Feeling a bit lost and stressed. Would like to have a child. Any advice for a vegetarian with a healthy BMI and PCOS amenorrhea?

[Firefly86]

I was diagnosed with PCOS at 15. I was on birth control for a few years, on and off, then came off in 2020 and my period slowly disappeared after 6 months of it being regular and I was actually ovulating since I was using the FAM method to track. But yes I haven't had a period since May 2021.

The things that bother me the most are my absent periods, facial hair and mood swings.

I am currently 90% dairy free but not gluten free, I don't eat meat and only occasionally fish, so I feel stressed about what I can eat and what I'll have to cut out, it feels very daunting to me. And any online pcos diets I see include meat.

I'd like to have children so I have been decreasing the gluten I consume and taking omega 3, 6 & 9, magnesium multi vitamins, vitamin D3, probiotics and I have just started Myo+ D-chiro inositol and vitex berry, I haven't noticed a difference yet.

I also enjoy boxing even though, I haven't done it for a while it has been part of my life from young. And I enjoy running, it helps me mentally and allows me to have my own space and time, this year I also signed up to do a half marathon but now I'm feeling like it may have been a bad idea. Since everything advises low impact exercise that won't stress the body.

Do I really have to just stop doing these things? Does anyone have any diet suggestions for someone who doesn't eat meat and only eats fish occasionally? It honestly gets me down when I think about it sometimes.

I'm scared I won't be able to have children, my periods are no where to be seen and we've been having unprotected sex for almost a year. I've read so many stories of women conceiving with PCOS and I've been told not to worry since they know someone who has conceived and has PCOS but all these women seem to have some period even if it is irregular. Even my future mother-in-law has PCOS and needed help to conceive, when I told her about my run away period, she was shocked since she also still had a period.

[Fruitchicken]

Sounds like you are doing the right things, with supplements etc. Myoinositol seems to have started my daughter having periods after having them extremely infrequently (eg less than annually). Regarding meat, i have also found the emphasis on meat eating problematic, in a lot of advice given, as she is also vegetarian, but if you look at the ketogenic type diets, the emphasis is not on high protein but high fat, low carb food. Excess protein is converted to glucose, so it’s unhelpful to eat large quantities anyway. I’m sure with eating some fish and eggs, nuts, seeds , olive oil and a small amount of dairy it’s possible to achieve that. Also it’s important not to think your diet has to be 100% perfect. It’s about reducing the unhelpful things and increasing the helpful ones. Good luck with it all, I know how hard it can be.

[Firefly86 in reply to Fruitchicken]

Thank you for your response. I'm happy to hear that myo-Inositol has helped your daughter, so I'll give it a try for a bit longer. And I'll have a look into the ketogenic diet, I guess it seemed very daunting but your right in the sense that it doesn't have to be 100% perfect.

[Carly93]

What I will never stop banging on about is Myo and D chiro 40:1 inositol powder , this is a god send for pcos women. This product improves insulin sensitivity , testosterone levels, hunger , craving , periods and even fertility. (Remember needs to be 40:1 ratio)

Myo inositol is great for balancing blood sugar also but with the d chiro it can do so much more.

If you eat fish you are not a vegetarian. I advise you should eat more seafood . Seafood is rich in so many vitamins a d minerals that support hormone health and also anti inflammatory making it great for whole body health. Eat oily fish twice a week , prawns , mussels etc and cod 3 times a week. That will then leave you with 2 days a week for vegetarian meals consisting of lentils, spinach ,peas , chickpeas and chickpea/lentil tofu (don’t advise Sita products, soya can mess with hormonal balance) , eggs , legumes and pulses. Pea protein is great to incorporate in to porridge or low carb no sugar pancakes/muffins. You should try lowering carb intake . Carbs should consist of a quarter of your plate in one or two meals a day . When having carbs be sure to pair them with good fats and protein . Vegetables should make up half of your plate in every meal. Cut out snacking. Instead of doing a full run you could try going for a short jog/walk combination. Instead of doing a full boxing workout you could try to incorporate it in to a slow hitt work out. Building muscle in slow weighted workouts /Pilates usually has a better outcome as they don’t exhaust the cortisol hormone and build muscle to sensitise insulin. Lower your caffeine consumption as caffeine can increase cortisol causing jitters , stomach problems snd you guessed it Anxiety! Instead of coffee try a creamy Matcha latte instead as matcha not only has more health benefits (one being protecting your cells from damage from the environment and stress) maybe opt for some decaf options also. Cut out regular alcohol intake as this puts stress in the body by increasing cortisol hormone, increases inflammation and can have damaging effects in liver(cysters are prone to liver damage) all of this will only exacerbate your pcos symptoms . Eat gut friendly food like yogurt (dairy free options) , sauerkraut, kombucha , kimichi , gut friendly bacteria capsules and lots of veggies this will improve insulin resistance , inflammation, gut issues and mental health/clarity.

Try to keep your fruit to one to two a day (because of sugar) paired with good fats and protein such as nuts and nut butters (this improves the insulin response to food). Prioritise sleep , lacking in sleep increases insulin resistance , inflammation and has a bad effect on brain and mental health. Try cutting out gluten ( when products contain gluten such as bread , flour and pasta these contain small cells called “leptin” these are sharp cells that cut into the gut wall causing “leaky gut” this causes digestion problems and inflammation. Over time leaky gut can cause a lot of problems, such as skin issues, ibs and arthritis. Make sure you have a high protein breakfast this will provide you with good energy for the day and improve insulin sensitivity and fertility. Cysters usually struggle with energy levels as the body shifts from using carbs to protein and fat but with pcos we don’t really use carbs as energy our body doesn’t shift energy use so we store carbs as fat which causes weight gain and exacerbates our already damaged insulin response. Find out what pcos type you are. This can help guide you in to what to focus on most

I don’t advise going completely carb free (keto) as it’s unnecessary and will only worsen hormonal symptoms of hunger, irritation and cravings which can increase stress and cause yo yo dieting. This is no good for anybody, especially a cyster. We need a sustainable diet

Hope this helps x

[Firefly86 in reply to Carly93]

Wow thank you so much, there's a lot to take in there but all very useful and reassuring. Sorry I know I'm technically pescatarian and not vegetarian but I've found not many people understand what I mean when I say it and it's easier to say vegetarian but occasionally eat fish.But again thank you so much, I'll definitely be writing this down.

[leighaparker11]

I am so very sorry to hear your struggles. I can relate. I don't know much about the diet thing, as I just found out that PCOS is what I've been dealing with for years. But I felt compelled to write so you know your not alone. I sincerely hope your able to get pregnant, carry successfully, and deliver and healthy baby. I can't stress that enough. I have unfortunately lost a baby at 20 weeks and my next pregnancy ended up only going to 25 weeks which I delivered my now 6 yr old son. Which he was in the NICU for 5 months and had to have many surgeries. A very rough time indeed. I haven't had a period in 4 years and had been told by my previous doctor after running a small amount of blood work that she "didn't know exactly why I wasn't having a period and all she could do is give me a pill to help me start but that it wasn't necessary". So I believed that until yesterday when a new doctor told me that I probably have PCOS, as I have all the signs and symptoms and that not having a period can actually increase your risk of uterine cancer. So I hope your able to find a good health care provider that can steer you in the right direction with your diet, period, and pregnancy. Sending loads of love and positivity from NC, USA.

[Dytta]

Keto diet is the best. If you don't follow any diet, your PCOS will get worse.

[Carly93 in reply to Dytta]

Im glad this works for you but wouldn’t say keto is the best diet . Low carb is great but to completely remove carbs can cause hunger , increases cravings , irritation and yo yo dieting causing weight gain thus exacerbating symptoms. Keto diet can be unsustainable for a lot of cysters.

[Dytta in reply to Carly93]

It's not true. If you did it you know how it works, and it works well. Need to reverse insulin resistance, so you can't eat sugars and the bad carbs. I eat twice a day and I'm not hungry between. I'm vegan as well. Diary isn't healthy as well.

[Carly93 in reply to Dytta]

I have tried it and personally it didn’t work for me. Every one is different. One thing doesn’t work for all. I never said it can’t work for someone but for a lot of cysters it’s unsustainable. By all means cysters should try different ways to treat there symptoms once they find out their pcos types . I’m gluten free and have seen that work for so many cysters as gluten is inflammatory, but Not everyone has the same reaction. Pcos is not the same for everybody, we all experience different symptoms and severities . So it’s only logical that one way of treatment wouldn’t have the same reaction with another. Studios have found the Mediterranean diet to be the most beneficial but adding on that a cyster could be low carb gluten free or keto or just low carb .