Finally Getting Somewhere with PCOS
by Bienchen
(Germany)
Hello everyone,
I'm glad there is a place where I can tell my story since I really hope it will help others.
I never had a proper cycle (maybe 4 periods a year) and was put on the pill at the age of 16 to regulate my periods. The following years I went off and on the pill, in between I tried to find out what exactly was wrong with me, since when I was on the pill everything seemed fine, but whenever I went off it all hell broke lose. Acne, hair growth and no periods whatsoever.
At the age of 23 I was finally diagnosed with PCOS but was told there was really nothing I could do apart from going on the pill again.
After years and years of going from one useless doctor to another I tried all sorts of natural therapies (acupuncture, herbs, naturopathy). They all worked to a certain degree but not as well as I was hoping.
Still no periods and bad skin. And let's not even mention the frustration and embarrassment of having to plug hairs every day.
In the last six months I grew so tired and frustrated with it all, that I tried it on my own.
I tried DIM to get rid of the excessive estrogen and homeopathic vitex (in D2) , which has all the benefits of the herb, but none of the side effects. It also works a lot faster than the herbal version but my expectations weren't very high when I started.
After two weeks of taking it my skin cleared up. After 3 weeks the hair slowly started to disappear.
After 4 weeks I felt something I thought was an ovulation and after 6 weeks I had a period!
My morning temperature which has been dead on 35.8 and had never moved at all went up by almost 1 degree.
My skin is entirely spot and hair free now and I've started to lose weight.
I still can't believe it.
I always thought if I would finally find something that actually works it would make my symptoms bearable but I never ever expected them to just go away.
And the homeopathic remedy was the cheapest thing I've ever tried!!!
After doing more research about this I found out that vitex works on the pituitary gland and increases progesterone. I wonder if that's what PCOS is in the end - progesterone deficiency thanks to a defective pituitary gland which was completely knocked out by the pill and never took up its job again.
I really hope someone out there reads this.
Don't take drugs.
Try homeopathy first, there is nothing to lose and everything to win. Good Luck!
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Editor's comments: Thanks for a very interesting post, Bienchen.
Homeopathic remedies have been used for many, many years. Homeopathic medicine is very subtle. And a bit mysterious to most of us. However, I think homeopathy is always worth a try. As with anything, results will vary among individuals because each woman has a unique health profile.
As for the vitex, it appears to assist the body to produce more progesterone. A surprising number of women with PCOS have a progesterone deficiency, which is a big reason for the infertility.
Vitex also been shown to reduce a condition called "hyperprolactinemia", i.e., the body has too much of the hormone prolactin. Too much prolactin can contribute to an infertility problem called a "luteal phase defect".
A luteal phase defect is essentially a failure of the uterine lining to be in the right phase of development at the right time, thus preventing implantation of the fertilized egg, or making the embryo's attachment to the uterus precarious.
So, taking a high-quality vitex supplement can reduce prolactin and increase progesterone, thus assisting your efforts to have a normal cycle, become pregnant, and have a successful pregnancy.