Preventing polycystic ovarian syndrome ensures successful conception and pregnancy outcomes. As soon as you hear the word avoiding miscarriages with PCOS, you’ll get a lot of things into mind, such as exercise, prenatal vitamins, stress management, regulating insulin, and more.
But, what’s the connection between miscarriages and polycystic ovarian syndrome? Let’s know about them in detail in this blog and understand how to have the safest pregnancy journey.
The Link between PCOS and Miscarriage
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome has become a common condition that affects around 8 to 13% of women of reproductive age. As age increases, the chances of pregnancy decrease, emphasizing the importance of conceiving at the right time with PCOS. This is shocking data revealed by the World Health Organization.
What’s even more horrifying is that around 70% of the women don’t know the exact reason and they just think any one of the PCOS symptoms is the exact cause and leave PCOS untreated.
Miscarriages with PCOS become common as the statistics indicate that 40 to 80% of women with recurrent miscarriages are women diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome.
However, it doesn’t mean that every woman with polycystic ovarian syndrome can experience miscarriages. PCOS condition is the cause of several health defects, such as gestational diabetes, high blood pressure, premature delivery, and pre-eclampsia.
Is it possible to prevent a miscarriage with PCOS?
This is how both pregnancy and miscarriage are interconnected. Avoiding miscarriages with polycystic ovarian syndrome becomes impossible if the fetus has a nonviable chromosomal or genetic abnormality.
However, preventing miscarriages with PCOS is impossible in these cases; still, you can minimize the risk. You can do it by following these preventive measures.
Preventing Miscarriage with PCOS
Here are those valuable preventing measures that improve the chances of a successful pregnancy.
Pre-Pregnancy Steps for PCOS Management
Once you identify that you’re diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome, you need to consult a doctor. Specifically, if your next plan is to get married, then consulting a healthcare provider is necessary for the safest pregnancy journey.
So, fix an appointment immediately with your fertility expert and get personalized recommendations on your health condition.
Medical Interventions and Treatments
After analyzing your health thoroughly, your doctor will provide an apt prescription according to the type of PCOS. Yes, in total, there are four types of polycystic ovarian syndrome available: Insulin resistance, pill-induced, inflammatory, and hidden-cause PCOS.
Your fertility experts help overcome this condition through certain medical interventions and treatments.
Lifestyle Modifications to Reduce Risk
Reduce sugars and carbohydrates, because excessive sugar can spike blood glucose levels and increase the risk of gestational diabetes.
Instead of consuming excessive carbohydrates and sugars, add fiber to your diet and regulate your blood sugar levels.
Manage your weight effectively, because obesity is highly linked with several health problems and can be a reason for miscarriages.
Do exercise regularly and learn to do simple yoga, breathing exercises, and mindfulness practices. Starting your day with these things can improve your mood and make you feel excited.
Add anti-inflammatory foods to your diet to boost the immune system and reduce inflammation, stimulating your ovaries to produce androgens.
You can add tomatoes, green leafy veggies like spinach, high-fatty acid fish, almonds, walnuts, oranges, blueberries, strawberries, and olive oil.
Essential Monitoring During Pregnancy
PCOS has become common among women, so keeping track of blood sugar levels, weight, and others is much more important than everything.
Never miss out on any checkups, and eat protein and fiber-rich foods that can effectively stabilize the blood sugar levels and keep you energized. So, learn to prioritize what’s more essential cravings or nutrients during this gestational period.
Risk Factors to Avoid
Ensure to follow every step that prevents miscarriages during the gestation period. In addition, be aware of things that can highly increase the risks of miscarriages.
High androgen levels, obesity, and insulin resistance are associated with polycystic ovarian syndrome, which can increase the chance of miscarriages. Alongside, conditions listed also contribute to miscarriages during the early gestation; they include:
- Chromosomal problems
- Thyroid problems and older age
- Smoking and drug usage
- Uncontrolled high blood pressure or diabetes
- Kidney disease and lupus
- Sexually transmitted diseases and infections such as rubella, malaria, and cytomegalovirus
- Uterine fibroids and a weak cervix
So, women with PCOS can effectively try these methods to reduce the risk of miscarriages.
You can lose weight to minimize the risk of gestational diabetes and obesity.
Consuming metformin reduces the early miscarriage risks by 80% and lowers the rate of pregnancy complications such as premature birth.
This medicine is a common prescription for women with PCOS as it increases the body’s insulin sensitivity and reduces insulin resistance.
Consider taking a high-quality prenatal vitamin and mineral supplement during pregnancy. Typically, it could include folic acid, iodine, vitamin D, iron, and other nutrients.
But you don’t want to worry about it because your healthcare provider helps you with the right prenatal supplement that improves successful pregnancy outcomes.
Eating healthily is more important than consuming tasty foods. So, strive for a healthy and balanced diet that includes Choline, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin B, vitamin C, D, B12, folic acid, iron, calcium, and more.
Avoid drinking alcohol, drugs, cigarettes, and high caffeine, as these can have negative impacts on you and your little fetus inside your womb.
Conclusion
Pregnancy with PCOS may result in severe complications affecting both mother and fetal health. Try to follow all the recommendations to reduce the risk of miscarriages for women with PCOS.
More than anything, it is highly advised to consult your healthcare provider while planning for pregnancy and after conception. Their advice on early prenatal care helps you have the safest and happiest pregnancy even with polycystic ovarian syndrome.
FAQs
No, there is no connection between miscarriage and the development of PCOS. But, vice versa, polycystic ovarian syndrome can cause miscarriage. PCOS condition is one of the important reasons for first-trimester miscarriages.
PCOS happens due to an unfavorable environment that reduces the chances of conception. This happens due to an excessive amount of insulin levels (hyperinsulinemia) in the environment and increased androgen hormones (hyperandrogenism).
This is the major reason for ectopic pregnancy and early pregnancy loss (EPL). It occurs in 30 to 50% of polycystic ovarian syndrome.
Yes, you can get pregnant with polycystic ovarian syndrome as soon as you’re ovulating normally. However, consulting doctors and consuming the prescribed medicines are important for the safest pregnancy and successful outcomes.
