PCOS Review Newsletter #87

A free health newsletter for women with polycystic ovary syndrome or polycystic ovaries.   Issue #087      August 17, 2009

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

1) Jenn and Her Identical Twin Sister Solve PCOS Puzzle

2) PCOS, Stress and Hypnosis

3) Women with PCOS May Have Bacterial Infection

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1) ) Jenn and Her Identical Twin Sister Solve PCOS Puzzle

Have you read Jenn's amazing story?

Jenn had normal cycles starting at age 13 until age 22 when she started birth control pills. When she stopped the birth control pills, her period did not come back.

Her doctor diagnosed her as having PCOS, even though Jenn was thin and didn't have all the symptoms of PCOS.

Jenn ate a healthy, low-glycemic diet. She exercised. She took supplements.

Jenn was doing everything right. Still no ovulation and no baby.

Fortunately, Jenn has an identical twin sister, who also stopped the pill. Like Jenn, her sister also consumed a healthy diet and exercised.

The two women had identical genes and a very similar diet and lifestyle.

The difference was that Jenn's sister had no trouble ovulating after getting off the pill. But Jenn could not ovulate.

The two sisters sat down to analyze their lives in detail to try to find out why identical twins with identical genes and such a similar lifestyle would have ovaries that behave so differently.

Finally, they hit upon something. Jenn's sister was a sun bather but Jenn avoided the sun and had pale skin. Since it was May, Jenn decided to lay out in the sun with her sister.

One month later, she ovulated! Sunlight helps the body to manufacture vitamin D. In addition to the 600 IU of vitamin D she was already taking in the d-pinitol formula, she started taking an additional 2,000 IU of vitamin D. Apparently, vitamin D was the "missing link" to Jenn's ability to ovulate.

Jenn continued with a normal cycle and became pregnant eight months later!

What are the lessons from Jenn's story?

1) Your environment is a determining factor in how successful you are in dealing with polycystic ovary syndrome and infertility. This includes the food you eat, the water you drink, your physical activity, the people you associate with, your physical environment and exposure to pollution, and your general lifestyle.

2) Nutritional supplements play a role in getting the results you want but it's not always clear which supplements would be most effective or which dosage would be most effective. There is some trial and error involved.

3) Never give up! Persist with exploring treatment options beyond pharmaceuticals. In Jenn's case, she did not need more birth control pills or metformin or other drugs. What she needed was more vitamin D.

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2) PCOS, Stress and Hypnosis

Chronic stress is invisible. You can't see it, taste it, or smell it. You may not even be aware of it. Yet it can be devastating if not brought under control.

There is a link between chronic stress and problems associated with PCOS, including weight gain, belly fat, eating disorders, reduced fertility, miscarriage, premature or lower weight births, chronic inflammation, and ovarian cysts.

To learn more about stress and stress management, read Chapter 14.2 of this PCOS book.

However, the book left out one important stress management technique: hypnosis.

Hypnosis helps you improve your ability to handle stress. It's very easy to do, simply by listening to a CD.

Here's a good example of a hypnosis CD by Dr. Randy Gilchrest.

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3) Women with PCOS May Have Bacterial Infection

Not too many years ago stomach ulcers were a mystery. No one knew the cause. It's now commonly accepted that ulcers are caused by a bacteria called H. pylori. Even though H. pylori is a common infection that doesn't always produce symptoms, it can become a health problem.

Surprising research from Adnan Menderes University in Turkey has now associated H. pylori with PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome).

In this study, 35 women with PCOS were compared to 50 non-PCOS women for H. pylori antibodies in the blood. 40% of the PCOS women showed evidence of exposure to H. pylori vs. only 22% for other women. In other words, the rate of exposure to H. pylori in women with PCOS was nearly double the rate for other women.

Why PCOS women may have a higher exposure or higher infection rate is not known. Whether H. pylori might in some way contribute to polycystic ovary syndrome problems is a mystery. We'll have to await further research. This new research is nothing to be alarmed about but is something to be aware of.

Meanwhile, what might you do, if anything?

You could consume antioxidant nutrients, either as part of a healthy diet, or as supplements. When vitamins C and E are given in addition to antibiotics, the eradication rate of H. pylori is significantly higher than when using antibiotics alone.

The antioxidant nutrient n-acetylcysteine (NAC) has also been reported to help eradicate H. pylori. In addition, NAC may improve your fertility as well as reduce insulin resistance in women who have PCOS. Insulin resistance is a major cause of polycystic ovary syndrome.

Sources:
Yavasoglu I et al, A Novel Association Between Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and Helicobacter pylori., Eur J Endocrinol. 2009 Jul 23. [Epub ahead of print]
Sezikli M et al, Oxidative stress in Helicobacter pylori infection: does supplementation with vitamins C and E increase the eradication rate?, Helicobacter. 2009 Aug;14(4):280-5
Millea PJ et al, N-acetylcysteine: multiple clinical applications, Am Fam Physician. 2009 Aug 1;80(3):265-9
Yanaka A et al, Dietary Sulforaphane-Rich Broccoli Sprouts Reduce Colonization and Attenuate Gastritis in Helicobacter pylori-Infected Mice and Humans, Cancer Prevention Research 2: 353–360

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Thought for Today: "Nobody gets to live life backward. Look ahead, that is where your future lies." -- Ann Landers