Dear Marania,
First let me apologize for the delay in responding.

Well the excess facial and body hair and irregular periods are symptoms
of PCOS. But the fact is you can’t be sure until you are evaluated. What
interests me a bit is that your mom had to use medications to become
pregnant. Does she have symptoms of PCOS or has this been considered
in her case, or was there another reason she was having difficulty conceiving?
PCOS does have a hereditary component.

I do not know if the hormones she used have impacted your symptoms. It is possible
that they did but honestly, I do know.

However, I would recommend that you discuss being evaluated for PCOS,
with your doctor. Based on asking about symptoms, they may proceed with
further testing. Some of the tests include:

- free testosterone- elevated in PCOS

- DHEA-S- often elevated in PCOS

- Sex Hormone Binding Globulin (SHBG)- usually low in PCOS

- Fasting insulin- elevated in PCOS. Some doctors may hesitate to order
this test because the normal range (0-20) is so wide. However, we find
that results greater than 9 indicate insulin resistance. Insulin resistance
is usually the underlying cause of PCOS, as you may have read about
on our site. Some doctors may also order a 2-hour post-prandial insulin
test, along with a 2-hour post-prandial glucose test. For the post-prandial
insulin, results over 25 or 30 may indicate insulin resistance.

- Fasting glucose or 2-hour post-prandial glucose test- elevated in PCOS.
Using this information in combination with the insulin levels helps to
diagnose insulin resistance. Also, women with PCOS have a higher risk of
diabetes so it is important to screen for this early and often.

- LH: – Some doctors may also look at the ratio between these two hormones.
In PCOS, we would expect LH to be elevated in comparison to FSH.

- You could get an ultrasound to check for the presence of ovarian cysts. Even
if the ovaries do appear normal, the absence of ovarian cysts does not mean
that you don’t have PCOS. Not everyone with PCOS has ovarian cysts.

Now, if you have PCOS, it is important to know that there are many women who
have successful pregnancies. We just don’t know who will have a problem
conceiving.

Having some tests can certainly help you determine if this is something that you
will need to address.

Marania, I hope that this helps some. Right now we just don’t know but the good
thing is that you have time to discuss this with your doctor and take steps to
address, if need be.

Please let me know if I can help further. Again, I am sorry for the length of time
without a response to your post.

–
Best Wishes,
Dr. Heather DeLuca, ND
Insulite Laboratories Consulting & Advisory teams

DISCLAIMER: The information contained in this email and the Insulite Labs website is for the sole purpose of being informative. This information is not and should not be used or relied upon as medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician, nurse or other qualified health care provider before you undergo any treatment, take any medication, supplements or other nutritional support, or for answers to any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

Dear Sheetal,
Thank you for writing into the PCOS Support blog. I am sorry your post went
unanswered for this long.

I have had many women report that metformin worked for a bit then symptoms
returned. Unfortunately, it sounds as though you are becoming more insulin resistant.
This was likely the reason metformin was given.

Hopefully during the last 8 months you also started to make nutrition, in addition
to the exercise you are doing. If not, now is the time to really start to commit to
change to control the symptoms and improve your ability to become pregnant
and carry the pregnancy to term.

You should also discuss the changes with your doctor as they may want to do some
tests to be see what has changed or if there is anything else that should be evaluated,
such as your thyroid. It is not uncommon to have an under-active thyroid and
some of your symptoms can also be symptoms of an under-active thyroid.

Briefly, what we recommend to our customers using the Insulite PCOS System,
is a low carbohydrate diet. You would want to focus in lean protein (not high amounts),
lots of non-starchy vegetables (kale, broccoli, mixed green lettuces, green beans,
peppers, artichokes, etc.) and healthy fats (nuts, seeds, olive oil, avocados, etc.).
Then you can fill in with some whole grains and fruit. More information is available
with the System.

Regarding exercise, if you choose the Insulite PCOS System, we will guide you
through changes to increase the intensity, time and types of exercise. Your
body can be come accustom to the exercise and you may need to change it up a bit.

With what you have mentioned and the decrease in efficacy of metformin, I would
recommend the PCOS System.

PCOS is a major cause of infertility. A symptom of the condition can be nine
or fewer menstrual cycles per year or irregular periods. Because women with
PCOS don’t have regular periods and not ovulating, many are unable to
become pregnant. To read more about PCOS and infertility please
visit the following link:
http://www.pcos.insulitelabs.com/PCOS-and-Infertility.php

Women with PCOS may be able to improve their fertility by losing weight
and improving the insulin resistance that underlies PCOS.

The Insulite PCOS System is designed to help heal PCOS by addressing its
underlying cause, which in most cases is insulin resistance.

With insulin resistance, the body becomes insensitive to the insulin it
produces, which leads to elevated circulating levels of insulin. This in
turn leads to hormonal imbalances such as increased testosterone and other
androgens (masculinizing hormones).

Elevated insulin can also contributes to weight gain, as well as the
formation of cysts in the ovaries in part due to the hormonal imbalances and
also because the ovaries are highly sensitive to the influence of insulin.

All of these factors combine to complicate a woman’s chances of conceiving
and/or ovulating if she has PCOS.

The Insulite PCOS System helps to improve insulin sensitivity with its
combination of nutrients and herbs as well as diet and exercise guidelines.
The supplements are also designed to correct the hormone imbalance of PCOS.
While we cannot guarantee that you will conceive on our program, we know
that theoretically reducing insulin and testosterone will increase your
chances of conceiving, barring any other factors contributing to the
infertility.

It is safe to continue trying to get pregnant while you are using the
System. We do recommend, however, that, if you become pregnant while using
the PCOS System, you discontinue using the supplements during your pregnancy
and then resume them after you finish breastfeeding. The reason is that
while we know that the Insulite PCOS System is safe and non-toxic in
general, these supplements have not been tested in any clinical trials
specifically on pregnant women or infants.

The Insulite PCOS System consists of several elements, all designed to work
together to address PCOS and its underlying cause, insulin resistance.
Sheetal, I hope that this gives you more information and you consider the
PCOS System. If you have any additional questions or concerns, please
contact me.
–
Best Wishes,
Dr. Heather DeLuca, ND
Insulite Laboratories Consulting & Advisory teams

DISCLAIMER: The information contained in this email and the Insulite Labs website is for the sole purpose of being informative. This information is not and should not be used or relied upon as medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician, nurse or other qualified health care provider before you undergo any treatment, take any medication, supplements or other nutritional support, or for answers to any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

Dear Karen,

Thank you for writing into the PCOS Support blog. I first want to apologize for the delay in my response. For some reason, I missed a few of the posts.

I know that you may still be overwhelmed by all of this. But I want to assure you that there is support available and information that can help you understand what is going on and not only what meds are used (and why) but work that you can do to control and manage PCOS.

As you may know by now, you are falling into the category of lean PCOS. And although people will discuss those that are thin and those that are heavy as being different, with regard to PCOS, the weight gain is just one of the many symptoms of PCOS. However, with your symptoms and the treatment they are using, likely you have elevated levels of androgens, such as testosterone, DHEA-s, that are responsible for symptoms such as excess facial and body hair (hirsutism) and acne and thinning hair on the head. In most cases there is a similar root to the problem and that is why treatments varies very little from one person to the next. That is insulin resistance, that you continue to hear about on our blogs, forums, website, etc.

There are studies to support that thin women with PCOS have some level of insulin/glucose dysregulation and why we recommend the same approach when starting the Insulite PCOS System.

So, you may be asking yourself, “why didn’t my doctor test for this?”. And the reason is that many doctors do not test fasting insulin and usually only test fasting glucose. If glucose if fine, they will not mention insulin resistance, however, to know for sure, fasting insulin should be checked. Also, levels of fasting insulin should be below 10 (normal can range from 1-23). In research, above 9-10 is already showing showing signs of insulin resistance. And although your levels may have been checked or may be with in a optimal range (< 10), women with PCOS, who are lean, can definitely be insulin resistant. Weight is not the deciding factor.

The goal the doctors have for you right now, is to reduce androgens. However, what is important is that you also take steps in your daily life to contribute to balancing those hormones, as well.

You can ask your doctor if this test was done and if not, ask for it to be tested. They may not do it but it can't hurt to ask. If you have been diagnosed, they may assume it is true or just focus on the hormones.

Now regarding vitamin D... it is not uncommon to be deficient in vitamin D. However, there is a correlation between lower vitamin D levels and irregular cycles and those that are deficiency in vitamin D are also at greater risk for insulin resistance, elevated glucose levels and other insulin resistant related syndromes (metabolic syndrome). So, yes there may be a connection. So this aspect should be resolved. After you are treated with the vitamin D therapy, you should ask for a retest in about 3-6 months. Cholecalciferol (vitamin D3), is the most absorbable form and if you are not taking this for, ask your doctor to change it to D3. The reason I mention this is because the prescription given is D2 (calcitriol). One name brand of a pharmaceutical is ROCALTROL. Vitamin D2 potency is less than one third that of vitamin D3. http://jcem.endojournals.org/content/89/11/5387.full

One link that will also get you started on learning more in addition to the one I am putting below is this: http://pcos.insulitelabs.com/Insulite-PCOS-System-Support-Links.php

I hope that this answers your questions and provides some useful information. Please check out our website, if you are looking for additional options. http://pcos.insulitelabs.com/

Let me know if I can help further.

–
Best Wishes,
Dr. Heather DeLuca, ND
Insulite Laboratories Consulting & Advisory teams

DISCLAIMER: The information contained in this email and the Insulite Labs website is for the sole purpose of being informative. This information is not and should not be used or relied upon as medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician, nurse or other qualified health care provider before you undergo any treatment, take any medication, supplements or other nutritional support, or for answers to any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

Dear Shah,
Thank you for contacting the Insulite Laboratories PCOS Support Blog.

It does sound like you have a healthy lifestyle. There does seem to be a hereditary component to PCOS. Our view on the pharmaceutical treatment of PCOS, including the birth control pill and glumetza, is that there is no one drug on the market that will change your condition. The only way to reverse the disorder is to reduce elevations in insulin which directly affect testosterone and other hormonal changes that are responsible for causing PCOS.

The Insulite PCOS System, which you may have read about on our website, http://www.pcos.insulitelabs.com, consists of five elements, all designed to work together to address PCOS and its underlying cause, insulin resistance.

How long you stay on the Insulite System depends on your progress, on how much weight you need to lose, on your symptoms, etc. We certainly don’t want our customers to have to take the supplements for the rest of their lives! We do however hope that you would continue the healthy lifestyle of the Insulite System with respect to the diet and exercise guidelines. These healthy lifestyle changes can help keep you symptom-free, and also may help to prevent other diseases- such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

I hope this information answers your questions. Please don’t hesitate to contact us again with any further questions or concerns.

Best wishes,

Dr. Nicole Kellum, ND
Insulite Laboratories Consulting & Advisory teams

DISCLAIMER: The information contained in this email
and the Insulite Labs website is for the sole purpose
of being informative. This information is not and
should not be used or relied upon as medical advice.
Always seek the advice of your physician, nurse or
other qualified health care provider before you
undergo any treatment, take any medication,
supplements or other nutritional support, or for
answers to any questions you may have regarding a
medical condition.

Dear Malak,

Thank you for contacting the Insulite PCOS Support Blog.

The mechanism of PCOS without insulin resistance is still not entirely understood in the medical community. As you may know, many women with PCOS do have insulin resistance, but some do not. Some women with PCOS hyper secrete insulin but do not yet manifest insulin resistance. Furthermore, in many women with PCOS, their ovaries are highly sensitive to insulin, so that even if their serum insulin levels are normal, the ovaries are highly reactive to that insulin.

How did your doctors determine that you are not insulin resistant? I am wondering if you have ever had your serum insulin checked.

Insulin resistance can be verified by looking at the insulin levels (fasting and random) and the insulin: glucose ratio. Some doctors hesitate to perform a fasting insulin test on their patients because the normal range (0-20) is so wide. However, we have found that a fasting insulin level of about 9 or higher is starting to indicate problems with insulin resistance. For the random insulin, results over 25 or 30 may indicate insulin resistance. Other factors that would make me suspicious of insulin resistance include high blood pressure, difficulty losing weight, skin tags, acanthosis nigricans (dark brown patches on the skin), and a family history of diabetes or metabolic syndrome.

Can you write back and let me know what tests your doctors have performed to rule out insulin resistance? The answer to that question enable me to better guide you in the decision of using the Insulite PCOS System in its entirety, or just using one or two components of the System. Our system is designed to balance the testosterone, insulin and other reproductive hormones that impact ovulation. This can improve fertility.

I hope this information answers your questions. Please don’t hesitate to contact us again with any further questions or concerns.

Best wishes,

Dr. Nicole Kellum, ND
Insulite Laboratories Consulting & Advisory teams

DISCLAIMER: The information contained in this email
and the Insulite Labs website is for the sole purpose
of being informative. This information is not and
should not be used or relied upon as medical advice.
Always seek the advice of your physician, nurse or
other qualified health care provider before you
undergo any treatment, take any medication,
supplements or other nutritional support, or for
answers to any questions you may have regarding a
medical condition.

Thank you for responding to all of us struggling with PCOS. Like all women asked questions about PCOS, I have specific question too.

My doctor said that I have mild PCOS. I just got my blood results and my testosterone levels (free and total) are fine. It is close to higher border, but not over it. I did estrogen, progesterone, LH, FSH, prolactin and everything was normal. The hormone which is high is DHEAs. As far as I could research, it is linked with insulin resistance.

I’m thin, 5.3 feet and 106 lbs. I was playing many sports and I’m very active. I’m eating very healthy diet. I’m eating most of the time organic food, I don’t eat sugar or candies etc.

My doctor said that I should not take anything since my results are normal. I ovulated last month and not this month. I’m charting all simptoms during the day, as well as my temperature in early morning, 5:30 pm. But… I still think that I should do something. I have found that Metmorfin (Glucophage) is safe medicine and it can help not just women with PCOS and insulin resistance, but it can help women with PCOS and without insulin resistance.

What should I get done to be sure about therapy, or should I try Metmorfin?

Thank you so much!!!

Dear Nataly,

Thank you for writing into the PCOS Support blog. I am happy to
answer your question. But first let me apologize for the delay in my
response.

In my experience, there are so many presentations of PCOS. I have heard
women say that they have mild to severe PCOS, but regardless if you have
three symptoms or 10, it is important to address it…for many reasons, but
one that is important is having PCOS increases risk of developing diabetes
and cardiovascular disease.

In addition, not all women will have abnormal labs. So, I am not sure that
this determines severity. It may be that the activity and nutrition plan are
helping maintain or reducing some of the symptoms or helping with labs. I am
not sure of course but I still feel that addressing the problem will be
useful.

You would fall into the lean PCOS category with what you are explaining.
With problems with either ovulation/fertility we know that hormones are out
of balance. We also know that insulin resistance and having elevated DHEA-s can
also contribute to the problem as you know.

Metformin is used by some to help with ovulation. I cannot say how this
will help or not help. It is our specialty to address PCOS from a
non-pharmaceutical approach. Metformin acts as an anti-hyperglycemic; it
reduces glucose thereby reducing insulin levels. It is prescribed to women
with PCOS because the condition is caused by insulin resistance.

Some women with PCOS respond well to metformin in terms of losing weight and
regulating their menses, but we hear from many women for whom this
medication is ineffective. There are also many women that experience side
effects that can include nausea, diarrhea, etc. I am not sure how you will
respond and it is an option. But, like I said, we use a more comprehensive,
natural approach.

As you may know or are finding out, there are women with PCOS that have
children. However, having PCOS may make it more difficult.

PCOS is a major cause of infertility. A symptom of the condition can be nine
or fewer menstrual cycles per year or irregular periods. Because women with
PCOS don’t have regular periods, many are unable to become pregnant. To read
more about PCOS and infertility please visit the following link:
http://www.pcos.insulitelabs.com/PCOS-and-Infertility.php

Women with PCOS may be able to improve their fertility by losing weight (if
needed) and improving the insulin resistance that underlies PCOS.

The Insulite PCOS System is designed to help heal PCOS by addressing its
underlying cause, which in most cases is insulin resistance.

With insulin resistance, the body becomes insensitive to the insulin it
produces, which leads to elevated circulating levels of insulin. This in
turn leads to hormonal imbalances such as increased testosterone and other
androgens (masculinizing hormones).

Elevated insulin can also contributes to weight gain, as well as the
formation of cysts in the ovaries in part due to the hormonal imbalances and
also because the ovaries are highly sensitive to the influence of insulin.

All of these factors combine to complicate a woman’s chances of conceiving
and/or ovulating if she has PCOS.

The Insulite PCOS System helps to improve insulin sensitivity with its
combination of nutrients and herbs as well as diet and exercise guidelines.
The supplements are also designed to correct the hormone imbalance of PCOS.

While we cannot guarantee that you will conceive on our program, we know
that theoretically reducing insulin and testosterone will increase your
chances of conceiving, barring any other factors contributing to the
infertility.

Nataly, I hope that you feel as though you have options to chose from and that
you will consider the Insulite PCOS System. If you have any additional questions
or concerns, please contact me.

–
Best Wishes,
Dr. Heather DeLuca, ND
Insulite Laboratories Consulting & Advisory teams

DISCLAIMER: The information contained in this email and the Insulite Labs website is for the sole purpose of being informative. This information is not and should not be used or relied upon as medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician, nurse or other qualified health care provider before you undergo any treatment, take any medication, supplements or other nutritional support, or for answers to any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

Dear Lyde,

Thank you for contacting the Insulite PCOS Blog.

You should take the folic acid. It can help prevent birth defects. I can not advise you on whether or not to continue the clomid and metformin. Sorry I can’t be more helpful. These two are often prescribed for women with PCOS who want to conceive. I can tell you about the treatment system we offer. Women with PCOS may be able to improve their fertility by losing weight and improving the insulin resistance that underlies PCOS.

The Insulite PCOS System, which you may have read about on our website, HYPERLINK “http://www.pcos.insulitelabs.com” http://www.pcos.insulitelabs.com, is designed to help heal PCOS by addressing its underlying cause, which in most cases is insulin resistance.

With insulin resistance, the body becomes insensitive to the insulin it produces, which leads to elevated circulating levels of insulin. This in turn leads to hormonal imbalances such as increased testosterone and other androgens (masculinizing hormones).

Elevated insulin also contributes to the formation of cysts in the ovaries in part due to the hormonal imbalances and also because the ovaries are highly sensitive to the influence of insulin.

All of these factors combine to complicate a woman’s chances of conceiving if she has PCOS.

The Insulite PCOS System helps to improve insulin sensitivity with its combination of nutrients and herbs as well as diet and exercise guidelines. The supplements are also designed to correct the hormone imbalance of PCOS.

Our system is designed to balance the testosterone, insulin and other reproductive hormones that impact ovulation.

While we cannot promise that you will conceive on our program, we know that theoretically reducing insulin and testosterone will increase your chances of conceiving.

It is safe to continue trying to get pregnant while you are using the System. We do recommend, however, that, if you become pregnant while using the PCOS System, you discontinue using the supplements during your pregnancy and then resume them after you finish breastfeeding. The reason is that while we know that the Insulite PCOS System is safe and non-toxic in general, these supplements have not been tested in any clinical trials specifically on pregnant women or infants.

I hope this information answers your questions. Please don’t hesitate to contact us again with any further questions or concerns.

Best wishes,

Dr. Nicole Kellum, ND
Insulite Laboratories Consulting & Advisory teams

DISCLAIMER: The information contained in this email
and the Insulite Labs website is for the sole purpose
of being informative. This information is not and
should not be used or relied upon as medical advice.
Always seek the advice of your physician, nurse or
other qualified health care provider before you
undergo any treatment, take any medication,
supplements or other nutritional support, or for
answers to any questions you may have regarding a
medical condition.

I mean metformin and folic acid. I tske clomid for 5days only then my ob advise me to maintain metformin and folic acid

I am 26 years of age now. I was diagnose PCOS last December 2010,my OB advise me to take Metformin and Clomid. I had a irregular menstruation (October 3,November 18 and December I don’t have my period and my next period is January 18 then February 17)but I think I have regular period now month of Jan and Feb. What do you think? My weight is normal (53 Kgs and 5’3 ft). Do I need exercise (or go to gym)to help me to conceive??

Thank you in advance and GBU

Thank you in advance.

V.N

Dear Venus,

Thank you for contacting the Insulite PCOS Support Blog. The topics of lean women with PCOS, and PCOS without insulin resistance are still not entirely understood in the medical community. Many thin women with PCOS do have insulin resistance, but some do not. It is not a clear-cut distinction that thin women are not Insulin resistant. Some lean women with PCOS hyper-secrete insulin but do not yet manifest insulin resistance. And in many women with PCOS, their ovaries are highly sensitive to insulin, so that even if their serum insulin levels are normal, the ovaries are highly reactive to that insulin.

Here is a link comparing lean and obese women with PCOS PCOS (lean women found to hyper-secrete insulin):
HYPERLINK “http://jcem.endojournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/89/6/2942″ http://jcem.endojournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/89/6/2942

Here is a link to study that was done with lean and overweight women with PCOS: HYPERLINK “http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1365-2265.1993.tb02144.x” http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1365-2265.1993.tb02144.x

If you have a family history of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease, if you have cravings for carbohydrates or sweets, if you have skin tags or acanthosis nigricans (dark patches on the skin, especially in the armpits) I would be more inclined to think there is a component of insulin resistance in your case.

The excess/unwanted hair that currently exists may have to be removed via laser, electrolysis, etc. However, as your insulin resistance reverses and your hormones balance, the new hair growth should become finer, less visible. Honestly, we are all different and your body may respond more quickly but this can often be one of the last symptoms to resolve.

We have had customers with Lean PCOS on the Insulite PCOS System with success. You could certainly try the System. I do want to let you know we offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee. If for some reason, the system does not work for you, Insulite Laboratories offers a 90 day money back guarantee. If you are not completely satisfied with the Insulite System, we will refund your original purchase price for up to 90 days. (Excluding shipping and handling)

You just might want to pay close attention to your blood sugar in the first few weeks on the System, to make sure it does not drop too low. You can monitor blood sugar with a home glucometer (blood glucose meter) and by watching for symptoms of low blood sugar such as: headaches, feeling faint or dizzy, feeling clammy or sweaty, trembling and hunger. These symptoms relieved by eating.

The dietary guidelines are flexible enough that you can adjust the caloric intake to meet your needs to sustain your weight. If you would like guidance to help you gain weight, we might be able to help with that too.

The nutrients themselves will not make you lose weight. If you find that you are having difficulty maintaining your weight while using the Insulite PCOS System, please contact us right away so that we can help you with that.

I hope this information answers your questions. Please don’t hesitate to contact us again with any further questions or concerns.

Best wishes,

Dr. Nicole Kellum, ND
Insulite Laboratories Consulting & Advisory teams

DISCLAIMER: The information contained in this email
and the Insulite Labs website is for the sole purpose
of being informative. This information is not and
should not be used or relied upon as medical advice.
Always seek the advice of your physician, nurse or
other qualified health care provider before you
undergo any treatment, take any medication,
supplements or other nutritional support, or for
answers to any questions you may have regarding a
medical condition.