PCOS and Fertility

While being diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) MAY impact your fertility - the underlying hormonal imbalances are mostly manageable. While PCOS is ASSOCIATED with infertility - that doesn’t mean it will be your experience, especially if you work on improving the underlying hormonal imbalances.

I recently attended a seminar where the Professor who is involved in PCOS research described the possible issues with fertiity as a ‘road block’ or the process getting stuck at one point in the chain of events. Meaning your body is capable of fertility, it may just need a bit of help to get there!

While medications such as Metformin and Hormonal birth control may help manage symptoms and synthetically alter hormone levels - they are not resolving the issue - just masking it. This is why working with a qualified Naturopath can help you balance your hormones naturally and in a more lasting way - by resolving the root causes and therefore improving symptoms for the long term.

Balancing your hormones through natural methods such as specific quality supplements, dietary and lifestyle changes can improve symptoms, promote monthly ovulation and enhance fertility. Working on resolving these hormonal imbalances before you conceive is important, as they can impact the health of your child along with increasing the risk of pregnancy and birth complications.

The main driver of PCOS is insulin resistance which in many cases is a direct result of dietary and lifestyle factors such as food choices, stress, sedentary lifestyle and exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals found in plastics, pesticides and fragrances. Therefore you have a huge impact on improving insulin resistance by working on these daily habits and exposures. You can read more here on food choices and improving insulin resistance.

Insulin resistance also contributes to the increased androgen/testosterone level seen in PCOS women (and subsequent hair growth), as well as increasing your risk of diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, pregnancy complications (gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, preterm birth) and impaired fetal development. Your child would also have a higher risk of developing diabetes and obesity during their lifetime.

This is why preconception care for any couple for at least 3-6 months is a great idea! The healthier the egg and sperm at conception the healthier your child - not just at birth but also throughout their lifetime!

As you can see we have a huge impact on the balance of our hormones and there’s much we can do to restore balance, enhance fertility and optimise the health of future generations.

If you are concerned about fertility in regards to PCOS or other hormonal imbalances, I’d love to help you.

Marion McConnell is a degree qualified Naturopath who helps women with stress, hormone imbalances, anxiety and fatigue.  The clinic is located in New Farm Brisbane, and consultations are also available via Skype.  You can contact Marion here.

Fibre And Hormones

While fibre is most commonly associated with symptoms such as constipation, it can also have a huge impact on your hormones!  If you have a hormonal imbalance such as Endometriosis, PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome), heavy or painful periods, fibroids, fluid retention, sore breasts or a family history of breast or other hormonal cancer - fibre can help!

Most of these symptoms and conditions involve excess estrogens (PCOS is different - usually androgens/testosterone is high) which can accumulate in your body and fat cells from dietary and environmental sources.  These include pesticides on food, hormones in farmed animals, use of the oral contraceptive pill, fragrances and other chemicals in body/beauty products and plastics.  Many of these act as xeno-estrogens, meaning they can bind to estrogen receptors throughout the body and mimic the effects of estrogen.

An increased level of estrogens is associate with an increased risk of hormonal cancers such as breast, ovarian, cervical and endometrial.

Fibre is your friend in helping to reduce excess levels of hormones and to help keep them in balance.  While there are other factors involved in treating hormonal imbalances, this is one thing you can easily improve and utilise in your daily life to support happy hormones and reduce your risk of disease.

Fibre works its magic by binding toxins/chemicals and excess hormones and removing them through your colon.  If you are not consuming enough fibre, hormones can be reabsorbed back into your body, instead of being eliminated!  Fibre reduces the activity of the enzyme (B-glucuronidase) that allows this reabsorption. 

Your gut bacteria and gut health are also reliant on adequate fibre, and also help regulate estrogen removal and reabsorption.  Your gut health is also a huge part of your immune system, and poor gut health including leaky gut (intestinal permeability) underlies auto-immune conditions.  There is research suggesting an auto-immune component to Endometriosis and even PCOS, due to the underlying changes throughout the body and the similarities to other auto-immune conditions. 

PCOS commonly involves issues with insulin and this can also be improved by consuming enough fibre and following a low sugar diet.  Insulin regulation is also impacted by estrogen levels - so you can see how hormones influence each other and that supporting the balance of all hormones is beneficial to your overall health. 

My favourite fibre family is cruciferous vegetables!  These include broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, brussel sprouts, radish and other leafy greens such as rocket, bok choy, kale and collard greens. While these vegetables provide fibre they also contain a sulphur compound (as does onion, garlic and leeks) which helps to support liver detox enzymes which help our body to remove chemicals and excess hormones.  These compounds have also been shown to improve estrogen metabolite ratio (the ratio between 2/4/16-hydroxyestrone metabolites, a higher level of 4 and 16 metabolites are associated with increased risk of hormonal cancers) and have many protective effects in the body against disease. 

Aspragus is another great vegetable which has a prebiotic action to feed your gut bacteria.  Aim to get most of your fibre from a variety of fresh, seasonal, local and spray free (whenever possible) vegetables. You can also include 1-2 pieces fruit (berries, kiwi, papaya, passionfruit, pear, apple), along with legumes and whole grains (oats, rice, quinoa, buckwheat) depending on your tolerance to these foods.  Soaked and sprouted grains/legumes/nuts/seeds are easier to digest.

Sauerkraut and Kim Chi are another great addition as these fermented vegetables have the benefits of fibre as well as containing beneficial bacteria.  Introduce slowly - start with a forkful per day and build up if you feel good on this.  If you have issues with fermented foods you may have a significant gut imbalance which needs correcting first.

The more fibre you get through whole foods the better, but if you need a fibre supplement please speak to your Naturopath, Nutritionist or health food shop.  Many popular fibre supplements use less nutritious fibre and can contain added nasties such as chemical sweeteners, colours and sugars.  Slippery elm powder and chia seeds are great natural fibre supplements.  With any fibre supplement it's best to start slow and build up, along with keeping up adequate water intake. 

A qualified Naturopath or Nutritionist can help you assess your hormone levels and estrogen metabolite ratio.  If you have hormonal symptoms or a family history of hormonal disease, this can be a great way to check your risk level and work on balancing hormones and preventing disease in the future. 

Marion McConnell is a degree qualified Naturopath who helps women with stress, hormone imbalances, anxiety and fatigue.  The clinic is located in New Farm Brisbane, and consultations are also available via Skype.  You can contact Marion here.

PCOS Treatment

If you are one of the many women diagnosed with PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome) you may have been prescribed the Pill and Metformin.  Unfortunately these medications will not resolve the underlying hormonal imbalances, even if they do help mask some of your symptoms.  

PCOS is commonly associated with increased testosterone and insulin resistance.  These imbalances contribute to acne, male pattern hair growth, weight gain, irregular menstrual cycles, reduced or no ovulation and infertility. The symptoms experienced can differ between women.

Fortunately there are other effective treatment options that will help support healthy hormone balance, resolve symptoms and support optimal ovulation and fertility.  

• Herbs including Paeonia, Licorice, Cinnamon and the herbal compound Berberine can help support hormone balance, ovarian function and improve insulin sensitivity.

• Inositol may help reduce elevated testosterone and acne.

• Zinc is vital for healthy ovulation and hormone balance and also helps to reduce acne and heal skin. Facial hair growth may be related to the conversion of excess testosterone to dihydrotestosterone - and zinc helps to reduce this conversion.

• Magnesium deficiency has been associated with insulin resistance and studies show that supplementing with magnesium can improve insulin sensitivity. There are also added benefits from taking magnesium such as calming your nervous system, improving sleep and reducing cramps and headaches.

• Reducing sugar consumption is imperative - focus on eating a variety of vegetables with adequate protein and healthy fats. What you eat everyday will have the biggest impact on your blood sugar, insulin levels and hormone health.

• Liver support is also important when correcting hormonal imbalances as it plays a large role in hormone metabolism. Herbs such as St Mary's Thistle are great for this, and you can also include cruciferous vegetables, turmeric, ginger, rosemary, onions and garlic in your diet to support liver function.

• Chemicals in pesticides, plastics, body care products and cleaning products also disrupt hormones so avoiding these as much as possible is a great idea for hormone and overall health! There are many natural alternatives available so it can be as simple as switching products next time you need to replace something.

• Lastly working on stress management and supporting healthy gut function will also support healthy hormone balance and allow your body to clear excess hormones.

While these are the most common imbalances and treatment of PCOS, every woman is different and may have different contributing factors or influences.  Saliva testing is a great way to assess hormone levels and help determine the best treatment for you.

If you would like more personalised support in restoring hormone balance I'd love to help you.

Marion McConnell is a degree qualified Naturopath who helps women with stress, hormone imbalances, anxiety and fatigue.  The clinic is located in New Farm Brisbane, and consultations are also available via Skype.  You can contact Marion here.

Why The Pill Will Not Fix Your Hormone Imbalance

It is a sad fact that women who present to their GP with hormonal symptoms are nearly always prescribed the pill.  The other options offered are the Mirena or in severe cases a partial or full hysterectomy.  It makes me feel sad that many women feel these are their only options!

While the pill may help reduce symptoms it is in no way fixing the underlying hormonal imbalance.  Your hormonal imbalance will continue to exist and when you stop the pill it's likely your symptoms will return or will have worsened.  While the pill is busy masking your symptoms it is also depleting your body of essential nutrients including B vitamins including folate, vitamin C, zinc and magnesium. 

There are many factors which can contribute to hormonal imbalances and having one blanket approach to the problem is unlikely to address womens individual needs.

Your menstrual cycle is an important indicator of your bodies health, so just masking your symptoms or using drugs to skip your period indefinitely is like putting your head in the sand!  However this approach is recommended to women every day by health professionals.

While there is a place for the pill and it's ability to help make womens symptoms bearable, there are many other treatment options that can help restore your hormones to a happy balance without side effects, and which many women are unaware of.  I don't want any woman taking the pill to feel bad, but just to be educated on the other options available to them, so that they can make a more informed choice on treatment options. 

Some hormonal issues such as endometriosis are now being shown to involve an underlying auto-immune issue, which Naturopathic treatment can also help with, but for which the pill will do nothing.

With salivary hormone and other blood tests we can better understand where your hormones are at now, possible contributing factors which led to the imbalance, and how best to restore hormone balance and improve your symptoms for good!

A hormonal imbalance can present with many symptoms and can also have a huge impact on your fertility.  So it's a great idea to work on any hormone issues now, so that in the future if you want to have children you will be much more likely to conceive and carry to term without complications.

Hormonal imbalances also contribute to diseases including fibrocystic breast disease, uterine fibroids, ovarian cysts, polycystic ovary syndrome and breast cancer.  So ensuring your hormones are in balance now, and learning how to keep them in balance, will reduce your risk of hormonal related disease later in life.

If you suffer from any hormonal symptoms such as irregular/heavy/painful periods, acne, PMS, endometriosis or ovarian cysts, please know that there are many effective Naturopathic treatment options available.  I would love to help you restore a happy hormone balance and eliminate your symptoms for good! 

Marion McConnell is a degree qualified Naturopath who helps women with stress, hormone imbalances and thyroid issues.  The clinic is located in New Farm Brisbane, and consultations are also available via Skype.  You can contact Marion here.