Naturopathic Treatment of PCOS

What is PCOS?

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) may be diagnosed when two of the following symptoms are present:

• Irregular menstrual cycle
• Elevated androgens (the hormones DHEA, testosterone, androstenedione and DHT)
• Polycystic ovaries (seen on ultrasound)

It is common for the diagnosis to be based upon an ultrasound. This is not enough. PCOS is not the only cause of ovarian cysts.

Conventional treatment

Common medications for PCOS include:

• Metformin for blood sugar control
• Medications for elevated cholesterol and lipids
• Birth control pills to “regulate” the cycle
• Medication for excess androgens (Spironolactone)

What causes PCOS?

Conventionally there is no single known cause. PCOS is not one thing. It is a set of symptoms which commonly happen together for various reasons. However, we know of many contributory factors. These includes:

• Insulin resistance
• Body weight
• Stress
• Withdrawal from birth control pills
• Poor nutrition
• Environmental toxicity.

Each time I start with a complete history individualized assessment and treat the client (not the disease). I do not wish to box everyone into a few categories. What I list below are simply the more common factors causing PCOS. Since PCOS is a syndrome and not a distinct disease, this may not apply to everyone.

Elevated blood sugar and insulin resistance

High blood sugar is a well-known trigger for PCOS. In natural health we know how to treat this as it’s a condition of lifestyle and diet. Often I see people who have blood sugar issues despite eating a good, low-carb diet. This is frustrating. Doctors tell women to balance blood sugar, they do, and then still have PCOS. Elevated blood sugar and insulin reistance is not always a factor. In these situations I look for other factors that raise blood sugar. These include:

• Specific nutritional deficiencies
• Other endocrine issues (thyroid, adrenals)
• Liver function and underlining toxicity

Chronic inflammation

The most common lab tests for inflammation includes:

• CBC with differential
• ESR (SED rate)
• C-reactive protein

There are many possible causes of inflammation. Some causes are a poor diet, infection, and toxicity.

Androgen Excess

This is a shift in hormone production towards testosterone and the other “male hormones.” Typical symptoms seen with this include hair loss (on head) hair growth (on face) acne and oily skin. Conventional treatment is often the prescription of spironolactone. Natural considerations are to work on:

• Stress and adrenal function
• Nutritional deficiencies
• Liver and detoxification. Many environmental toxins act like estrogen in the body and contribute to PCOS. BPA is a well known example of this.  [1]

Lack of ovulation after getting off the pill

Sometime the endocrine system needs time to adjust after being on birth control pills. Herbal medicine and good nutrition can help women to get their cycle to normal.

Other causes of PCOS

The above causes do not apply to everyone. Like any other condition I start with a review of symptoms, case history, in office evaluation and then consider lab tests. This may mean testing hormones. But it often means looking at other systems such as digestion, adrenal, thyroid, immune system, or specialized labs for toxicity.

Additional Resources

Testing.com has good information on lab tests for female hormones from a functional perspective

Reference

[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21193545