Customer Reviews

A Patient's Guide to PCOS: Understanding--and Reversing--Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I was recently diagnosed with PCOS at the age of 29 and after reading this book, realize that I have probably have had this since I started puberty! I was diagnosed two months before this book came out and finally received my copy the other day...I never anticipated a book so much. Finally, I have a guide book for this syndrome! Dr. Futterweit is one of the nation's foremost authorities on this condition and has spent his life researching and treating this condition. This book is the ultimate guide to understanding PCOS, getting a correct diagnosis (as symptoms are variable among all women and are sometimes diagnosed incorrectly), eating and exercise habits to help reverse the condition, as well as strategies for alleviating many other horrible symptoms like excess facial hair, acne, thinning scalp hair, etc. As I devoured this book I found myself saying over and over, "wow, this is my life". The book is written in such a great tone. While some of the 'understanding PCOS' parts are very medical, it's not so filled with medical jargon that you won't understand it. It is evident that Dr. Futterweit truly cares about women with this condition and wants to educate us and give us hope! If you are like me, I am only discovering the full fledged condition as a result of going off the pill in hopes of getting pregnant. There are parts of this book dedicated to Getting Pregnant, Staying Pregnant (PCOS sufferers have increased chances of miscarriage), gestational diabetes, etc.

I feel this book has given me a wealth of information, some of which I intend to share with my primary care physician and ob gyn. I also found that a great compliment to this book in terms of dietary guidelines is Dr. Jennie Brand-Miller's The New Glucose Revolution Guide to Living Well with PCOS. I had no idea that due to this condition I have a form of insulin resistance and I've battled weight all my life. It turns out the usual low fat diets that tend to be higher carbohydrate are one of the worst ways that PCOS sufferers can handle their diet. I've already found much success with a low glycemic index diet in just 6 weeks and am startled at how much my overall quality of life has improved with Dr. Futterweit's strategies which are well defined in this book. If you are recently diagnosed or have had this condition for years without much success at battling the symptoms, this book is for you. I can confidently say that I'm on the road to battling this syndrome with education and a newfound lifestyle.

This book is wonderful! I've been learning more and more about PCOS, little by little, since being diagnosed with it four years ago. I had problems with PCOS symptoms since I was a teenager, but no doctors knew what PCOS was at that time. We are so lucky to have all of the information on PCOS now, and that doctors are taking women with PCOS symptoms seriously.

This book is extremely informative and helpful! Although I've been gradually learning more about PCOS, there is still a lot that I need to know -- and this book covers just about everything you need to know. I really like how things are explained, so that you can understand what your body is going through and why certain things happen because of PCOS.

Great eating plan, and helpful hints on how to stick to a healthy plan too. The glycemic index is great to have on hand. I've heard a lot of success stories from women who have eaten by this index, and by following plans similar to the eating plan listed in this book.

I wish that more would have been shared about Femara being a lot more successful fertility drug for women with PCOS, who are Clomid resistant. Also, that Metformin isn't a magic pill for everyone...it won't give everyone a regular cycle or help everyone get pregnant. The same goes for Clomid. It would be good to also mention that there are two different forms of Metformin -- the "regular" Metformin, and the Metformin ER (Extended Release). Metformin ER has few to no side effects, unlike the regular Metformin.

If you want to know more about PCOS, and want to take control of your health, definitely buy this book! It is literally a life saver!

As a PCOS patient, this is just the kind of book I have been hoping would be published. Dr. Futterweit is one of the top PCOS doctors in the country, perhaps the world, and his book is well written and thorough. He manages to explore the complexity of PCOS while writing clearly and simply enough to keep the subject matter interesting and intelligible. He covers a lot of ground and gives good, practical recommendations and suggestions for patients.
It's very clear from the way this book is written that Dr. Futterweit deeply cares about his patients. I had the pleasure to hear him speak at a PCOS conference several years ago, and I am grateful for his dedication to this lesser known but very significant health problem.
I highly recommend the book, it's a great source of information and it will help you understand and treat PCOS.
Congratulations Dr. Futterweit, and thank you.

I've recently been diagnosed with PCOS and I found this book helpful, but nothing new really after the information I got from my obgyn (I guess I'm lucky like that). What I found really useful and extremely helpful in this book were the different options for treatment. What I was frustrated with was the diet plan. I understand that it's not made for everyone, but the fact he recommends eating 1,100 calories a day seems alarming to me, since fitness experts today never advide going under 1,200. Overall, a worthwhile read despite the disappointing diet plan.

After several painful years of misdiagnosis in my teens and a correct diagnosis of PCOS by an excellent doctor in the early 90's, I recently went looking for a book about PCOS to get up to date on what information has been discovered over the last 15 years. This book was exactly what I was looking for - impeccably researched and written in language that makes the information both easy to understand and easy to act upon.

The authors approach the subject with an objective viewpoint, and not only discuss issues related to PCOS (insulin resistance, fertility issues) but tackle the broader topic of how to live successfully with this condition. The tone is hopeful and practical, and I only wish that this had been written 18 years ago when I started my journey. I have already given this book to friends of mine with PCOS and they share my viewpoint - this is essential reading for women with PCOS.

I bought this book hoping for detailed information to help me better understand possible courses of treatment for my recent diagnosis of having PCOS. I found some information in the book to be helpful, but I was largely disappointed. To me, the book spent way too much time talking about possible symptoms and various ways doctors reach a diagnosis or what you might have if it isn't PCOS. If you are spending the money to buy a book about PCOS then odds are you already know you have it. At least 1/3 of the book was about diet and exercise. While I realize this is important for treatment of PCOS, I was looking for a medically informative book, not a diet book. There was only one chapter really on the medical treatment (i.e. Metformin and Clomid) of PCOS and the author basically just talked about the course of treatment he puts his patients on rather than giving me the depth of information I was looking for. Like I said, there was some information I found helpful so I am glad I bought the book, but I really wish there had been more about medical treatment and less about diagnosis and diet.

I've read most anything I can get my hands on about PCOS for the last 5-6 years. While this was an informative book, it wasn't anything new to me. If you're newly diagnosed and looking for some information, this is probably a good book for you. But if you are already fairly knowledgable about PCOS, I'd skip it.

A wonderful resource for women with this condition; however, I would have appreciated a section on natural/alternative treatments.

I was diagnosed with PCOS as a teen, but no doctor ever offered me an alternative to taking the pill (and that was after asking several doctors). After a bit more research, discovering that the doctors were misinforming me left me discouraged and frustrated. What was I supposed to do?

Then, I found this book. After reading it and following the diet and exercise plan, I can tell a tremendous difference! My energy is restored, and I am able to lose weight now (something that was difficult before changing my diet). Also, Dr. Futterweit tells what types of tests each woman with symptoms of pcos should have. It's such a relief to be educated on this matter from a man who specializes in this hormonal imbalance, and not to be given the run around about pharmaceuticals.

I've known I've had PCOS for 4 years and discovered after reading this that my doctor is completely clueless. Thanks to this book, I'm seeing a different doctor, changed my lifestyle, and am now on the path to living a longer, healther life!!