Ttc With Pcos- Looking Into Lap Band.. Help :0(

[christinanewhart 1]

Hello, everyone, my name is christina. I was very excited to find this site, I feel a little lost, and am hoping to make some new friends that can maybe guide me through some of the questions I have. My husband and I have been together for 10 years, married 5 of them. We have been ttc for about 4 years now.. with no luck ;0( I have pcos and am taking glumetza for it (form of metformin but not as strong). I had a DNC in late march with hopes that I would conceive naturally.. it is very important for me to conceive as natural as I can.. although at this point it is becoming emotionally draining.

I have tried loosing weight for a while, sticking with little to no carbs seems to help but my cravings are out of control. I really try my best but between the constant pressure and heartache of trying to get pregnant im just drained honestly.. I am really considering going for the lap band surgery. My doctor- not my obgyn specialist- said that he doesnt recommend it esp since im trying to have a baby fairly soon. Im still waiting to hear back from my specialist on the matter.. I was hoping some of you ladies can shed some light on this for me? Is anyone else going through this, or has gone through it, and been successful? do you feel its not a great idea? I currently weigh 270, i want to at least loose 50 pounds before having a baby.. thank you so much and i really hope to hear from everyone :0)

[icestorm12132008 39]

First of all I take it you are currently obessee?

the lap band system is designed for use with folks with 100 or more pounds to loose. If fifty is all you need to sheed I'd continue with your carb free diet and exercise along with your insulin sensitizing tablet. (glumetta?) If that tablet is not doing the trick I'd ask about metformin it is a stronger insulin sensitizing agent and many with pcos take it to lower their insulin and possibly give the body an easier time to ovulate.

If you continue to gain weight as if often the case with pcos I'd deffinately look into surgery and you can get pregnant sometimes with pcos if your body dropps enough weight(they are called "band babies"). Look into the lap band and how the system works and ask questions about health durring pregnancy with the band with your surgon if this is the route you choose.

I have pcos and i'm obesse I have about 80 or so more pounds to loose before I can even think about getting pregnant. But because i've lost over fifty so far, my doctor's office told me to be "careful". This pcos can be a real bear with the weight gain so keep an eye on your gain/loss and report any adverse effects to your doctor ASAP. Because it seems like with me overnight i'd put on fifty plus pounds, but also withn six months i've lost over fifty. **** luck let me know what you choose.--icestorm

[christinanewhart 1]

thank you icestorm, i am obese and would like to loose close to 80-100 all together, but i know id love to loose at least 50 before getting pregnant. the medicine i am taking is glumetza, its is like metformin but with less side effects of the nasuea or diarhea.. i was on metformin before and was sick as a dog. ive heard if you stick it out that the effects slowly subside, but i couldnt stand to be on it so my specialist prescribed glumetza for me. i still get the side effects but not as severe.

as far as weight loss and pcos symptoms, they most definitely go hand in hand.. which is another reason im so determined to get some weight off. both my dr and specialist say i dont need to lose weight before conceiving, but im already uncomfortable and want to lose it before i get pregnant.. also its unhealthy.

[adorkbl 156]

I have PCOS and thought that I would lose enough weight with the band to reduce the severity and increase my fertility. That did not happen. I am 4 years post-op and have had several additional surgeries due to complications/side effects. I have another surgery coming up next month to reposition the band and fix a hiatal hernia.

Do your research. If you are looking into the band as a tool to help you lose weight and manage your PCOS... great! I would caution against looking into the band as a possible way to increase your fertility. It may happen as a happy side effect... but do not go into this surgery with that expectation.

Good luck with your journey!! Hubby and I just celebrated our 11th anniversary and are currently waiting to be matched for a domestic adoption.

[icestorm12132008 39]

Ok first of all and I don't mean this in a degrogatory way, I did do my research the lap band was recomended to me by my fertility specialist at boston IVFone of the top fertiltiy care centers in the United States. I currently have a band that has been in place since december 13, 2011. I've lost sixty seven pounds so far with the band and proper pcos friendly diet, exercise and the addtion of metformin therapy. I'm sorry the band has not worked for you sometimes these things just hapen. Every case with infertility and PCOS is different, they ran all the tests and concluded after seeing that my fallopian tubes and uterine structure was fine, that the reason for my part of the infertility was anovulation due to the obesity.

Did your doctors try you on an insulin sensitizing agent after the diagnosis of PCOS? for many an insulin sensitizing ageint helps to loose the weight and to help to somewhat regulate the hormones. --icestorm12132008

[adorkbl 156]

Ok first of all and I don't mean this in a degrogatory way' date=' I did do my research the lap band was recomended to me by my fertility specialist at boston IVFone of the top fertiltiy care centers in the United States. I currently have a band that has been in place since december 13, 2011. I've lost sixty seven pounds so far with the band and proper pcos friendly diet, exercise and the addtion of metformin therapy. I'm sorry the band has not worked for you sometimes these things just hapen. Every case with infertility and PCOS is different, they ran all the tests and concluded after seeing that my fallopian tubes and uterine structure was fine, that the reason for my part of the infertility was anovulation due to the obesity.

Did your doctors try you on an insulin sensitizing agent after the diagnosis of PCOS? for many an insulin sensitizing ageint helps to loose the weight and to help to somewhat regulate the hormones. --icestorm12132008[/quote']

Is this directed at me? My response was to the OP, not you. I never implied that you didn't do research. Rather I was urging the OP to continue researching. Message boards can be a wealth of information... Or misinformation.

I'm happy for you that you have had success with it as far as fertility goes. That is great. There are a lot of people out there with band babies. Even so... I had never heard of anyone getting a Lapband strictly to treat infertility.

I have been treated with Metformin in the past, however I can no longer take it because I am unable to swallow the large pills with my band. Also something the OP may want to consider. Some people have no issues with pills.. I get miserably stuck. So I feel like I actually have less control over my PCOS now than pre-band. Although, I am 70 pounds down and am hopeful with my upcoming surgery that my weight loss will continue down in a positive direction.

[Tahneesamson 41]

Hey ladies, there is now a liquid version of metformin call riomet! I use it now caz I can't swallow those giant pills either

[christinanewhart 1]

hey everyone, thanks for your advice.. im not looking into the band to increase my fertility, but rather help manage my weight which will help my pcos symptoms. i called my obgyn specialist and they really didnt encourage me to do it, but also didnt discourage me either., they just said, let us know what you decide, but if you do it it will be about 1 year before its safe to become pregnant." ive already waited 4 years so at least this way ill be at a more healthy weight i guess.. ive just tried so many different things i feel lost, like nothing i do is going to get the weight off and this is my last resort i guess.. does anyone have pcos and got the band and this helped with the symptoms?

@Tahneesamson- you said you know of a liquid metformin?? does it have the same effects as the pill form? i was taking the pill but it was making me so sick i couldnt stand it :0(

[trisket 46]

Your situation is like mine! The main reason I am looking into the band is to help with my fertility. I have been through 8 failed fertility treatments. My fertility specialist is wonderful but we are to the point of IVF. Our insurance doesn't cover it so it would run us around $12-15k. Lap band is going to cost us $10k. I have tried diets to help control my PCOS but I couldn't get over the cravings. I did go from 305 to 250 last summer on my own but it didn't help much. I met with my fertilty doc on Monday and I meet with my lap band doc tomorrow. By the end of tomorrow I will have a decision on which one I am doing. Right now I am leaning towards lap band for a few reasons. First, I want to be healthy! I want to he healthy for me and want to be healthy for my future baby. I would also like to look pregnant when I am pregnant! If I do IVF right now I would be a high risk because of my weight and I that scares me. Now, when I have the band I will not be going on the pill. I am not too worried about getting pregnant because my body is so out of wack but I think will do some family planning to just give me some time to get use to my new life with the band

I am also on metformin (500mg 3x a day) .

[adorkbl 156]

Hey ladies' date=' there is now a liquid version of metformin call riomet! I use it now caz I can't swallow those giant pills either[/quote']

I couldn't get it last year when I tried. I was told it was recalled while they reformulated. I will check tomorrow!! VERY excited to hear it might be back on the market. Yay. Thanks!! Metformin really helps control my sugar cravings and I lose weight easier.