PCOS... Has Anyone Been Able to Concieve Naturally Without Drugs?

Updated on May 19, 2011
C.G. asks from Garland, TX
21 answers

I'm 25 and was diagnosed when I was 18. Then I wasn't concerned about having a baby. Now I'm starting to get baby fever and realized it is going to be a battle! Has anyone been able to have babies without the help of drugs? If so what did you do? Any tips are very appreciated. Thanks!

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So What Happened?

Thank you everyone for all of the advice, it was all great!! So just wanted to update everyone, about three weeks ago I stopped eating bad carbs and still have only been eating proteins and veggies. No red meats either. So I lost 16 lbs in 2 1/2 weeks I'm keeping it up and hopefully I can get to a healthier weight and that will help regulate my periods. I agree with most of you that nutrition and exercise will help I just dislike the battle :/ I am now mentally ready and realize this is a LIFESTYLE change and not a "diet" thank you all! :)

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M.Y.

answers from Dallas on

Yes! I have two beautiful babies. The only thing we did was birth control for a few months and then tried immediately. Good Luck :)

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A.K.

answers from Dallas on

Yes, I did - We don't always ovulate every month, so it may take longer, but we had to give it a helping hand. The doc told me to take mucus reducing stuff, like mucinex? and also to go on the atkins diet, as for some reason a low carb diet helps pcos.
It didn't take long for me to get pregnant, but think I was lucky - I hope you are too

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J.G.

answers from Minneapolis on

I personally do not have PCOS but have dealt with infertility and have friends with PCOS. The only way to really answer you question is this way: yes, you can get pregnant without medication even if you have PCOS...but if you can't get pregnant then you will likely need assistance (meaning that just continuing to try will not be likely to yield results).

Seeing a doctor is the best way to figure out what to do in your situation. Not knowing is the worst, and since you know you have PCOS, I highly recommend going into see a doctor and getting a workup to determine the severity of your PCOS at this time.

If you are having regular periods, that's a good sign. If your period are irregular there are steps that you can take to make them more regular such as proper diet (no caffeine, sweets, white bread, white rice...) i.e. a low glycemic index diet. If you're overweight, bringing your BMI to 25 or so, will cause your periods to become more regular.

Otherwise there are nutritional interventions, acupuncture, etc. that are options to you if you have mild PCOS and would be the same interventions for anyone else facing infertility.

On the bright side, medication is the least invasive option and everyone I know who has had PCOS has conceived a child with the use of medications where as I (with unexplained infertility) had to go through IVF to conceive.

I hope this is helpful! Baby dust to you.

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M.R.

answers from Chicago on

Yes. Both of my children were, although one was totally a surprise.

I did fertility treatments for about three years. Conceived once, miscarried and then had to wait before going back on the meds and starting another cycle. Just before that, went to a wedding with an open bar. Nine months later? Baby #1.

For the second baby, I knew I wouldn't be able to start cycles with the fertility doc until summer. Starting in the October prior, I charted my basal body temperature and planned accordingly. I used the website www.fertilityfriend.com and the book Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler and learned a lot about how to make it happen. It did take six months but I conceived on day 41 (talk about a long cycle).

It is possible if the only limiting factor is the PCOS and the hormones. Be sure to discuss this with your obgyn so that he/she can rule out the possibility that your tubes are blocked, your partner's sperms are viable, or that there aren't other issues that would interfere with conception.

Most importantly be patient! It might be tougher but it will be worth it.

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E.M.

answers from Honolulu on

I know of one that had one surprise to term and is now pregnant with surprise number 2. the funny thing is she was on hormonal BC when she conceived both times.

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R.C.

answers from Phoenix on

Yes. 3 babies, 2 planned and 1 a great surprise. In preparation for first pregnancy, I spent a year learning how to eat healthy lower carb meals and snacks, lost about 8 lbs working out with a combo of free weights and cardio and monitored my cycles to find out when I ovulated each month since my cycles were 35-48 days in length. The weight loss, exercise, and healthy diet helped us conceive within 2 cycles the first time, 5 cycles the second time, and the third time we were surprised because we were faithfully using birth control.
Please consider getting your hands on "Taking Charge of your Fertility" by Toni Weschler and a good book on PCOS (I recently read The PCOS Diet and it was pretty good). Clomid and infertility treatment has many side effects, one being that it can empty your bank acct. Please be patient, try to get in the best shape of your life, then try to conceive. A healthy Mom and Baby is worth it! R., nurse midiwife MOM of 3

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D.M.

answers from Detroit on

Hi C.---I agree that there are steps you can take to give your body the best chance possible to conceive. I'm sure you've heard them before:
practice optimal dietary habits---MOSTLY fruits and veggies (90% of calories daily), whole grains, beans/legumes, and sparingly, nuts and seeds (fat content). Minimize animal protein and eliminate diary...I know, nature's perfect food? for a cow! Please go to www.pcrm.org and put dairy in the search box. See for yourself and make an informed decision. This diet will help to normalize weight and give you the nutrients necessary for the body to start to heal itself and offer protection for disease protection. When you do eat meat, have it be the side-dish. It should also be either organic or at least hormone and antibiotic free. Since you are eating less, you can afford to eat better quality meats. There is nothing in meat that can't be found in plants, with the exception of B12.

Drink LOTS of filtered water. Get plenty of sleep. EXERCISE is one of the best meds around. And, as hard as it may be, reduce and manage stress. Stress is worse for the body than smoking cigarettes! Start practicing yoga, meditation and, to help with sleep, play massage music when you go to bed. Works like a charm.

I've learned these strategies in a series of wellness classes I am taking, taught by a Naturopath who has her PhD in Nutrition. I'd be happy to share my resources with you. It would be a great idea to take her class. You can do it via long-distance learning.

As others have said, try not to stress over the situation. Be patient and yet diligent with caring for your body. It is likely the best medicine you could ever take. Good luck...D.

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C.H.

answers from Dallas on

I haven't experienced this personally, but I'm linking to Naturopathic Doctor, Danette Goodyear. She's had success treating all kinds of infertility naturally.
http://www.northtexasdynamichealth.com/aboutus.html

J.U.

answers from Washington DC on

My best friend was diagnosed when she was your age. No drugs but it took a bit for it to happen. She is 32 and has an adorable little girl :)
Just don't loose patients. TTC can take time even if you don't have any issues. I have endometriosis along with fibroids and a soften uterus and I was able to get pregnant even after I was told there would only be a 25% chance. How do they really know. Everyones body is different and Dr's should't group people with and issue as a whole. You can say statistically blah blah blah, but that isn't always the case. Just don't pressure yourself, seriously!! It can really do a number on you and you can become very depressed if you let it. Just have fun trying. :)

A.F.

answers from Chicago on

I have a friend with PCOS. She conceived her 1st with the help of drugs and then her second just "happened" -- she took so many tests the 2nd time because she couldn't believe it after what she went through with the first! I don't have any real advice for you but do wish you the best!

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B.C.

answers from Boston on

I have PCOS and was diagnosed at 9 years old. (started period 1 week before 8 yrs old) and I am now pregnant with my second child.

Because women with PCOS don't always ovulate each month and it's not as regular as some women I went out and got an ovulation kit each month. It was well worth it. For my first child I didn't ovulate for 2 months straight (lots of crying involved) but on the 3rd month I did and got pregnant. Luckily with my second pregnancy I ovulated each month and it only took 2 months.

As far as drugs go, I was on metformin and stayed on it for the first 3 months of both pregnancies. The doctors told me it helped me get pregnant but I was on it for my sugars.
Also, having a healthy BMI helps too. I was in the low side of the overweight catagory for my first and a healthy BMI for my second. If you are very over weight try going to a nutritionist and eating lower carbs, that's the only thing that worked for me.
Best of luck!

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S.H.

answers from St. Louis on

3 pregnancies & 1 miscarriage....& a whole lot of patience. In the end, though....it was really only 10 years - beginning to end.

My PCOS diagnosis came 20 years later, in fact.....& explained everything I'd battled thru my adult years! Good Luck.....

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M.A.

answers from Dallas on

My sister and I both have it and both conceived without any drugs. At first, we tried for almost a year to have a baby, but it wasn't happening because my cycles were so off. My OB told me to go back on the pill for 3 months to get my periods regular again and to try to conceive immediately after going off. It worked! The first time, I got pregnant the first month off the pill, the second time I got pregnant the 2nd month. My sister got pregnant the 2nd month. Good luck!

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K.S.

answers from Dallas on

I was diagnosed with PCOS when I was a teenager. I was put on birth control to alleviate some of the symptoms. I took them (mostly) until I was 29, when we decided that we would like to have a baby. I was on an Atkins type of diet (no sugar, only whole grain carbs, lean protein, fruits and veggies), which alleviated many of the symptoms without using the birth control. My cycle continued to be regular without the pills, which did not happen when I was off of them for limited times before. We were not actively trying (no calendar checking, just didn't use birth control), but I got pregnant naturally. It wasn't immediate, as it took over a year. I know the diet was the reason that I was able to, since the hormonal imbalances are caused by insulin resistance. I am now lucky to have a beautiful daughter. Two of my friends have PCOS and they had immediate success with Clomid. One of them lost weight after her first, and then was able to get pregnant without help (pleasant surprise). Good luck! :)

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S.D.

answers from Tampa on

I tried a hormone (can't remember the name) to bring on a period, clomid & metformin to try to get me to ovulate. None of them worked. Went to a reproductive endocrinologist & other than "atypical" PCOS (I wasn't overwt or anything), nothing else was wrong. He was getting ready to do a drug study for ovulation so we opted to try it. After all the testing was done & we were waiting for the drug - low and behold I was pregnant with my now 3 1/2yr old DS - all on our own. Then I had 2 miscarraiges and found out I had a clotting disorder. Got meds for that (NOT PCOS meds) and now have an almost 3mo old DS. So, all my pregnancies ended up happening naturally. I ovulated, just not regularly at all and turns out that even though my periods were "sort of" regular (30-35days or so apart), I ovulated later than they would have thought based on date of LMP.
Good luck!!!

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A.D.

answers from Dallas on

The first time I went through the whole fertility doc, clomid, IUI etc. Got pregnant on the second try. The second time I went off the pill, bought the giant pack of ovulation test kits and got pregnant in a month. So, I asked how is it this worked without even trying? And was told that your body can still be regulated by the hormones from the pill and that you are much more likely to get pregnant within the first 2-3 months when you have PCOS after going off the pill.

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D.M.

answers from Chicago on

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C.D.

answers from Dallas on

I've heard of MANY success stories using natural herbs through a company called Radiant Wonder http://radiantwonder.com. You can call and speak to the herbalists and explain your personal concerns, or difficulties and they will work with you.

I also personally know several couples who are infertile and were able to adopt. What an amazing blessing these adopted children have been. I can't even express how much love and healing they have brought for the families who adopted them.

Good luck to you!

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E.M.

answers from Johnstown on

Yes...our first we conceived within 5 months. Then it took over 3 years to get another viable pregnancy (we could conceive, just couldn't carry past 12 weeks) and we actually ended up with identical twins. Don't stress. Watch your diet and keep your weight in check as best you can. Feel free to PM me anytime.

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J.M.

answers from Dallas on

YES! I have PCOS and tried Clomid and injectable fertility drugs for 18 months. Resulted in an ectopic pregnancy so I stopped all of that and saw an acupuncturist for 3 months. Voila! I was pregnant - with no drugs and I felt great, becuase the acupuncture helped me to relax. I see that you are in Garland - I am too. I have a great acupuncturist in Richardson. Send me a personal message and I will send you her information. Good luck!

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A.L.

answers from Dallas on

I do not have PCOS but a friend of mine does and so does my sister. My friend was on birth control for the symptoms and she stopped and got pregnant the first month and they weren't even trying. My sister is wanting to get pregnant and is just now getting serious about it but her periods are all over the place. She will figure it out eventually...

Best of luck to you!!!

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