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How to Balance PCOS Naturally

hormone health pcos Mar 13, 2023

If you're new around here, welcome! I'm a menstrual health expert and hormone ND. I have helped thousands of women welcome in healthy periods and balanced hormones with my program Period Reboot! Be sure to hop on the waiting list so you're notified the next time the doors open!


 

What is PCOS?

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most common hormonal disorders in women of reproductive age. Some statistics say up to 1 in 5 women struggle with PCOS! What makes it really confusing though is that it is suggested less than half of women are diagnosed correctly. So unfortunately we really don't have an accurate number of how many women truly have PCOS. Some women who experience irregular periods are quickly given the label of PCOS without meeting all the markers. Meanwhile some women who really do have PCOS are going to their doctors and are never actually given a diagnosis. This creates a lot of confusion among practitioners and patients about who genuinely has PCOS, what are the true markers for diagnosis and what is the treatment plan moving forward?

 


 

Common symptoms of PCOS:

  • missing / very irregular periods (40-60+ days between periods)
  • polycystic ovaries
  • hirsutism (excess body hair)
  • anovulatory cycles
  • struggling to get pregnant 
  • weight gain 
  • male pattern balding (hair on head thinning)
  • darkened skin patches
  • skin tags
  • oily / acne prone skin

While there are a lot of different signs of PCOS, not everyone with PCOS will fit all these symptoms.

 


 

Did you know?:

You don't have to have cysts on your ovaries to be diagnosed with PCOS! 

 


 

How do practitioners diagnose PCOS?

 So with all that, you may be wondering how someone might get a formal PCOS diagnosis. Currently, most practitioners use the Rotterdam criteria. Based on this criteria you have to present two of the three markers.
                   1. irregular menstrual cycles
                   2. elevated androgens (i.e. testosterone) via blood test
                   3. polycystic ovaries via ultrasound

 If you present with 2 of these 3, you may be diagnosed with PCOS. If you are diagnosed with PCOS, it's helpful to ask your physician what they based your diagnosis on. Unfortunately some women are diagnosed only because of irregular periods and that is not enough.

 

Is birth control a good fix for PCOS?

"Birth control as a treatment plan for PCOS is lazy medicine."

When women are put on birth control as treatment for PCOS, we are not addressing any of the root causes that led to PCOS. Also, what a disservice this is to women who may already be struggling with anovulatory cycles (lack of ovulation). Many forms of birth control like the pill indefinitely turn OFF ovulation. So when these women try to get pregnant in 10 years, it's fair to say there may be more struggle. 

It's important to work with a doctor who wants to help you INVESTIGATE why you have PCOS and help create a custom plan moving forward. 

 

Types of PCOS

Some practitioners believe there are four different types of PCOS. While there isn't a lot of science to back up the "types" I do think it's shows how different things can drive PCOS symptoms. 

  • Insulin Resistance PCOS: this indicates insulin resistance and blood sugar imbalances could be driving PCOS symptoms. 1 in 3 people are insulin resistant but that number is probably much higher among women with PCOS. Balancing blood sugar is ESSENTIAL as well as addressing why you're insulin resistant and bringing balance to the cells (hint: that doesn't mean just cut out carbs and sugar forever. That doesn't fix the issue!)
  • Adrenal PCOS: this indicates stress could be driving PCOS symptoms. Note that stress isn't just work stress and things going on in your life. Stress can also be under eating, irregular blood sugar, fasting, restrictive dieting, low carb diets etc. So you really have to look at stress as a whole to figure out why stress hormones are high.
  • Post Pill PCOS: because oral birth control works by turning off ovulation, it's possible to see PCOS symptoms after coming off the pill. Usually this is temporary until ovulation returns regularly.
  • Inflammatory PCOS: this could indicate that gut health needs to be addressed.

 

 

Here's the GOOD NEWS: While they say PCOS is incurable, with proper management we can live 100% symptom free!

Here's my Top 5 ways to manage PCOS naturally:

1. Keep blood sugar balanced

Focusing on eating protein, fat and carbs at every meal is an easy way to support blood sugar. Protein usually requires some forethought to ensure you have it at every meal and snack. So think eggs, cottage cheese, yogurt, salmon, ground beef, cheese, chicken, protein powder, bone broth etc.

2. Create a plan to address the stress in your life

It's helpful to think about what could be stressing your system. What things in your life cause you stress? Can you change anything about them? And also think about your lifestyle habits. Do you often skip breakfast? Do you struggle to drink water? Have you cut out multiple food groups and have a restrictive diet? Do you exercise excessively? Think honestly and then see if some of these habits need to be shifted. 

3. Look at your exercise routines

When you're healing your hormones and repairing stress in the body, usually less is more when it comes to exercise. Generally cardio, HIIT classes and running may be more stressful on your body. Instead, I'd opt for strength training, walking, yoga, pilates and hiking. Movement is still important! But intensity may need to decrease.

4. Supplement intentionally

Supplements are just that - supplemental tools! They alone are not fixes. But there are a few supplements I sometimes work with like cinnamon, NAC, berberine and inositol. I don't recommend just taking supplements without a practitioner's advice or support.

5. Get mineral testing done

I love offering Hair Mineral Analysis Testing so I can see what is actually driving hormone imbalance symptoms. For example, it's common to see low potassium with PCOS patients. I offer HTMA testing in Period Reboot and with my 1:1 patients

 


 

Does this sound like you? Would you like to manage your PCOS symptoms?

I created a whole masterclass just for you! While PCOS is becoming a more and more common diagnosis, it can be challenging to find good, research based tools to live symptom-free with PCOS and even harder to get clear information on how to manage PCOS moving forward. This workshop will save you hundreds of hours of Googling!

 Join PCOS Freedom HERE!

 


 

More information about PCOS on my hormone healing podcast!

On the CYCLICAL Podcast: PCOS Simplified and 5 Tools to Manage Symptoms

Want to hear more?? Be sure to tune into the CYCLICAL podcast!

Episode "PCOS Simplified and 5 Tools to Manage Symptoms" 

You can find the CYCLICAL Podcast on iTunes, Spotify or anywhere you enjoy podcasts

  


 

Learn how to work with me here

 You don't have to feel in the dark about your symptoms anymore and if your doctor is saying "NO" when you request hormone testing, please know there are options! If you're ready to get to the root of what's going on, check out my Work With Me page to learn how to begin this journey of support, nourishment and hormone balance. 

 

If your hormones feel off, they probably are! So don't brush it off and assume everything is "normal" when you feel anything but. xx

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