Yet another low-carb baby – for free!

April 25 2014 by in PCOS / Fertility, PCOS stories

Here’s yet another story about PCOS, low-carb and the joy of having a baby:

Hi!

I want to let you know about something amazing that has happened to me and my spouse. I will try to make the story short. A few years ago, we decided to start trying for a baby. My spouse basically hadn’t had her period, except for a few times when she was 13-14 years old. She was later diagnosed with PCOS.

We went through IVF treatments to get pregnant. It took us more than 4 years before she got pregnant, after a number of failed attempts, with mental and physical challenges. Eventually we had our baby. Overjoyed.

A little while after the baby was born, we both started an LCHF diet. We kept under 10 g carbohydrates per 100 g of food. We started to lose weight and suddenly her period started to work again!! We couldn’t believe it was true?!

After just one attempt, at the time of her second ovulation, she got pregnant again!!! Totally incredible! And suddenly we now have 2 children! And thanks to LCHF we have saved a ton of money, which a new IVF treatment would have cost us!

Please feel free to publish on the blog, however, we would like to remain anonymous.

Thanks for your posts – they are interesting!

Congratulations!

This is not the first time that an LCHF baby comes to this world. It’s becoming quite a common story these days.

PCOS is a common hormone disorder, associated with obesity, that causes irregular periods and difficulties conceiving (and a tendency for acne and excessive hair growth). A low-carb diet is an excellent treatment. Not only may it produce weight loss and reduced symptoms from PCOS. It may also deliver the ultimate prize: a long-awaited baby.

Previously

The Doctor: “Have You Started an LCHF Diet, Or Something?”

“LCHF Helped Me Get Pregnant!”

All on fertility and PCOS

LCHF for Beginners

15 comments

1
FrankG
April 25 2014
Many Congratulations! :-)
2
tony
April 25 2014
Awesome!
3
Charles
April 25 2014
this kind of stuff makes me alot more excited about LCHF than the more common obesity story #HealthOptimisation
4
Kat
April 25 2014
First: congratulations!

Second: I don't mean to imply that LCHF diets do not alleviate the symptoms of PCOS at all. I am on an LCHF diet. I love it. The benefits are many and the downside I'm still looking for and cannot as yet find. However, I'm not sure if this is the best example of a baby attributable entirely to LCHF because it is much easier to get pregnant a second time than it is the first time whether you suffer from PCOS or not.

Since my young cousin is in her childbearing years and suffers from PCOS, I'd be very interested if anyone has any non-anecdotal information on this issue. Having recently observed my LCHF transformation (we haven't seen each other in years since we live on different continents), she has adopted the diet herself and I'm hoping to add a little more to be happy about.

Replies: #5, #6, #7
5
Reply to comment #4 by Kat
FrankG
April 25 2014
Well Kat I doubt that you will find a double-blinded RCT testing this relationship.. apart from anything else it would probably be unethical.... but I can add that for my time on Diabetes forums there does seem to be a strong association between PCOS and Type 2 Diabetes in women. They both seem to share a common pattern of development, common symptoms and common treatment (even the use of drugs like Metformin). I don't think it too much of a stretch to suggest that PCOS may be a similar underlying carbohydrate intolerance / metabolic issue as Type 2 Diabetes. If that is the case then, an LCHF approach -- which is clearly a great starting place to slow, stop or even reverse the progression of Type 2 Diabetes -- may be similarly efficacious with PCOS... I don't see how it could hurt to try?
6
Reply to comment #4 by Kat
Kris Gunnars
April 25 2014
Kat,

There is one pilot study showing that low-carb can help with PCOS:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1334192/

I remember Dr. Westman saying in an interview that 1 or 2 (don't remember the exact number) of the women in the study managed to conceive during the 24 week study period.
7
Reply to comment #4 by Kat
Galina L.
April 25 2014
I heard about the reproductive specialist Dr.Michael Fox who uses LC diet for treating patients with PSOS - http://www.jcrm.org/jcrmblog/, http://lowcarbage.com/tag/jacksonvill-center-for-reproductive-medicine/
He also had an interview on the livinlavidalowcarb.com/blog/
8
granny gibson
April 25 2014
Great story! It's like witnessing a miracle, isn't it?

@Kat: I was diagnosed with PCOS as a teenager. I was very overweight and eventually developed diabetes (t2). Just before I met my husband I lost almost a hundred pounds eating low carb, which took out almost all the PCOS symptoms and enabled me to get pregnant and deliver a beautiful baby boy. We made no connection to diet and fertility at the time, but found out later. The diet did it! :)
9
PatrickP
April 25 2014
Who doesn't love a free baby?!
10
Kristin
April 26 2014
I was diagnosed with PCOS in my early 20's. At the time, I had a regular period, but I had facial hair growing quite badly on my neck. I was sent to a gynaecologist, and he told me that generally, it was only when your period became irregular that it affected your ability to conceive. He then promptly prescribed me the Diane 35 pill to help with my hair growth issues. I never actually went back to him because basically I couldn't really afford it, and I was too scared to go an get the internal ultrasound that he wanted me to get, but I did go on the Diane 35 pill. About 4 months later, I had a DVT scare, while they didn't locate a clot, I found the pain didn't go away until I stopped the pill, and subsequent tests showed that I have Factor V Leiden Mutation and had a higher risk of clots and was told I could never take the pill, which never really stopped the hair anyway. After stopping the pill, I didn't have a period for 2 years, apparently this is quite common in PCOS sufferers according to Sandra Cabot, although she said 1 year, not 2. When my periods finally returned, it was 1 every 6 months, if that, which frankly I didn't mind that much. This changed when I gave up sugar, I had just had my 6 monthly period just before I gave up sugar, 2 weeks later, I had another period. In the almost 3 years since I gave up sugar, I think I have only missed 2 periods. They are no longer 28 days like clockwork that they used to be, my cycle can run anywhere from 20 days to 35 days, which is kind of annoying, but they are regular. For me, this was only from giving up sugar, I didn't go low carb until around 12 months ago, but I know I am carb resistant, and I do wonder whether they will get better when I finally finish losing weight, I have lost 40 kg so far, but probably have another 20 to go. My hair growth has reduced, but still has a way to go, and I also wonder if this will get better when my body fat decreases further. Can't comment on the fertility side of things as I haven't tried to have children.

I found this article very interesting in explaining why sugar, particularly fructose causes the excess testosterone and PCOS syndrome.

http://davidgillespie.org/why-eating-sugar-impairs-your-ability-to-co...
11
Janknitz
April 26 2014
Anecdotal, but I went through 2 ivfs to conceive daughter #1.

8 years later I started low carb and got pregnant within 6 months. Very unexpected, very thrilled. I was 41, infertile all my life. I started ovulating without hormone treatments for the first time in my LIFE with low carb.

Daughter #2 is thirteen and our great joy. I love surprises!
12
Kat
April 27 2014
Congrats to all of you ladies who have been able to overcome the symptoms of PCOS, particularly congrats on finally having longed-for children! Thank you all for the links and stories. I very much appreciate your help.
13
ah
May 7 2014
Congrats!! great story
14
Barbara
June 29 2014
Can you have PCOS and not be overweight?

Reply: #15
15
Reply to comment #14 by Barbara
Zepp
June 29 2014
One can be diabetic type 2 whitout beeing obese too!

But the moste comon is that PCOS is linked to metabolic syndrome.. its a speciel women side of that syndrome.

I.E. its mostly linked to hyperinsulinemia.. and that one can measure.. by measuring C-petide, and postprandial glucose levels are good to predict prediabetes.

Many prediabetics have normal fasting glucose levels.. its not befor they have get full diabetes that it rises!

The moste comon link to those condition is bad gens and hyperinsulinemia.. it then takes about 10-30 years to develope full diabetes.

One first warning for women is gestational diabetes!

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