The statistics are that Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) affects 5-10% of women of childbearing age, personally I think the figures should be much higher. I believe that today’s diets and lifestyles are making the condition more prevalent. Higher than normal blood sugar levels interfere with the normal development of the eggs each month. These poorly developed eggs can remain in the ovary as a cyst. Since ovulation is delayed or does not occur at all, the hormone progesterone is reduced or absent in that cycle, causing many of the symptoms of PCOS. Lack of progesterone leads to a relative imbalance between estrogen and progesterone, such that estrogen activity is not properly balanced with progesterone; this is known as estrogen dominance. The two hormones tend to have equal and opposite functions: estrogen causes the lining of the uterus to grow while progesterone helps maintain it, estrogen causes breast tissue to grow while progesterone keeps it healthy, estrogen tends to cause Emotions like sadness and progesterone have anti-depressive qualities. Progesterone reduces smooth muscle spasm, normalizes coagulation and vascular strength, supports thyroid function and bone formation, and helps prevent endometrial cancer. Women with PCOS have more active circulating testosterone that causes problems such as anovulation, infertility, acne, excessive growth of body and facial hair, and loss of head hair. Regulating the intake of sugar and starch in the diet can greatly improve symptoms of PCOS, such as infertility, hair loss, weight gain, missed periods, lack of ovulation, and the growth of facial hair. Polycystic ovarian syndrome is not a sentence of infertility and can be treated naturally through diet, exercise, and nutritional supplements.
Due to the hormonal imbalances associated with PCOS (high insulin, high androgens, low progesterone, and unbalanced estrogen to progesterone ratio), women may experience the following symptoms:
High levels of male hormones, androgens
An irregular or absent menstrual cycle
There may or may not be many small cysts on the ovaries
Infertility or inability to become pregnant or maintain a pregnancy
Acne, oily skin or dandruff
pelvic bread
weight gain
lack of ovulation
Heavy and painful periods
Naturopathic treatment of polycystic ovarian syndrome focuses on:
Regulation of blood sugar and insulin levels
Decrease excess male hormones and hormonal activity and thus improve acne, oily skin, excessive hair growth, hair loss.
Improve progesterone production
Ensure regular ovulation and menstruation and improve fertility.
Weight loss and regular exercise.
Because most women have little education regarding what is healthy regarding menstruation and fertility, many will make wrong assumptions regarding menstruation, fertility, and PCOS:
Myth #1: I don’t plan to have children, so it doesn’t matter if I don’t ovulate.
Truth: It doesn’t matter if you plan to have children or not, if you don’t ovulate every month, your body is deprived of a vital hormone, progesterone, which means you may be more susceptible to estrogen-dominant conditions like fibroids, breast cancer, breast and endometriosis.
Myth #2: I have my period regularly so I must be ovulating
Truth: Having regular periods does not mean you are ovulating. It simply means that estrogen production rises and falls each month to signal the development of the uterine lining and subsequent shedding. Regular ovulation is vital for a healthy hormonal balance, regardless of parenting plans.
Myth #3: Ultrasound showed no ovarian cysts, so I can’t have PCOS
Truth: The name is misleading, people with PCOS do not necessarily have ovarian cysts. The body breaks down and resolves cysts regularly so that the cysts can come and go. The syndrome is diagnosed based on the presence of a number of symptoms that may include some (but not all) of the following: hair loss, excess facial/body hair, weight gain, insulin resistance, poor tolerance to glucose, irregular menstruation. cycles, anovulation, infertility, acne and oily skin.
Myth #4: Blood tests were fine, so there is nothing wrong hormonally
Truth: Hormonal blood tests are notoriously poor predictors of health or disease. Reference ranges are incredibly wide (for example, for and are established based on an average of values measured among the general population. Reference ranges for hormones must be established through health examinations of individuals that are used to establish range of any reproductive disorder) such as fibroids, breast cancer, endometriosis, polycystic ovarian syndrome, irregular periods, heavy periods, painful periods, infertility, anovulation, etc. Select only those who have perfectly regular periods, ovulate every month at mid-cycle, have no evidence of fibroids or endometriosis, no history of reproductive organ problems, etc., then use those people to establish a healthy range .
Myth #5: If I have endometriosis, PCOS, or fibroids, I can’t have children or can only have children if I undergo aggressive fertility treatments like in vitro fertilization (IVF)
Truth: You can have children with any of these conditions, they do not automatically mean infertility. Depending on the severity of the condition, the best course of action may be to combine conventional therapies such as medication and surgery with naturopathic treatment, or naturopathic treatment alone may be enough to resolve the problem.
Myth #6: If there was something that could help my problem, my specialist would know about it.
Truth: Unfortunately not. Most doctors have enough on their plate to keep abreast of the latest medication and surgical options and see large numbers of patients every day. They have neither the time nor the interest to research naturopathic treatments for diseases.
Myth #7: There is no research to support naturopathic therapies.
Truth: There is plenty of research supporting acupuncture, herbal medicine, vitamins, and nutritional supplements. There was a time as little as 10 years ago when research was scarce. Public interest in using more natural therapies has sparked interest in investigating remedies that have stood the test of time for hundreds, if not thousands of years.