Alrighty, I now have a new thing to worry about:  I just read in a post father down that if you have PCOS it can prevent you from losing weight with the lap-band.  I have PCOS so I wanna hear from others who have it/had it and have had success or no success with the surgery.  Anyone have success with Lap-band who had PCOS?

Hi, I also have PCOS and have had the lap band surgery. I did all the research before i had the surgery and found that the lap band was successful in women with PCOS. So far i am 5 months out and have lost 55 pounds. I do not see where having PCOS has held me back from my weight loss success. This has been a great tool for me to keep myself on track...
I am hoping that by having the band and loosing weight that it will help with my PCOS and the side effects especially the extra hair on my face. That is my main goal :)

 I hope this helps..

Amanda

I HAD PCOS and I must say you can call me a success.  All my signs and symptoms are gone, my GYN says my bloodwork and ultrasound look awesome.  My GYN told me I no longer had PCOS when I was down about 100 pounds.

Good luck to you!

Take care,
Jan

Add me to the list.  I was diagnosed with PCOS in 2001 and after the combination of PCOS and 7 years of fertility treatments left me on the uphill side of 350, I knew I had to do something.  I did about 18 months of research and decided on the Lap-Band and since the day after my surgery (I started out with some fluid in my band and had to have about half of it taken out the day after my surgery) I have not regretted it for a second.

I've already stopped taking my Metformin and I'm having regular periods and I'm not even out of the 300's yet.  Nothing is going to make losing weight with (or without) PCOS easy.  But with the band and by learning how it works and most of all, learning to pay attention to my body, I've had success so far.  I still have a long way to go, but I wouldn't have even made it this far without my band.

Good luck!!!

I was never told I have PCOS.. but I didn't have periods... I would be lucky and have period 1-3 times a year and now I'm like clock work every month my friend comes to visit me I would say this was a HUGE upside.. because I new my weight was a factor is not having period because I produced too much estrogen..

I have a couple of opinions on this.The short answer is that yes you can lose weight with PCOS and the lapband, but awareness is key. You'll still need to be aware of your meal choices, however because the band mostly force syou to give up the main "white" carb contributers such as bread, pasta, and rice, you'll have an easier time of it. Now here's what I discovered.

First of all I struggled and struggled with weightloss prior to my lapband and not only could not lose, but I was slowly gaining about 8-10 lbs per year no matter what I did. When I got banded I still did not fully understand the insulin resistance attached to PCOS so when I was losing slower than molasses despite my best efforts I was confused. I DID lose however slowly and was almost to goal after 1 year. I spent my second year mostly maintaining but gained 8-10lbs. It looked a little familiar to the old pattern to me so I started researching insulin resistance closely and learned that in that second year I started allowing more carbs into my diet. But its more complex than just carbs. See we NEED carbs to fuel our bodies or for the most part we have very little energy. But foods high in sugar, starch, and simple carbs process faster making you hungry faster. With insulin resistence the added factor is that the sugars do not store properly in our bodies and store as fat instead. So the carbs you should be eating are complex ones like beans, fruit, non starchy vegetables and whole grains. Not only will these keep you full longer, reduce your cravings, and be better for your body, but they also store properly in our cells.

Ok so sorry for the novel but I wanted to explain that even with the lapband you will have to make good choices. The first year you'll probably lose because of the reduced portions and the cutting back of the major simple carbs, but as a lifestyle you'll be relying on awareness of the foods you eat. Of course with reduced appetite it will be easier than without a band which is why I love this for me. I have been told that DS is the only procedure which actually cures insulin resistence but I have never researched it to find validity or not. I hope I was helpful. Best of luck!!