Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome produce higher than average amounts of hormones called androgens. This forms an obstacle for the production and release of eggs, which means not only that women with PCOS often do not ovulate, but it also means that cysts can develop instead of mature eggs to be released. Hence the term “polycystic ovaries”; ovaries with lots of cysts.

The ovaries may become enlarged, and women with PCOS often suffer from irregular periods or miss periods altogether. Many PCOS patients also have diabetic-like symptoms, because the condition may be partially caused by an overproduction of insulin. Some research suggest that this is the very cause behind higher androgen levels in people who have Polycystic Ovary Syndrome.

The main symptoms that women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome can have are:

• Irregular menstrual periods, including a lack of ovulation
• Weight gain, being obese
• Excessive hair growth
• Acne
• Diabetes
• High blood pressure
• Uterine bleeding

Women with PCOS who are trying to conceive may face problems. Some women have success with exercise to lose weight, something that can often help induce ovulation if you are anovulatory. Others will need to use special weight loss medications, because keeping weight off is a hard task with PCOS.

If you have any of these symptoms, it is a good idea to see your doctor for a check-up. PCOS can cause various complications, and is hard to treat. But, with PCOS, it is a good idea to be under the watchful eye of a medical professional.

And another basic idea of NaProTechnology is that it isn’t enough to have sexual intercourse to achieve fertilization. The sperm has to reach the egg, and one of the ways that sperm reaches the egg more readily is with the help of the cervical mucus. Just keeping hydrated sometimes is enough to increase cervical mucus, and the slight change in cervical mucus can be enough to enable conception.

Conversely, increasing volume of semen also can be enough to enable conception, and all this requires is for the male partner to abstain from ejaculation for one up to four days before sexual intercourse intended for conception of a child. When these simple methods are not enough, then the NaProTechnology program might instruct the couple in how to chart the peaks of hormone levels that indicate ovulation with a fertility monitoring system such as ClearBlue, or the physician might then look at easily correctable hormone deficiencies.

The benefit of NaProTechnology for couples trying to conceive a child is that it allows them a chance to use the simplest and least expensive interventions first. Treatment of PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) is not typically part of the NaProTechnology program. However, simply ensuring the production of cervical mucus, increasing semen volume, charting the ovulation date, and working with a trained, knowledgeable, and caring NaProTechnology counsellor enables about 65 per cent of women who have PCOS to conceive, even without specific treatment for the condition.

Afterplay, not foreplay. Foreplay causes the front wall of the uterus to “crawl inside” the abdomen, giving the sperm a longer path to travel to reach the egg. When having sexual intercourse to conceive a child, afterplay is preferable to foreplay.

Simply eating less. Women who have polycystic ovarian disease (PCOS), a hormonal imbalance which may or may not actually cost ovarian cysts, sometimes are able to conceive after just losing 2 to 5 pounds. The process of losing weight by calorie restriction, not by exercise, lowers blood sugar levels. The ovaries don’t receive as much sugar from the bloodstream, they don’t make as much testosterone, and about 50 per cent of women who have PCOS resume having normal periods and are able to conceive.

Herbal medicine, but the right herbs for the right partner at the right time. Herbal remedies really can affect fertility, but it’s essential to use the right herb at the right time.

Dong quai, for instance, sequesters estrogen. In some women, excess estrogen makes the lining of the uterus too “rough” to receive the fertilized egg. Lowering estrogen levels makes the uterus more hospitable for the implantation of the fertilized egg–but it’s not desirable to keep lowering estrogen levels once pregnancy has been accomplished. That’s why women taking dong quai and formulas featuring dong quai only use them during the first half of their menstrual cycles.

Vitex, also known as chasteberry, can help women with PCOS conceive by lowering testosterone levels. Actually, some men can benefit from lower testosterone levels, too, but most don’t. Men should almost never take vitex. On the other hand, passionflower extracts can help preserve testosterone in men who tend to testosterone-deficient, increasing both sexual potency and sperm counts.

Letrozole is a medication in a class of drugs known as aromatase inhibitors. Aromatase is the enzyme that enables the transformation of testosterone into estrogen. Letrozole binds to the enzyme so that estrogen is not produced, and testosterone levels remain higher.

Testosterone, of course, is critical for the production of sperm. When men have used legal or illegal steroids, their adrenal glands turn the excess steroids into testosterone, which is in then converted in fat cells to estrogen. Letrozole stops this process, and may increase sperm counts in men who have azoospermia.

Letrozole also helps women whose bodies make too much estrogen. Estrogen stimulates the growth of endometrial tissue during the first half of a woman’s menstrual cycle to prepare the lining of the uterus for the implantation of the fertilized egg. When there is too much estrogen, there can be two problems:

1. Misplaced endometrial tissue can grow over the openings of the ovaries, so that the egg cannot be released, or

2. The lining of the uterus can grow so rapidly that it becomes too “rough” to receive the egg once it has been fertilized.

Lowering estrogen levels helps in both of these situations. The best use of letrozole in treating women’s infertility, however, is to counter the effects of endometriosis.

Some fertility specialists prefer letrozole (Femara) to clomiphene sulfate (Clomid) because of the lower rate of birth defects in children born to mothers who used letrozole to stimulate fertility. Although there is a lower rate of birth defects, there is not a zero rate of birth defects. The manufacturer of the drug, Novartis, cautions against using letrozoloe to treat failure to ovulate.

For that reason, most insurance companies will not pay for the drug, which costs around US $1100 a month at retail cost. Since prolonged use of the medication can cause estrogen depletion and osteoporosis, doctors may also want to prescribe drugs for bone health, which also will not be reimbursed by most insurance plans. The best use of letrozole is for a short-term attempt to conceive, using the medication for only one year before considering other medications and treatment options.

There are lifestyle changes that you can make to reduce your chances of having a miscarriage, as well as lessening the likelihood that you will experience complications during your pregnancy such as gestational diabetes, hypertension in pregnancy, and babies born with a very high birth weight. Many of these changes focus on diet and health habits that reverse insulin resistance, which is the underlying cause of PCOS.

If you are pregnant and have PCOS, you must be asking yourself whether your birth will be different because of your Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, and what the effects of PCOS are after having a baby.

There is some good news for women who did manage to conceive while suffering from Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. Many women with PCOS report that they had a normal delivery, and that their symptoms decreased after birth. Many women might be worried that their symptoms will worsen after giving birth, but my (admittedly extremely non-scientific) observations from reading women’s comments on the internet points to the very opposite.

It is possible that your symptoms will be greatly reduced after having a baby. It is even possible that conceiving a second child will be easier after giving birth. Unfortunately, very little information is available on this subject.

Did you conceive after a PCOS diagnosis? What did your doctor tell you about the effects of PCOS after birth? Will things really get better? Have you already given birth, and what are your experiences? We’d love to hear from you!

All men should avoid excessive sugar consumption, but men who have low or no sperm counts due to obstructive azoospermia may find sugar restriction especially useful.

Sugar in the diet, along with the arachidonic acid that is highly concentrated in beef, cured meats, luncheon meats, most margarines, and eggs, affect the chemical processes that make pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory hormones.

Sugar and arachidonic acid encourage the production of pro-inflammatory hormones. When the problem in male fertility is an obstruction to the “plumbing” that carries the mature sperm to the prostate gland to be incorporated into semen, then inflammation is bad and relieving inflammation is good. Eating less sugar and fewer high-fat protein foods encourages the production of anti-inflammatory hormones that may permit more sperm to reach the prostate gland.

Avoiding sugar is also keenly important when female infertility is due to PCOS, also known as polycystic ovarian syndrome. Although the symptoms of PCOS are tied to the overproduction of testosterone, the overproduction of testosterone is connected to insulin resistance, a condition that can be relieved by consuming less sugar.

The way this works is that some kind of stress – an injury, a long illness, or just years of unrelieved stress – raises blood sugars long enough that cells start to shut out sugar to prevent free radical damage. When cells burn a lot of sugar, they produce a lot toxic byproducts, so they resist the efforts of insulin to carry sugar out of the bloodstream into the cell.

The ovaries, however, are never insulin resistant. Sugar flows into the unimpeded. All the extra energy makes the ovaries work overtime, and one of the results of additional ovarian activity is an excess of testosterone.

Insulin resistance is such a major factor in this form of female infertility that reducing sugar consumption just enough for 2 to 5 pounds of weight loss often is enough to enable conception. Although avoiding sugar is never a guarantee for couples trying to conceive, couples that eat healthy are far more likely to have children sooner than those who do not.

Phytochemicals found in vitex act on the hypothalamus and the pituitary in the brain to change levels of two important hormones, follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH). FSH levels go down, and LH levels go up. Taking vitex also slightly increases progesterone levels, and it affects the balance of FSH and LH with a fourth hormone, prolactin.

FSH is a signal to the uterus that ovulation is “going to happen.” If FSH levels stay too high, the uterus is constantly “told” that ovulation is going to happen but hasn’t happened yet. LH levels peak about the same time as the actual release of the egg.

Progesterone is essential to signalling the uterus to create changes in its lining so the fertilized egg can “nest.” When progesterone levels are too low, even if the egg is released from the fallopian tubes and subsequently fertilized it may not be implanted.

Relatively high prolactin levels delay menstruation, especially when women diet or when they are under prolonged stress. Vitex can help regulate other hormones so that prolactin does not interfere with menstruation and ovulation.

In some cases, taking vitex has restored menstruation and ovulation in women who had not had a period in two to as long as fifteen years. It softens the symptoms of PMS, and it lowers testosterone levels to restore fertility in PCOS.

The effects of vitex in PCOS, however, don’t take place overnight. It’s simply not possible for the herb to have an effect in less than one menstrual cycle.  Usually menstrual changes are not noticed for one to three months, and fertility changes, if vitex is what is needed, do not occur until about the fourth month.

If you take vitex in the form of a tincture, mix it with some water and just a little lemon juice. The lemon juice helps your body absorb the active ingredients of the herb. If you make a vitex tea, and you find the taste too peppery, mix with mint or spearmint. Never boil vitex. Just steep in hot water if you are making a vitex tea.

Vitex is seldom the only treatment needed for PCOS, but sometimes it is exactly the additional treatment needed for success. Never rely on vitex or any other treatment as your sole intervention for fertility for longer than six months before seeking professional advice.

If you have been struggling with a problem of how to get pregnant for a while, you might benefit from the following advice. One of the simplest and most frequently effective methods of enhancing fertility is weight loss. This does not have to be drastic weight loss. Women who have polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and men who have obstructive azoospermia sometimes benefit from losing just 2 to 5 pounds–assuming they are overweight at the start.

The benefit of weight loss in women who have subtle or frank symptoms of PCOS is hormonal. In the process of losing weight, women usually consume fewer calories. Lower food intake leads to lower blood sugar levels.

With lower blood sugar levels, the ovaries become less active. Unlike most other tissues in the body, the ovaries cannot resist the effects of insulin. If blood sugar levels are high, the ovaries will be flooded with glucose, and the only thing they can do with all the glucose is to become more active.

The ovaries make estrogen, but they also make testosterone. It’s the additional testosterone that interferes with fertility. Even when there is not enough testosterone to cause unwanted hair growth, acne, or male-pattern baldness without being male, there can be enough to testosterone to interfere with ovulation. It’s not so much what women weigh that makes the difference, as it is that the process of losing the weight that brings blood sugar levels down and stops the overproduction of testosterone.

Some men with fertility issues also benefit from losing weight. Men with obstructive azoospermia, for example, usually have “plumbing issues” trapping sperm in the testes. If the problem is pressure from the renal vein that is in turn placing pressure on the veins that supply the testicles, then 2 to 20 pounds of weight loss, if otherwise indicated, can increase sperm counts.

When the issue is non-obstructive azoospermia related to low testosterone levels, weight loss may also be helpful. Shrinking fat cells will not increase testosterone levels directly, but it will decrease estrogen production, since fat cells make estrogen. Simply shifting the ratio of estrogen to testosterone sometimes enhances fertility.

Weight loss, of course, is just one too of getting pregnant fast naturally. Changes in sexual position, common and safe nutritional supplements and herbs, also often help.

1. Women seeking to become mothers need to avoid alcohol for a day or two before and up to about five days after ovulating, usually days 10 to 17 of a 28-day menstrual cycle. The reasons alcohol interferes with becoming pregnant are numerous and complex, but not the least reason is that women who do not drink are less likely to suffer physical trauma that may interfere with the implantation of the fertilized egg in the lining of the uterus. Since a woman will not know whether or not she has become pregnant until it is time for her next period, it’s also a good idea to abstain after ovulation, too. No woman should drink, at all, during pregnancy.

2. Unlike alcohol, caffeine has minimal effect on the growing embryo. Caffeine has significant effect, however, on the growth of estrogen-stimulated tissues.

It’s sometimes helpful for women to avoid drinking  beverages that contain caffeine during the first half of their period. Less estrogen sensitivity results in less swelling of endometrial tissue that may have lodged in front of the fallopian tubes.

3. Styles of lovemaking affect chances of conception. Sexual intercourse in the missionary (man on top) position is more likely to result in conception, because the erect penis is bent backward in a position that directs the ejaculate in the direction of the fallopian tubes. Sexual intercourse without physical foreplay is more likely to result in conception, because the act of foreplay raises the front edge of the uterus, creating a longer path for the sperm to reach the fallopian tubes.

4. Weight-loss diet often helps women who have PCOS, but it’s the dieting that makes the difference, not the actual number of pounds lost.

In PCOS, the ovaries make too much testosterone. High blood sugar levels feed the ovaries, forcing them to make too much testosterone. Eating less lowers blood sugar levels, which in turn lowers testosterone levels.

The effects of dieting for fertility in women who have PCOS are not immediate, but up to 40% of women become pregnant by the third month of their diets.

Problems that are related to issue of trying to conceive stem from several factors, and they include the fact that typically follicles don’t mature and only develop to between 10 and 12 mm, while a mature follicle grows to approximately 20mm. The second reasons results from the fact that the eggs contained within the follicles are usually not of the best quality. This is often why, even when women with PCOS use medication and IUI or IVF to conceive there may be a greater rate of miscarriage than experienced by women in the general population. And the third reason is hormonal imbalance: the FSH, LH, Estrogen, Androgen and Progesterone levels are typically at either inappropriate levels or have inappropriate quantitative relationships between them.

So, what is the point of having an acupuncture treatment?

Main goal of acupuncture is to improve hemodynamics or blood flow to the ovaries and uterine lining. This is a very important part of the process because blood carries hormones, electrolytes, oxygen and nutrients to target tissue and upon its return, takes debris or dead cells away from the target tissue. Acupuncture enables an increase in the patency of blood flow to any tissue (any time, not just during the period of preparing for pregnancy) and this means a healthier tissue and a better performing organ system. A better performing organ system can only result in a positive thing, don’t you think?

From the stand point of TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine), PCOS represents a disease that is caused by what we call ‘phlegm’, which is described as a rather a sticky, viscous substance that is inert, still, clogging and blocking.

Acupuncture will not wave its magic wand and make it go away – this is not how it works. Acupuncture and herbal medicine cannot cure PCOS, but when they are properly combined, they both help to improve follicle quality and egg quality.

This is why the East meets West approach to infertility makes sense.