Hi ladies

[lindi]

Little update that may be of interest to you all! During my pretesting for IVF, my RE saw definitively polycystic ovaries, but without many elements of the syndrome, (one chin hair not deemed excessive hair, no obesity, regular periods, proven fertility, no acne, etc) however hormones will be tested and I think they may line up with testing I had done years earlier- elevated testosterone and estrogen.
I am really glad I made the decision to go HT if only to find this information out because much of the girl swaying would have actually helped with the hormone imbalance that is probably going on, ( the vitex, peppermint tea, and peony are classic PCOS herbs)...
but the low protein might have tipped a scale on the insulin problems women can have with polycystic ovaries (I have been tested and have no insulin resistance problems, but that is most likely because of my low body fat- it doesn't mean I am not sucseptible- those immature follicles on my ovaries are proof somethings out of whack and most research shows insulin is tied in)
So the reason I'm posting here is that if you have a history of only boys and suspect high testosterone, why not go to your OB and ask to have some testing done to rule out polycystic ovaries? Apparently reports that 20-30 percent of ALL WOMEN have some of the symptoms in PCOS and 5-10% of all women have polycystic ovaries.
Those ovaries are known to contain eggs that matured in the presence of very hugh testosterone- whether or not that testosterone caused excessive hair or even the most mild single chin hair. And there is some research here about high T priming eggs for Y sperm.
If you are looking into swaying, why not increase your chances by looking into what's really going on hormonally so all of these great swaying tips can be used to best advantage.
I am confident that if I chose to continue swaying, I personally wasn't going to do *enough* to really change the chemistry to my favor, and at worst, I might do things that would have been swaying the OTHER way (the low protein and no exercise could have thrown my hormones further into high T, low progesterone, high estrogen) but that was only in my particular case. Not saying those aren't an important part of a main****** girl sway, but just throwing this out there: if you can, and if you suspect you have hormones a little different from the *average*, why not go get tested and see what's going on? It can only help your swaying odds!
GL ladies!

[atomic sagebrush]

Great advice!

[Viene]

Thanks for sharing! You know, I have never known that low protein makes testosterone levels higher in women with PCOS.

[Viene]

Keep us updated on your lab results! :)

[lindi]

Study Title:

Effects of protein versus simple sugar intake on weight loss in polycystic ovary syndrome (according to the National Institutes of Health criteria).
Study Abstract:

OBJECTIVE: To compare the effects of protein vs. simple sugars on weight loss, body composition, and metabolic and endocrine parameters in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). DESIGN: A 2-month, free-living, randomized, single-blinded study. SETTING: University PCOS clinic. PATIENT(S): Thirty-three patients with PCOS. INTERVENTION(S): To achieve a final energy reduction of 450 kcal/day, first the daily energy intake was reduced by 700 kcal; then a 240-kcal supplement containing either whey protein or simple sugars was added. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Changes in weight, fat mass, fasting glucose and insulin, plasma lipoproteins, and sex steroids. RESULT(S): Twenty-four subjects (13 in the simple sugars group and 11 in the protein group) completed the study. The protein group lost more weight (-3.3 +/- 0.8 kg vs. -1.1 +/- 0.6 kg) and more fat mass (-3.1 +/- 0.9 kg vs. -0.5 +/- 0.6 kg) and had larger decreases in serum cholesterol (-33.0 +/- 8.4 mg/dL vs. -2.3 +/- 6.8 mg/dL), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (-4.5 +/- 1.3 mg/dL vs. -0.4 +/- 1.3 mg/dL), and apoprotein B (-20 +/- 5 mg/dL vs. 3 +/- 5 mg/dL). CONCLUSION(S): In patients with PCOS, a hypocaloric diet supplemented with protein reduced body weight, fat mass, serum cholesterol, and apoprotein B more than the diet supplemented with simple sugars.

Eat a diet low in carbohydrates that lead to elevated blood sugar levels and the release of large amounts of insulin at once. The Mayo Clinic notes that the inability of the body to use insulin efficiently can contribute to the production of excess androgens, which seems to be a major factor in causing PCOS. Cut back on fast-digesting carbohydrates such as white bread and pasta; soda; fruit juice; and sugary items like cookies, cake and ice cream.

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/232702-how-to-lower-testosterone-levels-in-pcos/#ixzz1EXuNwUVq

so all that white rice and white bread = AWFUL for me swaying girl!! super estrogen- testosterone city!
and cauliflower and broccoli? two veggies I tried to avoid? and buckwheat? another girl no no? They have one of the BEST naturally occuring compounds which basically can correct PCOS hormone imbalances: d-chiro-inositol in PCOS women, testosterone goes way down, estrogen is balanced. Fascinating.

[atomic sagebrush]

Yeah, it's the insulin resistance. I have written this before but again, if you have insulin resistance or even think you may, do NOT do the "crash and burn" style girl diet.

DIM is a supplement that I keep hearing about, it's made out of broccoli and cauliflower and is supposed to lower testosterone in some people.

[xnicolax]

I found out I have polycystic ovaries when I had my HT cycle last year. Quite a shock as I never suspected I had them at all. I do have other symptoms but never thought anything of them. I have excessive hair, but not on my face, it's mainly my legs and a little round my belly button. I have mild acne, again, luckily not on my face but on my back. I have irregular periods, always have done but they dont seem to have affected my fertility. I went to the gynecologist this morning and thankfully they are investigating it for me even though I dont have any fertility issues. Hopefully the next cycle will go a lot better than the last one although the Dr's in the UK are quite behind when it comes to fertlity and PCOS.

[Viene]

Ahhh, ok, so it just means more protein and less carbs basically to lower testosterone. Not simply just more protein, which was what I wasn't aware of. I was thinking you meant it was the act of low protein in general that raised androgens, not the fact that it was diets with more carbs and less protein.