I'm pretty much new here and will be facing some major decisions concerning what mode of therapy to try first, at my follow up next week.
I'm frightened to try OC's due to my age (32) and increased risk of clots. Metformin does not seem to be prescribed here in Germany for PCOS. And antiangrogen drugs without OC's will wreck havoc with my cycles. I'm feeling very lost.
How did you come to the decision to try alternative treatments? And do you receive benefits from this alone? Or is it more of a combination of alternative and conventional treatment?
Sorry for all the questions. I'm just feeling overwhelmed with choosing something that will alleviate my hair loss, which is by far my worst symptom. I don't feel as though I have much time (speaking of amount of hair left) and am petrified that the wrong choice will worsen the hair loss.
I don't trust the conventional medical establishment.
I'm new to PCOS and these boards, so I'm not entirely sure that the information I have to offer will help you that much at all. It couldn't hurt though.
I think doctor's are fine to set a broken bone, give stitches and the like; however, no one *really* knows what causes PCOS and it's not something anyone can fix. It's a complicated syndrome that is life-long. Because it is life-long, I think that the only thing that can really be of help are lifestyle treatments, such as complementary and/or alternative therapies offer.
I'm gonna try to go a natural route, with prescribed meds as a last resort.
I take vitamins, Wild Yam, Saw Palmetto and Evening Primrose (all suggested by an herbalist who follows my philosophy regarding healing). I've also begun to follow a diet heavy in veggies and protein. After a month, I finally began a little spotting - first time since July - and my skin's cleared up a little. So it appears to be working, but go figure.
I just believe that certain treatments have the ability to CURE and not just mask the problem - such as diet, weight loss and exercise to control high insulin.
I also appreciate the small amount of side effects that my chosen supplements (saw palmetto and essential fatty acids) have as opposed to mainstream drugs. For example, I tried Aldactone and got the worst migraines from it.
Saw palmetto is an anti androgen that hasn't interfered with my cycles in the least.
__________________
Maureen 36, DH is 35
Momma to Declan Christopher, born 9/2/03
STILL happily and proudly breastfeeding my big boy! To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
Before pregnancy, went from 175 to 136 thanks to To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. , exercise and low glycemic index foods. Polycystic appearing ovaries are gone; ovulated regularly; bloodwork normal.
Improvement in hirsuitism and androgenic alopecia is greatly improved. AN and cystic acne are gone!
Improvements in skin and hair due to To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. , standardized, 160mg 2x day. (no longer on it due to PG and BFing). To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
Welcome to the Boards...I know when I first decided to actually deal with PCOS instead of take BCPs, this place was an enormous resource. I decided to go natural, because no conventional treatment is available that tries to correct the problem. However, its been almost a year since i started trying various alternative remedies and I haven't had any success. I'm still hopeful though, and am trying yet another combo of remedies. I am a thin cyster, so weight loss is not an option. However, if you do have IR/weight issues, that is the place to start -- good diet, controlled carbs, etc. From reading everyone's stories, it seems the cysters who have lost weight and improved their diet seem to have the greatest success.
I would read all you can on IR, PCOS-friendly diets llike the Zone and Atkins, saw palmetto, vitex -- these seem to be the first line of treatment. I have regained control of excessive hairloss (but no regrowth) using Nizoral shampoo and taking the Omegas -- flax seed oil and fish oil. It takes a long time, so be patient! Good luck!
I went natural because of my DH's and my reluctance to be on any medication that may make me produce too many eggs and cause mood swings. I did 2 rounds of acupuntcture, which made me feel more relaxed around O and it made AF a little easier. I also have been taking soy isoflavones CD 3-7 and I've O'd on my own for the last 5 cycles.
But I've timed everything right and I'm still not pg, so probably in January I will be trying Clomid.
It is very insightful to read these messages and as a newbie I'm really grateful for those who take the time to respond to all the questions.
I'm literally teetering on choosing natural vs. conventional meds. I'm actually very interested in a more wholistic type of approach and have already made major changes to my lifestyle (diet and exercise) and started with minor supplements (extra B Vit, Zinc, EPO). But it has only been 2 months and I haven't noticed any changes. When my hair loss increases in intensity and I notice new developments of hair in places where there should not be, I become very frightened and wonder if I shouldn't run towards a pharmacutical bomb.
Decisions .... ARGH!
dnf
anja - a PM, super! ... now I'm off to find where it may be.
I decided to try the natural approach because I decided that it was the pharmaceuticals that got me into trouble in the first place! That may not necessarily be true, but my cycles, although long, always regular until I took and then came off bcp. I had no AF for 3 years afterwards.
At this stage, I feel that the scattergun approach is for me! I am still waiting for formal diagnosis, and in the meantime, I am willing to give everything a go! I feel safe with natural remedies and have taken some time to research which supplements would be useful for my problems and I am also seeing a naturopath who has prescribed me some herbs.
My energy levels are fantastic, and that is definitely because of the supplements, and AF is more regular, but I believe that to be because of a combination of things - unprotected sex, better diet, herbs and supplements. This is just the order in which I did these things - the sex thing was pooh-poohed by my gyno but AF started to happen more frequently from that time!
I hope that you find the solution for you - I do not suffer from hair loss and cannot offer any practical advice except that I believe that saw palmetto is the suggested natural remedy for that problem. Have a look on the hair loss symptom board as well.
Good luck!
__________________ me: age 32, afro-caribbean dh: age 37, scottish married july 2000
Dx: February 2003
BCP 1996-97 (made me unbearable)
Sx: annovulation 3 years after BCP then v. irregular AF, overweight, mildly bad skin, mildly hairy, skin tags, dark patches
Took herbal prescription containing Vitex, also Multivitamin and Mineral, Chromium, B-Complex, Co-Enzyme Q10, Calcium/Magnesium/Zinc, Evening Primrose Oil and Folic Acid (just in case!) - AFs became regular at 35 days - IT WORKED!!! DS born 26th February 2004
What made you decide to go natural? 
