Power Up for PCOS

An older man, bearing white whiskers, white hair and tortoise-shell rimmed glasses, enters the physical therapy gym, delicately balancing on two crutches. He casts a puzzled look in my direction, watching my every move as I continue completing a set of “clamshells, ” the most intense hip-strengthening exercise I have encountered while at physical therapy.

As I get up to get a drink of water, he glances in my direction and asks “Why… are you here for rehabilitation of some sort?” The question is familiar, though it still feels like a subtle slap on the face. “No I just come here to work out” I want to say, but instead I smile and respond, “Yes, I actually hurt my knee” in my most polite tone. He responds “Ah. Well it sure doesn’t look like you need to be here.”

I smile and nod, and return to my purple mat, where a set of planks awaits me. My physical therapist casts a knowing glance in my direction, having witnessed similar interactions in the past.

This comment still lingers in my thoughts, like the unpleasant residue remaining after a band-aid has been pulled off.  My encounter at the physical therapy clinic reminds me of the many doctors that I have dealt with through various points of my life. It is still astounding to me that so many medical professionals have stated that “a slim, youthful woman of your age” should not be having a myriad of peculiar health symptoms. As if they had suddenly forgotten all six years of their medical school education, or more aptly, attributed my complaints to a state of anxiety that clearly plagues all young female millennials.

As a woman with PCOS, I also find that my youth and slim physique often make me feel like an “atypical” case. I often remind myself that PCOS is a syndrome, but the disbelief of certain doctors has made me feel self-conscious about being a woman with PCOS. Similarly, since PCOS is so intimately linked to fertility health, and since so many women obtain a diagnosis when they are trying to conceive, I sometimes feel alienated by my present situation. Not quite in the “TTC” camp, not quite in the “trying to lose weight camp,” perhaps in a larger camp of working on being as healthy as possible? Does that sound less appealing? I do want to have children some day. This is definitely a motivating factor for me when it comes to taking care of myself and living my life as a “wellness warrior,” but it is not the only one.

These experiences have taught me a lot about the grace with which I interact with others. Despite my outwardly appearance, there is a lot going on with my body. There are days when I feel uncomfortable and overwhelmed. Days where I do not feel like cooking for myself, days where I wish I did not have food sensitivities, and moments where I do not want to get out of bed. I try my best to move forward and to keep improving.

As a Power Up for PCOS representative, I worried about being judged for my age, for my physique, or for the fact that I am not trying to conceive. I sometimes feel that my symptoms are not as “bad” as what other women are going through. I wondered if maybe I shouldn't be as open in sharing my experiences. I worried that my focus on the larger health picture would not appeal to other women. Ultimately, through a conversation with Beth and Katrina, I realized that so many women with PCOS feel this way. Women with children who feel guilty for trying to have another child, women with hair loss who feel guilty that they don’t have excess hair growth, women with thyroid problems who feel guilty for not having endometriosis…etc.

But ultimately, we are all women with PCOS. We all have unique struggles, we all wonder at why our body does what it does and we all strive for wellness. We are different but also similar. So I call on you, to stand together, to let go of the guilt and to work together towards a healthy and fulfilling life.

Have you felt judged during your PCOS journey? Please comment below.


Written by: Natalie, Power Up for PCOS Volunteer
http://www.powerupforpcos.com
*Please note that I am not a medical professional. I am not qualified to give out any medical advice. I am a woman with PCOS who is sharing my personal experiences in this blog and I advise you to consult a professional.*

It worked!!!  I'm Pregnant!!!!!!!  I'm so excited and happy!!!  It is very early still in the pregnancy, I will be 6 weeks along on Friday.  Although most people say you should wait 3 months, we learned after our son was stillborn at 7 months that you are never safe, therefore we are sharing this news and enjoying every minute of this pregnancy!  I am considered high risk for this pregnancy since my son was stillborn, but it means they will watch me very closely this time, which is a good thing.  We already have done 3 blood tests to ensure my numbers were doubling and we had our 1st ultrasound on Monday and the baby was right where it should be for how far along we were.  We are going to be followed by a regular doctor as well as a high risk doctor.  So after 8 years and 7 months of trying and our only pregnancy resulting in our son being stillborn, we are now pregnant with our 2nd child!  I love Pregnitude!!!  I would be the spokesperson for them if they wanted.  We were actually getting to the point of starting to give up hope, the first 2 months I didn't ovulate and we were getting nervous that we were wasting time.  Then on my 3rd month, I ovulated, which was a miracle and then we got pregnant, a double miracle!!!  I just can't believe it. I have never ovulated on anything besides Clomid before. I am considered anovulatory and I ovulated and got pregnant on Pregnitude.  It is a miracle supplement.  I think everyone with PCOS who is trying to conceive should consider giving it a chance, just check with your doctor first to make sure it is safe for you to be on it, it does interact with some medications and things.  If it could work for me after 8 years and 7 months, my hope is it would work for you too.  So my message is never give up hope, we almost did. There is always hope, keep trying, take Pregnitude, eat healthy, exercise, track your ovulation (we use ovulation predictor kits), and time your TTC.  I am wishing you all lots of luck in your TTC and hoping to hear about many more Pregnitude babies.  This could be a miracle supplement for women with PCOS.


Disclaimer: Please note that Pregnitude is an official sponsor of Power Up for PCOS 5K. However, the individual listed below is not affiliated with Pregnitude or a volunteer for Power Up for PCOS. Power Up for PCOS posted a request for someone starting Pregnitude to blog their personal experiences for the Power Up for PCOS blog. This should not be construed as medical advice. Please see your doctor for further information.*

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• Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion = 2
  Largest concerns were allergens.
  Verdict: KEEP IT!

• Epionce Milky Lotion Cleanser = 2
  Largest concerns were allergens.
  Verdict: KEEP IT!

• Mary Kay Ultimate Mascara = 3
  Largest concern – contains parabens (endocrine disruption)
  Verdict: TRASH IT!

•  Jane Iredale Amazing Base (mineral foundation from dermatologist) = 7
  Largest concerns – Cancer, organ toxicity (titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, dimethicone, etc)
  Verdict: TRASH IT!

•  Clinique Colour Surge Eye Shadow = 4
  Largest concerns = Cancer
  Verdict: TRASH IT!

•  Neutrogena SkinClearing Blemish Treatment Foundation = 5?
  This score is questionable as the old formulation was listed.  Not sure if there is a difference to the current formulation.
  
  Largest concerns = Biochemical/cellular level changes, endocrine disruption, cancer, organ toxicity (contains Retinyl Palmitate, Parabens)
  Verdict: TRASH IT!

•  Clinique Long Last Lipstick = 5
  Largest concerns – cancer, organ system toxicity, developmental/reproductive toxology (Glyceryl Rosinate, BHT)
  Verdict: TRASH IT!

•  Clinique Line Smoothing Concealer = ?
  This product was not in the database.  Upon further investigation it has been found that this product contains nanoparticles.  I was not able to obtain a complete list of ingredients and Clinique does not allow you to request a full list of ingredients anyways. You can only ask them about up to 4 ingredients per product.  A little sketchy if you ask me.  This is my FAVORITE product as I always have bags and dark circles under my eyes, as well as blemishes and it has never failed me.  I hope I can find a good replacement.
  Verdict: TRASH IT! 

•  Clinique Quickliner = 4
  Largest concerns – Neurotoxicity, cancer, organ system toxicity, possible endocrine disruption. (Aluminum Powder, BHT, CYCLOPENTASILOXANE)
  
  This has always been my favorite eyeliner as well.  Goes on SO smooth and easy to apply.  I’ll be sad to see this one go.
  Verdict: TRASH IT!

• Burt’s Bees Replenishing Lip Balm = 2
  Not a lot to worry about with this one except perhaps Castor Oil (can cause developmental/reproductive toxicity).
  Verdict: KEEP IT! (or trash it, I’m not too attached to it)

• Herbal Essences Hello Hydration Moisturizing Shampoo = 4
  Largest concerns = Fragrance – organ system toxicity, neurotoxicity, cancer
  Verdict: TRASH IT!

*Please note that I am not a medical professional. I am not qualified to give out any medical advice. I am a woman with PCOS who is sharing my personal experiences in this blog and I advise you to consult a professional.*

I hope you had a wonderful holiday surrounded by family and friends.  With the holidays comes lots of temptation for all the bad things that are horrible for our diets.  I know I got a little off-track (I was also traveling for almost 3 weeks, so that didn't help at all) and am anxious to start off the year getting back into clean eating and an exercise routine again.  Here's my plan for the first part of the year:

I am now 3 months into the Pregnitude, getting ready to start my 4th box and I have some very exciting news to share.  I ovulated for the first time on Pregnitude and it's also my first time ovulating without the help of Clomid!  This was so exciting for me, I never thought I would be able to ovulate without the help of fertility drugs and now the Pregnitude has helped me to ovulate! It is definitely working and on my 3rd month, I was so excited!  Getting the positive ovulation test was almost as exciting as if it had been a positive pregnancy test.

So here's what happened, I started  testing with OPK's on Day 9.  On Day 14 my OPK gave a positive digital result but when I looked at the two lines they were not the same darkness, plus my cervical mucus was not indicating ovulation, so I had the feeling it was a false positive.  But we still TTC'd every day for the next 3 days in case it was a real positive.  In the meantime, I kept testing with the OPK to see if we would get another positive.  Then on Day 19, I got another positive and when I checked the lines, they were of equal darkness indicating ovulation plus my cervical mucus was indicating ovulation, so I knew this was the real ovulation and the other one was a false positive.  Since the OPKs indicate you will ovulate in the next 24-36 hours, we TTC'd for another 3 days in a row.  We are now on Day 26 and we are hoping for a miracle!  We are going to take a pregnancy test in 8 days if I don't get my period by then, so keep your fingers crossed that this cycle will be the miracle we have been waiting for over 8.5 years.  I feel hopeful but don't want to get too excited either.

So I hope my message can be of hope to you.  Keep the faith, keep trying, never give up hope and Pregnitude can work and hopefully make you ovulate too!  Wishing you all the luck of ovulation as well!

Disclaimer: Please note that Pregnitude is an official sponsor of Power Up for PCOS 5K. However, the individual listed below is not affiliated with Pregnitude or a volunteer for Power Up for PCOS. Power Up for PCOS posted a request for someone starting Pregnitude to blog their personal experiences for the Power Up for PCOS blog. This should not be construed as medical advice. Please see your doctor for further information.*

I am well into my 3rd box of Pregnitude and I have had an interesting couple of weeks.  My light period that I had after a 42 day cycle wasn't really a period at all.  It all started when I started testing for ovulation around what I thought was cycle day 10 of my new cycle.  Every time I tested, my 2nd line was always nearly invisible which means I was no where near ovulating and had no LH Hormone for ovulation. I tested for about 8 days and the line was always near invisible.  I also track ovulation through cervical mucous and I had absolutely no mucous, which also indicates no where near ovulation.  Then my breasts started to become sore which usually happens before I get my period, but didn't happen before my short period.  So with sore breasts, no cervical mucous and a nearly invisible OPK line, I knew I was either getting my period for real this time or pregnant.  I took another pregnancy test but it was negative, so I just waited.  After about another week and a half, my period started 4 days ago.  I am confident this is a real period as all signs point toward it plus having the sore breasts this time.  Since this period was only 3weeks after my last one, I am assuming that was just 9 days of light bleeding and this is my real period.  That means I actually had a 63 day cycle so I am guessing this is just my body's way of trying to regulate my hormones from the Pregnitude.  So I feel like the Pregnitude is working hard to try and get my hormones more regulated.  So I am now on Day 4 of this cycle and really hoping that since I am on my 3rd box of Pregnitude, that maybe I will ovulate this month.  I guess we will have to wait and see.


Disclaimer: Please note that Pregnitude is an official sponsor of Power Up for PCOS 5K.  However, the individual listed below is not affiliated with Pregnitude or a volunteer for Power Up for PCOS.  Power Up for PCOS posted a request for someone starting Pregnitude to blog their personal experiences for the Power Up for PCOS blog.  This should not be construed as medical advice.  Please see your doctor for further information.* 

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!  So I am almost at the 2 month mark on Pregnitude and I just bought my 3rd box.  This past week my period ended, it lasted for 9 days, but it was very light the entire time.  The thing that concerns me with that is I am afraid if I didn't shed enough, then my lining might be too thick & implantation may not be able to occur if it is too thick, so that is my concern with this new cycle.  I am feeling very hopeful that we will ovulate this cycle, I would really love to be pregnant for Christmas, I've asked Santa for a baby for Christmas for 8.5 years.  We were pregnant with our son 2 Christmases ago and we had the ultrasound to determine if he was a boy or girl early december and had them put it in an envelope and then we opened it as our Christmas present to find out he was a boy and gave that present to everyone else in our family as well.  It was a great story to tell him until he passed away.  Last year was Baby's 1st Christmas for him and that was really hard and all the holidays are extremely difficult without him, so it would be so nice if we could have something happy this Christmas like being pregnant with another baby.  A new baby won't replace our son, but we would still like to have more children. The holidays are such a child centric time and that's really hard for people with infertility and even harder with a stillborn baby and infertility.  I say a special prayer for all of you going through infertility or child loss that you have a peaceful Thanksgiving and hopefully there are babies in all of our futures.

Disclaimer: Please note that Pregnitude is an official sponsor of Power Up for PCOS 5K.  However, the individual listed below is not affiliated with Pregnitude or a volunteer for Power Up for PCOS.  Power Up for PCOS posted a request for someone starting Pregnitude to blog their personal experiences for the Power Up for PCOS blog.  This should not be construed as medical advice.  Please see your doctor for further information.*