102: Everything you need to know about being pregnant with PCOS: Learnings from my second trimester (it’s getting real real now!)

The PCOS Nutritionist Podcast

Having spent the majority of my pregnancy in lockdown (106 days to be exact), I’ve had lots of time to think about how the journey has been for me so far. Pregnancy can be incredibly daunting and isolating, let alone adding PCOS into the mix!

Obviously the first trimester is nerve wracking but the second trimester can feel like just as much of a rollercoaster.

You’re getting used to your body changing quite drastically, most people actually know you’re pregnant, you’re figuring out what exercise looks like for you, you’re hoping you’re out of the woods with nausea and food aversions, you’re realising you’re getting closer to actually meeting your baby, you’ve got the dreaded pregnancy glucose challenge to face, you’ve got more energy but you’re not feeling too massive and slow just yet. Phew — there’s a lot that happens in the second trimester. It’s getting real real now!

Loads of you who are pregnant with PCOS, have been before and plan to be in the future absolutely loved my first trimester episode. So I’m giving the people what they want of course and releasing my second trimester learnings ASAP!

I’m giving you all the juicy details on all things second trimester of being pregnant with PCOS. Everything from what’s gotten better for me since first trimester and what I’m still struggling with, to what exercise you’re actually okay to do in pregnancy, to still dealing with constipation in the second trimester, to food aversions and their changes in this stage as well as iron levels in PCOS pregnancy, pelvic floor WOFs (I found I was a bit of an overachiever in this area!), sweet cravings, gestational diabetes testing and much more.

This episode is for you if:

• You’re currently pregnant or are trying to conceive
• You are trying to navigate the changes happening in your body at the moment
• Being pregnant with PCOS, you’re quite worried about doing the gestational diabetes glucose test
• Your PCOS symptoms are changing (maybe even getting better) during your pregnancy
• You want to know if pregnancy can ‘undo’ PCOS symptoms
• You don’t know what types of exercise are actually okay in pregnancy
• You want to know more about how you should feel after exercising while pregnant
• Iron levels are an issue for you (either low or high iron)
• You want to know what the heck a pelvic floor WOF is and why it’s important
• You’re still dealing with constipation and some food aversions
• You want to hear other people’s experiences of being pregnant with PCOS

Some things we cover in this episode:

• What’s gotten better for me since first trimester and what I’m still struggling with
• Dealing with that sweet tooth while being pregnant with PCOS
• The dreaded OGTT for gestational diabetes risk
• PCOS symptoms changing in pregnancy
• Spending my entire second trimester in strict lockdown and how I coped
• Keeping active and what that looks like in PCOS pregnancy
• Struggling with focusing on work
• Keeping watch of my iron levels

Resources and References:

• Caitlin Day: The Vagina Physio
• Unity Studios
• 7 question quiz: What does a ‘vagina physio’ do?
• My Book: Getting Pregnant with PCOS

Links to our programs:

• The PCOS Protocol
• Eggducated