I find myself regularly shouting from the rooftops about the benefits of Inositol supplements, and in particular Inofolic. So rather than shouting, I thought I would show you the evidence from one of my patients’ basal body temperature (BBT) charting.
If you have PCOS and haven’t come across Inofolic yet, you can find out more here. However in short, Inofolic is a supplement that works on insulin resistance in PCOS to regulate your cycle, improve ovulation and reduce the symptoms of PCOS.
I recommended it to all my PCOS patients and in each and every one I see increased cycle benefits and a reduction in symptoms such as weight gain, acne and excess hair growth. A soon to be published UK systematic review of the literature, found that Inositol appears to significantly improve ovulation rate, metabolic and hormone profile in women with PCOS (Pundir 2017). For more research in to the benefits of Inositol supplements, see my article https://yourfertilityjourney.com/the-benefits-of-inositol-for-pcos-why-you-should-take-it/
The Inositol Supplements Case Study
Let me introduce you to Samantha. Samantha is 33 and has been trying to conceive for 3 years. She was diagnosed with PCOS at the age of 18 and has never had regular cycles. Her cycles are lengthy, varying from 40-75 days. She ovulates irregularly and only maybe about 4 times a year. She is overweight with a BMI of 34.
Samantha came to me in February this year. She was at a complete loss and really didn’t know where to go in her fertility journey. As she has a high BMI, she has been refused fertility investigations and treatment until her BMI is below 30.
Samantha told me that she feels completely out of control of her own fertility and is struggling to lose weight on her own.
After an in-depth consultation and lifestyle assessment, I recommended various lifestyle changes and suggested that she start taking Inositol supplements. I also asked her to track her cycles using BBT and observing her cervical mucous for 3 months, so I could assess her charts and potentially diagnose any further issues.
Samantha and I had a further consultation after 2 months. She had been working really hard at her lifestyle changes, particularly following my PCOS Diet Plan, starting exercise and reducing her alcohol intake. She had also started taking Inositol supplements on Day 10 of her next cycle.
This is an image of her first chart:
As you can see, it is a very long cycle - 43 days. You’ll also notice that the temperatures appear very disturbed and show a ‘swinging’ pattern. This looks a bit like the teeth on a saw and is very typical a PCOS chart. There is no obvious temperature rise indicating ovulation, as this would be seen as a rise followed by the temperatures remaining elevated in the luteal phase until the next period. This chart is an “anovulatory cycle’ (meaning no ovulation).
Her second chart shows a slightly different pattern:
The cycle is still long at 35 days. Whilst the first temperatures in the follicular phase are still showing the ‘saw tooth’ pattern, it is visibly less. Ovulation occurred on Day 24. You can determine this by the temperature rise, followed by the luteal phase temperatures staying at the higher level until the next period starts. This is a very obvious improvement on the previous months chart.
I consulted Samantha again the following month and this is the image she emailed to me:
What a different picture this shows. For the first time ever, Samantha has had a more ‘normal’ length cycle and she is ecstatic! Her cycle is 30 days in length and shows a typically normal biphasic curve (meaning that the follicular phase temperatures are followed by a temperature rise and high luteal phase temperatures). The temperature rise indicative of ovulation is day 16.
Without doubt this positive change in Samantha’s cycles is due to lifestyle changes and starting Inositol supplements. Samantha is continuing her good work with improvements to her diet, enjoying regular exercise and has completely stopped drinking alcohol. Her cycles are continuing to look so much better and she is feeling more in control of her fertility and excited for what the future will bring!
References
Pundir J et.al (2017) Inositol treatment of anovulation in women with PCOS: a meta-analysis of randomised trials doi: 10.1111/1471-0528.14754
Clare says
Thank you for sharing this - I haven’t found anywhere else online that shows the evolution of a cycle (via BBT) with inositol supplements. I hope to have three charts like this very soon myself.