How to Know If You Have PCOS

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is a chronic health condition that affects up to 47% of women, and its symptoms can include acne, irregular cycles, weight gain, and even infertility. Think you might have PCOS? Here’s how to know if you have PCOS, including common symptoms, how doctors diagnose it, and what you can do to manage those not-so-fun symptoms. 

PCOS is a hormonal disorder that affects how the ovaries work. It’s often characterized by high androgens (male hormones like testosterone) and insulin resistance (the culprit behind many of those symptoms). But it’s a complicated condition that can make recognizing it and treating it difficult.

There’s no single PCOS gene, but a variety of genes could be involved, increasing the risk of developing the condition. 

Some risk factors include how your body handles:

• Insulin and glucose, 

• Androgen levels, 

• Oxidative stress, 

•  in general 

• Factors connected to insulin or metabolic disease 

The good news is, diet and lifestyle plays a big part in managing PCOS symptoms (though they can’t “cure” PCOS).

PCOS can is usually identified by a combination of symptoms or, medically. Many PCOS symptoms are thanks to hormonal imbalance (remember testosterone and insulin?) showing up externally.

Lifestyle interventions, like increased physical activity and dietary changes are often the first choice treatment for those with PCOS. 

If you’re looking for a form of exercise, try strength training, particularly leg and glute muscle-building exercises. 

Metabolically active tissue, like lean muscle, is where hormone receptors are. Exercises that help to tone these muscles get them to express more hormone receptors, which allows them to attract the hormones being stored in body fat. This can help improve insulin resistance by enabling insulin to more easily enter the system. 

If weightlifting isn’t your vibe, increasing overall metabolic activity is the goal, so just do your favourite form of exercise, whether that’s cardio, yoga, or going for a walk around the block. 

Increasing overall concentration of lean body mass will help your system to work more efficiently. Aerobic and resistance exercise can increase insulin sensitivity, help weight loss and improve overall metabolic outcomes.

High fiber, omega three fatty acid-rich diets, keto diets, mediterranean diets, antioxidant rich food, and anti-inflammatory diets have all been recommended for managing PCOS. What all of these diets have in common is highlighting foods with low glycemic index scores (low sugar). This style of diets can help improve insulin sensitivity and hormonal balance. 

There are many different ways that you can do low sugar, and the biggest difference between these diets is where the carbs are coming from. 

Eating more protein and healthy fats, and less simple carbohydrates (think candy, soda). Instead, try eating more complex carbs, which take longer to digest and have a more gradual effect on blood sugar. 

• Apples

• Broccoli

• Lentils

• Spinach

• Brown rice 

Although these diets are focused on carbs, don’t forget about the protein! Prioritizing protein can support weight loss and improve glucose metabolism.

With PCOS, you’re not treating the individual symptoms—you’re treating the underlying condition, which in most cases is insulin resistance. Supplements can work alongside diet and lifestyle changes to help combat insulin resistance, and resolve symptoms, like weight gain or acne, or bring back ovulation. 

• Inositol makes the glucose and insulin receptors more sensitive, which helps to get the glucose and insulin inside the cell, allowing them to start making energy again. Reversing that insulin resistance will generally help to start ovulation again, as androgen levels go down, improving egg quality.
  
  
• Magnesium supplementation can enhance insulin sensitivity and decrease insulin resistance. Research shows that 1 in 4 women with PCOS do not consume enough dietary Magnesium. 
  
  
• NAC is an antioxidant that can reduce insulin sensitivity by reducing oxidative stress. NAC works by neutralizing free radicals, which decreases oxidative stress and inflammation. NAC also supports egg quality, which is often affected by PCOS.

Lifestyle interventions aren’t always enough, and some people with PCOS may benefit from medical interventions. 

Letrozole and Clomid are two oral medications that increase FSH levels to recruit a follicle, promoting ovulation. They are usually taken alongside cycle monitoring (tracking with bloodwork and ultrasound) to track the response to the medications and confirm ovulation. 

Letrozole is commonly used to induce ovulation in combination with different fertility treatments. By blocking estrogen production, it encourages the production of more FSH, increasing the likelihood of ovulation. 

Clomid blocks estrogen receptors, tricking the brain into thinking that estrogen levels are low. This triggers the increase of FSH and LH releases, the hormones responsible for stimulating egg development and ovulation.