PCOS Diagnosis, Now What?
PCOS, or polycystic ovarian syndrome, is a hormone-related condition that can affect your cycle and infertility. If untreated, PCOS can eventually develop and increase the risk of type 2 diabetes. It is diagnosed by having two out of the following three symptoms elevated androgens, polycystic ovaries, or anovulation or irregular periods. As a syndrome, there is a collection of symptoms that are patient dependent. Due to this, PCOS diagnosis is different for everyone and here we will explain the steps to take to follow the diagnosis.
Here are 8 things to focus on once you receive a PCOS diagnosis:
1. Determine Your Root Causes
It’s important to understand what picture of PCOS you have.
To receive a PCOS diagnosis you must have two out of the following three (you could have all three):
1. Elevated androgens (testosterone / DHEA)
-Testosterone (ovarian) can be elevated due to insulin resistance. This is because increased blood insulin signals the ovaries to produce more testosterone.
-DHEA (adrenal) can be elevated due to stress / inflammation. DHEA is an enzyme combines with testosterone, and at elevated levels leads to acne and hair loss.
2. Polycystic ovaries on ultrasound
-Small cysts due to the follicle trying to produce an egg.
-These are different from an ovarian cyst.
3. Anovulatory cycles / irregular periods
-Irregular periods due to lack of or delayed ovulation
-Stress, high testosterone levels can affect ovulation
2. Balance Blood Sugar
Of those with a PCOS diagnosis, 70% have insulin resistance. It is important to note if you have it because this could be driving higher androgen levels. Insulin resistance occurs when your cells, the lock, reject insulin, the key, from inserting glucose into the cell for energy. When this happens, you have an increase in blood glucose and blood insulin. Because all hormones work together, when there is too much insulin in the blood, this can signal the ovaries to produce more testosterone. In addition, since this sugar can not be used for energy it gets converted in fat for storage. Balance blood sugar by eating consistent meals, pairing carbs with healthy fats + protein, and determine your carbohydrate tolerance but don’t completely eliminate carbs. It’s possible to have PCOS diagnosis in a lean body and not have weight struggles or not be experiencing insulin resistance. There is not a one size fit all approach for nutrition for PCOS. In these cases, you may not need to reduce carbohydrates as much as those with insulin resistance.
3. Focus on Balanced Meals, Not Restrictive Diets
Restrictive diets are eating patterns that have a start date and end date where you eat less than what keeps you full. Unfortunately, this can result in a dangerous cycle of restricting during the diet and overeating after the diet is over, causing weight cycling. What is more beneficial is to adopt balanced meals for the long term.
Some people think ketogenic diets are beneficial for PCOS diagnosis, however, I do not recommend this approach with my clients. Not only can you fall into a restrictive mindset with food, but the ketogenic diet also lacks adequate plant foods that provide fiber which is important for gut health and estrogen metabolism and antioxidants to support liver detoxification. Evidence shows that high fiber plant foods are beneficial in those with PCOS diagnosis. Did you know the ketogenic diet was created originally for clinical use for children with epilepsy?
There is no evidence to that those with PCOS diagnosis should be prescribed a gluten-free or dairy-free diet, though you may consider removing them if it makes you feel better internally. Gluten and dairy are highly inflammatory foods and can aggravate the inflammation in your body from PCOS diagnosis. Increased inflammation can cause gut issues, high stress, and discomfort.
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4. Manage Stress
Managing stress is very important for PCOS diagnosis. Stress has a large effect on hormone balance and can shift your sex hormones too low or too high. Studies have found that stress can increase the androgen secretion from the adrenal glands. This is especially important if your DHEA is elevated because this hormone indicates a root cause of your PCOS is stress-related.
FREE PCOS 5-DAY MEAL PLAN:
5. Reduce Inflammation
As mentioned before inflammation can cause further damage in those with PCOS diagnosis. Do you experience digestive issues like IBS, unexplained fatigue, headaches, joint pain, skin conditions like eczema or psoriasis, or food sensitivities? These are all signs of inflammation in the body. You can test a marker called high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) to check the level of general inflammation in your body. Ways to reduce inflammation: balance blood sugar, manage stress, hydration, turmeric, and consume colorful produce.
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6. Exercise Mindfully
It may feel natural to gravitate towards high-intensity exercise if you are experiencing weight gain tied to your PCOS, however, too much high-intensity exercise may further stress your adrenal glands and tax your stress response. When cortisol and/or DHEA are dysregulated in the body it’s important to pull back on high-intensity exercise. Cortisol imbalances can make weight loss more difficult. A major sign to opt for more moderate / low-intensity workouts is if you feel depleted versus energized after a workout. Moderate and low-intensity exercise like strength training, yoga, pilates, hiking, walking, biking can be helpful. If you are doing high-intensity exercise stick to about 15-20 minutes.
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7. Prioritize Sleep
Prioritizing sleep is also important for PCOS diagnosis. Sleep deprivation is a stressor and can cause cortisol levels to increase during the day. Many women with PCOS are found to have increased sleep disturbances because naturally they are more sensitive to stress, and cortisol levels are typically higher in women with PCOS diagnosis than those without. Sleep and cortisol are reliant on the HPA (hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal) axis and it is not found that women with PCOS diagnosis have optimal functioning of it.
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8. Supplement Appropriately
While there are a lot of different supplements touted as hormone balancing or for PCOS, it’s important to only take what is necessary for your body. Some supplements to consider for PCOS include spearmint, turmeric, zinc, inositol, white peony, vitex, nettle, and reishi. Work with a practitioner to determine, which supplements would be best indicated for your PCOS.
While there is no cure for PCOS, there are nutrition and lifestyle strategies to help reverse and manage your symptoms.
TAKE AWAY MESSAGE:
There are several nutrition and lifestyle shifts you can make to support body if you just received a PCOS diagnosis. If you’re looking to understand the root causes of your PCOS, check out my hormone testing packages HERE.
