north

your local library probably has a copy of the south beach diet book. there are lots of low-glycemic diets out there, the most important thing is just to eat fresh, eat whole. south beach has all these products now - cereal bars, refrigerated meals, frozen dinners, etc. that really go against the whole theory of the diet originally. shop the perimeter of the store - produce, meat, dairy. only buy whole grain breads/rice. avoid the inner aisles that have all of the packaged foods. limit your high carb foods and combine them with other foods. imagine that your plate is divided - half veggies/fruit, one quarter meat/protein, one quarter carbs. eat a snack halfway between meals. don't limit how much you eat, eat until you are full! just eat the right foods. and exercise 30 minutes a day, it can be as simple as going for a 30 minute walk every night. or as complex as you want, go to the gym and do weights, cardio, classes if you like that. I started out walking and after several months ended up running, they're both the right price (free!) and I can do them no matter where I am. go to a clinic or maybe Planned Parenthood and get switched to a different bc pill. walmart has a pill (sprintec 28 day, generic for ortho novum) on the $4 prescription list, also metformin is $4 if you can get someone to prescribe that for you instead. met will make you fertile though so be careful! don't want to be a mommy before you are ready.

I have PCOS, and I also have two daughters PCOS is the 2nd leading cause of infertility in the US but it is also very treatable. Birth control pills like the ones your doc prescribed are a common treatment if you are not currently trying to conceive. Another med that is used to treat it is metformin, which is an oral insulin sensitizer also used to treat type II diabetes. PCOS is a syndrome related to insulin resistance so met along with a low-glycemic diet and regular exercise can totally keep it under control (sometimes just the diet and exercise alone without meds will work). I recommend joining the message board at www.soulcysters.com - you will find a TON of info there as well as women of all ages who have dealt with this same issue. Do you have health insurance? If so I would get in to see a reproductive endocrinologist. They have more experience with PCOS than most OB/GYNs do and will also test for other endocrine issues that could contribute to your problems like thyroid, etc. Good luck, and try not to worry! ~north