Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), sometimes called Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, is a condition that affects many women of reproductive age. Although the exact cause of PCOS is unknown, we do know that an imbalance in hormones and metabolism plays a big role. In this article, we will cover the symptoms and issues that PCOS causes as well as explore a PCOS natural remedies plan that you could consider if you suffer from the condition.
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome is a set of symptoms that result from hormonal imbalance. It affects ten to twenty percent of women of childbearing age.
There are three criteria for PCOS. However you only need 2 out of the 3 criteria to actually be diagnosed with PCOS. Meaning, you don’t need an ultrasound to show polycystic ovaries to be diagnosed with PCOS.
Despite several studies on PCOS, scientists still don’t know the exact cause of the condition. However, it is generally thought to be linked to the following:
Research shows that many women with PCOS have an imbalance in certain hormones. These hormones include testosterone, luteinizing hormone (LH), sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), and even prolactin.
The major culprit is testosterone and other male sex hormones. When there are high levels of these hormones, the ovaries can't release eggs, which affects ovulation and results in irregular menstruation cycles. This also explains the infertility issues associated with PCOS, as ovulation is a critical step in fertilization and pregnancy. High levels of male sex hormones (androgens) can also cause excessive hair growth and the development of acne.
While the reasons for this hormone imbalance are not fully known, hormone balancing is necessary for the management of PCOS.
The risk of getting PCOS is higher if someone in your family has had the condition before. However, more research is necessary to identify the exact genes involved in the development of this condition.
Insulin resistance is the inability of the cells in your muscles, fat, and liver to readily absorb glucose from your blood. These cells and tissues are resistant to the insulin circulating in the blood. In order to facilitate glucose absorption into your cells, your pancreas produces more insulin. Eventually, the pancreas cannot keep up with demand, and blood sugar starts to increase.
When your insulin levels rise, your ovaries produce and release androgens. This increase in the level of male hormones in the body inhibits ovulation and may contribute to other PCOS symptoms. This is also why there is a correlation between diabetes and PCOS.
The main symptoms of PCOS are: irregular or non-existent periods, anovulation (absence of ovulation), and the presence of higher amounts of androgens (male hormones) in the system, which can cause other common symptoms such as excess hair growth. In some women with PCOS, the ovaries are enlarged.
Other symptoms can include:
Other than having these frustrating symptoms, women with PCOS are also at risk for other health issues, such as:
The insulin resistance and metabolic imbalances that commonly occur with PCOS are also linked to adrenal fatigue.
Adrenal fatigue happens when the adrenal glands, two small organs that sit atop the kidneys, begin to dysregulate subclinically. This usually happens due to prolonged or chronic stress – whether mental or physical. As their functionality is hindered, related organs dysregulate, and they produce a collection of symptoms known as Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome (AFS).
AFS symptoms include fatigue, weight issues, sleep problems, weaker immunity, frequent colds and flu, low libido, PMS, fertility issues, inability to cope with stress, mild depression, and brain fog, among many others.
The adrenal glands are actually just one component of one of the body’s six circuits for handling stress. The NeuroEndoMetabolic (NEM) Stress Response is the body’s global reaction to stress, which employs many organs and systems together. However, the adrenals are at the forefront of this stress response, as they produce cortisol, the body’s main anti-stress hormone. When stress is chronic, it not only affects the adrenal glands, but it can throw the entire NEM off balance, causing many problems such as chronic inflammation, heart palpitations, digestive disorders, and more.
There is also a more specific link between stress and the female reproductive system.
Stress signals the adrenal glands to produce another important hormone: adrenaline (also called epinephrine). This is the hormone that is responsible for the “fight or flight” response, which readies the heart, lungs, muscles, and brain to either fight off or run away from danger. It gets energy and blood flow to them, taking the energy and blood flow away from other systems, such as the digestive and reproductive systems. The logic here is that, at such moments of threat, digestion and reproduction can wait.
This is perfectly healthy and needed. The issue arises when the stress is chronic, and there is no actual or real need for the “fight or flight” response because there is no threat to survival.
The release of adrenaline can also trigger the release of insulin to help cells take in glucose from the blood and get energy for the “fight or flight” response. When stress is chronic and this insulin release is continuous, excess insulin occurs in the system.
The insulin then triggers the ovaries to produce androgens, the male hormones, as well as more estrogen, which can cause an imbalance in the ratio of estrogen to progesterone. This can produce estrogen dominance, a state of relative imbalance.
Estrogen dominance is a continuum that starts with obscure symptoms such as water retention, and mild PMS. Over time, it can progress to include endometriosis, PCOS, fibrocystic breast disease, dysmenorrhea, and cancer. Additional signs and symptoms of estrogen dominance include swollen breasts, brain fog, anxiety, sugar craving, irritable mood, fibroids, and irregular periods. Estrogen and progesterone imbalances can also cause or worsen PCOS.
As you can see each condition can trigger or aggravate the other, making for a vicious cycle.
Unfortunately, for many women, these conditions often go unidentified, and if they are identified, they are often managed on a purely surface level – handling of the symptoms rather than the root causes.
At the moment, there is no cure for PCOS. Instead, the typical approach is to just manage the symptoms through medication and some lifestyle changes.
Medications are typically chosen according to whether you want to conceive or not, as some hinder conception while others boost fertility. For example, oral contraceptives are commonly prescribed to regulate menstruation, lower androgen levels, and help with acne and excess facial and body hair. Yet, while on birth control pills, you will not be able to conceive, so if you wish to have a baby, this would not be an option.
Some healthcare providers may, in addition, prescribe insulin sensitizers like metformin in order to combat insulin resistance. These lower the risk of, or help manage, diabetes in women with PCOS, as well as help with fertility.
Other medications include anti-androgens like spironolactone, acne medications, and of course any medications needed to counter concomitant conditions such as high cholesterol or blood pressure.
Doctors also often recommend weight loss through dieting and exercise.
Although that is part of what we recommend in our PCOS natural remedies plan, the approach is different. We focus much more on lifestyle and natural herbal supplements, while also making sure these measures do not adversely affect AFS.
The good thing about holistic PCOS natural remedie is that, once hormonal balance is achieved, the symptoms of AFS will also begin to naturally subside as they are so closely linked hormonally.
Here is our holistic approach to PCOS natural remedies:
For example, oral contraceptives are commonly prescribed to regulate menstruation, lower androgen levels and help with acne and excess facial and body hair. Yet, while on birth control pills, you will not be able to conceive, so if you wish to have a baby, this would not be an option.
Some health-care providers may in addition prescribe insulin-sensitizers in order to combat insulin-resistance, which would lower the risk of, or help manage diabetes in women with PCOS, as well as help with fertility.
Other medications include anti-androgens, acne medications, and of course any medications needed to counter concomitant conditions such as high cholesterol or blood pressure.
Doctors will also recommend weight loss through dieting and exercise. Although that is part of what we recommend in our PCOS natural plan, the approach is different. We will focus much more on lifestyle and natural herbal supplements, while also making sure it does not adversely affect the AFS.
Here is our holistic approach to PCOS natural solutions:
The first and most important step in any PCOS natural remedies plan involving AFS is to reduce and manage stress. Stress is one of the biggest causes of hormonal imbalance, as well as many other health issues. It is a modern-day culprit that has our “fight or flight” response triggered by non-life-threatening situations such as pressure at work or relationship problems.
But the great thing about it is that, once you have managed it, it will help many other aspects of health, such as better sleep, more energy, and more motivation to exercise and eat well.
Breath work, meditation, psychotherapy, stress-relieving exercises, and surrounding yourself with supportive people are just a few ways you can begin to lower stress levels.
Nutrition is one of the biggest influencers on hormones and one of the most powerful PCOS natural remedies.
If you suffer from PCOS and AFS and carry extra weight, shedding a few pounds will benefit you greatly. Yet it is easier said than done with these conditions due to the hormonal and energy problems making it more difficult to lose weight. However, with a more gradual, healthy, and systematic approach to nutrition, it is absolutely possible.
To this end, it is important to adopt a diet low in refined sugar. A diet that is low in refined sugars will keep glucose levels low, reduce the need for insulin, and therefore, reduce the production of testosterone. It is also important to eliminate allergens and inflammatory foods from your diet, such as gluten.
Instead, opt for healthy foods like fresh fruit and veggies, whole grains, and lean protein. Also, try to avoid processed foods, sugary yogurts, sugary drinks, and fried or highly processed foods.
Following the adrenal fatigue diet will support you in losing weight and increasing energy levels so that you are able to exercise, helping you to lose even more weight and feel healthier. In addition, you can support your body using supplementation.
Many people with PCOS resort to supplement use for the management of their symptoms. Although there has not been sufficiently extensive research on these supplements, the use of some of these supplements is gaining a lot of traction. Some of the common ones include:
However, it is important to be careful with taking supplements if you have PCOS and AFS. Certain supplements that work for boosting energy may only offer a temporary increase and then lead to a crash later. Some that are good for one condition may hinder recovery from another.
The best option is to get personalized nutritional coaching with an experienced professional. This is a much safer option than taking the “shotgun” approach – trying many different supplements thinking there’s no harm, and then finding out later that they have caused damage in the long run.
In fact, in a review of more than 20 common supplements used for PCOS, scientists were not convinced that the supplements were effective or even safe. This isn’t totally writing off supplement use for PCOS, though, as the same review found that some supplements, like inositol and omega-3s, can be beneficial in some ways.
In addition, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not regulate supplements as stringently as regular medications. They may not contain what they claim to. Some may interfere with other recommended medications or lead to adverse reactions if you suffer from AFS, especially in the later stages.
Rest is essential for good health and can be counted among the PCOS natural remedies, and even more so if you suffer from adrenal fatigue. The body needs time off to repair itself and restore its energy levels. However, good sleep can be quite a challenge for those with AFS. In fact, one of the most common symptoms is waking up in the middle of the night and having difficulty going back to sleep.
Make sure you are in bed by 10 p.m. and that your room is dark and cool. Eating a snack that does not contain carbohydrates or sugar might help maintain your blood sugar throughout the night so you don’t wake up from hypoglycemia. Avoid using anything with blue light, such as smartphones and computers, at least two hours before bed.
If you need to rest or take naps during the day, that is your body’s way of telling you to slow down and recuperate. Naps are best during the earlier half of the day. If naps are taken later on, they may interfere with your sleep at night.
As for exercise, we suggest you approach it with care. It is a vital part of any health routine, especially if you need to lose a bit of weight. However, if you have AFS, you will have to be careful, as overexercising requires cortisol and can exhaust the adrenals further.
The right type of exercise, at the right time, with the right frequency, will be the order of the day. Different stages of adrenal fatigue call for different exercise plans. You can start with adrenal restorative exercises, then adrenal circulation exercises, and then adrenal yoga exercises.
For women with PCOS, exercise will help with weight loss and also the other issues that sometimes arise alongside PCOS such as poor circulation, cardiovascular health problems, diabetes, and even low mood. Just make sure you are doing the right excise for your body’s level of health, and don’t overdo it.
A holistic approach that is gradual is the best way to recover from PCOS and AFS, but because of the complexity of both conditions and the way they interplay, we suggest that you find a medical professional experienced in both.
Patience and information are your best allies, and, paradoxically, what was at first bad news – the fact that one condition will adversely affect the other – will become the good news. Improving one condition will automatically begin to improve the other.
If you'd like more info on choosing the best PCOS natural remedies for your body and health needs, you can call the Dr. Lam team at +1 (626) 571-1234 or click here for a free initial call.
