Tips to Manage PCOS
Thankfully PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome) knowledge is becoming more and more widely available to us!
I remember my teenage years going from doctor to specialist to X-ray to ultrasound trying to uncover what was causing my mustache, mood swings, acne and irregular periods. Most concerning as a little teenie bopper was definitely the mustache lol.
"You have PCOS take birth control" *mood swings get worse, I get pudgy, no symptoms resolve*
"You have cysts on your ovaries in this ultrasound, but this one you don't. Maybe you have PCOS."
"All teenagers have acne. You're fine."
Moral of the story: PCOS was hard to diagnose, there was no cure, and at the time, felt impossible to manage.
Fast forward to today, and I can tell you first hand that it IS extremely manageable!
Of course all bodies are different, but this is my quick, general and to-the-point advice that I follow, use with my PCOS clients, and would give to anybody with PCOS:
1. Say no to hormonal birth control. More often than not, someone with PCOS already has too much estrogen. Taking 'the pill' will just give you even more estrogen. Yes, it may mask the effects of high androgens like testosterone, but it doesn't actually solve any problems.
2. Consider a bioidential progesterone cream. Our body's estrogen:progesterone ratio is (basically) what controls PMS. With high estrogen, it's likely we don't have high enough progesterone. Adding a little progesto-love from an all-natural wild yam cream could be just what you need to control acne breakouts and other PMS symptoms, and not want to punch somebody in the face as you await your period.
3. Detoxify the excess estrogen with a healthy gut, healthy liver, the right food & supplements. In addition to an overall healthy diet and lifestyle (more to come on that), I love to eat an abundance of ground flax seeds, cruciferous veggies like broccoli, supplement with DIM (diindolylmethane), Vitamin D, probiotics, and digestive enzymes. There are plenty of other supplement goodies you can add, but those are the absolute basics and a great place to start.
4. Don't let the high testosterone give you acne and a mustache like mine, but use it to your advantage for muscle growth! High testosterone isn't always a bad thing, as long as you can manage it. I like to supplement with Saw Palmetto and drink lots of spearmint tea to control the side effects of high testosterone (very effective). Laser hair removal is completely normalized too. I go regularly.
5. Stick to a low glycemic diet. PCOS sufferers often struggle with unstable blood sugar and insulin resistance. You can completely erase this struggle by always sticking to a low glycemic diet. To make this as simple as possible, eat plenty of good quality proteins like fish, eggs, tempeh, and always hormone-free meats, healthy fats like nuts, seeds, avocado and olive or flax oil, and loadssss of veggies. Avoid starches, grains, sugars and anything too carb-y. Carbs themselves are not an enemy, but if you're dealing with blood sugar issues and/or insulin resistance, eliminating them for a while is the most thought-free way to combat this. Plus, forces you to fill up on veggies and the extra fiber is helpful for ridding excess estrogen & other toxins.
6. Exercise. I don't care what type - just get moving! You may read about certain exercises that are better or worse for PCOS, but as long as you're moving, sweating and enjoying it, do any type! At least to start.
7. Be cautious of exogenous toxins & hormone disruptors. Really try to simplify what you eat, breathe, use in your home and in & on your body. Find non-toxic, natural alternatives for shampoos and lotions, soaps, cleaners, and even nail polish. Avoid plastics like water bottles and food storage containers, and anything with BPA. A quick scan of labels looking for BPA-free, fragrance-free, and no artificial colors or flavors is a good place to start. Also love the app called Think Dirty to scan household products to rate their toxicity.
8. Finally, keep yourself stress-free. Way easier said than done, but there's so much more benefit to restorative practices like yoga and meditation than just feeling zen. Too much of the stress hormones, like cortisol and adrenaline, can cause a rollercoaster of hormone disruption, leading us right back into hormone imbalance, mood swings, pimples, etc.
Hope that's been helpful! Any specific questions, don't hesitate to ask.
