Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, or PCOS, is a complicated diagnosis with conventional medicine offering little hope; however, a naturopathic approach to treat PCOS naturally offers much hope. PCOS affects between 10-20% of women of childbearing age. It is a syndrome that affects the entire body, especially the endocrine system. It was once thought the PCOS must have cystic ovaries, hence the name, but in reality, women can get the symptoms and have the hormonal imbalance without having cysts at all. Symptoms include abnormal menses and anovulation, often going several months to years without getting a period. This, in turn, effects their ability to conceive. Women often experience acne or an increase in male pattern hair growth, such as facial hair, hair between their navel and pubic bone, and perhaps their chest or low back. The more classic presentation of PCOS is that of overweight women, but there is a smaller percentage of thin PCOS women. Although the presentation is similar, the underlying cause of the hormonal imbalance seems to be slightly different.
While they both generally have high androgen levels, in the overweight PCOS women, insulin resistance and possibly thyroid abnormalities tend to be the driving force behind the syndrome. In the thin women, stress and elevated cortisol is more likely to be the underlying cause. Addressing these issues through diet, appropriate exercise, stress management, and targeted supplementation are very successful at restoring hormonal balance.
The dietary approach for the classic presentation verses the thinner subset is different. One focuses on reducing insulin, while the other is focused on decreasing cortisol levels. Various foods can either contribute to perpetuating or minimizing the insulin resistance and cortisol levels, as well as making sure certain nutrients necessary for biochemical functions are not lacking. In both situations, eliminating food sensitivities will be necessary to decrease the overall inflammatory load. As always, a whole food approach will be best. Optimal nutrition is also important to restore fertility, which is often a goal for many women with PCOS. A fetus cannot grow if the necessary nutrients are not abundantly available.
Exercise is crucial for balancing hormones. Again, the types of exercises will vary depending on the underlying cause. For insulin resistance type PCOS, high endurance cardio may be better. But for managing cortisol, and possibly even enhancing thyroid function, calming, slower exercises, such as yoga or hiking would be more beneficial. Balancing exercise with proper nutrition is important to keep in mind as well. Over exercising of any sort throws off the endocrine system, especially the reproductive system; too much exercise is perceived as stress and the body shuts down reproduction during stressful times.
Stress management is key for PCOS patients. Reproduction is one of the first things to go during stressful times. With elevated cortisol levels, blood sugars go up, androgens elevate, and progesterone and thyroid production go down. Being aware of stressors and taking steps to reduce them or deal with them better is helpful. Mediation of any kind is great. Stress also depletes nutrient stores, thus nutrient replenishment can help mitigate the detrimental physiologic effects of stress. Herbal medicine provides many options for stress management and decreasing the overall cortisol load.
As already discussed, targeted nutrients may be necessary to help restore proper blood sugar and insulin response, and maintain cortisol levels. There are also great ways to support the reproductive system itself with key nutrients and herbal support. Finding the right combination of each is important for supporting each individual’s body.
All in all, naturopathic medicine provides many great possibilities for treating Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. First and foremost, it is important to treat the individual and not give every patient diagnosed with PCOS the same medications, herbs, or dietary guidelines. Each person’s biochemistry is unique and needs to be treated as such. With the use of a proper naturopathic evaluation including a detailed history, comprehensive physical exam, conventional and functional lab testing, and a unique holistic protocol, PCOS can become a thing of the past.