Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a hormonal imbalance that affects the ovaries’ ability to release eggs. Fluid-filled sacs or cysts form on the ovaries, causing problems with the menstrual cycle and ovulation. Due to these issues with fertility and ovulation, can women with PCOS get pregnant? And, if so, are there any complications they might expect during pregnancy?
How does PCOS affect pregnancy?
Managing PCOS: Diet and exercise
Research indicates that lowering blood sugar levels through a low-sugar and low-carbohydrate diet may be beneficial for those wishing to become pregnant. “Treatment may include lifestyle modifications like weight reduction if indicated and exercise that can improve metabolic factors like hormonal imbalance and diabetes risk,” Roskin explained.
“I traveled to Panama to get a third opinion where they told me I needed to change my diet,” Sadowski Mucci continued. “Less carbs and less sugar in a span of six months — doing that, my cysts dissipated and I got pregnant. I followed the diet after we moved to the States and had my second three years later. It has helped regulate my periods, acne, and weight gain.”
It can sometimes take up to two years for a PCOS diagnosis, so advocating for yourself is important. And since there is also little in the way of funding for PCOS research and awareness, when patients looking to get pregnant bring their concerns to their health care provider, they are often told to “just lose weight,” but insulin resistance can actually cause weight gain.
So there’s still much to be done in terms of PCOS education; organizations dedicated to PCOS research and awareness receive less than 0.1% of the funding and resources that other health conditions receive.
One such organization, PCOS Challenge, founded by microbiologist Sasha Ottey, MHA, MT (ASCP), aims to help those with PCOS overcome their symptoms and reduce their risk for life-threatening diseases.
“As a Black woman living in a larger body, one of the most impactful things I’ve experienced in my mental and physical well-being has been health care gaslighting,” Ottey explained in an interview on the Voices of Periods YouTube channel. “I’ve been in many situations where I was not believed, I was made to believe or was told there was something I was doing to cause my own pain, to cause my own illnesses.
“The most satisfying thing about working with PCOS Challenge is the community that we built — a safe space for people to share their stories and not feel so alone.”
