How to Get Pregnant With PCOS?

PCOS or Polycystic Ovary Syndrome is a common hormonal disorder found in women during their reproductive age. Women affected with POCS might have prolonged or infrequent menstrual periods. Now, how to get pregnant with PCOS? A small collection of follicles is found in the ovary, and due to their presence, the egg releasing process is hampered.

Women benefit if early diagnosis is started and the treatment is carried on as per the doctor’s advice. If any woman is struggling with obesity, then she needs to reduce her weight as well. If not cured properly, then it can drag fatal things like heart ailments and type 2 diabetes. As the name suggests, the ovaries might be enlarged and may contain follicles that surround the eggs. Due to this, ovaries fail to perform their designated tasks. 

Symptoms of PCOS

You might experience any of the below-mentioned symptoms all of a sudden or gradually peaking up. Initially, you might not give enough importance to that, and it can turn to be a nightmare within a short time. Let’s check what the general symptoms are: 

• Irregular Period – This is the general symptom of PCOS. It can be irregular or infrequent, or even prolonged menstrual cycle. There is no reason it differs in a female body, but it has been noticed that an irregular period is a significant symptom in PCOS in almost all cases. But this irregular period issue can be overcome if the proper medication is applied by consulting the right doctor. Nowadays, so many medicines have been invented that can do a miracle in case of irregular periods. If medicines fail, then there remains the next course of action as per the doctor’s advice. 
• Extra Androgen Secretion – If you have a high level of male hormones in the form of androgen, then you can experience excess hair in your body and face. If any woman is suffering from such, she has a high risk of getting affected by PCOS. Sometimes it creates acne and baldness also in women. But this is a recoverable ailment, and one can overcome that if proper care is taken. 

Causes of PCOS

• Excess Insulin Intake –If you have high blood sugar and if your body is producing more insulin than the normal one, then there are high chances of PCOS as excess insulin can increase androgen secretion. It causes difficulty with ovulation. 
• Low-Grade Inflammation –It has been noticed that most women who have PCOS have a type of low-grade inflammation. It stimulates the polycystic ovaries to produce excess androgen hormone that is responsible for causing heart ailments. 

Complications of PCOS

Infertility is the most significant complication that is noticed if a woman is down with PCOS. The entire cycle becomes disrupted, and becoming pregnant becomes an issue. Apart from the infertility problem, there are a couple of other complications noticed in such cases. High blood pressure is seen in some women, and even if a woman gives birth to a child, it can be a miscarriage or premature birth. In several cases, the liver function gets disrupted, and the entire metabolic system becomes a concern for any cardiovascular attack. Apart from these major ones, one can have sleep apnea, anxiety, depression, abnormal urine bleeding, eating disorders, etc. 

How to get pregnant with PCOS? 

This is a burning issue, and due to all complications mentioned above, it sometimes becomes challenging for a woman to be pregnant. There are various reasons for that, and one needs to analyze the causes one by one as two female bodies might show different symptoms, and the same treatment may not be applicable to cure both. PCOS or Polycystic Ovary Syndrome indeed tampers your fertility, but you must be under regular check-ups when planning for a baby. This is a common issue in most women, and it can be cured if diagnosed properly. It is not true that you can’t be pregnant if you have PCOS. It might be a bit tough and might need some extra time for your baby, but plenty of options can be adopted to have a healthy pregnancy. 

You need to follow specific steps to be pregnant if you are affected by PCOS. Here are the steps: 

1. Proper BMI – BMI or Body Mass Index is the parameter of having a healthy body. It gives a good idea of the fat of your body and your weight. If you are overweight, you must consult a doctor to reduce the same. Your doctor knows what can be your ideal weight, and you can follow whatever he directs you. Unless you have the proper weight, it is tough for you to be pregnant. In almost all cases, BMI is essential to remain healthy. Your weight must be under control, and then only you will be able to conceive. Being overweight is somehow linked with PCOS, but not in every case. It is always better to reduce weight if you found it on the higher side. It will be safe for you during the time of pregnancy. 
2. Track via App – You can use an ovulation calendar to track your period. Using this, you can have a clear idea about several days you are running and repeating early or lately. Based on that calendar, you can talk with your doctor. He can suggest several things when you are planning to conceive. Several apps are already in the market that will record your period days and alert you about your next date of the period. Using these apps, you can have a monthly analysis of the same, and you can check the interval between two periods as well as the number of days in each periodic cycle. 
3. Blood Test – Regular blood test is another essential option if you want to become pregnant. You must check the sugar level in the blood as it is imperative if you want to be pregnant. Having a perfect blood sugar level is helpful to have a baby without any trouble. During the pregnancy, you must check your blood sugar level, and if you find it abnormal, you need to consult a doctor immediately. PCOS, in several cases, triggers to have high blood sugar or type 2 diabetes. PCOS changes the function of insulin in our body, and for that, you need to balance your blood sugar level in a perfectly stable condition. It would help if you had a healthy diet regularly with protein, fiber, and healthy fats. 
4. Daily Exercise and Healthy Diet – Regular exercise will keep you fit and fine throughout your life. And a healthy diet is required to keep away any diseases. Daily exercise is the key to your fitness. You can have a walk in the morning or even in the evening at a reasonable speed. With advanced technology, you can measure your every step, and you may increase the number of steps gradually for betterment. 

• Avoid sugary and unhealthy foods.
• Light weight lifting can be done.
• Have seasonal fruit and fresh vegetables and lentils or beans
• Whole-grain foods like oats, brown rice, barley
• Chicken and fish in limited quantity
• Try to have Vitamin B9 or Folic Acid, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12, Vitamin C, and Vitamin E in your diet.

PCOS medications for pregnancy

A large section of people with PCOS need medications for becoming pregnant. Let’s enter into its details to find how to stay pregnant with PCOS: 

• Metformin –You should always check your insulin level. In case you are insulin-resistant, then the drug metformin might help you to lose weight also. It can help you to conceive smoothly. Metformin is prescribed even if PCOS-affected people are not insulin-resistant. Metformin has some good benefits like making weight loss, restarting the menstrual cycle, improving the effectiveness of fertility medicines, and reducing the number of miscarriages. 
• Clomid –If you talk about the most popular fertility medicine for women with PCOS, then Clomid is the best answer. It is one of the best medicine, and several women got benefits from that. But, Clomid might not work with every pregnant lady. So, you need to check with a doctor for proper medication. 
• Letrozole – Letrozole is used in case both Clomid and Metformin have not given any result. In that case, doctors used to prescribe Letrozole that is frequently used for women with PCOS. It is not a fertility drug; instead, it is used in cancer treatment. But it has been found that it stimulates the ovulation process in women who have PCOS in several cases. It is very mild, and you need not worry by hearing that it is used in cancer. Instead, the side effect is very mild and has been well researched before applying. 
• Gonadotropins –As a step-by-step approach, if both Letrozole and Clomid fail, then doctors usually prescribe gonadotropins that are fertility drugs in the form of injections. This is made from hormones like LH, FSH, or in combination. The doctor may suggest both injectables as well as oral fertility drugs as per requirement. In several cases, doctors used to suggest gonadotropins with the Intrauterine Insemination process. Although gonadotropins usually give a good result, there might still be some cases where this medicine might trigger a side effect named OHSS or Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome. If this is not taken care of, it can be severe and dangerously affect a pregnant lady—women with PCOS have a high probability of such risk. 

Procedure of Fertility

In the worst case where all the above stages have been failed, and you have not conceived, then there remains the next option of IVF or In Vitro Fertilization. IVF is the most popular method, and several women are adopting this facility. Fertility medicine is injected into the body to stimulate the ovaries. Then only can they produce a good number of mature eggs? The egg retrieval process is involved in this system, and next comes the embryo transfer. This is the best fertility treatment for PCOS-affected women. 

Requirement of Egg Donor

Often the egg donor concept comes into the limelight in case of such pregnancy. Usually, a woman with PCOS does not require an egg donor unless any critical things happen. However, there might be some cases where an egg donor might be required depending on the criticalness of the pregnancy stage. 

Conclusion

This is all about how to get pregnant with PCOS quickly. You will be surprised to hear that a large section of women is affected with PCOS, and they fear that pregnancy might not come to them shortly, but we are FertilityZilla are keeping their hopes alive. You might spend sleepless nights thinking what the best age to get pregnant with PCOS is. Questions might arise getting pregnant with PCOS after 30, whether possible or not. But this is not the actual situation. If you ever plan to be pregnant despite having PCOS, you need to undergo medications.

In most cases, it is sorted out as it has become a common phenomenon in a large section of females. It is very much likely to be pregnant with PCOS, and for that, you might need to check your weight and blood sugar levels. A healthy lifestyle and good food habits also increase the chances of getting pregnant with PCOS. 

Frequent Asked Questions

What are the chances of getting pregnant with PCOS?

Most women with PCOS have a 20 to 40 percent probability of getting pregnant with IVF or fertility treatment for PCOS. Women have a lower likelihood of getting pregnant with PCOS after 30 years old and older or overweight. 

How long does it take to get pregnant with PCOS?

If you are under the age of 35, usually ovulate even though you have PCOS, and you and your spouse have no different medical conditions that affect your fertility, the possibility is that pregnancy will happen within a year and even earlier. The best age to get pregnant with PCOS would be the range of 22–41 years, oocyte count and live birth rates continued stable in women with PCOS. 

How do I know if I’m ovulating with PCOS?

At the commencement of her cycle, her cervical mucus will be dry. Wet cervical mucus or the density of raw egg whites is an indication that ovulation is progressing. A few days before ovulation, most see this variation in discharge.

Can I get pregnant with PCOS and no periods?

Yes. Having PCOS does not mean you can’t get pregnant. PCOS is one of the most prevalent but treatable conditions of infertility in women. In women with PCOS, the hormonal imbalance intervenes with the ovaries’ growth and release ovulation. Even if you have an irregular period, still you can be pregnant with PCO. 

How to get pregnant with PCOS and irregular periods?   

You may also choose to abstain, deciding to detect ovulation and have sex regularly throughout your cycle. In this way, you don’t have to bother about missing ovulation; if you’re having sex three to four times a week, you will likely see the result on a fertile day.

Reference: 

https://www.healthline.com/health/pregnancy/pcos#:~:text=If%20you’re%20diagnosed%20with,who%20don’t%20have%20PCOS.

https://www.pregnancybirthbaby.org.au/pcos-and-pregnancy

https://www.webmd.com/infertility-and-reproduction/polycystic-ovary-syndrome-fertility

https://helloclue.com/articles/cycle-a-z/pcos-and-pregnancy

https://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/pcos/more_information/FAQs/pregnancy

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3659904/