SOS for PCOS

Live a Healthy Lifestyle

By Kelly Burgess

What Dr. Feinberg wants to stress is that this is not all about weight. Although the majority of women who suffer from PCOS are overweight, the cluster of symptoms can occur in normal-weight women as well. In fact, just as he coined the term "Syndrome O" to describe PCOS, he prefers "overnourished" to obese. He also notes that it's more than food. Lifestyle choices include healthy levels of exercise, reducing stress, finding balance and setting realistic goals. He calls these "Syndrome O Strategies," or SOS.

In addition to these changes, proper medical care is important. While not necessarily a cure for PCOS, the recommended lifestyle changes can maximize the chances for the success of medical fertility treatments.

Dr. Feinberg doesn't recommend a specific diet, noting that different types of diets work for different people. However, having studied each of the most popular diets, he has found some commonality that has led him to suggest the following 10 tips that work within any diet:

• Calories in = calories out. In other words, it's not the type of diet; it's how much total food you eat that determines your weight.
• Water is your friend. Drinking plenty of water can enhance health on many levels.
• Sugar water is not your friend. Drinking sweetened drinks upsets your body's insulin balance.
• Activity burns calories. Ongoing exercise will improve any diet.
• Eat early and often. Always have breakfast; eat smaller meals more often.
• No one is forcing you to eat. If you feel you have no control over your eating, counseling may be in order.
• Use weight-loss medications with caution.
• Focus on a five percent weight loss.
• Avoid trans fats.
• Try to recognize your body's signals that you're full.

Want to see more?

• The Lowdown on Low Carb Eating: Your Fertility May Benefit
• Making Sense of PCOS
• Excerpt from PCOS: A Woman's Guide to Dealing With Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
• Talk about it!