How to Get Pregnant with PCOS: 12 Effective Expert-Backed Tips
Medically-reviewed guide on how to get pregnant with PCOS using diet, lifestyle, and fertility treatments.
Medically Reviewed By
Dr. Deepinder Kaur
(Gynaecologist)
Want to know how to get pregnant with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS)? You are at the right place. But what is PCOS, and why is it difficult to get pregnant with PCOS in the first place? PCOS or Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome is an extremely common medical condition in which the high progesterone level prevents a woman from getting pregnant. This is caused by the formation of cysts in the ovary due to hormonal imbalances. This makes conceiving difficult for women. However, with a few lifestyle changes, a positive attitude and a little effort on their part, it is possible for women with PCOS to get pregnant. In this article, we shall talk about some ways you can use to get pregnant with PCOS or boost the chances of conceiving, from lifestyle changes to tried-and-tested fertility treatments.
Why Is It Harder to Get Pregnant With PCOS?
When it comes to getting pregnant, everything relies on the synchronised timing. The ovulation needs to happen on time, sperm needs to be present at the correct timing, fertilisation has to be in par with ovulation and sperm arrival. But with PCOs, the occurrence of ovulation is unpredictable.
If you don’t know when you’re ovulating, how will you get pregnant? Difficult, right?
While some people ovulate irregularly within the cycle of 35 to 60 days, some ovulate only a few times a year. This makes it difficult to know when you’re ovulating, which makes planning sex harder around the fertile window.
However, getting pregnant with PCOS may be difficult, but not impossible. Several studies suggest that conceiving with PCOS without medical treatment is possible if women start making small lifestyle choices, like exercising regularly, cutting down on processed foods, balancing blood sugar levels, and managing stress. For others, medication might be necessary.
So, think of PCOS as something of a unique door that requires a unique key with unique steps. That’s all. Don’t let PCOS discourage you.
How to Get Pregnant With PCOS?
Looking for ways to become pregnant with PCOS? Listed below are tips that could help a woman with PCOS conceive.
1. Make Lifestyle Changes
To decrease the resistance to insulin in your body, it is important to eat healthily, sleep well (7-8 hours every day) and exercise regularly. Alcohol, substance abuse and smoking should be best avoided. Intake of vitamin supplements (after consulting your doctor) can also help in getting your hormones and insulin levels in balance and may aid conception (1).
2. Stop Stressing
It is but natural for people to experience stress due to various problems in their lives. However, doing so may only aggravate the hormonal imbalance. Therefore, try to cut the stress in your life. Go for long walks, practise yoga and pranayama every day, meditate, have a positive attitude towards life, and most importantly, be happy (2).
3. Be Active
A sedentary lifestyle could make you gain weight. Therefore, being active is very important to fight insulin resistance. Playing a sport, going for a swim or a walk, doing household chores instead of asking somebody else to do it for you, can help you get physically active and improve your chances of conception (3). Several yoga poses are good exercises for PCOS to get pregnant.
4. Consult a Doctor
A doctor is the best person to treat PCOS and increase your chances of conception. He/she could prescribe medication to help in curing the hormonal imbalance that suppresses ovulation.
5. Chromium and Magnesium Level
Low levels of Chromium and Magnesium in the body may result in infertility. Therefore, eating foods rich in these two essential minerals or taking food supplements can help you conceive.
6. Avoid Insulin-Resistant Food
Limiting calories is important. Also, food which causes insulin resistance increases body weight and blood sugar levels, such as soft drinks, white bread, rice, potatoes, and refined carbohydrates. These are best avoided if you are suffering from PCOS and want to conceive (4).
7. Diet Rich in Non-Starchy Vegetables, Fruits and Proteins
PCOS treatment consists of medication, acupuncture, and surgery, but how to cure PCOS naturally and get pregnant? Simple. Eat nutritious meals rich in green leafy and non-starchy vegetables, fruits and nuts. They help in decreasing insulin resistance in your body, and in turn, manage the hormonal imbalance, giving way to conception.
8. Curing Vitamin D Deficiency
Vitamin D should be at an optimal range to aid conception. Vitamin D has been found to be directly involved in follicle egg maturation and development. Therefore, women who want to conceive should increase the Vitamin D level in their body by taking food rich in Vitamin D or taking a Vitamin D supplement, and of course, being out in the early morning sun for half an hour every day.
9. In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF)
IVF is a great way to conceive if you have PCOS (5). However, it is an expensive treatment and a time-consuming process. Due to these reasons, everyone cannot avail it, but many women with PCOS have had great success in getting pregnant and giving birth to healthy babies after opting for IVF.
10. Electro-Acupuncture
Electro-acupuncture is said to be one of the best alternatives in treating PCOS apart from medications. Research conducted by the University of Gothenburg reveals that electro-acupuncture does help in reducing some symptoms of PCOS. Acupuncture needles are inserted at points, such as the back of the knees and the abdominal muscles, which are associated with the ovaries. Then, these points are stimulated with a low-frequency electrical charge. This leads to more regular menstrual cycles and reduced testosterone levels.
11. Include Omega-3 in Your Diet
Omega-3 in your diet helps in treating many medical issues, including leptin resistance and insulin resistance, which are the major causes of PCOS in women. It is also a good treatment to reduce the cortisol levels in women with PCOS.
12. Treating Inflammation
One of the major causes of PCOS is inflammation, which has not been treated for a long time. Inflammation of the adrenal glands and ovaries causes an increase in the testosterone level, which stops the normal menstrual cycle and ovulation, whereas brain inflammation causes leptin resistance, and muscle-cell resistance causes insulin resistance. Therefore, in order to cure PCOS, treatment of inflammation is a must. To reduce inflammation, women must avoid all types of inflammation-causing foods in their diet, such as all types of grains, all forms of sugar, industrial seed oils like canola, soy, sunflower and vegetable oils, processed soy and dairy products.
FAQs
1. Is it possible to get pregnant with PCOS fast?
Although PCOS often makes conception challenging, expensive, and time-consuming, it is possible to get pregnant with PCOS quickly if underwent correct lifestyle changes and medical support. Many women with PCOS who correc their lifestyle and also take proper medical treatment move on to have the same number of children as those without the condition.
2. What are the statistics of getting pregnant with PCOS?
PCOS affects one in 10 women of reproductive age. If you’re aiming to conceive with PCOS, you might require just medication for treatment. A clinical study revealed that nearly 80% of women with PCOS who were administered clomiphene citrate successfully ovulated. Among those, half of the women managed to achieve pregnancy naturally within six menstrual cycles. If medications don’t work, IVF treatments may help. There’s a 20 tp 40% chances of getting pregnant with IVF treatments for women with PCOS.
3. What are the PCOS symptoms and complications?
Some of the known PCOS symptoms include very few to irregular menstrual periods, having periods for longer than usual, heavy periods, skipping periods for months, acne breakouts, getting facial hair and extra hair in other places, the body releasing fewer eggs from the ovaries, small cysts of fluid in the ovaries, and higher levels of male hormones like testosterone (6). If these issues are addressed, health risks like type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, cholesterol, heart diseases, and sleep apnea (snoring) could arise (4).
PCOS makes it difficult for a woman to conceive, but it is not impossible. All you need is the correct treatment, the right approach and most importantly, patience. We strongly advise you to take medical guidance to treat PCOS and make healthy lifestyle choices if you wish to conceive.
Infographic: 8 Tips for Getting Pregnant With PCOS
Also Read:
PCOS Diet Plan to Get Pregnant
Irregular Periods and Getting Pregnant
Delayed Ovulation Affecting Pregnancy
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