Do you have undiagnosed PCOS?

Overview

1. Could you have undiagnosed PCOS?
2. Types of PCOS
3. Common Causes of PCOS
4. Recognising the symptoms of PCOS
5. Lifestyle Tips for PCOS
6. Nutrients to help PCOS

COULD YOU HAVE UNDIAGNOSED PCOS?

Many women are walking around with problems they don’t understand, and may have undiagnosed Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS).

There are a lot of symptoms like anxiety, depression, weight gain, acne, PMS, blemishes and breakouts, unwanted hair growth and infertility or lack of a menstrual cycle.

PCOS is now the most common endocrine disorder in women with up to 1 in 5 women suffering from – 20% of women.

Hormones work like little chemical messengers in your body, they determine everything from your mood, to your energy levels, to your weight – hormones affect and control so many aspects of your health, yet it can be so easy to overlook just how important they are to our well-being- until your balance is compromised.

The underlying cause for PCOS symptoms is an abnormally high level of male sex hormones compared to female sex hormones such as estrogen and progesterone.

In a majority of PCOS cases, male sex hormones are high – this can prevent the ovaries from releasing an egg each month as they would when in a state of balance.

Female sex hormones need to be balanced with male sex hormones in the proper ratio. It’s the ratio which is out of kilter.

THERE ARE 5 TYPES OF PCOS

1. The Classic type: high androgen levels, irregular or absent ovulation, and polycystic ovaries
2. The Hyperandrogenic Anovulatory type: excess androgens with irregular or absent ovulation (but not polycystic ovaries)
3. Ovulatory type : excess androgens with polycystic ovaries (but without ovulatory dysfunction)
4. Non-Hyperandrogenic PCOS: irregular or absent ovulation and polycystic ovaries
5. Obesity or the ‘unofficial’ type: obesity with insulin resistance can lead to excess testosterone and estrogen production. This combination can result in acne, facial hair, and the irregular cycles as seen in PCOS.

Most women with PCOS are prescribed the birth control pill, but this does not fix nor halt PCOS, it merely masks the symptoms at best. The Pill is a concoction of synthetic hormones does nothing to prevent, cure, or fix PCOS or any other hormone disorder for that matter. While it seems to manage symptoms in some women but a holistic approach is best here – lower inflammation and balance hormone levels through nutrition, supplementation, and lifestyle changes.

COMMON CAUSES INCLUDE:

1. Genetic predisposition: PCOS is regarded as a condition that runs in families, especially if you have a diabetic parent. You don’t HAVE to go on to develop this by the way, you can ‘change your destiny’ in this instance.
2. Poor diet: Eating too many high-glycaemic foods, such as those with a high-sugar content and refined carbohydrates.
3. Chronic stress
4. Too much exercise
5. Thyroid disorders like hypothyroidism
6. Exposure to synthetic estrogen, phytoestrogens in soy, plastics, pesticides and phthalates
7. Obesity
8. High insulin levels – which cause the ovaries to increase male sex hormones, preventing the ovaries’ ability to ovulate
9. High levels of inflammation – even chronic low-grade inflammation will cause the ovaries to produce more androgens

RECOGNISE THE SYMPTOMS

There is no one reason as to why women develop PCOS. It’s also not just one single disorder but instead, at least four or five independent disorders that are all characterized by an overlapping but inconsistent set of symptoms:

1. High androgen, or male sex hormone levels
2. Acne
3. Facial and body hair growth
4. Hair loss or balding
5. Irregular or absent menstrual cycles/infertility
6. Excessive or heavy menstrual bleeding
7. Ovarian cysts
8. Darkening of the skin in the armpits, back of the neck, or groin
9. Mood disorders
10. Obesity and inability to lose weight with a healthy lifestyle
11. Recurrent miscarriages

LIFESTYLE TIPS FOR PCOS:

1. Eat WHOLE foods – create a meal plan with fresh, organic, pasture-reared food. No processed food. It MUST be a no-sugar, low carb diet to work, and you must avoid seed oils, gluten, dairy, sugar, feedlot animal protein and farmed fish. Choose wild caught fish and free-range, pasture-reared beef, lamb, chicken, etc. Avoid all grains as these become sugar in the bloodstream and will only add to your misery. DO NOT TOUCH SOY! Anything soy is taboo for you – it is the most controversial phytoestrogen and it is found in almost every packaged food, and virtually all soy is genetically modified and highly processed, which can further trigger an overload of estrogen and contribute to a new imbalance which also comes with its own set of symptoms.
2. Use natural, organic spices and herbs – powerhouses of the correct type of phytonutrients which decrease inflammation, support liver health and nourish – best spices are cinnamon, turmeric, black cumin, coriander and ginger.
3. Use apple cider vinegar daily as it helps to increase insulin sensitivity
4. Don’t over-exercise, but do move
5. Avoid toxins in food, make-up, your environment etc
6. Learn to relax and destress
7. Get enough GOOD quality sleep – go to bed earlier – use L-Theanine if you need it.

NUTRIENTS TO HELP PCOS

• Berberine is absolutely excellent at helping to control blood sugar and insulin, probably the biggest culprit of all
• Vitamin D3 – vitamin D deficiency is linked to insulin resistance, ovulatory and menstrual irregularities, obesity and decreased fertility (PCOS in a nutshell!)
• Magnesium Citrate powder will help you to relax and destress
• Use Pure Hydrolysed Collagen which helps to balance hormones, blood sugar levels and insulin

You will find all of these in our ONLINE STORE at www.sallyanncreed.co.za/shop

This post is subject to our general disclaimer https://sallyanncreed.co.za/disclaimer/.