How to Manage PCOS Symptoms Naturally
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrine disorder among women of reproductive years.
It is classified as hyperandrogenism (too much testosterone) with insulin resistance (blood sugar metabolism issues) and anovulation (failure to ovulate).
One of the MAJOR factors here is insulin resistance. This is what makes people gain weight, but the mechanisms can get super complicated.
When your blood sugar regulation is not smooth you will get a boost in testosterone type hormone production. That causes more insulin resistance and the vicious cycle continues until levels of insulin and testosterone start to irritate the ovaries.
Now, for the allopathic medical model (treatment of symptoms and diseases using drugs, radiation, or surgery) you have to fit into a tight little box to have the diagnosis. HOWEVER, for other types of practices, like functional medicine, PCOS is considered a spectrum disorder.
Just because you don't have cysts on your ovaries doesn't mean you don't have any of the other symptoms. After all, by definition a "syndrome" is just a group of symptoms.
Main PCOS Symptoms:
Fewer than 9 periods a year that are 35 days or more apart
Infertility
Weight issues/obesity
Abnormal body or facial hair growth
Enlarged ovaries with many follicles around the edges indicating the eggs never fully matured
Secondary PCOS Symptoms:
Other symptoms that can put you on the PCOS spectrum are:
Irregular or painful menses
Acne
Oily skin
High cholesterol
High blood pressure.
All of the symptoms of PCOS are totally manageable with natural care.
What do you do if you have PCOS symptoms?
Here at Thompson Wellness we typically look at blood work to help identify where someone is on that spectrum. Some of the labs include cholesterol, insulin, testosterone and estrogen, sex hormone binding globulin, FSH and LH (these are signaling hormones from the brain), and vitamin D, to name a few.
As a matter of fact, evidence indicates that vitamin D deficiency may be a causal factor in the development of insulin resistance and PCOS.
The dysfunctions associated with PCOS tend to disrupt the antioxidant system as well as the inflammatory balance in the body. Studies have shown a decrease in glutathione (your body's main antioxidant) as well as increases of inflammatory molecules that damage all parts of the body, including the cardiovascular and nervous systems.
What helps manage PCOS the best?
The NUMBER ONE thing to help manage PCOS is managing blood sugar. It is clear that women with PCOS, in addition to infertility, will suffer from advanced aging (cardiovascular, neurodegenerative, and cancers – breast and endometrial) due to the effects of insulin resistance. So this must be addressed no matter the patient's goals for treatment.
3 ways to manage your PCOS symptoms
Adhere to at least a low glycemic diet. This will help address the insulin resistance. Address inflammation with lowering inflammatory foods.
For this you may want to do some food testing, but an elimination diet could be a good start. The top allergenic foods to avoid are wheat, dairy, corn, soy, peanuts, eggs and sugar. Don't kill the messenger...Supplements to address the inflammation may include quercetin, resveratrol and curcumin. You'll want to support the liver to clear out the excess hormones.
The diet is helpful, but we do use things like Milk Thistle, Burdock, DIM, NAC, liver glandular, calcium-D-glucarate, etc.Address a leaky gut. Chances are there is some type of permeability going on in the gut. Again, the diet should be of some assistance, but you may want to consider a gut restoration protocol including pro and prebiotics and possibly some antimicrobials.
These things do get complicated and often frustrating, but sometimes that's just the nature of the beast. The important thing to do is not give up and keep trying. And if you need help, schedule an appointment here or give us a call.