Natural ways to get pregnant with PCOS
Can I fall pregnant with PCOS?
Although polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a leading cause of fertility issues, it responds extremely well to naturopathy.
With practical and easy-to-follow dietary modifications, you can improve your chances of becoming pregnant.
As a naturopath with 20 years of clinical practice, I have seen how quickly a change in diet can help to balance blood sugar and hormones, to help women with PCOS ovulate regularly, to improve their chances of conceiving without the need for medical intervention.
Discover how:
PCOS can make it harder for you to conceive
you can treat PCOS with simple dietary modifications to help improve your fertility
you can recognize when you are ovulating to take the guesswork out of when to try to conceive
pathology testing and naturopathy can help if you are still having difficulty falling pregnant.
Does PCOS make it difficult to fall pregnant?
The main symptom of PCOS that affects fertility is irregular periods. Put simply, if you are not getting your period, you are not ovulating. If you are not ovulating, you cannot become pregnant.
For example, if you only get your period once every three months, one of the reasons you are having difficulty falling pregnant is because you only ovulate around 4 times a year, as opposed to a woman with a regular monthly menstrual cycle who ovulates around 12 times a year. This means you have only a third of the opportunities to conceive in a year.
What makes it even more difficult is, because you do not have a regular cycle, you don’t know when you will ovulate, so you miss opportunities to conceive.
If you have unpredictable periods, even though you may have been trying to conceive for a long time, you may not have tried to conceive during the fertile time of your menstrual cycle very often, if at all.
I would like to reassure you that, if you can regulate your ovulation and recognize when you are about to ovulate, you will increase your chances of falling pregnant.
Does PCOS mean I can’t get pregnant without medical intervention?
Fertility clinics recommend medications that stimulate ovulation for PCOS. However, they can cause adverse side effects, including ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, and are not always effective.
Research shows a low glycemic index (GI) diet can be very effective in helping you ovulate regularly with PCOS.
A low GI eating plan balances your blood sugar levels, reducing both insulin resistance and androgen excess, the two health conditions of PCOS that can prevent ovulation.
A low GI eating plan can also help you shift excess weight, a common symptom of PCOS. A decrease of just 5% in body weight can increase ovulation regularity to improve fertility.
How to follow a low GI eating plan to increase your chances of becoming pregnant with PCOS:
Eat regularly:
You need to keep your blood sugar levels stable with PCOS. When you skip meals, your blood sugar levels drop. This causes release of the stress hormone cortisol, leading to a surge in your blood sugar levels. Continuously elevated blood sugar levels cause your body’s cells to stop responding to insulin which prevents ovulation. Eat 3 main meals and 2 healthy snacks in between to stabilise your blood sugar, resensitise your body’s cells to insulin, and improve ovulation regularity.
Quit sugar:
Sugar spikes blood glucose, leading to insulin resistance that prevents ovulation. To improve fertility with PCOS, you need to be strict about eliminating all sugar from your diet. Don’t forget to cut out sugary drinks, a can of Coca Cola contains 10 teaspoons of sugar. If you are struggling with sugar cravings, a magnesium supplement can help.
Include protein in every meal and snack:
Protein helps to balance your blood sugar and insulin levels, improving ovulation. Protein also leaves you feeling full for longer and keeps sugar and carbohydrate cravings at bay. Lean meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and legumes are all good sources of protein.
Increase healthy fats:
Healthy fats regulate your blood sugar levels and keep you feeling full for longer, encouraging ovulation. Healthy fats are found in foods such as oily fish, nuts, seeds, avocado, coconut oil and olive oil. Please be aware that moderate amounts of healthy fats will not cause you to put on weight. It is sugar and refined carbohydrate intake that contributes to androgen excess and insulin resistance, which cause weight gain in PCOS.
Avoid hidden sugars:
Found in foods such as dried fruit, fruit juice, ‘no added sugar’ jams, flavoured yoghurts, and snack foods containing dried fruit (even the ones in the health food section). These foods often contain a type of sugar called fructose which, in high concentration, can cause your blood sugar levels to become unstable, impairing ovulation. If you feel like something sweet, opt for a handful of fresh fruit instead. Fresh fruit has plenty of fibre which slows down the release of sugar into the bloodstream. Just limit your fresh fruit intake to 1 – 2 handfuls a day.
Eat more complex carbohydrates:
Choose complex carbohydrates such as oats, quinoa, brown rice, starchy vegetables, and legumes over refined carbohydrates such as bread, crackers, white rice, pasta, and noodles. Refined carbohydrates are processed to have most of their fibre removed, causing your blood sugar levels to rapidly increase, impairing ovulation. Complex carbohydrates are unprocessed and contain a lot of fibre, causing your blood sugar levels to gradually increase, reducing insulin resistance to improve ovulation.
Cut down on caffeine:
Caffeine, in coffee, tea (even green tea) and cocoa, spikes blood sugar levels affecting ovulation. You may be mistaking your hunger for a caffeine craving so try eating a small snack containing protein and healthy fat, like a handful of almonds, before you reach for the kettle.
Always eat breakfast:
Your blood sugar levels are low after sleep, so start the day with a breakfast containing protein, complex carbohydrates, and healthy fat, which will balance your blood sugar levels to improve ovulation.
Seek help if you are feeling overwhelmed:
Dietary modifications can be daunting and hard to implement all at once. If you feel overwhelmed, as a naturopath, I can help you stick to a low GI diet.
Low GI meal ideas to treat PCOS and improve fertility:
Breakfast
raw, fruit free, muesli with fresh fruit
a vegetable omelette
poached eggs with vegetables.
Lunch
protein (e.g., egg, tuna, salmon, chicken or four bean mix) with salad
protein (e.g., chicken/beef/lamb/legume) and vegetable soup
dinner leftovers.
Dinner
BBQ chicken/meat/fish with salad
roast with baked/steamed veggies
chicken and vegetable stir-fry with brown rice.
Snacks
handful of nuts and seeds
coconut yoghurt with fresh fruit/nuts/seeds
veggie sticks with hummus.
How can I predict when I will ovulate so I can increase my chances of becoming pregnant with PCOS?
My PCOS clients often ask if they should use a fertility app or ovulation predictor test kits (OPKs). I do not recommend apps and OPKs as they can confuse you and put you off track.
Most fertility apps are only suitable for women who have regular cycles. They work by calculating your average cycle length and use this to work out when you should ovulate. If your cycles are erratic, there is no average, meaning all fertility calculations will be incorrect.
OPKs work by testing for luteinizing hormone (LH) that surges just before ovulation. The problem with PCOS is you can often have false LH surges throughout your cycle, which can lead to OPKs incorrectly predicting ovulation.
The best way to predict when you are about to ovulate is to chart your menstrual cycle by recording basal body temperature and cervical mucus changes.
This is something I teach all my fertility clients because it allows you to pinpoint when you are at the most fertile time of your cycle.
I also recommend the book ‘Taking Charge of Your Fertility’ by Toni Weschler to make charting easier.
What should I do if I still can’t fall pregnant with PCOS?
PCOS is a spectrum, and some women may need additional support to regulate ovulation. They may not ovulate at all, instead having anovulatory cycles that sporadically cause a breakthrough bleed, which is often mistaken as a period.
As a naturopath specialising in women’s hormone health, I can help to promote ovulation so you can increase your chances of falling pregnant.
There are evidence-based herbal and nutritional supplements that are highly effective in regulating ovulation that I use with great success to help women with PCOS conceive.
I can also arrange pathology testing to identify the cause/s of your fertility issues, as PCOS may not be the only reason you are having difficulty conceiving.
I can also help you chart your menstrual cycle so you can pinpoint when you are most fertile. Women with erratic periods often find it difficult to chart their cycle without assistance. I have had 20 years of experience helping women to feel more confident in charting and would be happy to help you.
Lastly, it is crucial for your partner to have a semen analysis. Male factor fertility issues are often overlooked, even though they contribute to at least 30% of all sub-fertility cases. If your partner has a low sperm count, motility and/or morphology, there is evidence-based herbal and nutritional medicine I can prescribe that will help to increase these levels within an average 74-day sperm cycle.
Success Stories
Karen and Jodie are both clients of mine with PCOS who fell pregnant soon after starting a personalised treatment plan that included a low GI eating plan, a couple of clinically tested herbal and nutritional supplements, and support with charting their menstrual cycles.
Jodie's success story:
“After failed IVF, my weight going up and down due to Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and not having a period for up to 4 months at a time, a girlfriend recommended Tara's services to me. Whilst my partner and I wanted children, getting myself healthy and my menstrual cycle regulated was our first priority. After 4 weeks of being on Tara's health plan, I went to my doctor to have an ultrasound to check my ovaries for cysts. Well, there were no cysts, but there was something - my little man!! After many attempts to have a baby and no luck, 4 weeks on Tara's health plan, and BAM! We were expecting a baby!!! Needless to say, Tara will be the first person I come to for baby #2. No clinics and medical interference for this mumma again!”
Karen's success story:
“I first saw Tara after having irregular cycles and trying to conceive for about 9 months after coming off the pill. She didn’t give me any false hopes or promises of a ‘miracle cure’ but was confident she could help me get my cycle back on track within 3 months. I followed the advice, supplements and diet changes Tara recommended – and had 2 normal cycles over 2 months. In the 3rd month I fell pregnant!”
Want to find out more about how I treat PCOS and fertility issues?
As a naturopath, I can develop a personalised treatment plan for you that provides meal plans, recipe ideas, and ongoing support, to keep you motivated and help you stay on track. Take a look at my PCOS service page for more info…
