Is It Possible to Conceive If You Have PCOS?

5 min readMay 4, 2022

Is It Possible to Conceive If You Have PCOS?

Is your PCOS preventing you from enjoying the joys of motherhood? Do you feel hopeless about your pregnancy? Are you concerned about the complications and difficulties that may arise? Don’t be because you are not alone in this; there are many women out there who have PCOS and are experiencing the same doubts and difficulties that you are.

While PCOS can affect hormones and the ability to conceive, getting pregnant can be challenging, but it is not impossible. However, there are medication, treatments and lifestyle changes that can help you answer how to conceive with PCOS.

Why is it more difficult to conceive when you have PCOS?

PCOS women have hormonal imbalances in key reproductive hormones such as progesterone, insulin, and androgens that can cause irregular menstrual cycles and complications during or before pregnancy.

PCOS acts as a barrier and frequently disrupts the ovulation process, which is required for pregnancy to occur. Some women have cysts on their ovaries that interfere with the ovulation process.

PCOS causes a woman’s body to produce more androgens than usual. It is also known as male hormone as men have much higher levels of androgens than women.

Having high levels of androgens interferes with the development of eggs as well as their regular release. If a healthy egg is not available to be fertilized by a sperm, you cannot conceive.

It also creates hormonal irregularities that impact the nature of your cervical fluid, making sperm survival more difficult.

What are the chances of being pregnant? And how long does it take to conceive if you have PCOS?

There is no proven statistical data on the chances of getting pregnant with PCOS, but it is estimated that 70% of women with the condition struggle to conceive. Also, there is no set time frame from which doctors can predict when you are likely to become pregnant, if you have just begun PCOS treatment.

If you have not yet been officially diagnosed with PCOS, your doctor will advise you to try to conceive naturally for about a year.

If you are over the age of 35 or are experiencing miscarriages, they will order tests to check for any underlying issues.

Natural way to get pregnant if you have PCOS

Pregnancy with PCOS requires some of the same precautions that a healthy pregnancy requires for women who do not have PCOS.

1. Maintain a healthy weight

Your body weight plays a significant role in getting pregnant. Maintaining a good healthy weight is your first part of the procedure as PCOS and obesity are linked. Obesity can worsen the symptoms of PCOS and make it more difficult to conceive . Losing weight is usually the first step for women with PCOS who are overweight or obese and want to conceive.

2. Start a healthy diet

What comes first in maintaining a healthy weight is your diet. To make progress, eat a healthy, well-balanced, nutritious diet. Avoid carbs, unhealthy fats, and sugary foods, or simply replace them with vitamins required for a growing baby or the production of healthy eggs.

3. Plan your exercise

Regular exercise has numerous benefits for everyone, but it is especially important for pregnant women. Maintain an active lifestyle in order to lose excess fat and maintain a healthy weight by doing yoga, jogging, and cycling etc.

4. Track your period

This is the most important step for a woman suffering from PCOS. Prior to seeking any other assistance, use an ovulation calendar to track your menstrual cycle. Thai will assist you during your doctor’s routine checkup. This will also make it easier for you to predict which days are more likely for you to become pregnant.

5. Check your blood sugar levels

PCOS interrupts insulin production and its usage in your body. It can sometimes trigger your blood sugar levels and type 2 diabetes. This may cause fertility problems. So keep track of your blood sugar level by getting it checked by your doctor.

However, these are some basic guidelines, if you are already following above mentioned things then you should focus on your sexual routine. You need to have sex on a frequent basis because women with PCOS have irregular cycles. Setting timings for sex will not work for you if you have a short cycle or a long menstruation cycle. Tracking your fertility signs can also be helpful in figuring out when you’re ovulating.

If you are 35 or above age and have PCOS then it could be more difficult for you. You should consult your doctor to get medication and treatments.

Treatments to get pregnant if you have PCOS

If you’re having trouble getting pregnant because of PCOS, you’re not alone. It may be a little more difficult, and you may require additional assistance. There are medication and treatment options available. By seeking medical help to manage PCOS symptoms, you can increase your chances of having a healthy pregnancy.

1. Medication

Many women with PCOS conceive by just maintaining a healthy weight and balancing their hormonal levels through medications. You need to follow the above mentioned advice also. Your doctors will prescribe you medicines to balance the levels of hormones in order to fix your menstrual cycle. This will eventually increase the chances of a healthy pregnancy.

2. Fertility options

If the medications are not working for you, then there are surgery options available for you that are given below:

3. Intrauterine insemination (IUI)

Your doctor may advise you to try intrauterine insemination, which is a less expensive option (IUI). Because it directly injects a high concentration of sperm closer to the egg, this procedure increases the chances of pregnancy.

4. In vitro fertilization (IVF)

In vitro fertilization is a method of fertilization in which an egg is combined with sperm in a laboratory. The procedure entails monitoring and stimulating a woman’s ovulation cycle, removing an egg or ova from their ovaries, and allowing sperm to fertilize them in a laboratory.

You can discuss this with your doctor to choose the procedure according to your condition.

Conclusion

If you’re trying to conceive and having trouble due to PCOS, you should see a gynecologist. It can be a difficult procedure, but the most important thing is to stay positive and talk to other women who are in similar situations. Now that you are aware of all of your options, you should maintain a healthy lifestyle to make the procedures and medications effective.

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