First I would like to clarify that I'm not a doctor, and all this information is based on my own research, discussions with doctors, and what my own experiences have been. Please make sure you do your own research.
OK Ladies - so here it is. This is some of what I've learned over that past three years that has worked for me...I hope you will be able to take away from it what you can and use it to make your own successes.
Part 1 - Herbals, vitamins and minerals
Here is a link to a webpage I found that has a handy dandy list of vitamin/mineral/herbal supplements that are supposed to help alleviate symptoms of PCOS. I've concentrated on the ones that help with hormonal imbalance/infertility as those are my most prevalent symptoms. However, I have noticed, for myself, that I have also had hair regrowth (where I want it and not where I don't), less acne, nicer nails and and a general sense of increased well-being. Look at the list, see what supplements fall under what symptoms you would like to see improved and then do your own research (I'll provide a couple websites that are good for research as well). I try to keep it as natural as I can - I have found that Planet Organic has the best prices.
I take the following vitamins and minerals - Omega 3-6-9, B 100 Complex, Calcium, Vitamin D, Choline & Inositol, PABA, Chromium, prenatal multi-vitamin (higher levels of folate and a few other ingredients that aren't found in "regular" multivitamins).
I also take herbal supplements - Vitex, Brad King's Her Energy, Brad King's Lean Energy
Websites:
List of supplements - http://www.ovarian-cysts-pcos.com/supplements.html
Brad King Products - http://www.fatwars.com/
Websites for supplement research (Wikipedia is GREAT too!!) - http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/dhp-mps/prodnatur/applications/licen-prod/monograph/index-eng.php
Part 2 - Lifestyle (aka diet & exercise - I know, I know... it sucks)
After all the research I've done about diet and how our bodies process food - this of course means that I've read what other people have written on the subject - and now from personal experience, the most effective lifestyle (no more saying the word "diet") is eating smaller meals more often through out the day. Two weeks ago, I purchased a little book titled "Flat Belly Diet Plan" that shows you how to eat "mediterranean style" with north american food. The first four days (a jumpstart plan) I lost almost two inches around my middle!! Short that I couldn't wear on my vacation I could fit into again!! I have since continued on this plan, and have been noticing changes still, though not as quickly - and I'm ok with that!! Today I was able to wear pants that I wasn't able to last month. Awesome!!! This could technically be called a low Glycemic Index diet, but really it's just a smart plan that includes foods from ALL food groups, in smaller portions, and includes a portion of a Mono-Unstaturated Fatty Acid (MUFA) such as seeds, nuts, avocados and YES!! even dark chocolate! You eat four small (around 400 calories) meals a day, of healthy, as-natural-as possible foods. Imagine a plan that MAKES you eat dark chocolate!! There is another plan out there that pretty much gives you the same style of eating called "Eat Clean" - however they have you eating 5 times a day - every 2 hours. I tried that way once, but I eneded up putting on pounds and that was because of one thing...your body needs at least 2 hours to decide if the carbohydrate you take in (breads, fruits, vegetables, grains, etc.) is going to be used up as energy or stored as fat. Because our insulin works slower than the "normal" person's, we need an extra hour to have our bodies make that decision and start to use the food as energy instead of storing it as fat. So I like the idea of eating four times a day - every 3 hours (2 and a half if you can't hold out LOL). Now here's the part about exercise - you don't need to be a gym fanatic :o). All you need to do is get anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes a day. That's it! And all you have to do is walk at a decent pace. If you want to do more than that, because you like to and it makes you feel good, then that's AWESOME! I'm envious!! However, for those of you who just like to get out and be active - walking is a great option. You can even step it up a notch (pun intended) and add weights to your ankles or hands. Just get out there!
So I hope you are able to get some usefullness out of what I've put up here, or at least it gives you a starting point to do your own looking into. Good Luck ladies!! It's a jungle out there, and when you're hormones are raging, and everyone gets on your nerves, people just better pray there isn't a machete near by!! :o)
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