A big thank you to Kim, who alerted me to a product called Pregnitude, a supplement that’s supposed to help “support ovulatory function, menstrual cyclicity and quality of eggs for women”. It piqued my curiosity immediately and I began to wonder if Pregnitude could help with my PCOS.
Can Pregnitude help PCOS?
Of course, I immediately took to the internet to read up on it. Pregnitude contains 200 mcg of folic acid, which, as we all know, is vital while trying to conceive (TTC) as well as while pregnant. It also contains is a substance called Myo-inositol. This is supposed to work similarly to Metformin, in that it can improve insulin resistance. So, some women have reported a decrease in symptoms related to that, such as acne. Some women have also reported having more-normal cycles since taking it.
My acne hasn’t really flared that much yet since coming off of Spiro. I did have a breakout around my mouth area right around my period this last cycle, but nothing huge around the jaw which is where I really used to get it pre-Spiro. So far, so good. Of course, I’ve also been attempting to follow Paleo (as close as I can), so that is probably helpful. I’ve also been taking Spearmint tea to help with acne. So far, so good.
I was very excited to hear that Pregnitude could help to regulate my periods, which is super-important since I’m TTC (and even more important since I have PCOS). My last cycle was my first one since coming off b.c. and Spiro, and I ovulated on day 20. I can live with that. But, I’m afraid my body is going to slowly slip back to its old ways, where I’d have one anovulatory cycle, followed by a cycle in which I *did* ovulate, however, it was on CD50 or beyond. I’d much prefer not to have 60-70 day cycles, particularly while TTC. So, it will be fantastic if Pregnitude can help with that annoying PCOS symptom.
I bought Pregnitude from Drugstore.com since it was in the mid-$30s. Even my beloved Amazon had Pregnitude at a higher price, which rarely happens. I was happy that I received my Pregnitude from Drugstore.com 3 days after ordering it, so I was able to start fairly early during this cycle! I took my first dose on CD7, so maybe I will see some effect this cycle–who knows! I’ll let y’all know, of course.
Pregnitude is a powder, which is great for me because I can’t swallow pills (I know, I can’t believe it, either). It’s tasteless and you simply dissolve it in a glass of water in the morning and at night. I’ve been taking it in my spearmint tea, which I also take 2x/day. I’m loving the two birds, one stone thing.
I will keep you posted! Keep your fingers crossed for me.
UPDATE: See my Pregnitude update!
Nature didn’t need an operation to be beautiful. It just was.”
–Scott Westerfield
Can’t wait to hear how it works for you!
Hi,
Great to know pregnitude & spearmint tea does the magic.. God bless you! And would you mind sharing how you found out having an an-ovulatory cycle?
Regards & prayers,
Aish
Hi Aish, determining I sometimes have anovulatory cycles was pretty easy. I temp regularly and use the “fertility friend” app on my phone. You plug in your temperatures each morning and the app records them all and spits out a graph — if you can’t determine a rise in temperatures for a good chunk of the back-half of your cycle (my temps increase by about 1/2 degree after I ovulate until I start my period again), there’s reason to think it’s anovulatory. I’ve backed up the temping with taking OPKs on these months with no success getting a “positive”. It’s always good to have this kind of data before you talk to any doctor as it just aides your case! Good luck.
HI!
Just found your blog when searching about Pregnitude. I’m about to start using it to try to regulate my very long (CD80+) cycles. I have PCOS so you def understand how frustrating it has been TTC. I was wondering how this is working for you?
Ooh, exciting! I, too, have had very long cycles. I don’t think I ever got to 80 days but I’ve hit 60 and 70 days a few times; it’s very frustrating. I’ll have an update about Pregnitude very soon, I promise.