Healthy PCOS

M ost of the time when speaking about PCOS you are hearing talk about the physical aspects of PCOS but, you cannot ignore the mental and emotional side of having this condition. Women with PCOS are about 3 times more likely to experience depression and anxiety than women without PCOS. Approximately 34% of women with PCOS have depression compared to 7% of women in the general population and around 45% have anxiety, compared to only 18% of the general population. The Link Between PCOS & Mental Health Issues The exact link between PCOS and poor mental well-being is still unclear but, there are currently two trains of thought as to why PCOS triggers such alarming mental health numbers. PCOS is physically affecting your brain chemistry: It's incredible how connected your entire body is. We know that hormone levels can directly impact neurotransmitter (brain chemical) levels. The brain chemicals are responsible for the regulation of motivation, concentration, learning,...

To truly take control of your PCOS you must first understand, at its core, what's driving your symptoms. PCOS starts off as a metabolic & inflammatory issue that goes on to create hormonal imbalances. There are many possible imbalanced hormones in PCOS but I want to look closely at 3 today but I want to look closely at 3 today. Insulin 50-70% of women with PCOS will have elevated levels of insulin due to a condition called insulin resistance . This leads to unexplained weight gain, poor energy levels, and increased hunger and cravings as the cells of your body start to starve. It also causes the ovaries to over-produce testosterone . Androgens Androgen is the term used to describe male sex hormones. Excess androgens are one of the hallmarks of PCOS. There are a few possible causes of excess androgen production; the ovaries, adrenals, or fat tissue.High androgens levels in the blood lead to symptoms such as acne, hair loss, hair growth, and menstrual cycle irregula...

  Change is hard, it's even harder when you have zero energy to do so. This is the problem facing many of my PCOS clients. They know action is necessary and they truly want change but, finding the energy to do so it's just such a challenge within itself. Change is hard, it's even harder when you have zero energy to do so. This is the problem facing many of my PCOS clients. They know action is necessary and they truly want change but, finding the energy to do so it's just such a challenge within itself. There are many factors affecting someone's energy levels , everything from diet, sleep, mood, time of day, heck, even the weather can impact your energy levels. Specifically talking about low energy levels around PCOS  and the culprit is your hormonal state. Culprit 1: INSULIN RESISTANCE (IR) IR  (Insulin Resistance)  is a condition where the cells of your body no longer respond to the hormone, insulin, as normal. Insulin acts as a 'key' to the cells of your b...

Menstrual cycle period issues in PCOS are a common symptom of PCOS and I find many women haven't been truly educated on exactly what's going on. Remember that every womans PCOS will manifest differently so this will not apply to every woman. 1️⃣ It starts with an underlying triggering issue such as insulin resistance causing high insulin levels, your adrenals being under constant stress or excess body fat tissue. 2️⃣ This causes the female body to start producing androgens (male sex hormones) in too large of quantities, this is what's known as androgen excess. 3️⃣ This causes a cascading hormonal imbalance between LH (luteinizing hormone) and FSH (follicle-stimulating hormone). The ratio between these two hormones is vitally important for the menstrual cycle and ovulation. 4️⃣ The end result being that the menstrual cycle is out of balance and unable to function properly, leading to irregular periods, heavy or light periods, anovulation, or simply not having a period at al...

Intermittent fasting (IF) is one of the hot 'fads' around PCOS currently but, does it live up to the hype? WHAT IS INTERMITTENT FASTING? IF is not a diet as it doesn't dictate what to eat, and how much to eat. IF is simply an eating window that can support any 'typical' diet. The most common forms of IF will be 16:8 (16 hour fast, 8 hour eating window), 20:4 (20 hour fat, 4 hour eating window) or 5:2 (two days per week eating under 500 calories - ouch). The fasted window = no calories. Water is fine and so is any liquid that contains zero calories. POSSIBLE BENEFITS OF INTERMITTENT FASTING FOR PCOS 👉 Insulin levels drop significantly (up to 20-31%) helping to reverse insulin resistance but, not 100% proven in women. 👉 Reduce inflammation and oxidative stress 👉 Improvement in risk factors, including blood pressure, total and LDL cholesterol, blood triglycerides 👉 Increased fat loss but, this will simply be down to the fact some will find that only being able to ...

  Hormonal Imbalance In PCOS: The 3 You Should Be Treating To truly take control of your PCOS you must first understand, at its core, what's driving your symptoms. PCOS starts off as a metabolic & inflammatory issue that goes on to create hormonal imbalances. There are 3 imbalanced hormones in PCOS that want to look closely at 3 today. Insulin 50-70% of women with PCOS will have elevated levels of insulin due to a condition called  insulin resistance . This leads to unexplained weight gain, poor energy levels, and increased hunger and cravings as the cells of your body start to starve. It also causes the ovaries to over-produce  testosterone . Androgens Androgen is the term used to describe male sex hormones. Excess androgens are one of the hallmarks of PCOS. There are a few possible causes of excess androgen production; the ovaries, adrenals, or fat tissue.High androgens levels in the blood lead to symptoms such as acne, hair loss, hair growth, and menstrual cycle i...

Having exploded in popularity in recent years, maca root now appears in conversations surrounding   polycystic ovarian syndrome   (PCOS). And according to recent studies and research, it probably should. So let’s explore maca root, and how it may benefit any woman who’s suffering with PCOS. What Is Maca Root? Maca is a Peruvian plant grown in the Andes mountains that is a common ingredient in Peruvian cooking. It’s said to have an earthy, nutty, butterscotch-like flavour - yum! (if you’re into that). It belongs to the family of cruciferous vegetables such as cauliflower, broccoli, kale, and cabbage. However, aside from its culinary uses, maca can also be processed and commercialised as a pharmaceutical because of its organic and biological nature. In fact, Peruvians have been using maca root as a medicinal tool for centuries either in the form of its natural state, maca powder, or maca capsules. Traditionally, it has been used to boost fertility, energy, stamina, and sex driv...