How to Improve Your Chances of Getting Pregnant with PCOS
You want to know how you can improve your chances of getting pregnant with PCOS. You're tired of questions rolling around in your head like,
"What are my chances of getting pregnant?"
"What is the success rate of pregnancy with PCOS?"
"Can I get pregnant naturally with PCOS?"
Those are all really great questions, but at the end of the day, what you really want to know is how you can improve your own chances and move full steam ahead in that direction so you can just have your period, ovulate and make a baby.
Am I right?
Well I'm happy you are here because too often women like you are getting dismissive information from their doctors when they want to make changes for their PCOS.
They go into their doctor who tells them "I can't prescribe you anything other than metformin until you lose weight."
How do they end up feeling?
Fed up, overwhelmed and learning more about PCOS on TikTok than from their doctor.
Not good.
But not you. Not anymore at least.
You are learning these concrete steps that you can move forward with in order to increase your chances of getting pregnant with PCOS.
Before we jump into the steps, I want to talk about the reason so many doctors are giving dismissive PCOS fertility advice. It's important information that will help put together what you learn about the steps.
The Problem With A One-Size-Fits-All Approach
The reason there is a lot of dismissive information about PCOS is because PCOS is a syndrome. That means multiple different symptoms and issues in the body make up the PCOS diagnosis.
So the set of symptoms that make up your PCOS are going to be different from your friends, your neighbor, your sister-in-law. Everyone with PCOS has a different set of symptoms that make up their PCOS picture.
Syndromes, like PCOS, make things tricky for typical medical treatment because one medication can't handle fixing all the different issues that PCOS creates in the body. And most doctors are really only comfortable when there's one medication to fix that one issue.
That's what's called a one-size-fits-all approach.
And because there is such a wide difference in what is causing PCOS symptoms, PCOS does not respond well to the one-size-fits-all approach.
Don't settle for a one-size-fits-all approach.
In order to improve your chances of getting pregnant with PCOS, you need something that steps out of the box and looks at your body in a holistic way to fit together your unique PCOS fertility needs.
Throughout my years of seeing patients, I understand how the body can shift and heal. So even if there isn't one medication to fix everything, there are still vital health steps to take in order to support the body to have the optimal fertility health and the best chance at becoming pregnant.
And that's exactly what we are talking about today.
Get the details you need about PCOS fertility right here in my Ultimate Guide to PCOS Fertility: What You Need to Know
3 Steps To Improve Your Chances of Getting Pregnant With PCOS
Step #1: Figure out Your PCOS Type
Has your doctor talked with you about the different PCOS types? Have you even heard of these types before? If not, you are missing out on something that could very well be standing in the way of you getting pregnant.
The reason figuring out your PCOS type is so important is because it helps you uncover what unique imbalances are going on in your body. Once you know what's going on, then you can move forward with an effective fertility plan.
There are four different types of PCOS. Like I mentioned earlier, everyone has a different set of symptoms that make up their PCOS picture. Well, figuring out your PCOS type is like sorting clothes in the laundry, everything has it's place.
Let's talk through a quick example.
Someone comes to see me in my private practice. One of the first things we do? Figure out their PCOS type.
I go through my PCOS Typing System to figure out which of their symptoms fit in with what type. I make sure to ask questions about blood sugar issues, stress, inflammation and hormonal birth control history.
Let's say this particular person has a stressful job. They don't eat until 1pm in the afternoon, have headaches in the evenings and has been on the pill for 10 years before getting pregnant.
This person has elements of three types of PCOS which include:
Insulin-resistant: because they aren't eating until the afternoon and they get headaches in the evenings
Adrenal: high-stress job
Post-pill PCOS: history of hormonal birth control
Here's how addressing each of this person's PCOS types helps with improving fertility:
Improving insulin resistance and balancing blood sugar helps lower insulin and increase ovulation.
Supporting the adrenals and managing stress helps reduce androgen hormones that shut down ovulation.
Supporting the liver after hormonal birth control helps hormones come back into the normal rhythm that they are supposed to.
As I'm creating their fertility plan, I take what's going on with their PCOS and I pair it with their PCOS types. These two things then pave the way for a fertility plan that is individualized and specific.
Do you see how that works?
If you are dedicated to improving your chances of getting pregnant with PCOS, you don't want to miss out on this vital step.
Step #2: Get Clear on What's Happening in Your Body
Have you gotten comprehensive fertility lab evaluation done to uncover hidden imbalances that are contributing to your pregnancy struggles?
Has your doctor talked to you about the importance of looking holistically at hormone and nutrient levels to optimize fertility?
No?
Well then you are missing out, my friend.
Fertility is not just about your lady-parts.
If the first time you talk to your doctor about your fertility concerns and they tell you to start clomid with timed intercourse? Consider taking a step back to think if that's the right course of action for you.
It's not that these fertility medications are bad, it's that they are being used at the wrong time in the fertility journey.
Let's take vitamin D for instance.
Did you know that women with PCOS and low vitamin D have a higher risk for infertility?
One particular study found that women with PCOS who also had low levels of vitamin D had a live birth rate lower than 44% of the women with normal vitamin D levels.
So you need to be working with a doctor who knows what extra testing needs to be done to find these deficiencies that affect fertility.
That doctor also needs to be able to interpret the results from a fertility-perspective and give you a fertility-specific dose.
Here's an example:
Many doctors prescribe a typical dose of 400 IU of vitamin D. But one study has found that the dose needs to be much higher, between 1,000 and 10,000 IU's to be beneficial for fertility.
So that person starting clomid with a low vitamin D level? Do you see how they are going in with fewer chances of getting pregnant just from the beginning?
And how optimizing vitamin D (and any other deficiencies that are happening) will help them have a higher chance of getting pregnant either naturally or with clomid?
And this is just the tip of the iceberg!
There are a variety of other nutrients and hormones (more than just progesterone and estrogen) that need to be looked at to help you improve your chances of getting pregnant with PCOS.
Step #3: Improve Egg Quality
Are you currently on a plan that helps you improve egg quality?
Here's why this is important.
Your eggs have been in your body since before you were even born. Just like the rest of your body, those eggs are susceptible to toxins we are exposed to daily, lack of nutrients in the diet, low exercise, etc.
If that egg is maturing yet it doesn't have the right nutrients it needs to mature to it's finest, that's a problem. It may very well not ovulate. Or if it does, it won't want to implant. Or if it implants, it will have a higher chance of miscarrying.
Here's the thing, eggs are floating in follicular fluid and their ability to mature is dependent on what nutrients are in that fluid. They need to be surrounded by essential vitamins and antioxidants. This is what they need in order to mature and release as they are supposed to.
So do you see how if you are focused on improving your chances of getting pregnant with PCOS, how including a plan to improve egg quality is an important step?
In order to increase your chances of getting pregnant with PCOS, you need to have a fertility plan that provides these things:
Understanding your PCOS type
Comprehensive fertility testing to uncover any nutrient deficiencies or hormonal imbalances that are contributing to lower fertility.
A plan to improve egg quality
Need help getting a PCOS fertility plan in place that is individualized for your needs? Something that is effective at overcoming the root causes of your fertility struggles and helps you improve your chances of getting pregnant with PCOS?
Schedule a 1:1 session here with me
Here's what you will discover during your session:
How to turn around your PCOS frustrations and be closer to reaching your fertility goals.
Why what you’ve been doing is leading you away from optimal fertility and what actually works.
What’s been missing from your care that’s keeping you from seeing results.
Clear step-by-step guidance to have your best chance at becoming pregnant.
Don’t let PCOS continue to take you away
from your dreams of getting pregnant.
Book here today
Excited to learn more? Check out these other popular PCOS fertility articles!