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New here! I am 36 with 4 kids and have been diagnosed since age 28. Weight is my main issue, and lack of menstruation. I am /have been considering sleeve. I am 5'5 and about 218 with the ability to gain weight by just blinking. Looking into surgery in Tijuana. How does WLS affect PCOS in the long run??

Hi there and welcome! Some of the forums here get a whole lot more traffic than the others. Please come ask any questions you have on the VSG forum.

I also have PCOS. Symptomwise, I was obese, had weird periods only a few times a year, some facial hair, and hair loss. The VSG I had this year helped get rid of the obesity (yay). I don't think the other symptoms have been affected but I take low androgen birth control to help with hormones and periods, use Rogaine daily (totally helped the hair loss thing), and Spironolactone for the facial hair. So I feel normal now.

Surgery was tough to get used to at first, but honestly, I could not be happier that I did it.

If I had been only 218 I don't think I would have had surgery.... and I didn't until I was in crisis. I am not sorry I had it and it has been effective for me... but at 5'5.5" and 292.5,unstable sugars and diet fo tuna and string beans... was not working to control sugars or hormones.

..currently between 175-180..able to do most things i need to do.

Gastric by pass was new and major operation when I had mine...I was diagnosed with PCOS when I had my extended bypass, and multiple other procedures(10 total).. including ovarian cysts and fibroids removed. I had no idea why I could not loose weight. My blood sugar was extremely unstable with frequent fastings of 35 on arising. I almost never caught it above 100. When my weight got to 292.5, I became frightened. the diets i was on were not working, and i tried everything that "might work".My metabolism was destroyed. I have learned much in the last 20 years+. It would have been wisest to have gotten my hormones in hand and I might have not needed the gastric by pass. here are some additional tips for you that may help... I answered your question near the bottom.

The thing you must do with PCOS is to control the hormones. Meds used to balance blood sugars are also used to stabilize the ovarian cysts/and the hormones those cysts produce. ( My daughter is on metformin, PCOS tendancy is inherited by the girls, it becomes evident in teen years when they suddenly gain weight and begin growing facial hair...)Another thing you need to do is get a good filter for your water one that filters out chlorine, flouride and drugs, fracking chemicals out of your water supply. my best diet to loose weight and maintain was a high protein and low carb diet... which is commonly used post op.

Avoid all soy.Soy increases cysts growth and testosterone produced by the cysts. Control the cysts and your Menses will return. Remove corn and corn products from your diet..GMO food causes weight gain. Look up , via computer natural treatments for Pcos... begin walking with your kids. Play with them now while you are younger. the more activity you tolerate the easier to control your sugars(insulin) and hormones(all others)...

Be sure to have a thorough exam with labs... you need to make sure your thyroid is ok, producing adequately, Many people who have trouble with blood sugar, hormones balanced also have lower levels of iodine and magnesium,chromium and selenium, D3.... since the American diet is deficient... (crops are being raised with chemical fertlizers which block nitritional uptake of critical minerals by plants/crops)

Now to answer your question... WLS will give you control over your diet...to a point. In doing so it will help the control cysts/hormones. When one hits menopause the cysts generally get smaller, and he hormonal interference lessens. It will help you gain contol, give you a tool to use...to maintain weight.It can help you feel better about yourself, and give you back activities you have forgotten or become unable to do.

It is not an end all, fix all....You will always have to be aware of what you eat/don't eat and your activity level. Activity increases can make people with fragile blood sugar control drop suddenly, Using a high protein shake before exercise will help.. make sure its carbs are very low...or it will just be an appetizer and won't help you.

Surgery will limit the quanities you tolerate and reduce the hunger...unless your sugar crashes. Then you are sometimes hungry, and needing to boost your sugar but unable to eat protein and crackers to bring sugars up evenly...but are too full to eat. yes there is a fix for this... that is why i carry cough drops. ..to get sugar up safely and quickly.

What ever your decision, know that you will have support every step of the way on this board.Getting approval is often a long process...

I have taken metformin twice, with no results what so ever with the last time having stomach issues. I do not at last ultrasound have cysts but that y no means makes me PCOS free. My thyroid and A1C have all been just fine. My insulin has been a little high but barely. While I am not extremely obese I am considered obese for my height. Coupled with the fact of various diet and intense working out I can only lose like 2 lbs a month I am looking for help for a long term healthy weight. I have read about post surgery hypoglycemia in a year or 2 after. Does this happen with everyone?

Momof4nready4me,

Metformin is not for everyone and can have some bad side effects.. My daughter uses it intermittentl and she is having trouble with her tendons, and fascitis in both feet...so the side effects can be really bad for some people... Now we both take bitter melon intermittently to control the sugars... as long as I stay close to my diet no problem.. No cysts, WONDERFUL! maybe you have caught this disease process early and can avoid the worst of it's complications.

I was hypoglycemic for 15 years BEFORE my surgery. I know several people who had obeity surgery of one kind or another,( most were a form of gastric by pass)... The 6 I know of who had gastic surgery were all the way from NO hypoglycemia to frequent.. it is diet related.

If you maintain diet, no issues. If you break the diet- it's a risk.. If an issue it is common to be miserable for 3 days. ..Thats how long, it can take, to stabilize and maintain stability ...until one is back in the "completely stable mode".

Sometimes we all go thru carb cravings... B complex will help with carb cravings, and the sublingual ( dropper bottle,form that goes under the tongue is the most completely absorbed. It should cost about 5$ for one months supply.Gastric juices destroy the tablets swallowed.

The best trick to avoiding hypoglycemia is to consume the high protein diet... and keep carbs low...usually 50-60 grams for the day...

I understand your desire to get to and maintain a healthy weight. I have been there and done that.

I want you to understand I am NOT trying to discourage you from having surgery. That must be Your decision. I don't know if you have considered trying (or have already tried) these things while you are waiting and doing research and paperwork. Some of these may have helped me , had I known to try them., before my sugars andd weight were critical issues. If I could have continued to loose weight at 2 pounds a month I would have never had surgery.

I was gaining an average of 20 lbs a year on a high protein and mod carb diet.(tolerance was 1.5 ADA servings of carbs per meal-this meant if I had a serving of carrots, I could have 1/2 serv.bread... I was working 12 hours, active job..on feet entire shift, each day...I could maintain/not loose weight on tuna or chicken/and string beans, but carbs were insufficient to hold blood sugars up so would crash...and have to break the diet.My tolerance and intolerance for carbs was very stringent, still is to a large degree, but it takes ounces to fill me instead of quarts.

I have several more things I think you should consider...they COULD make the difference for you. I would try to add these, to make lifestyle changes. Surgery will mandate you do many of them immediately, so would be one way you could " try on" the diet. Surgery is A tool... for me it's main benefit continues to be that small amounts fill me. My pouch holds 6 ounces.still. If i get suddenly hungry it is a sugar issue, whether just time to eat, or I have did a big boo boo. I keep something with me and use small amounts to get me to the next meal.

#1 is to avoid all corn, unless organic, then limit. and eliminate all soy products...(they are digested as feminine hormones) and all products with msg.

and #2 is to avoid aall sugars possible and especially aspertane/det products. I use Stevia, there is a brand with the name pyure. it is a granulated...is processed cleanly without chemicals.and i use very small amounts( less than one teaspoon/serving )of pure cane sugar..(.I do this because i have NO tolerance for the other ones...Stevia can be substituted in many recipes..but the volume may need to be upped with some kind of thickner like rice, or potato flour..2 tablespoons in 1/4 cup of the water used in a recipe will make a most volumes come out to near normal, and 2 tablesppons divided into 6-8 serving recipe comes out to a little more than a teaspoon per serving... so even if not something you have been doinng consider to experiment. This recipe substitution helped me... #3...filter all your water .. with a good filter that removes chlorine and flouride, and used medications from everything you drink, cook with..( no additive in any substance is negligible, IF is is something one is sensitive to,.so to remove any adverse reactions-would be one way to avoid extra unintended consequences.).. Know that most bottled waters contain flouride. It is mandated by the federal government so they do not have to disclose it is in there. If it is shipped across state lines it is mandated.

#4 Another thing to consider is a liver cleanse using one of the herbal products.. to help the body remove ludge out so can continue to remove fats.. I use milk thistle. it is common and cheap/ safe for most people.

#5 Consider trying the rules "for post op care/diet on".. before you have surgery.

some of mine were.

....stop all fluids 30 min before a meal and until 30 min after food is finished, (this helps keep you from stretching the pouch)..

...also increase fluids by one quart a day, mostly water unsweetened tea or water with organic lemon squeezed in it..

...eating protein first, avoiding fruit, limit carbs... check with Dr..as to guide lines..( mine were 90 gm protein and close to 50 carbs) .... having documentation you tried a strict diet and it failed/ was marginally effective could help you gain approval..

.... eat with very small spoon. we used baskin robins tasting spoon and chewed each bite 20 times. cut out all fruit/vegetable juices. I even limited v-8. know that low fat items often have added salt or sugar added to enhance flavors.., so I just used healthy fats, olive oil and coconut primarily... they canhelp balance cholestrols over time ...(.from results my hubby had, with sky high triglycerides and clean arteries. after a 9 month stint with only these oils.)

i hope and pray these tips will help you thru this entire process, no matter which way you end up- surgery or not. If you want further input from me, just attach it to this so I will get the notification.