Now Is The Perfect Time To Reverse Your PCOS

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Have you been having irregular or totally absent menstrual cycles? Maybe, hair loss or acne? Or maybe you’ve been trying to get pregnant for months and it’s just not happening. Or you’re worried about how easily you’ll be able to get pregnant in the future.

I know what that is like because I’ve been there, not to mention worked with so many women experiencing the exact same thoughts and symptoms.

I was diagnosed with PCOS when I was in my early twenties after struggling for years with severe symptoms. I hadn’t had a period in two years, my hair was falling out, there was acne all over my jaw, and I was depressed and feeling really, really poorly about myself; I went to several doctors who told me that I should get used to my symptoms and that there really wasn’t anything I could do besides going back on hormonal birth control.

For some reason I just knew that that wasn’t the right thing for me. I had been on hormonal birth control before and I didn’t like who I was, not to mention there were so many side effects—instinctively I knew that that wasn’t how a young woman was suppose to feel, so I kept asking around. Finally, I was put in touch with a naturopathic doctor, and as soon as I sat down he seemed to know exactly what was happening on a foundational level. He then ran a few tests and confirmed that I had PCOS when a lot of other doctors didn’t take the time to understand what was going on.

And within four months I was cycling again, my skin was clearing, and I was generally feeling better about myself; I was nourishing my body and really giving it what it needed instead of just trying to mask symptoms with the birth control. The best thing about it was when I was ready to get pregnant, about ten years after all of this, I was able to do so really easily; I knew my body was healthy and fertile, so as soon as the timing was right, it happened, and now I have a beautiful daughter.

This is a huge part of why I’ve decided to help hundreds of women with PCOS and other hormonal imbalances, helping to restore their cycles, and their fertility; I’m so grateful to be able to share this message and guidance with other women so that they too can heal and reverse their PCOS, living the lives they know they’re mean’t to live.

We get there by working to individualize a plan.

To support the gut health, thyroid health, rebalance the adrenal glands, all the while reducing inflammation, which is always present in PCOS. The other two things that are emphasizing stress management and treating the emotional aspects of a person and of this particular diagnoses or constellation of symptoms.

The typical approach of dealing with PCOS is through hormonal birth control pills and blood sugar stabilizing medications. Once on those, you stay on them until you’re ready to get pregnant, and once you come off of them, you just hope that that your body is going to naturally bounce back, though more often than not, it doesn’t. At this point, you’re either encouraged to take other medications to help you get pregnant or to rely on pretty invasive and very, very expensive infertility treatments like IVF or IUI.

Unfortunately, those medications simply mask the symptoms and don’t address the underlying issues, which are a lot of what I was speaking about before: your gut health, adrenal health, how you manage your stress, and how your inflammation levels are at the moment. And that doesn’t even address all the side effects you might be experiencing because of those medications.

What I choose to do instead is to really dig deeper, rebalancing your body on a foundational level and making it so you don’t experience those symptoms anymore because your hormones, gut, and adrenals are working as they should and you’re living more in balance with the natural rhythms.

Like I mentioned before, this condition is something that I’m really passionate about because I’ve been there myself. I think it’s really important that we start working on that level so that you can start feeling better while pursuing your dreams; whether that’s starting a family or starting a business, you’re worth it, and this is one of the best ways that I know how to make that happen.

So, if you are interested in learning more, you’re welcome to message or email me or go ahead and book an appointment here.

I’m so excited to share this with you and I really look forward to hearing from you!

Elevated Cortisol May Be Causing Your Low Progesterone

In the adrenal glands, cortisol is literally made from progesterone, which means if you’re experiencing stress at higher levels, your body has a great demand for cortisol, which will push progesterone towards that pathway rather than being available to balance your estrogen.

This becomes even worse of an issue if you’re not ovulating, due to PCOS, hypothalamic amenorrhea or because of hormonal birth control.

That’s one of the many reasons treating hormone imbalance with just hormone therapy or medications won’t fix the problem. If you have low progesterone or any of the other conditions I mentioned above, stress management and adrenal support are a must in creating the environment for your body to heal and find it’s proper rhythm again.

Low progesterone can be found via blood, dried urine or saliva testing (I use @dutchtest) or determined by a short luteal phase (less than 10 days from the day you ovulate until the day you bleed) and symptom picture.

If you haven’t already checked out my blog article Boosting Progesterone Naturally, please do! I’d add adrenal support (which can need tonifying or calming so it’s always worth working with someone to figure out what YOU need) as tip #7 for increasing progesterone naturally.

Boosting Progesterone Naturally

So maybe you've been tracking your cycle and you notice you have a short luteal phase, which is generally less than 10 days between ovulation and bleeding time, or you just had your progesterone tested and it came back low. It's possible your doctor recommended progesterone cream and maybe you're looking for other ways to increase your own production of progesterone. Here are my top progesterone production boosting tips!

Natural ways to increase progesterone production

1. Get better sleep

Getting good rest is not entirely specific for increasing progesterone levels but it is important for allowing your body to heal, period. So, sleep is an important place to start if you're experiencing any kind of imbalance and this should be the number one focus before implementing other kinds of supplementation. Sleep issues can stem from an overexcited nervous system, liver stagnation, adrenal imbalance, poor sleep hygiene, or many other reasons and if the reason you're not resting well is unclear to you, I encourage you to work with someone to figure out how to help you figure out what is preventing you from sleeping well. 
 

2. Eat more cholesterol & fat

Progesterone is one of several hormones produced from cholesterol. While not everyone absorbs large amounts of cholesterol from their diet, consuming enough cholesterol and fat is important for hormone balance and the integrity of your cells walls and therefore tissues. Fat is also important for blood sugar balance and insulin resistance, which plays directly into the health of your hormones. Make sure you're looking towards high quality sources of fat and cholesterol, such as egg yolks, avocado, coconut, pasture-raised, 100% grass-fed animal meats and fats, sardines, wild salmon, anchovies, and oils from things like olive, coconut, avocado. 
 

3. Castor oil

The liver processes all of our hormones and helps clear excess hormones from the system. Excess estrogen can contribute to progesterone deficiency and topical castor oil packs are a great way to help support the liver in clearing the extra estrogen. Symptoms of estrogen excess include breast tenderness and fluid retention, often seen just before your period starts. Estrogen disruptors are very present in our environment in plastics and many skincare products and can also be caused by excess abdominal fat and blood sugar imbalance. Daily rituals like castor oil packs on the abdomen are an amazing way to support daily detoxification and promote regular self-care. 
   

4. Seed cycle

If you don’t already have my FREE Seed Cycling Guide, make sure you do that first because it’s where I go in depth into the whys and hows of seed cycling. In its most basic form, seed cycling is when you rotate flax/chia/hemp seeds in the first half of your cycle and sesame/pumpkin/sunflower seeds in the second half of your cycle to support the balance of estrogen and progesterone, which is the foundation for a healthy menstrual cycle and fertility. I often add fish oils and evening primrose oil and sometimes homeopathic remedies throughout the cycle to additionally support hormone rhythms throughout the month. It's amazing how something so simple and cost effective can be so effective in correcting hormone imbalance. 
 

5. Vitamin B6

This B vitamin is essential in the production of the corpus luteum, which is formed in the ovary after ovulation. The corpus luteum then releases progesterone, which is why progesterone is higher in the second half of your cycle, after ovulation. Foods high in B6 include liver, all animal meat, salmon, eggs, avocado and pistachios. I rarely supplement B6 alone and generally recommend a B-complex to make sure those vitamins are being consumed in balance. 

6. Vitex 

Vitex agnus castus, or Chaste Tree, is a wonderful hormone balancing herb for women. It works by increasing Lutenizing Hormone (LH), which is required to stimulate ovulation, which then helps increase the release of production and release of progesterone from the ovaries. Vitex also reduces prolactin levels, which is a hormone that can effect progesterone levels. Just to create realistic expectations, Vitex can take some time to be effective so long-term use is generally required. 

Think you might need more support?

If you think you could benefit from some guidance in working to balance your hormones, improving your fertility, dealing with infertility, PCOS or whatever symptoms you're experiencing that you think may be hormone related, I'd love to work with you. I see patients in Bend, OR and work with people long-distance as well. Click here to learn how to become a patient. 

Photo by Andressa Voltolini