What precautions to take during pregnancy with PCOS

In this article, we’re going to discuss what precautions to take during pregnancy with PCOS. Pregnancy is a wonderful feeling, but if you have PCOS, there are some precautions you have to follow to ensure a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby. Polycystic ovary syndrome(PCOS) is a hormonal disorder that negatively affects the ovaries.

It also causes several signs and symptoms, including irregular menstruation, weight gain, and infertility. PCOS impacts 10% of women of reproductive age and can make it difficult to conceive and give birth to a child. It is important to stay in close touch with your healthcare provider and PCOS care team during your pregnancy. Keep reading this article to know what precautions to take during pregnancy with Pcos.

What Is PCOS?

PCOS or Polycystic ovary syndrome is a hormonal imbalance that affects the ovaries. It also causes a number of signs and symptoms, including irregular menstruation, weight gain, and infertility. PCOS occurs when your ovaries make excess hormones. If you have PCOS, your ovaries produce abnormally high levels of androgen hormones. PCOS causes your reproductive hormones to become unbalanced.

As a result, people who have PCOS often deal with problems such as irregular menstrual cycles, missed periods, and unpredictable ovulation. This may make it hard for women to naturally conceive and may need medical interference. Besides, women who have PCOS, develop higher chances of having other health conditions, like type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea, and high blood pressure.

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What precautions to take during pregnancy with PCOS

Every pregnant woman with Pcos wants to know “what precautions to take during pregnancy with Pcos?” Here are some precautions, that you need to take during pregnancy with PCOS:

Pregnant women suffering from PCOS should exercise on a regular basis and monitor their blood sugar levels and weight to ensure a healthy pregnancy. Consuming foods high in protein can really help to balance blood sugar levels.

Besides, it is really important to eat a healthy diet that contains high fiber, whole grains, and low carbohydrates. Don’t forget to stay away from caffeine, nicotine, and alcoholic beverages during your pregnancy. Prenatal vitamins, Regular blood pressure tests, and medical checkups help ensure the protection of a woman suffering from PCOS during her pregnancy.

What are the side effects of PCOS during pregnancy

Pregnant women suffering from PCOS more possibly develop complications at different stages of pregnancy. These complications include:

• Miscarriage
• Mood disorders
• Gestational diabetes
• Preeclampsia
• premature birth before 37 weeks

PCOS pregnancies carry higher risks, but that doesn’t mean a woman suffering from PCOS can’t give birth to a healthy baby. Although, complications during pregnancy such as high blood pressure more likely to cause cesarean delivery. Recovery after this kind of delivery takes longer than a normal or vaginal delivery as it is a procedure that needs surgical interference

Why The Right PCOS Pregnancy Diet Is Important?

you may be concerned about having a healthy pregnancy with PCOS, because of your hormonal imbalance and weight problems. PCOS can really affect your pregnancy and increase the chances of:

• Miscarriage
• Preterm birth
• Gestational diabetes
• Pregnancy-induced hypertension
• Pre-eclampsia
• Perinatal mortality

Your PCOS pregnancy diet focuses on reducing these risks and making sure of a healthy pregnancy despite PCOS. By consuming the right food, you make sure that fluctuations in insulin, blood sugar, and hormone levels do not pose any extra risks to your baby. A proper diet also ensures that you have the energy to stay fit, healthy, and strong during pregnancy and that you are ready to give birth to a healthy baby.

What Is The Right PCOS Pregnancy Diet?

Many PCOS patients face the real challenge of Strange and unexplained weight gain. It is this extra weight that also increases the chances of pregnancy-related problems for example gestational diabetes, miscarriage, pre-eclampsia, and premature birth. Your PCOS pregnancy diet focuses on obtaining a healthy weight throughout your pregnancy.

• How Much To Eat

• Increase Your Fiber Intake

• Eat More Healthy Proteins

• Add The Right Carbohydrates To Your Diet

• Choose Healthy Fats

How Much To Eat

According to research, women with PCOS have a decreased BMR (basal metabolic rate) with or without insulin obstruction. This is why they require fewer calories (on average only 1445 kcal/day) than women who don’t have PCOS. But what about increasing calorie consumption throughout pregnancy?

We strongly recommend that you abandon the old adage ‘eat for two throughout pregnancy’. You need to make sure you have a healthy weight gain during your pregnancy, but that you don’t need to double the calories. Although, don’t forget to increase calorie intake later in pregnancy to give you and your baby the fuel and energy needed for all growth. We suggest that you:

• Eat no extra calories when you are in your first trimester
• Consume 300 additional calories per day during your second trimester
• Consume 500 additional calories per day during your third trimester

Although, these are only generalized instructions and it’s also possible that they may not work for everyone. It is always preferable to talk about your calorie intake with your doctor so that they can ensure a healthy weight gain during your pregnancy.

Increase Your Fiber Intake

A fiber-rich diet enhances blood sugar control and keeps insulin levels under control. Fiber decelerates digestion, and like this, the carbohydrates we consume take longer periods to break down into glucose or blood sugar. It helps in controlling your blood sugar. Dietary fiber also makes you feel full for a longer period thereby assuring hunger control. This is why, it’s important to consume more high-fiber foods for your PCOS pregnancy diet.

According to a Harvard study, increasing total fiber intake by 10 grams per day reduced the chances of gestational diabetes by 26%. On the other side, a high-glycemic load and low-fiber diet combination was linked with a 2.15 times higher risk than the reciprocal diet. Fruits and vegetables eaten with their peels are the best sources of dietary fiber for pregnant women suffering from PCOS.

Some other great sources are chia seeds, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and nuts, and pseudo-cereals such as quinoa, buckwheat, chestnut flour, barley, oats, and millet.

Eat More Healthy Proteins

A balanced and good PCOS diet focuses on a diet that includes whole foods – fiber-rich fruits and vegetables, as well as healthy fats and lean proteins. The majority of PCOS diets don’t include high-protein diets. Although, it’s important for you to increase your protein intake slightly during your pregnancy. Protein promotes your baby’s growth and helps in his/her healthy development. You can find a combination of high-quality proteins from both plants and animals.

Vegetarian proteins such as lentils, beans, quinoa, legumes, buckwheat, nuts, seeds, and nut butter also come with extra fiber, which helps keep blood sugar levels under check. On the other side, high-quality animal proteins such as oily fish, grass-fed organic meat, and organ meats should be included as they are rich in iron. Fatty fish is especially good, as it is a very good source of omega-3 fatty acids.

You should eat more tuna, salmon, mackerel, trout, halibut, herring, and, sardines. If you can eat non-vegetarian food, don’t be scared to include organ meats in your PCOS pregnancy diet, as they are a great source of fat-soluble vitamin B12, vitamins A and D, copper, iron, zinc, and also important fatty acids.

Add The Right Carbohydrates To Your Diet

You may have to increase your carbohydrate consumption throughout pregnancy if you are on a PCOS diet that is comparatively low-carb. Remember that a ketogenic diet is not the best option for you throughout your pregnancy. Studies have examined the effect of a ketogenic diet throughout pregnancy on fetal development in rats.

It was shown that this kind of diet affects the organ development of the fetus. Such changes may be connected with organ dysfunction and possible behavioral changes in postnatal life. Although these are animal research, it is possible that human infants born to women on the keto diet may have comparatively larger hearts but tiny brains. These may also include the pharynx, cervical spinal cord, midbrain, hypothalamus, and pons. On the other hand, there is good proof that consuming too many carbohydrates can also be dangerous to your developing baby.

A high-carb diet will not only increase the chances of gestational diabetes, but it may also increase fetal weight. It will also increase the risk of breathing difficulties for infants. It may also increase the rate of admission to the neonatal intensive care unit. We suggest a medium-carb diet that has 75-150 grams of carbs per day. Make sure to select good sources of carbs. Some great choices are healthy fruits consumed with the peel and gluten-free sources of cereals and legumes.

Beans, Lentils, quinoa, buckwheat, steel-cut oats, brown rice, and vegetables like broccoli, green beans, cauliflower, sweet potatoes, and zucchini are all good options. If you struggle with nausea and aversion to food in your first trimester, don’t worry if your abdomen feels more settled on a high-carb diet. You can still manage the carbs later in your pregnancy.

Choose Healthy Fats

Fats are really important for hormonal health and your baby’s development throughout your pregnancy. Healthy fats rich in EFAs (essential fatty acids) will ensure your baby’s healthy brain and eye development as well as a good birth weight. High-quality fats also help in making the breast milk rich, and nutritious after your baby is born and the baby is completely dependent on your breast milk for nutrition.

Additionally, fat-soluble vitamins such as A, E, D, and K are all important for a healthy pregnancy. Nutrient deficiencies can cause miscarriage or underdevelopment of the baby’s organs. During pregnancy, It is very important for you to consume good fats. Hydrogenated, partly trans-fats, and hydrogenated have nothing to do with being part of your PCOS pregnancy diet. Instead of those, you can consume omega-3-rich fats from fatty fish, avocados, egg yolks, avocados, nuts, coconut oil, coconut cream/milk, grass-fed butter, ghee, seeds, and nuts.

What is the best age to get pregnant with PCOS?

The best time to get pregnant for women suffering from PCOS is before the age of 30. Women with PCOS are more likely to conceive naturally before the age of 35 due to the lack of regular ovulation and other fertility challenges.

If your body mass index and metabolic and hormonal parameters are under control then Conception can happen within a year. A woman who does not get pregnant after 1 year of continuous trying, should consult a doctor. Women over the age of 35 may also need fertility treatments to get pregnant.

Conclusion

In this article, we’ve discussed what precautions to take during pregnancy with PCOS. Here we’ve provided everything you need to know about Pregnancy with PCOS. Pregnancy is a wonderful feeling, but if you have PCOS, there are some precautions you have to follow to ensure a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby. Polycystic ovary syndrome(PCOS) is a hormonal disorder that negatively affects the ovaries. It also causes a number of signs and symptoms, including irregular menstruation, weight gain, and infertility.

PCOS impacts 10% of women of reproductive age and can make it difficult to conceive and give birth to a child. Pregnant women suffering from PCOS should exercise on a regular basis and monitor their blood sugar levels and weight to ensure a healthy pregnancy. Consuming foods high in protein can really help to balance blood sugar levels. Consider reading the full article to know what precautions to take during pregnancy with Pcos.

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