If you’re one of the estimated 5 million women in America with PCOS, you’re not alone. PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) is a disorder that affects the body through use of the endocrine (hormone) system and causes women to have all types of awful and unwanted symptoms. It’s currently on the rise across the globe and researchers have still yet to find out why. Natural PCOS treatment options have slowly (much too slowly, in my opinion) been surfacing and the PCOS Sisterhood (also known around the web as “cysters”) is screaming for more answers.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4ddbxWH4yc
How PCOS is diagnosed, and why is this important?
This disorder is a tricky one, up until a few years ago – women everywhere were going undiagnosed and wondering, what is happening to me? With symptoms like facial hair, acne, and weight gain, they were at a loss. I want you to try and think of when you were diagnosed with PCOS and how that felt; remember, one in ten women have this disorder and know that feeling.
Polycystic ovarian syndrome is diagnosed using an ultrasound, blood test, and doctor’s good judgment. In the ultrasound, they’re looking for tiny fibroids on the ovaries. The normal woman’s ovary has one cyst (maybe two) once a month during menstruation. However, the PCOS woman generally has many cysts of varying sizes.
When you show up to the doctor with the symptoms listed below, they will (or should) run the following tests to find out if you’re PCOS positive.
- Blood test: Looking for elevated testosterone levels.
- Ultrasound: Visibly seeing the cysts.
- Sugar / glucose test: Insulin resistance is a sign of PCOS.
What are the symptoms of PCOS
While the symptoms can range and include any of the following, generally, a woman will present with one or more of these symptoms:
- Irregular periods
- Acne
- Weight gain
- Mood swings
- Excessive hair growth
- Thinning hair
- Skin tags
- Dark patches of skin
- Sleep apnea
- Irregular pelvic pain
- Moderate to severe depression
From that list, I know that being diagnosed with PCOS can be scary. Don’t worry though, you’re not alone and this disorder can be reversed.
How can you help fertility when you have PCOS?
The biggest changes you can make to improve fertility with PCOS involve diet and exercise. Since one of the major aspects to this disorder is insulin resistance, cutting out processed and refined sugars as much as possible is going to help you in a big way on your way to increased fertility.
Exercising moderately several times a week is also necessary. Why does exercise help? Aside from balancing your hormones, exercise will also help you use the insulin that’s swimming around your blood stream which makes an impact on your fertility.
Alternatives to the chemical treatments for fertility and PCOS
Anyone who has PCOS and is trying to get pregnant knows the frustration and disappointment that comes with a loss of control over your body. Most doctors have a host of medications they prescribe for this point; so what about a natural alternative?
5 All natural alternatives to Clomid an Serophene – Alternative Medicine
Clomid and Serophene are treatment options that doctors prescribe to improve ovulation in women of child bearing age. This is often the first recommended treatment when a woman presents with infertility due to PCOS. Let’s look at some organic treatment options.
- Evening Primrose Oil: Evening primrose oil has historically been key for PMS due to its calming effects on moods and bloating. However, did you know that EPO is also great at improving the quality of the cervical fluid which helps you get pregnant?
- Vitamin C: Moderate uses of Vitamin C has shown great effectiveness (and antioxidant powers) in the improvement of fertility in women. However, be sure that you’re using this in moderation – eat an orange, not 12! Too much Vitamin C can dry up the cervical fluid making it harder for sperm to penetrate the cervix.
- Pycnogenol: This sounds chemical, but can be found in organic supplements. Studies have shown that women experienced reduction in symptoms of endometriosis up to 80% when taking this consistently. 33% of the participants in the study showed improvement of their endometriosis tissue within four weeks.
- Chasteberry (Vitex): The chaste berry has proven to be effective in lengthening the luteal phase, and lower high prolactin levels. Both of these are factors when studying infertility and there is a wide array of evidence supporting this as a treatment for reproductive issues (including PMS) with use of this.
- Flaxseed Oil: Flaxeed has been found to improve so many things in your body in general, but this powerful food also improves hormone balances with use of lignans and plant based phyto-estrogens. This is also super helpful with PMS and Menopause.
Not sure how to get all of these things in your diet? No worries, you can find supplements with all of things or get creative and brew teas that contain a bit of these ingredients.
5 All natural alternatives to Metformin ( also alternative medicine for diabetes)
Metformin is the second treatment used for PCOS, it was a medication intended for diabetic patients and it’s function is to help mediate the issues that go along with insulin resistance. Research shows that are some great alternatives to metformin in treating insulin resistance.
- Exercise: Exercise helps improve your insulin resistance by giving your body new ways to use insulin before it’s stored. It’s best to do some moderate access when the insulin is still fresh in your blood stream.
- Fenugreek: “In an Indian study, patients with type 1 diabetes were given daily doses of 100 g of defatted fenugreek seed powder, which was divided into two equal servings and incorporated into the patients’ daily diets. Another group of type 1 diabetics in the study followed a similar diet that did not include the fenugreek supplement. At the end of the 10-day study, patients in the fenugreek group showed sharply reduced fasting blood glucose levels, as well as improved glucose tolerance.” (LiveStrong.com).
- Eugenia Jambolana: Grown on a tree primarily in the asia’s, this awesome remedy has been shown in animal research to greatly improve blood sugar levels in as little as 10 days.
- Nopal (Prickly Pear Cactus): Studies show that the nopal (as it’s known in Mexico) regulates blood sugar when used daily and unlike Metformin, has no negative side effects on the liver.
- Gymnema Sylvestre: This herb comes from a shrub and has been shown to aid in preventing and treating obesity as well as slow down the absorption of sugar in the blood stream.
Videos on PCOS
Get Help with PCOS
More information on polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) – List from Here
For more information about polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), call womenshealth.gov at 800-994-9662 (TDD: 888-220-5446) or contact the following organizations:
- American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE)
Phone: 904-353-7878 - American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
Phone: 202-638-5577 - American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM)
Phone: 205-978-5000 - InterNational Council on Infertility Information Dissemination, Inc. (INCIID)
Phone: 703-379-9178 - Women’s Health Research, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, NIH, HHS
Phone: 800-370-2943
