IR Fertility?

CaraMia886 · 05-22-2007, 02:02 PM

I was reading the following article on MSN and had a question about fertility for soulcysters specifically with insulin resistance in their background:

http://health.msn.com/womenshealth/a...2757&GT1=10008

Now, I got diagnosed with PCOS with IR after it had kicked in for years. The IR really affected me for about 6-8 mths when my body didn't produce any estrogen or progestin. Now they're saying that if the eggs in your body are deprived of hormones or there are hormone fluctuations it can permenantly damage your eggs in the long-term and increase the likelihood of birth defects and hormone imbalances.

Anybody else heard this?

They also said smoking for 5-10 years can damage eggs. Thank goodness I'm not a smoker.

Jashobeam · 05-22-2007, 03:29 PM

I have not heard of an increase in birth defects in children of cysters.

UmmMuddaththir · 05-23-2007, 04:10 AM

HI
haven't heard of birth defects but hormone imbalace yes.....

Polycystic Ovarian Disease is a hormonal disorder affecting about 6-10% of all women. It’s treatable, but not curable, by medications and changes in diet and exercise. Since women with PCO do not ovulate regularly, they usually take fertility drugs to regulate ovulation and become pregnant.

What is it really?

The ovaries are responsible for producing eggs and the female hormones estrogen and progesterone. Any imbalance in these hormones where there’s too little estrogen or too many male hormones, can cause polycystic ovary disease (PCO).

With PCO, benign cysts form on the ovaries under a thick, white covering. It is most common in women under age 30.

Your ovaries are prone to developing cysts, which is not unusual. The more common ones are functional cysts, caused when your ovary’s’ egg sac fails to return to its normal size after releasing an egg. The fluid just stays inside the ovary’s follicle and turns into a cyst.

In many women with polycystic ovaries, menstruation begins at the normal age. After a year or two of regular menstruation, the periods become highly irregular, then infrequent. Obesity and excessive body hair are symptoms in about 50% of the cases.

How does it occur?

PCO is due to an abnormal production of two of the hormones produced by the pituitary gland in the brain. These two hormones are LH (luteinizing hormone) and FSH (follicle stimulating hormone). An imbalance of these hormones will stop egg production from the ovaries and increase production of androgens.

The result is ovaries peppered with empty egg follicles that become inflamed cysts. Periods become irregular or stop, hair grows where it shouldn’t, acne appears on the face and body, and sufferers become obese. They are also infertile.

Doctors aren’t really sure why the hormones go haywire but there may be a genetic link as women with PCO usually have diabetic relatives. The condition can also affect insulin levels or cause diabetes in PCO women.

What are the symptoms?

The symptoms of polycystic ovary disease include:

Irregular periods, particularly long cycles
Very light or very heavy bleeding during period
Infertility
Excessive hair on face, chest, and lower abdomen
Obesity

How is it diagnosed?

Your health care provider diagnoses PCO disease with tests and exams including:

Your medical history
A physical exam
Blood tests to check the hormone levels
An ultrasound

How is it treated?

The method of treatment depends on the severity of symptoms and whether or not you are trying to get pregnant.

If you are not trying to conceive, you can be treated with hormones, including birth control pills. Hormones and birth control pills will give regular menstrual cycles and may reduce abnormal hair growth.

If you are trying to become pregnant, your health care provider may prescribe fertility drugs.

For excess body and facial hair, your health care provider may recommend electrolysis. If you are obese, he or she may suggest a weight control program.

If infertility is not an issue, the other symptoms may or may not require treatment, depending on their severity. It is desirable to have a period occasionally, though not necessarily monthly. Hormonal treatment, including the hormone progesterone, can make this happen.

Women with PCO have at least seven times the risk of heart attack and heart disease of other women, and by age 40, up to 40% will have type 2 diabetes.

How can I take care of myself?

It is important to have regular yearly pelvic exams, which help significantly in the early detection and early treatment of ovarian and uterine cancer.

UmmMuddaththir · 05-23-2007, 04:12 AM

Women with PCOS: No increase in birth defects with metformin; Babies' length, weight also unaffected
OB/GYN News, June 1, 2004 by Steve Perlstein

CHICAGO -- Infants born to women with polycystic ovary syndrome who are taking metformin are not significantly different from their peers in terms of length and weight over the first year of life, said Dr. Charles J. Glueck, director of the cholesterol center at Jewish Hospital, Cincinnati.

Additionally, the study of 123 live births and 119 pregnancies among 108 women found only two birth defects, a rate less than the national average, and the mothers had significantly fewer instances of gestational diabetes than in previous pregnancies, he said at the Clinical Research 2004 meeting.

"In a word, these infants were normal," Dr. Glueck said in an interview with this newspaper. "Importantly, there was no teratogenicity."

Investigators compared length and weight data from the infants in the study at birth and 3, 6, 9, and 12 months to national gender-specific data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The mothers in the study all had polycystic ovary syndrome, conceived while on metformin, and continued the drug throughout their pregnancies. Dr. Glueck said at the meeting, sponsored by the American Federation for Medical Research and the Central Society for Clinical Research.

Jashobeam · 05-23-2007, 12:07 PM

Thanks!