Monday, February 8, 2010

Should access to fertility treatment be determined by female body mass index?


I just found this abstract in Pub Med. The full article is referenced at the bottom. I would love to hear any and all comments from readers about this issue!

Resource allocation towards fertility treatment has been extensively debated in countries where fertility treatment is publicly-funded. Medical, social and ethical aspects have been evaluated prior to allocation of resources. Analysis of cost-effectiveness, risks and benefits and poor success rates have led to calls of restricting fertility treatment to obese women. In this debate article, we critically appraise the evidence underlying this issue and highlight the problems with such a policy. Poor success rate of treatment is unsubstantiated as there is insufficient evidence to link high body mass index (BMI) to reduction in live birth. Obstetric complications have a linear relationship with BMI but are significantly influenced by maternal age. The same is true for miscarriage rates which are influenced by the confounding factors of polycystic ovary syndrome and age. Studies have shown that the direct costs per live birth are no greater for overweight and obese women. With changing demographics over half the reproductive-age population is overweight or obese. Restricting fertility treatment on the grounds of BMI would cause stigmatization and lead to inequity, feelings of injustice and social tension as affluent women manage to bypass these draconian restrictions. Time lost and poor success of conventional weight loss strategies would jeopardize the chances of conception for many women.
Pandey S, Maheshwari A, Bhattacharya S. Should access to fertility treatment be determined by female body mass index? Hum Reprod. 2010 Feb 3. [Epub ahead of print]

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

New Reality Series Provides Renewed Hope and Needed Resources for Women with PCOS


This press release comes from Sasha Ottey of PCOS Challenge. inCYST is always pleased to collaborate with and support her compassion and energy she devotes to women everywhere with PCOS! Best of luck with this project, Sasha!

New Reality Series Provides Renewed Hope and Needed Resources for Women with PCOS

As part of its continuing mission to provide information and support resources for women with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, PCOS Challenge, Inc. is producing a new 13-week reality series that focuses on improving the lives of women with PCOS with the help of health and medical experts. The goal of the PCOS Challenge™ television show is to educate, inspire and spread awareness about PCOS while helping women with the condition to live healthier and happier lives.

The women participating in the series will receive guidance from three main experts – a nutrition coach, fitness coach, and mental wellness coach. The women will also receive supplemental advice from other experts including a naturopathic physician, acupuncturist, and Reproductive Endocrinologist. As the participants compete in various fitness and healthy lifestyle challenges, they will have an opportunity to win cash and prizes.

“We are very excited to be launching the television show. It is a tremendous opportunity to help a lot of people. In the last year, the PCOS Challenge online and offline community has quickly grown to over 4,000 members, and this has been something that many people have been asking about for some time,” says Sasha Ottey, CEO of PCOS Challenge, Inc. “The television show is a natural extension of our popular PCOS Challenge Radio Show where we feature prominent PCOS experts. Now, through the television show, the audience will have an opportunity to see how to practically apply the information that they have learned in the face of daily life challenges and how to make sustainable healthy lifestyle choices.”

“Since its inception, PCOS Challenge, Inc. has been innovative in its programming and multimedia approach to spreading awareness and providing support for women with PCOS, which is one of the reasons the organization continues to gain traction so quickly and is able to keep people engaged,” says William R. Patterson, CEO of The Baron Solution Group and Executive Producer of the PCOS Challenge television show. “It is our aim to bring greater attention and resources to the PCOS community. With a condition that affects millions of lives and families worldwide, we feel the program will be an important vehicle to get more people involved.”

The PCOS Challenge television show is scheduled to begin shooting in mid-march and is currently casting for 6-10 women with PCOS in the DC metropolitan area to participate in the 13-week series. Participants will meet with the experts 1-2 times per week for the duration of the series and commit to changing their lifestyles to promote healthier living with PCOS. The PCOS Challenge television show will air on various local cable stations across the United States as well as stream online.

To become a participant, sponsor, or for more information about the PCOS Challenge television show, visit http://www.pcoschallenge.com/events/pcos-challenge.

About PCOS Challenge, Inc.

Sasha Ottey is Founder and CEO of PCOS Challenge, Inc. She is a Clinical and Research Microbiologist with a Bachelor’s degree in Clinical Laboratory Science from Howard University and a Master’s in Health Administration from the University of Phoenix. Her company, PCOS Challenge, Inc., is a nonprofit organization that provides support for women with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) through the PCOS Challenge Support and Social Networking Website (PCOSChallenge.com); PCOS Challenge nonprofit website (PCOSChallenge.org); PCOS Challenge Expert Series Workshops (PCOSChallenge.net); PCOS Challenge Television Show; PCOS Challenge Radio Show; and local offline support groups.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Now you have another reason to come to PCOS week in Vermont!


Meet Robyn Priebe, RD, CD, registered dietitian and Director of Nutrition at Green Mountain at Fox Run in Ludlow, Vermont.

Robyn just completed the inCYST training, and she is on site full time as a resource for women with PCOS. Double the learning...double the fun!

I had a great time working with Robyn the first PCOS week and am really excited to team up with her to provide a great program for those of you who come join us.

There is still time to register, for more information, visit www.fitwoman.com.

In the meantime, get to know Robyn!

I am a registered dietitian working at an all-women’s health and fitness resort in Ludlow , VT , called Green Mountain at Fox Run. At Green Mountain , we focus on helping our participants make healthy changes in their lifestyle. Our philosophy is non-diet & permission-based. Our goal is to help our participants practice intuitive eating in order to get their bodies back in balance. We strongly believe that each individual has different nutrition needs and different obstacles to meeting those needs. We strive to guide our participants towards the changes in their eating and exercise habits that would meet their specific needs/goals.

Personal Interests:

Stained glass, glass fusing, playing piano, attending concerts, running, animal rescue, vegetarian cooking, sewing, painting, gardening/foraging

Monday, February 1, 2010

Intuitive Eating Peer Group--Mission Viejo, California


Do you eat when you aren't physically hungry?
Do you eat when sad, mad, anxious or bored?
Do you have the desire to eat what you want when you want and still maintain a healthy weight?
Do you have long lists of “forbidden” or “bad” foods?
Do you have a hard time recognizing hunger or fullness?

Starting February 20th from 9-10:30 am
Join this weekly group while you can. The group will be 12 weeks long. We only have 8spots and once they are filled, the group will be closed.

Call 714-914-0673 to find out if this is the group for you!

Marissa Kent Nutrition
26461 Crown Valley Pkwy, Suite 100
Mission Viejo, CA 92691
Phone: 714-916-0673
Email: marissakentrd@cox.net

Friday, January 29, 2010

Omega 3-6-9 supplements: Not the best choice for PCOS


In my quest to get more omega-3 fatty acids into the people I meet, one of the most common comments I hear is, "I'm taking my omega 3-6-9 supplement."

I have learned from this, that sometimes the more popular concept is the one that is best marketed, not necessarily the one that is the best choice.

Here's why this supplement deserves reconsideration.

Omega-6 fatty acids are essential fatty acids. However, the problem with our diet is that we already have an oversupply of those in our food. Essential as they are, they are so prevalent we do not need to supplement with them. We actually need to dial back on the amount we consume. One of the reasons you see on this blog, and you hear me say when I speak, to minimize your intake of oils beginning with the letters "S" and "C" (corn, cottonseed, soy, safflower, sunflower, sesame), is because it's an easy memory trick to use when you're grocery shopping. If you can move away from these oils and focus more on avocado oil, olives, olive oils, nuts...and the only exception to that rule, canola oil, it is very effective at reducing an oversupply of omega-6 fatty acids within your body.

Omega-9 fatty acids are not essential. Meaning, we can make them from other compounds in our body and we do not need to supplement with them. They are a major component of olive oil, which, if you're reducing omega-6 intake and focusing more on the fats I just mentioned, should provide you with sufficient omega-9 in your diet. You should not need supplementation.

The fatty acid we have a lot of trouble getting, is omega-3. It's primarily found in fish, but is also, in varying forms, found in marine algae and algal-supplemented products, flaxseed, nuts, edamame, dark green leafy vegetables, and pumpkin seeds, to name a few. The differences between the fish-based and vegetarian-based omega-3's are discussed elsewhere in this blog. The important thing to take away from THIS post, is that if there's anything you need to focus on getting in your diet, it's omega-3's, not omega-6's.

I'm hoping someday that my "S and C" mnemonic will be more memorable than the "3-6-9" version that appears to be causing confusion.

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Reader question: Do I have to go to a gynecologist to get treated for PCOS? Or get medication for it?


This is a great question!

PCOS, because of the word "ovary" in its name, is often thought of as a gynecological disorder. However, it has symptoms affecting quite a few organ systems, many of which gynecologists may not be specially trained to treat.

Before you ask for help with your PCOS, be sure you know exactly what it is that you are wanting from that person.

Are you trying to become pregnant? Then a gynecologist is your best bet. Do you have acne or facial hair? A dermatologist is most likely to know the latest and best PCOS-friendly treatment options. Family history of diabetes? Consider a diabetes-specialized endocrinologist. Keep in mind, a specialist is trained to see your condition through a very finely tuned set of lenses, and that means the possible answers they provide will have some bias. Medline published a study a few years ago illustrating this bias, reporting that a gynecologist and an internist would have very different ways of diagnosing--and treating the same PCOS. So it is important to know what your goals are, before choosing the best person to help you reach them.

Despite those recommendations I just gave, consider that you may not actually need a "specialist". Some of the best physicians I've worked with on behalf of clients have simply been good listeners and willing to look for solutions even if they didn't have them, themselves. That person could be a country doctor, if you live in a rural area, or a family practitioner who has been your primary caregiver for a very long time. What matters most is that you get solutions in a respectful fashion!

I am biased because I am a dietitian and not a physician, but I strongly encourage you to find a physician who values a well-trained dietitian as part of your treatment. Nutrition is one of those topics everyone knows a little about. But it is also one of those things a lot of people think they know more about than they really do. I've encountered a lot of nutrition advice for PCOS given by health professionals that actually could have been counterproductive. It is important for each person taking care of you to excel in the part of your treatment they are trained to excel in...but also to refer out to others who excel in their own part of the picture. No one can possibly know everything about everything!

A strong nutrition program can often do the job that medications are prescribed to do. So making extra sure that nutrition and lifestyle are in good order before jumping into medications, surgeries, and treatments, can save a lot of time and frustration. Even if it turns out that medication and other treatments are needed in addition to medications and procedures, you may not need as much medication, and you may have better tolerance for and success with, the treatments your physician provides for you.

On that note, qualified naturopathic physicians and acupuncturists may have treatment options that work well for your individual situation. I have seen several of my own clients do very well with a team that included medical doctors IN ADDITION to specialists in these areas. What made it work, was a willingness on the part of each of these professionals, to work together with the other professionals.

One of the most important responsibilities you have, once you ask for help from a medical professional, is to follow their advice. And to follow it long enough to give it a chance to work. A very common tendency I see, unfortunately, is for a person to try advice, but not long enough for it to actually work. And then they blame the physician. Or, to spend more time on the Internet looking for reasons to NOT follow the doctor's or dietitian's advice than actually giving it a chance in real life. If you are asked to take medication, take it consistently. If you are advised to exercise, then exercise. It is not the physician's fault if the medication s/he prescribed was not used as advised!

Once you've found the person you feel fits you best, remember that a lot of the answers to the syndrome are about changes YOU can make for yourself. Doctors, dietitians, acupuncturists...can guide you toward those changes, but they cannot make them for you. It's important to remember how much of the responsibility for your success comes from other people, and how much of it actually lies within YOU.

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Food of the week: Leeks


Anyone living out West has had a week of comfort food weather! Here in Phoenix we had as much rain in a week as we normally get in a year. I haven't felt like venturing out, and I want foods that warm me from the inside out.

And that has had me thinking about leeks.

Leeks are the onion's, unfortunately less popular and often forgotten, cousin. I say that because leeks are milder than onions, with a lot of the same health benefits. Many of those benefits are related to PCOS health risks.

Vegetables in the onion/leek/garlic family help to:
--reduce LDL cholesterol and raise HDL cholesterol
--lower blood pressure
--reduce risk of ovarian cancer
--stabilize blood glucose

Most of you probably think of leeks in leek potato soup...but there are so many more ways to cook them! Here's a great feature from Cooking Light to get you started.


So comfort food and PCOS help, unite!
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