Test results at last

I finally got copies of my blood work from the PCOS / Acupuncture study done at the UVA in 2008.  These blood draws were taken on April 8, 2008 which is day 53 out of a 77 day cycle.

Vitals
Blood pressure - 137/81 and later 99/67 (normal 120/80))
Pulse - 95 and later 80 (normal 60-80)
Respiration - 18 and later 16 (normal 12-18)
Temp - 95.7 and later 98.1 (normal 98.6)

Oral glucose tolerance test
Fasting - 87 (normal 60-100)
1 hour - 128 (normal less than 200)
2 hour - 129 (normal less than 140)

Hemoglobin A1C

Click word to go to wikipedia definition.

Result - 5.0% (normal 4-5.9%)

DHEAS
Result - 287.0ug/dL (normal 35-430ug/dL)
Women with PCOS often have levels over 200.

Testosterone
Result - 93 (normal 6-86)
Women with PCOS have elevated levels of testosterone.

17-Hydroxyprogesterone
Result - 149.00 ng/dL (normal follicular phase is 15-70, luteal phase is 35-290)
Since I have no idea which phase of my cycle I was in or whether I ovulated that cycle, this seems difficult to understand how it my relate.


TSH
Result - 1.64 uIU/mL (normal 0.4 - 4.0)
PCOS women usually have normal levels, this was tested to rule out a thyroid problem - very good news!)


Prolactin
Result - 5.0 n/mL (normal 2-29)
PCOS women usually have normal levels, this was tested to rule out a pituitary tumor or other problem).


That's it!  I was hoping there was an FSH/LH reading in there somewhere and maybe some more hormone levels, but good to finally get these!

PCOS Acupuncture Study Results Reported!

May 6, 2010

Dear Amber Sullivan (ID 70),

We have now completed recruitment and initial analysis for our study “The Influence of Acupuncture on Reproductive Hormones and Ovulation (IRB 12045)”. We have also unblinded the treatment categories for each participant. Based on our records, while you were enrolled in the study, you had 4 periods and ovulated 41% of the months you were in the study.* (A 50% ovulation rate means that you ovulated half the months in the study, 100% means you ovulated every month, and 0% means you never ovulated.) The study arm that you were assigned to was placebo acupuncture*.

On the next page, you will find a summary of the primary study’s findings. As you see, overall, this acupuncture regimen was not particularly effective for treating women with PCOS, although those of you with lower fasting insulin levels were definitely more likely to see a benefit (regular ovulation) than those with higher insulin levels. We’ll be exploring that finding more in the coming months.

It is just as important from a science point-of-view to learn what doesn’t work as what does work, although it sure is more fun to write a scientific article with a “wow!” punch line. I hope you don’t feel discouraged. Your participation in the clinical trial was very important, and we scientists will learn a great deal from your participation in the study. So thanks again, and I’ll send along the scientific papers when they are published, if you indicated that you wanted to see them.

Sincerely,

Lisa M. Pastore, PhD
Assistant Professor
Dept. of OB/GYN
UVA HealthSystem
LPASTORE@virginia.eduLPASTORE@virginia.edu>



Title: RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIAL OF ACUPUNCTURE FOR POLYCYSTIC OVARY SYNDROME (PCOS)


LM Pastore1, CD Williams2, J Jenkins1, J Patrie1
1University of Virginia, Box 800712 Charlottesville, VA, United States, 22908 and 2Reproductive Medicine and Surgery Center of Virginia, 595 Peter Jefferson Way Charlottesville, VA, United States, 22911.

Objective: To determine if acupuncture, compared to sham treatment, normalizes ovarian hormones and increases the ovulation rate in women with PCOS. 3 studies (< 50 acupuncture subjects, not randomized) reported that acupuncture may be an alternative treatment for PCOS.
Design: Randomized, double-blind, 5-month clinical trial.
Materials and Methods: 80 women (+5 women who dropped out during follow-up) completed the study. Eligibility required PCOS diagnosis (NIH criteria) and no hormonal medication 60 days prior to enrollment. Intervention: 12 sessions of true acupuncture or sham procedure (Park Sham Device) for 8 weeks. Biological specimens were collected before the 1st and after the last treatment, plus 3 months later. Ovulation was measured objectively with urine or blood. Analysis, using alpha=0.05, consisted of Wilcoxon tests, ANOVA, and Spearman correlations.
Results: Participants by intervention arm (n=41 true acupuncture, n=44 sham) were similar in demographics, baseline ovarian hormones and androgens, and eligibility criteria. Post-treatment improvement in the LH/FSH ratio was similar by arm (-0.4 and -0.8 in true and sham, respectively, p<0.03). The monthly ovulation rate was similar by arm (34% - 52%), and similar to self-reported pre-study menstrual frequency (most recent 12 months without exogenous hormones). Within the acupuncture arm, the 2 strongest predictors of the ovulation rate were lower fasting insulin (p=0.03) followed by lower insulin area under the curve (p=0.06), controlling for pre-study menstrual frequency and BMI; this pattern was not evident within the sham arm. Neither intervention was associated with any impact to androgen levels, with the exception of decreased SHBG in both arms (p<0.05). There were 7 pregnancies (no difference by arm).
Conclusions: This acupuncture intervention was not effective for increasing the ovulation rate in PCOS overall, although it is possible that acupuncture may be helpful for women with insulin processing closer to normal.


*Emphasis mine (Amber's) - I find this very interesting!!  I ovulated 41% of the time!!!!  I didn't think I was ovulating at all.  :-)

Acupuncture article

First article published from the acupuncture/PCOS study that I took part in at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. Go here to read, it is just about the recruitment procedures so far but there will be more and I will post them as I get them.

Final UVA appt

I went yesterday for my final appt at the UVA. I had the 2 1/2 hour fasting glucose test and other baseline readings. It went fine. The head Dr of the study came in to thank me, the nurse was much better this time and I got a nice quiet room with a bed, warm blankets and mindless TV. I turned in all my urine samples. My cycles the last 3 months have actually been a bit short, but they've been there the last 3 months - better than long or nonexistent I say! They told me that in the tests they did during the treatments, I had not ovulated at all - they would let me know if any of the urine tests showed ovulation from the last 3 months. They will be sending all my baseline test results to my ND, who will pass them on to me.

I am looking forward to starting back on the progesterone and estrogen creams!

Long overdue update

Okay, been so busy and haven't taken the time to post here. Nothing real exciting going on, I completed my yeast detox diet and have struggled since with my eating. I've gone from taking little cheats to full-blown s'more's Sat night. I had hoped to slide into low-carb and continue losing weight, but that didn't go so well... so then I decided to re-start the yeast detox diet, and that has gone even worse. I haven't gained any weight, am holding steady at 44lbs lost, but really need to get losing again to reach my goal by the end of the year.

I have not done well at all with exercise in the last month. I finished the T-Tapp challenge with over 19" lost, but could have done so much better had I been as consistent the 2nd 30-days as I was the first 30-days. I would like to do the 15-min Basic Workout each morning and get the Instructional #2 done a couple times in a week also... gotta just do it!

My cycle has not started again yet, so it's been 53 days now... grrr.... my acupuncture treatments are done now. I think I was getting the placebo after all is said and done. I have a few months of collecting urine samples at home and then go back for the final tests one last time. I am still glad I did it, was a good experience overall.

I have been waking early and having coffee with Tom, spending time in God's Word and prayer. That has been good. I've been kinda moody and down the last few days though. Will be better soon, pray for strength and self-control for me!

2nd week of treatments

I have had a total of 4 acupuncture sessions in the last 2 weeks. After each session I get achiness in my right leg as I drive home. The first 2 sessions I also had twinges in my right ovary afterwards. The 2nd session, I fell asleep and rested well. The day after my 2nd session I started my cycle finally and it has been normal and painless! The 3rd session I felt weightless and tingly on the table - I also fell asleep pretty hard. The 4th session I slept for just the last couple minutes I think, it was rather intense - I felt pain across my kidneys and kinda radiating back and forth between my hip bones in back, I also had some pain in my sciatic nerves.

I take a pregnancy test each Tuesday before my session and they have of course both been negative. The acupuncturist did tell me that one of the ladies she was treating in the study became pregnant last week though - that is exciting!

First week of treatments

My first week of acupuncture treatments is done. I am going on Tuesdays and Thursdays for the next 4 weeks (well 3 remaining). The treatments are simple and very relaxing. I actually fell asleep on the table this afternoon! I am not sure yet if I am getting the acupuncture or the sham, but I am trying to figure it out (though I know I probably shouldn't for the study, can't help myself).

My first PCOS appt.

I went to the UVA today for the baseline blood draws and blood glucose tests. I left home around 10am, Tom had the kids all day. I went to my sister Amanda's to help her out for a couple hours with new baby Oliver and her 2 older kids. When I went to leave, I discovered I had left my lights on and had to ask Noah to jump my battery. :( So, I was about 15 minutes late for my appt. I got there and did a weigh-in (lost 3.5lbs since last time!) and blood pressure reading (130/85 - yikes!). Then I gave a urine sample and was shown to a room and bed to get comfy in. They hooked up a hep lock (to avoid a new needle for each draw - there were 4 of them) and got the initial blood and then gave me a bag of jelly beans to eat within 10 minutes. I thought - no problem, I haven't eaten for 17 hours and have had no sugar in 4 months - ha! It was a lot harder than I thought, but still better than the nasty syrupy drink! After that I had some questionnares to fill out and then was left to just relax, read, watch TV etc... they did 3 more blood draws every half hour. Then they brought me my $50 check and a dinner of grilled chicken, salad, an apple and bottle of water (per my request) and I was out of there. Oh, they took my blood pressure again before I left and it was 83/65 - a little low actually. All in all, it went well. Next week I start the treatments for a total of 8 weeks and then I return to the hospital for these same blood draws/tests again followed by 5 weeks of urine samples and then a third 2-hour blood draw/tests to end the study.

The Study begins!

I was accepted into the UVA study. This means that my self-diagnosis of PCOS was indeed accurate and that no other major health issues showed up (diabetes or kidney failure for example). This is all encouraging to me! I am excited about it, and so is Tom. I go on Tuesday for the 2.5 hour blood draw / baseline readings. They will do the glucose tolerance test, hormone readings and cholesterol reading. This will give a starting point as a reference for how I respond to treatments. The following week I start the 2x weekly accupuncture treatments. I will go on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons for 4 weeks and then on Tuesday afternoons for the next 4 weeks.