muse-Inc]

...went on birth control...lost 10 pounds effortlessly while on the pill...My doc said maybe it was the hormones and suggested I try Estroven. I did, but it didn't help.

It was the progestin not the estrogen! Apparently your progesterone (name of the real thing produced by your body) levels are so low, that your body responded positively to the big pharma designer version of this hormone (this synthetic version is usually referred to as a 'progestin'). Somewhere in our 30s most American & Canadian women (those in the study) have a dramatic drop in production, sometimes to zip. It is produced from the follicle that matures an egg every mo or so (after releasing the egg, the follicle collapses back onto the ovary forming the corpus luteum which begins producing progesterone (about 21-23 mgm/day for 2 weeks). All humans, men & women, produce small amts of progesterone every day in the adrenal glands, about 3-5 mgms -- this continues for life. Now, women who do not ovulate (hysterectomy, body fat <20-23%, those older than 35 or there-abouts) no longer produce this 2 wk surge in progesterone -- that produces the symptoms we commonly call perimenopause. Estrogen levels drop but only by 40-60%...remember, all fat cells produce the estrogens. There is a bio-identical form of progesterone (thus telling you it isn't big pharma's progestin) that can be rubbed on like a skin cream; it is referred to as topical progesterone and the label will state 100% USP Progesterone.

Read Dr John Lee's books for details (I am not affiliated with nor do I profit from the sale of his books ). I learned from the late Doc and heard him lecture -- he was amazing. For post-menopausal women, he recommended using for 3 weeks with 1 wk break in between; for women who are still menstrual and who were estrogen dominant (excessive estrogen levels common in PCOS), count day 1 beginning with flow, use on days 14-28. His books detail effects, dosing, etc.

Oh, in the thread on high altitude posted by Rooster (I'd show link but I'm clueless as to how to do that ), you'll read the tiny little afterthought that progesterone also seems to help with the hypoxic effect of high altitude corresponding to what we sleep apnea folks experience.

Cheers!

[Cassandra]

I do have PCOS. Had symptoms as early as pre-puberty, but was diagnosed about ten years ago in my late twenties. It'll be interesting to see if the apap therapy makes any improvement in that area. I have lately been eating low carb to control my blood sugar and having great success in that department. I started metforming a little over a month ago. Prior to that, I had been on my period for over a year. A week after starting the metformin, it finally stopped. No telling when it will come back, though. For years, I had a period about three times a year.

Not trying to have kids. I have two miracle sons. (One will be 20 next month, the other is five.) Then I got my tubes tied after the last one. But I wouldn't mind getting my hormones in order. I will start checking drug stores for that cream.

Cassandra

[Muse-Inc]

Not sure you'll find it in a drug store; might ask the pharmacist tho, ya never know. Usually in health food stores...some smell really weird so ck before buying. Ensure it says 100% USP Progesterone and not wild yam(our bodies cannot convert wild yam into the hormone). Doc John Lee's books are great, discuss all the benefits and many of the irregularities that occur as we...err, gain years, move sequentially thru time, ah well, age .

[Cassandra]

Not sure you'll find it in a drug store; might ask the pharmacist tho, ya never know. Usually in health food stores...some smell really weird so ck before buying. Ensure it says 100% USP Progesterone and not wild yam(our bodies cannot convert wild yam into the hormone). Doc John Lee's books are great, discuss all the benefits and many of the irregularities that occur as we...err, gain years, move sequentially thru time, ah well, age .

As we become chronologically superior, you mean? I'll check GNC. I don't think we have any actual health food stores, but lots of alternative stuff at GNC. May have to get it online like everything else. LOL

[Muse-Inc]

...chronologically superior...

Oh, I LIKE that