PCOS ⎹ With Lauren Sidwell
The condition affects an estimated 8–13% of women of reproductive age, and up to 70% of cases are undiagnosed, affecting about one in seven women, making it one of the most common endocrine disorders in women’s of reproductive age, showing the countless women affected by this condition world wide.
As a qualified naturopath with a special focus on women’s health, PCOS is a condition I see regularly in clinic. PCOS, or Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, can present with many clinical features and understanding which type of PCOS can help you to take charge of your condition and help to reduce severity of symptoms to improve your health longterm.
PCOS is characterised by hormonal imbalance that can be associated with menstrual irregularity or absence of menstruation for many months, infertility, miscarriage, acne and excess hair growth from excessive androgen production, obesity, insulin resistance and impaired glucose tolerance.
PCOS can present in people very differently and it is important to understand what the drivers are behind your diagnosis.
There are 5 main reasons causing your PCOS
Insulin Resistance PCOS
PCOS is commonly associated with insulin resistance and this makes up around 70% of most cases. When managing Insulin Resistance PCOS we want to address insulin levels and reverse the impacts this is causing on your health. This also may be contributing to excess weight gain, inflammation and oxidative stress, due to dysregulated blood sugar levels.
Focusing on the root cause is our focus at Florelle so seeing a qualified health practitioner to determine your drivers to help you manage and ensure you are getting the right treatment.
Post Pill PCOS
If you have recently come off the oral contraceptive pill and your hormones seem like they are out of balance, elevated androgen levels are often seen in PCOS. It is best to check your hormone levels to access this and see a health practitioner to help you rebalance your hormones and improve symptoms. You may also have been experiencing some acne that you didn’t have prior to being on the pill or excess hair growth. This can be a result of hormonal fluctuations from ceasing the pill or your symptoms have returned that you had prior to commencing the pill. Often Oral contraception is prescribed to mask and reduce these symptoms so addressing the underlying root cause of your PCOS is so important.
Adrenal PCOS
Adrenal PCOS is less commonly seen in patients in only around 10% of cases. This can be caused by and overproduction in DHEAS produced by over stimulation of the adrenals that can be seen in patients with elevated stress levels. Addressing stress and supporting the body’s natural processes to adapt to stress is the best way to treat the condition. By providing optimal nutritional support to maintain a healthy stress response.
Unmanaged and Chronic inflammation
Chronic inflammation can impact hormone levels causing fluctuating hormones that can result in a cascade of inflammatory processes being the trigger of your PCOS. Managing inflammation and providing individualised treatment goals and protocols to improve health outcomes. This maybe by addressing food sensitivities, gut dysbiosis, and addressing obesity.
Managing PCOS
As a qualified naturopath and herbalist, I have the tools to support you to regain healthy hormones. Herbal medicine is an incredible tool that can help to rebalance your hormones with individualised herbal prescription to tailor to your health needs. We can address conditions such as PCOS with hormonal regulating herbs to improve hormonal balance, improve hormonal acne by stimulating lymphatic clearance improving elimination channels, aiding in proper detoxification pathways to improve the look health and appearance of your skin if this is your concern. Supporting weight loss and reversing insulin sensitivity and pre-diabetes with diet, lifestyle, herbal and nutritional medicine to prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes and other chronic diseases. By restoring glucose tolerance, inflammation and oxidative stress to reduce the impacts on your health.
Investigating PCOS
Pathology, imaging and functional testing is useful to determine if you have PCOS. If you think you have polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), it’s important to have this investigated. You may need to see a specialist, such as an endocrinologist or gynaecologist for more a detailed assessments. An early diagnosis and support from a team of specialists can help manage the symptoms of PCOS and reduce the risk of long-term health problems. PCOS is usually diagnosed by an ultrasound and pathology testing.
Naturopathy focuses on prevention by addressing the underlying root cause not just a focus on symptom relief or a band aid fix, by supporting you holistically and providing the tools to support your bodies innate ability to heal itself to regain your vitality and live your best life.
For more information and how we can support you book in to Florelle today!
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