Picking apart PCOS (part 1)
February is the National Heart Health month. So you might think I would be busy writing a post on that vital beating organ inside our chest. But I want to widen things out a little and remind us that the body is one big connected system. Often a symptom in one domain might actually have a root cause in an entirely different area or system of the body, or even have multiple causes in multiple systems of the body.
For example, women with PCOS are nearly twice as likely to suffer from atherosclerosis (plaque deposits in the arteries), than women without the syndrome [1]. So our cardiovascular health is directly impacted by our hormonal health – and in turn our hormonal health is impacted by a whole host of processes and systems in the body.
PCOS afflicts 10-15% of women worldwide causing women a number of pesky symptoms from thinning hair to acne, weight gain to fertility issues. So cardiovascular health is just one of many reasons to address this condition and, as with so many chronic conditions, looking at our diet and lifestyle is the place to start. When it comes to PCOS I can’t stress enough what a massive help improving your diet and lifestyle can be.
The first point to note about PCOS is that its presentation is incredible variable. Whilst many women present with the “textbook” presentation of PCOS, for some women this does not describe their experience at all. This can lead to a great deal of confusion. This is why it is helpful to work with a health practitioner to help you identify the particular imbalances and factors which are most relevant to you. For example, for some women insulin resistance is a key issue. For others, their thyroid or adrenal glands might be the area they need to focus.
Having said that, there are eight key areas I consider when supporting women with PCOS:
1. Addressing inflammation
2. Treating insulin resistance
3. Balancing adrenals
4. Treating excess androgens
5. Addressing wider hormonal imbalances
6. Balancing thyroid
7. Creating a healthier less toxic environment
8. Balancing diet
Whilst diet is just one of the areas to focus on when supporting women with PCOS it goes without saying that it is one of the most important factors. PCOS is probably the women’s health condition that responds best to dietary changes. In some cases, nutrition alone can reverse most symptoms. There is no one diet programme which works for everyone with PCOS but there are some important principles. For example, most women with PCOS have at least some degree of insulin resistance, and all have inflammation so focusing on regulating insulin levels and an anti-inflammatory nutrition plan will be key.
Another key area to focus on will be stress reduction. Since optimal hormonal health requires a delicately coordinated dance of our hormones, when one hormone is stomping around the dance floor too heavily it can throw all the other hormones off. This is what happens when we are in a state of chronic stress, as so many of us are (often without even knowing). Cortisol is the hormone we produce when our stress response is activated and cortisol can be quite the stomper on the dance floor!
The stress response in the body is an evolutionary mechanism there to save our lives. You see a tiger, your adrenal glands release cortisol and this triggers a cascade of changes in the body designed to help you escape that tiger. This is all very useful if you have actually seen a tiger. But in today’s world, this stress response is triggered again and again, day after day and we are just beginning to understand the dire effects this is having on our health including our hormonal health, often culminating in conditions such as PCOS. This is why exploring ways to mitigate and manage stress forms a key part of programmes with clients.
This post is just an introduction to the topic of PCOS. Do check back in because I’ll be covering these eight key areas in an upcoming series of posts on women’s hormonal imbalances.
[1] Anderson SA, Barry JA, Hardiman PJ. Risk of coronary heart disease and risk of stroke in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Int J Cardiol. 2014;176(2):486 – 487.
