Everybody knows that too much sugar can eventually lead to diabetes. Recently, the government has been frantically working to fight our nations ever expanding waistlines and the myriad of problems that comes with it. Diabetes can cause everything from blindness to kidney failure and can shorten a person's life by decades. Diabetics can have an especially difficult time becoming pregnant due to major hormonal imbalances caused by how insulin is working in their bodies. However, there seems to be a false assumption that only diabetics have sugar to blame for fertility issues. This is not true. Pre-diabetics, or people who are insulin resistant can have a syndrome called PCOS or polycystic ovarian syndrome which can have a devastating effect on a woman's ability to conceive. In order to understand how PCOS works, one must first understand how insulin works in a healthy body.

How does insulin react in a healthy person?

Glucose comes from the carbohydrates we eat. The body releases insulin from the beta cells of the pancreas to breakdown this glucose for energy. The glucose is used immediately or stored in the liver or muscles for later energy use. Any glucose that is left over is then converted to fat. An overabundance of carbohydrates can then lead to obesity due to excess insulin production.

What is Insulin Resistance?

Insulin Resistance, also known as Metabolic Syndrome X or Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), occurs when the cells in the body become resistant to insulin. In the early stages the body simply responds by releasing more insulin but over time this overproduction leads to the body not responding to the production of insulin at all. This is Type II Diabetes.

What is PCOS?

PCOS is, above all, a hormonal imbalance, one in which insulin plays a large part. When one hormone in the female body gets out of balance it can trigger a trickle down effect in which all the hormones begin to attempt to compensate for the other causing an even greater shift in hormones. Normally, the female sex hormones make a small amount of male hormones called androgens, in women with PCOS this rises which leads to a number of symptoms the most devastating of which can be infertility.

How does PCOS cause infertility?

The overproduction of male hormones can effect the bodies ability to ovulate. During the first half of a normal menstrual cycle several follicles will develop, each one containing an egg. As the cycle continues, eventually there will be only one egg. This egg will be fertilized with a hormone known as Luteinizing Hormone or LH, causing the egg to burst from the follicle. This is when ovulation happens.

The excess male hormones in PCOS or insulin resistance, will effect a woman's ability to excrete the necessary hormones for ovulation. The body may continue to produce follicles but there is insufficient hormones to allow them to mature. They may continue to grow but none of them will be large enough for ovulation. This can cause the follicles to develop into cysts. When ovulation does not occur the body does not produce progesterone. This is what causes irregular or lack of menstruation.

What are the symptoms of PCOS?

The most common symptoms of PCOS are:

• Irregular or absent menstruation
• Infertility
• Obesity
• Elevated Insulin levels
• Muliple cysts on the ovaries
• Abnormal hair growth on the face or body
• Acne
• PMS

How is PCOS treated?

Treatments for PCOS include weight loss and the drug Metformin.

Can you still get pregnant with PCOS?

As long as your body is still occasionally menstrating there is always a possibility of getting pregnant. If menstration is absent and you have been diagnosed with PCOS there are options out there. Some of the inftertility treatments today include:

Weight Loss: Sometimes the very act of losing weight can be all it takes for the body to jumpstart normal hormone function.

Fertility Medications: Fertility medications work by blocking estrogen receptors in the brain. Once this occurs the body is then tricked into thinking that it is low in estrogen. Low estrogen triggers the body to produce FSH and LH which are the hormones that cause ovulation.

In Vitro Fertilization (IVF): Where fertility medications are taken to stimulate maturation. The eggs are then harvested from the woman's ovaries and implanted fertilized into the uterus.

In Vitro Maturization(IFM): This procedure is similar to IVF however, the eggs are harvested, prematuration and fertilized in a lab before being implanted in the woman's uterus once matured.

PCOS does not mean you cannot conceive. It just means that it may take time and patience. Consult a physician to discuss which of these treatments may possibly be right for you.