PCOS Review Newsletter #7

Natural Health Ideas for Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
A free monthly newsletter for women with ovarian cysts or PCOS.

Issue #007 March 16, 2003
Nancy Dunne, N.D., Naturopathic Physician
Bill Slater, Research Associate

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

1) Tax Deduction for Your Weight Loss Program

2) Infertility, PCOS and How to Get Pregnant

3) Miscarriage and PCOS

4) The Glycemic Index - Implications for PCOS

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1) TAX DEDUCTION FOR YOUR WEIGHT LOSS PROGRAM

If you have any disorder that can be improved by losing weight, you may be able to get a tax break. Polycystic ovary syndrome is a perfect example.

The Internal Revenue Service has relaxed its policy about weight loss programs -- they now appear to be tax deductible.

IRS Publication #520 states: "You can include in medical expenses the cost of a weight-loss program undertaken at a physician's direction to treat an existing disease (such as heart disease). But you cannot include the cost of a weight-loss program if the purpose of the weight control is to maintain your general good health."

Do you have to be overweight or obese to be eligible for the deduction? The IRS didn't use those terms. To qualify, you apparently only must have a disease that is likely to benefit from weight loss treatment, such as heart disease, hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes, or polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). Of course, obesity itself is classified as a disease, so programs to reduce it obviously qualify for a tax deduction.

If you want to determine whether you are obese or merely overweight, you can go to

www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/bmi/calc-bmi.htm

and calculate your "body mass index" (BMI). Your body mass index is an approximation of how much of your body mass (weight and height) is represented by fat. If your BMI is 30 or more, you're considered obese. A BMI between 25-29.9 means you're overweight.

You may be wondering what the IRS means when it says "undertaken at a physician’s direction". The IRS didn't define this term. However, the weight loss program itself does not have to be under a physician's immediate supervision. It's sufficient that a physician directs you to lose weight. How you lose the weight is up to you.

We suggest that you get a written note or prescription from your doctor and keep it in your tax files. If your tax returns get audited, you must be able to document that your physician told you to lose weight.

You may also be wondering what kind of "weight loss program" will be acceptable to the IRS. Again, the IRS doesn't define its terms. You might follow the American Obesity Association's interpretation: a "weight-loss program" may include FDA-approved weight-loss drugs, physician and hospital-based programs, behavioral counseling, the services of physicians, dieticians and nutritionists as well as commercial programs which are specific for weight loss and control.

The IRS is more clear on what is NOT deductible: health club dues, nutritional supplements, over-the-counter products, low fat foods, and exercise equipment.

The new ruling is retroactive to 1998 tax returns, so if you've been spending a lot of money for weight loss programs over the past few years, you can file amended tax returns for prior years.

Good luck! We hope this tip saves you some money.

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2) INFERTILITY, PCOS AND HOW TO GET PREGNANT

Infertility is the failure to get pregnant after a year of unprotected intercourse. Women with polycystic ovarian syndrome often are infertile because they don't ovulate. 40% to 80% of women with PCOS have a problem with fertility. The reason for this wide variation is that PCOS is a complex metabolic syndrome, with multiple factors that can interfere with fertility.

Conventional treatment of infertility includes drugs to induce ovulation and "assisted reproduction". A popular but expensive form of assisted reproduction is in-vitro fertilization (IVF). We have a full discussion of infertility treatments at our website.

We also give you a nine-point plan for you to help yourself become pregnant. For details, please go to our website:

www.ovarian-cysts-pcos.com/infertility.html

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3) MISCARRIAGE AND PCOS

Miscarriage is the spontaneous ending of pregnancy before the 24th week of pregnancy.

Estimates of the incidence of miscarriage vary, because women have miscarriages without even knowing that they are pregnant. However, some health authorities estimate that one pregnancy in four ends in miscarriage, mostly in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.

The miscarriage rate appears to be higher for women with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). Some studies suggest that the miscarriage rate could be 45% or more.

There are multiple causes of miscarriage, which we discuss on our website. We also give you eight suggestions for reducing your risk of a miscarriage.

For details about PCOS and miscarriage, go to:

www.ovarian-cysts-pcos.com/miscarriage.html

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3) THE GLYCEMIC INDEX - IMPLICATIONS FOR PCOS

The Glycemic Index is a ranking of foods by how much they increase your blood sugar levels 2-3 hours after you eat them. Foods high in carbohydrates (starches and sugars) are the ones you'll find in the glycemic index, because they're most likely to increase your blood sugar.

An increase in blood sugar (blood glucose) usually causes an increase in insulin levels. Insulin is a hormone that performs a number of functions in your body, one of which is to lower your blood sugar if it is too high. The more sudden the increase in blood sugar, the more likely it is that insulin will be increased in response.

Chronically high insulin is a problem for women with PCOS, because insulin profoundly alters overall hormone balance, and causes your metabolism to go awry. For example, hyperinsulinism (excessive insulin) contributes to obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and some cancers. A requirement for controlling polycystic ovarian syndrome is to dampen your insulin response after food or drink is consumed.

You can control your insulin to a great extent by avoiding upward spikes in your blood sugar from eating the wrong kinds of food.

The ranking of foods according their glycemic index value has led to the popular terms such as "high glycemic foods", "low glycemic foods", "low carb diet", and "glycemic load". For a more complete discussion of the glycemic index, please go to our website:

www.ovarian-cysts-pcos.com/glycemic-index.html

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