How To Get Pregnant With PCOS My Top Tips

If you are reading this, chances are you have already spent some time on the web looking for everything related to how to get pregnant with PCOS. While the internet can be a treasure throve of useful information, it can also be overwhelming and confusing. Where do you start?

After working with hundreds of women with PCOS over the years, questions around fertility often come up during our sessions. Unfortunately, there is no simple answer to this question.  But, the good news is, most of the women that I have worked with that want to have a baby will do so, it may just take a little longer.

The Science-y Bit!

The reason some women struggle to get pregnant with PCOS right away comes down to their hormones. PCOS is a complex endocrine condition that affects many of the hormones intrinsically involved in healthy menstruation and reproduction.

In women with PCOS, estrogen, the master female hormone, remains low and stable throughout the menstrual cycle, not spiking enough to trigger ovulation. Relatively low levels of progesterone prevents implantation of the egg. Mildly elevated testosterone levels, or other androgen hormones, also disrupts normal menstrual cycles. Follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), regulates the production of estrogen, which is required for follicle maturation and egg release. In PCOS, low FSH, equals lower production of estrogen. Luteinizing hormone (LH), encourages ovulation by supporting the developing egg follicle and releasing the egg when ovulation approaches. In PCOS, when levels of estrogen don’t spike, an LH spike is not triggered and LH levels stay chronically elevated. High levels of LH encourage the body to produce more testosterone, leading to hyperandrogenism. And so the cycle continues.

So the big question is, how can you break this cycle?

Tip #1

Understand the condition – Many women with PCOS come to me wanting a quick list of all the things they need to do to get pregnant as fast as possible. Eat this, don’t eat that. Take this supplement. Stop doing xyz. The first step is to really understand the condition. PCOS doesn’t present the same way in every women. Once you understand what is happening with YOUR hormones the dietary recommendations make more sense.

Tip #2

Find an OBGYN that specializes in PCOS and hormonal health. Not all PCP and OBGYNs are familiar with PCOS. In many cases, your doctor will opt for hormonal birth control to balance out your hormones. While there can be benefits to this approach, it doesn’t get to the bottom of what may be driving your hormones to be out of whack. You need to get a comprehensive PCOS blood work panel, plus an ultrasound of your ovaries as a starting point.

Tip #3

Start tracking your ovulation. This isn’t something women are taught in school. You need to know if you are ovulating to determine whether your body is going through all the phases of a menstrual cycle. If it is, we know that your body is producing the hormones required for pregnancy to occur.  I cover more on how to do this effectively as part of my introductory course: Preparing For Pregnancy With PCOS

Tip #4

Get more dialed into your nutrition. I am a big fan of food tracking, even if you do it just for a few days. Increasing your mindfulness about what you eat is the first step in getting a baseline picture of your current intake and making more informed choices. The next step is knowing what to eat! There is no short answer to this as it depends on your current health and PCOS subtype. In my online course I cover what we currently know about fertility nutrition and give specifics on what aspects of your diet are important to focus on depending on this subtype. In general, lowering insulin resistance, inflammation, and boosting gut health are important for all women with PCOS.

Tip #5

Get better quality sleep. It isn’t only about getting more hours of sleep that is important, it’s about the quality of your sleep. Do you wake up feeling refreshed or groggy? There are some strategies that I talk to my patients about for improving sleep hygiene practice. For a start, avoid looking at your phone at least 2 hours before bed and stop eating 3 hours before. Getting black out shades and listening to sleep meditations before bed can help to calm your nervous system down.

Tip #6

Do the right type of exercise. There was a study that showed that women with PCOS tend to have lower levels of brown adipose fat tissue. This is important for two reasons – brown fat is the most metabolically active tissue and lower brown fat tissue is linked to higher testosterone levels. Engaging in a few HIIT sessions per week can be beneficial because it increases hormone levels of irisin, a hormone produced by muscles that converts white fat to brown fat. BUT, don’t over do it. I always like to start women off with yoga / low intensity and once their hormones are more stable ramp up to HIIT.

Tip #7

Reduce your toxin load. Environmental factors, including chemicals in our every day life can affect the expression of PCOS. That includes chemicals in the air, food supply and personal care products. For example, animal studies have shown that prolonged exposure to Bisphenol A (BPA), a known endocrine disruptor found in plastics can disrupt ovarian and metabolic function (Barrett, E.S,  & Sobolewski, 2014)

Tip #8

Start early. The truth is, when it comes to your health and getting pregnant with PCOS, changes can take time. I recommend addressing your PCOS at least 6 months or more before trying to conceive. This time line is especially important if you have been stuck in the same unhealthy habits for years. Think about how you can make small changes one at a time and stick with them consistently!