Dietary Changes You Need To Make To Get Pregnant With PCOS

"My periods are irregular. I don't get my cycles for two to three months at a stretch and when it begins, it continues for days together!Ultrasound reveals Polycystic Ovaries on both sides. My heart had a doom....it was just nine months I moved into married life, planning to conceive and now PCOS....means no baby.."

Such are the thoughts of newbie’s in the wedlock....who aspire to be pregnant but suffer from conception difficulties due to PCOS

Modern era has brought with it amazing new advancements and many new possibilities but a shadier side to it exists; one of it being a bombardment of cases with Polycystic Ovarian Disease (PCOD). Also Read 5 Conditions That Can Be Cured With pregnancy

Medical View on PCOD:

Fat cells increase testosterone (male hormone) in female body, which produces a male like environment along with alteration in other crucial hormones.

Causes of PCOS:

Now, you need to understand in brief what PCOD is all about. Read these 

1. Lack of ovulation
2. Hyperandrogenism (Increase in male hormones)
3. Polycystic Ovaries

The question now is that what changes we can bring in our life to manage PCOD successfully? Well, Ayurveda has come to rescue many such patients. We divide the management into two phases:

• Detailed History Session and
• Diet, lifestyle and treatment guidance

We will discuss the purview of diet in achieving successful pregnancy with PCOS The Thumb Rule to manage PCOD is to shed weight, but without starving the self as conception is difficult in a week and starved body. Mapping Medical Personality helps in giving a tailor made treatment.

Diet, Lifestyle and Treatment Guidance

Ayurveda has set diet principles, which if followed generously give promising results:

Quality and Quantity:

Not only the quantity but the quality (HEAVY, LIGHT, DRY, OILY etc.) of food is of paramount importance when it comes to diet

Along with the food articles, what I have observed in my clinical practice is that the dietary methods (how the food is made, how is it eaten and the activities thereafter) should also be critically handled. Therefore I have divided this section under two heads:

Correct/Appropriate dietary methods to follow:

The overall approach to dietary changes is highly subjective and varies from individual to individual as per the country, culture, living standard, health- nutrition awareness and personal zeal to be fit

I am mentioning the gross dietary planning which can be followed as per personal preferences

Food articles to avoid/include:

Avoid processed/junk food/ or as I call it dummy food for such food articles give empty calories and are devoid of nutrition. These also lack fibre and have a tendency of sticking in the gut thus facilitating toxin formation increasing the incidences of stomach infections.

Avoid artificial sweeteners, aerated and sugary drinks, excess of tea and coffee: such drinks devoid the body of essential hydration draining out water through urine.

Choose preservative free foods, as preservatives tend to increase the toxin load of body, hindering smooth functioning and exacerbating the already present imbalances, thereby slowing the recovery process. Avoid tomato sauce, cheese spreads, sandwich spreads, and all those tinned-canned foods. Remember “Everything that glitters is not Food”

Avoid eating dense calorie foods in excess viz: more of chapaties, fried food, sweets, and dry fruits. A combination of dense and light calorie food is the best choice to make. Last, but definitely not the least: water. The indispensable part of a complete diet. Drink lukewarm water few sips time and again in between meals, and as and when you remember.

Now we come to the more rewarding, the more dynamic part, the part seldom discussed:

Correct/ Appropriate Dietary Methods to follow:

Diet is not always about pick and choose, it is also about when and how. I will discuss the appropriate and easy dietary methods to follow.

First of all, take pride in yourself, the person you are, for you are special in your own way, each of you is unique with the sublime Godly beam shining from within. Imagine the idealistic you, how you will look like once you achieve your goal and always remember it, it’ll motivate you-

• Wake up, have a glass of lukewarm water. Practice this habit with your meals also, small sips though
• Breakfast: most important meal of the day, it charges you throughout, so it should never be missed

What Are Options:

• One large bowl of any one: Vermicelli a.k.a seviya sweet or salty/ Porridge a.k.a dalia sweet or salty as per preference/ Poha/ Semolina a.k.a suji upma/ Rava Idly
• Sandwich without cheese/ Two Roti- Subji (1 bowl)
• 1 to 2 pieces of walnut/ almond/ anjeer a.k.a fig/ raisin/ apricot
• 1 glass of Milk/ Fresh juice/ Tea
• Eat food fresh and warm
• Do not take chilled food
• Web is loaded with recipes

Also Read Aspirin In pregnancy: When To Take And When To Avoid It

Seasonal Fruits

What Lunch

One and half roti/ 1 bowl each of rice, dal, seasonal vegetable, salad, curd/ sweet 1 serving(optional)

• half teaspoon of ghee- essential
• having such variety in lunch prevents one from eating more of chapatti/rice and keeps one full for long
• while having food eat layer wise like roti-subzi then dal rice followed by a spoon of curd, then a hint of salad and so on..It is a good way to prevent overeating and keep one satiated
• another very important point is to avoid eating thick/viscous food stuffs. Instead of preparing thick dal, prefer a thinner one. Do the same with roti
• there should be no extra oil lurking around the corners of your bowl of dal/ subzi
• food should be low in salt

Evening refreshments can include a glass of jaljeera/ rooafza in water or thin milk/ a bowl of custard/ rice puffs (bhelpuri)

• Use Single Toned Milk

Dinner should be more of light food if weight loss is your goal. Include nutritious salad of veggies and fruits, 2 servings of homemade soup, 2 pieces of toast/ sandwich or a bowl of rice

• Dinner should be taken 2 hours before sleep
• This routine should be followed on weekdays. Take a little room for eating what you covet on Sundays

This way you will shed extra kilos and improve your metabolism without getting starved and malnourished which is the key to conceiving successfully.

Ideal dietary planning varies from individual to individual and depends on duration and severity of problem, medical personality (refer link below), age and associated illness if any.

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